How often do you rely on discounting or price promotions to win new clients, and is it actually helping you build a sustainable business long-term? Procter & Gamble (P&G) recently took a very firm stance on this. Despite a sharp rise in promotional discounting across Europe, they are refusing to play that game. Instead, they’re doubling down on winning through product superiority, innovation, and strategic communications. Their CFO, Andre Schulten, put it bluntly: “We don’t believe that promotion, in any way, shape or form, is a way to build the business or to acquire users on a sustainable basis.” This got me thinking about how we approach this in our own businesses: - If you agree with P&G: How are you currently communicating your unique value clearly enough to your target market so you don't have to compete on price? - If you disagree: Why? What kinds of discounting or promotional strategies have actually worked for your business long-term? Curious to hear where everyone lands on this!

Today, hundreds of thousands of 18-year-olds will open their A-level results believing that one envelope, email or screen could determine their entire future. It won’t. That doesn’t mean exams aren’t important. They are. Set goals. Work hard. Prepare properly. Aim high. Do everything you can to achieve the best result possible. But never confuse the result of one test with the measure of your potential. It is one snapshot of where you are today… not a verdict on who you are or what you can become tomorrow. A quick glance through the guests on my Success Is a System podcast proves it. - Alfie Best left school with no qualifications and became enormously successful. - Charlie Mullins, - Neville Wright, - Kevin Byrne and many others I’ve interviewed built extraordinary businesses without degrees, A-levels or, in some cases, even O-levels. My own academic journey didn’t follow the conventional route either… yet decades later, I received an honorary doctorate in education. Your starting point does not determine your finishing position and neither does age Ray Kroc was 52 when he began turning a small restaurant concept called McDonald’s into a global phenomenon. Colonel Sanders was in his sixties when he began franchising the recipe that became KFC. Success doesn’t have an age limit. Nor is it decided by one exam, one driving test, one military assessment, one university degree… or one difficult day. Whatever appears on that results page today, celebrate it or learn from it… but don’t let it define you. The most important result is what you choose to do next. Because one day can measure your current position. But it can never measure your potential .

Just wanted to put this out there to see if anyone else has had experience of Gojiberry - it's an AI driven LinkedIn lead generation tool (I think since Apple, Blackberries and Orange they must be running out of fruit now). My findings so far is that it is a great time saver, but is better not to rely on the AI generated messaging, which many on LI are getting inundated with in their inboxes. Too early to tell about the quality, but have had a couple of disgruntled complaints about the cold outreach, for which I think I probably need to develop a slightly thicker skin. I'd be interested to hear about tips and tricks, experiences etc. I'll report back in my own again when I've seen some more results coming through.

Every Great Business Has One. Now Yours Does Too. If you haven't already noticed, The Growth Syndicate has a new name. And there's a very deliberate reason for it. The overwhelming majority of UK businesses don't have a board. They're led by one person who has to make every decision, solve every problem and carry every responsibility. Yet look at the world's most successful businesses and you'll find something very different. They all have a board. Not because they're bigger. Because they're smarter. A board brings different perspectives. Different experience. Different expertise. Someone who spots the financial risk you didn't see. Someone who challenges your marketing. Someone who asks the awkward question. Someone who tells you you're making a mistake before it costs you thousands. That's what a good board does. It doesn't just support you when things go wrong. It challenges you when things are going right. It pushes you further than you would ever push yourself. Most business owners can't justify employing a Finance Director, Marketing Director, Sales Director, Operations Director and experienced entrepreneurs to sit around a boardroom table every month. But every business deserves access to that level of thinking. That's exactly what The Board is. A place where ambitious business owners can ask questions, challenge ideas, share experience, avoid expensive mistakes and make better decisions. Because every great business has one. Now yours does too.

Here are my Ads that will be live on GB News radio from next Monday.