Author name: Marco Soares

I have worked with owner managed businesses since 2010. Over the years, I have helped my clients grow turnover and profit by assisting them to structure their teams effectively, implement proper business planning systems and become highly effective leaders. My approach is simple and practical. I believe that success is the result of structure, consistent marginal improvement, and a business’s ability to implement good ideas effectively.

Alt Text: Are You Promoting Strong Managers into Weak Directors?

Managers vs Directors: Are You Promoting the Wrong People?

Promoting a great manager into a director role sounds like the right thing to do, but it is one of the most common mistakes made in growing owner-managed businesses. In this post, Marco Soares explains why being a great manager does not automatically translate into being a great director, what the fundamental difference between the two roles actually is, and the three questions you must ask before making any director-level promotion. Get this wrong and your business hits a ceiling. Get it right and you build the leadership capability that sets you free.

Managers vs Directors: Are You Promoting the Wrong People? Read More »

3 Mistakes That Will Cost You in Uncertain Times – How to Lead Your Business Through Uncertain Times

How to Lead Your Business Through Uncertain Times

When times are uncertain, most businesses fall into the same three traps: losing sight of what they can control, taking their eye off the numbers, and letting their pipeline dry up. In this post, Marco Soares cuts through the noise and gives you three clear, practical areas to focus on right now. This is not about staying positive, it is about staying focused, owning your numbers, and feeding your pipeline so that your business comes out of uncertain times stronger than it went in.

How to Lead Your Business Through Uncertain Times Read More »

Are You Actually Measuring What's Working in Your Marketing or Just Guessing?

Are You Measuring Marketing Effectiveness Correctly?

Most business owners think they are measuring their marketing, but are they measuring the right things? In this post, Marco Soares breaks down why tracking phone calls, emails, and contact forms tells you very little about what is actually working. Using a simple three-level pyramid framework, campaigns, channels, and method of contact, he explains exactly what you should be measuring, why lead source reporting is non-negotiable for growth, and how to build the visibility you need to invest in marketing with confidence.

Are You Measuring Marketing Effectiveness Correctly? Read More »

Why Growth Sucks Cash, Understanding Your Business Cash Gap

Why Growth Sucks Cash: Understanding Your Cash Gap

Is your business growing but cash still feels tight? In this post, Marco Soares explains why growth sucks cash and introduces the cash gap — one of the most important concepts every business owner needs to understand. Learn how debtor days, stock days, and creditor days combine to tie up your working capital, and discover what you must do to monitor and manage your cash gap so that growth builds cash rather than draining it.

Why Growth Sucks Cash: Understanding Your Cash Gap Read More »

The REAL Reason Most Businesses Don't Grow

Why Most Businesses Fail: Mastering the Business Basics

Most businesses don’t fail because they lack ideas — they fail because they never master the basics. The fundamentals, the foundations, whatever you want to call them, are incredibly important. Having worked with many businesses, I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that most of the challenges you face right now are not because you lack the fanciest, newest way of doing something. They exist because the basics are not absolutely nailed in your business and operating consistently. In business, just like in life, there are no shortcuts.

Why Most Businesses Fail: Mastering the Business Basics Read More »

What is strategy?

What is Strategy?

Strategy is not the same as vision, a plan, or a goal. A strategy is a framework for helping you make decisions, and without it decision making becomes almost impossible. It starts with getting very clear on your ideal customer, understanding what those customers value, and shaping your value proposition around what matters to them. When your strategy forces trade-offs and shows you what to ignore, it becomes far easier to decide what to focus on, how to sell, and how to grow your business with the right customers in the right way.

What is Strategy? Read More »