ROBERT CRAVEN
'Good businesses focus on : People and Teams; Marketing and what customers want, and Strategy and Planning. All else is commentary' says Robert Craven.
Robert Craven is a mentor and consultant who has helped more than 1,000 companies to flourish, showing younger businesses how to grow, and making larger businesses more nimble. He is Visiting Professor at Toulouse Business School, an Associate Fellow of Warwick Business School and a regular contributor to the Independent newspaper.
He spent five years running training and consultancy programmes for entrepreneurial businesses at Warwick Business School. Running his own consultancy since 1998, he is now one of the UK's best-known and sought-after speakers on entrepreneurship.
'Textbook theories are inappropriate for growing businesses'
He is not full of theoretical rhetoric; he offers practical solutions - tangible business results.
Robert's work on marketing and strategy has been widely published and acted upon by thousands of growing businesses - he has been described as 'one of the UK's leading marketing specialists' and 'Mr Entrepreneur'.
'Chuck out the theory and ask if staff get on with each other.'
Robert's track record at helping businesses is very impressive. Add to this his broad experience at Board Level and you will understand how and why he uniquely adds value to all the businesses that he works with.
'If you keep doing what you've always done… you'll get the same results!'
His current focus:
· Sort It - run the business you want to run
· Bright Marketing - be fast, smart and bright
· Brand It - you cannot not communicate!
Alongside his numerous speaking engagements, Robert also does consulting work for, and is personal mentor to the leaders of a number of growing businesses in the UK.
'Decide your goals and be prepared to pay the price.'
His new book, Kick-Start Your Business- 100 Days to a Leaner, Fitter Organisation, will be released by Virgin Publishing in February 2001.
This book is aimed at helping the reader maximise business potential. The emphasis is on practicality.
· Too much to do, too little time?
· Feel your business could do with a tune-up, but are too busy running it to sort out the problems?
· With the fast, proven techniques in this book, you can transform your workplace into a powerhouse.
· You won't find irrelevant management school theories here - just dozens of practical ways to turbocharge any business.
The case studies, worksheets and practical exercises in the book will help you to take the pain out of business planning and increase your profitability. You'll find out how to identify your company's strengths and weaknesses and assess its potential. You'll learn the secret obsessions of all the successful entrepreneurs.
Chapter Titles include:
· Just How Good Are You Really?
· The Three Obsessions of Successful Organisations
· Where Do You Want To Go?
· Strategy Shmategy - On Approaching Strategy
· Bright Marketing
· Focus Your People On Customers
· Leaders As Band Leaders And Surfers
· Sort Finance
· Growth And Balance
· The Psychology Of Success
· Innovation - Getting Out Of Your Box
· Helping Your Business To Measure Up - The Scorecard
· Crunch Questions
· The 100 Day Workout