Sales Tips for New Business Owners

Sales Is a Process and Not Just a 90-Second Pitch! What sort of words would you use to describe “sales” or “selling”? And if we ask you to think of a typical salesperson, what do you think of? A used-car salesman? A saleswoman in a phone shop? A sales assistant in a department store? Sadly in […]

Do Your Research… Before You Launch Your New Business!

Before you make a major purchase or investment, surely you’d do your research? Before buying a house, a car, or buying a holiday, you would look around, compare offerings and check out reviews? So why is this common-sense approach often abandoned by many new business owners? We now live in an age when we can find […]

Who Should I Ask for Advice About My New Business?

When it comes to running your own business, one thing that can help your start-up business really thrive is getting the right advice. Unfortunately, in our experience of working closely with over 160 new businesses in the last few years, there is a lot of bad advice out there. This blog aim to tackle this […]

9 Business Books for New Business Owners

Our main aim at Acorn Enterprise is to educate and accelerate new businesses. We fundamentally believe in the principal of continuous learning so we actively encourage those we work with to attend seminars, go networking and consume content – especially business books. Everyone has a different preference when it comes to learning and there is definitely a […]

Lessons Learnt From Michael E. Gerber The Emyth Author

There are men and then there are legends. Michael E. Gerber is the latter. According to INC Magazine, he is the “World’s number 1 small business guru”; he is also the author of the best-selling small business book of all time, “The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Fail and What to Do About It”. This […]

Is It All About Businesses of Scale?

3 Suggestions to Accelerate Start-up Businesses in Scotland Do you know what size of businesses in the UK account for: 99.3% of all private sector businesses? 48% of private sector employment? And a third of of private sector turnover? We’ll give you a clue, it’s not the corporates or “businesses of scale” – it’s small […]

3 Free Tools to Help New Businesses Create A Professional Image!

Strikingly, Mailchimp and Canva Acorn Enterprise has worked with well over 140 start-ups and new businesses in Fife, and the surrounding areas, since we launched in 2013. Our goal is to accelerate new businesses, through a process we call, ‘fast learning’. In a previous blog, we looked at three online tools to help small businesses work […]

How Do I Promote My New Business? 5 Activities for Marketing Your Start-up

Last week, we spoke about 3 facets that new business owners often ignore when promoting their start-up: the customer, strategy and measurement. To get the most value from this blog, please read that one first, before looking at the 5 activities for marketing your new business below: 1. Website In 2015, a business website is a non-negotiable. […]

How Do I Promote My New Business? The Customer, Strategy and Measurement

Acorn Enterprise has worked with well over 150 start-ups and new businesses in Fife, and the surrounding areas, since we launched in 2013. Our goal is to accelerate new businesses, through a process we call, ‘fast learning’. Another question we get asked a lot is, “How do I Promote My New Business?” Before we look at […]

The F-Word for Small Businesses Why You’re Losing Sales

Don’t worry, this blog is not rude but you may feel we are because we’re going to be direct and blunt with you about why your business might be losing sales. Let’s start off with a disclaimer: running your own business is tough. There is so much to do, all of the time and if […]