I love to see anyone have a go, and I feel for the founders of  instant grocery startups. Groceries-in-fifteen-minutes brand Voly is slashing staff and seems in deep trouble. Send is gone. Milk Run soldiers on, with bigger, richer investors.

It’s a business model that seems to have cherry-picked all the worst, hardest, most expensive elements of running a business, and combined them into a massive bag of dicks. Not for their customers, but for themselves.

I'm no startup wizard. But we do have businesses around the country that have to cope with the same factors as the grocery pedallers. Let's break a few of them down so it doesn't happen to you.

Got business or work problems? Want personalised tips from the business dad you never had? Well this week is your opportunity at last. We'll get to that shortly, but first, let's talk about your future regrets. And why midlife crises can be a force for good in your life.

People are always reluctant to take action. It's so hard to persuade them.

Here's a lesson on how to do it, from when I almost ended up losing half an ear.

It could easily happen to you too, at least if you're an Australian. Find out how to save losing valuable parts of your body AND how to become more persuasive.

It's one, simple, obvious thing that loses you the client.

This week: what that is, and how to avoid doing it yourself.

I don't want to get into politics in a business blog, and my politics are of no interest to you. But what can you, a regular business person, learn from the recent Federal election?

As a marketing person, I'm kinda bugged by what the whole Scotty experience has done for the perceptions of marketing. Done well, it's an incredibly valuable way to lift your margins and create loyal customers. Done badly, it makes people think marketing is all image and no delivery.

This week, 3 ways to avoid making that mistake.

The Richard Branson story I refer to:

Now Is Not The Time For Your Marketing, Richard Branson

I cannot understand why Simon Sinek is meant to be good. Or why so many hold him up as the Jesus of management wisdom.

He is a random platitude generator. He is a serial Anecdote Repackager, implying credit for the work of real achievers.

More thoughts on that, and why I'd prefer Gary Vaynerchuk to be my boss over Simon Sinek.

And the management writer you may not have heard of who actually is as insightful as Sinek thinks he is.

Any advisor will tell you that competent business owners need a clear, documented exit strategy. And they’re sort of right.

Yet I don’t have an exit strategy. I have a non-exit strategy.

To explain why, we look at a company that's been operating for 650 years, and what we can learn from them.

Having trouble finding staff? Six tips we've tested to reduce your pain.

Links to stories I refer to:

The Greatest Recruitment Ad That Never Ran.

We’re putting our prices up. You should consider it too.

Most businesses could radically lift their profit margins, but choose not to. Because they think no more than a year or so ahead.

People in big companies must dance to the tune of CEOs and CFOs who are in it for the fat bonuses and will be gone in a couple of years. The weaknesses they've engineered into the business will be some other sucker's problem.

If you're not in a big company, that's an opportunity.

So this week we look at how to develop a brand that's more profitable than your competitors in the long term.

And we look at two of the biggest myths that the finance people try to pin on marketing.

Show links:

Carlton Draught Ad

Mark Ritson Presentation (he starts at about 4 mins)

Theatre skills will get you a long way in business. Elon Musk’s Twitter purchase is the latest season of a show that’s been running for years. He’s basically one of those unpredictable hero-villains who pop up and steal the show from the sensible performers, like King George in Hamilton. People go: wow he’s interesting. WHAT WILL HE DO NEXT?

And because awareness that you exist is 90% of the battle in business, it’s a powerful accelerant.

So this week, 6 essential theatre rules that apply right across the world of business. Each will help you stand out and get remembered.