A dream finally realised

It has always been a dream of ours to travel to Asia and visit the ‘diversity’ of Singapore, feel the chaos and beauty of Vietnam and the buzz of Hong Kong. Well, I am delighted to write that finally we made it a reality in March of this year (2026).

This journey started out well over 30 years ago planning that one day we will have the time to visit our friends in Singapore and other parts of Asia during the trip. Every year we would discuss ‘is this the year’ with the usual answer and simply putting off till the next year. Finally, in 2025 we decided lets do it and we booked our flights in September, appointed a Destination Management Company in Vietnam and told them what we would like to see and do and they looked after our accommodation, tours and the detail to ensure a memorable trip.

All was going well until about a week before departure when the war broke out in Iran placing a major question of doubt around the trip. But like everything else in life, there are things we can Control, Influence or Accept (the CIA coaching model) and needless to say we clearly had no Control or Influence over World events.

Luckily the flights we booked out of Heathrow were direct to Singapore and direct return from Hong Kong unlike some other travelers we met on our trip who had to find alternative routes costing considerably more than they had planned.

The trip was outstanding, lived up to all our expectations with some wonderful memories to reflect on in later years. I urge anyone who has any thoughts about traveling, stop thinking and just do it. Set it as your goal, plan it out carefully, budget according to your means and enjoy!

“We come into this world with nothing, and we leave with nothing, only our memories remain.”

5 P’s of Business Success

Truly successful business owners have a clear purpose and mission about what they want to accomplish. They have clear goals and objectives and run their business with Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) which they constantly monitor not unlike a pilot flying a plane monitoring altitude, airspeed, heading, fuel, engine condition, weather and of course other aircraft around them.

For a business to be successful I believe there are 5P’s which are:

• Purpose: Establish a clear, compelling Purpose based on the value your business provides
• Product: Deliver solutions to problems that answer the needs of your customer with the right Product (or Service) 
• Process: Implement an efficient, consistent and results-driven Process in a step-by-step manner
• People: Recruit and nurture talented individuals who are highly motivated, skilled and well trained 
• Profit: Deliver consistent and healthy Profit margins to ensure long-term stability and growth

Too many SME business owners run their business by the seat of the pants, going from one crisis to the next never taking time out to plan for the future. Always working ‘In’ the business. A successful and profitable business should run without the continuous involvement of the owner through proper management systems being in place by dedicated and responsible personnel.

If you are a Business Owner and you are serious about growing your business but you have hit what we call a ‘glass ceiling’, reach out and give me a call on 087 2555263 to discuss how we can work together. Probably the best call you will ever make.

Still time to achieve your 2026 goals and finish on a high

Summer is about to start, schools will close, bags will be dug out of the attic for holidays and before you know Christmas will be back on the agenda! Well not really but the truth is we are almost halfway through the year!

So how are you doing with your goals? Honestly now? Have you achieved what you set out to achieve or are you still thinking about what needs to be done and putting it off till after the holidays? Wrong answer! The good news is there is still time to kickstart your goal setting and achieve what you set out to achieve but only if you start today rather than putting it off till tomorrow.

Goal setting and personal development are areas I have always been interested in, particularly, why some of us procrastinate and are poor at self-management, by not reaching our true potential and living a life which is on purpose and true to ourselves

One of the main problems I believe are mindset and commitment: our thinking and beliefs which are holding us back and stopping us from achieving the results and life we are looking for.

Your current success or failure are Lag Indicators based on the decisions and actions you took some time ago. We are where we are today and we all need to accept and take responsibility for our situation.

Be the CEO of your own life, set your own goals and steer your own course not someone else’s.

One way to improve and get better results is to practice Kaizen – a process of taking small, incremental, daily actions which in time form a habit resulting in improvement gain.

By focusing on making small improvements or actions of just 1% per day and adopting an attitude of ‘Continuous improvement’ or what I call ‘Rolling improvement’, by the end of this year that improvement will equate to over 4x where you are now – and if you continue for a full calendar year that improvement will be a staggering 37x – extraordinary results.

In most cases the universal problem with goal setting comes down to the goal being simply too big, resulting in overwhelm and inaction taking over. To get around this obstacle a much better strategy is to set mini goals which ultimately result in the larger goal being achieved except you are continuously rewarding yourself along the way. And we all love rewards!

The key to success is to do less for more – what do I mean by that? Start your week by deciding on three things you want to achieve over the coming week which will bring you closer to your goal. And on a daily basis, review the results of the previous day and set 3 more things which you must accomplish over and above all other tasks. Adapt the Eisenhower’s Box method of focusing on Urgent/Important tasks only and everything else is a distraction and should be delegated or deleted. Alternatively work with an Executive Coach who will act as your personal Accountability Buddy ensuring you do what needs to be done and will help you identify and achieve your goals.

Another great trick I personally use is to turn off all notifications and ‘Yes’ that includes email and all social media feeds – if it is so urgent they should call you in the first place. Why don’t you add a note to your email signature saying that; ‘all e mails will be responded to within 24 hours and if the matter is urgent to call or text you’. It is amazing the difference a ‘notification free day’ can make to your productivity and effectiveness.

Thank’s for taking the time to read my article, I hope you enjoyed it.

If I can help you overcome any obstacles you maybe facing and get you back on track to achieve your goals in your business and your life – DM or mail me at howard@howardkent.com

What is your Your Daily Routine?

To be successful in business or in life we all need a Daily Routine. It can be as simple as brushing our teeth and showering first thing in the morning. We are all creatures of habit and our daily routines are a form of self-automation that sets us up for the day ahead – without a routine we can end up being overwhelmed and stressed out.

As far as success routines go it is important to set yourself up first thing in the morning (or the evening before) to be the most productive you can be, to give you the best chance to achieve the results which will deliver the greatest chance of success in your life and your business. 

To help set me up for a productive day I ask myself:

• What are the three thing I must do to move me closer to my goals?
  
• What areas do I need to work on to get more clarity and focus in my life?
• Am I living on purpose or to someone else’s dream?
• How can I be of value and service to others?
• What am I grateful for?

As part of my Daily Routine I go for a walk or a swim, after which I eat a healthy breakfast of porridge with ground pumpkin and sunflower seeds. As soon as I get to my desk (short walk down the hall) and before switching on my computer I will write up my Journal – currently I use and have done for some years the Full Focus Planner to reflect and plan out my day including ‘My Daily Big 3’ which are the most important tasks followed by all other tasks. I then prioritize the tasks in order of importance and delivery.

When that is complete I will then and only then switch on my computer, check my e mails, my on line schedule and additional tasks for the day. One tip I learnt a long time ago is to switch off all Notifications on both my mobile and my computer in particular my email notification which is probably the greatest productivity drain ever invented! Try it sometime.

So what is your Daily Routine?

Tips on how to create your Personal Brand and stand out from the crowd

We all have a personal brand whether we like it or not – it is what people think and say about us when we are not in the room – and its not always what you may think it is!. Your Personal Brand is your reputation and what it is like in the minds of others, what people know you about you, how they experience you, what they expect you to do and to say and how you turn up.

To establish your Personal Brand follow these simple steps to identify your key skills and traits:

Ask for feedback from people you know really well what they really think about you by writing down 5-10 key words, both positive and negative words they think describe you best. Ask them to clarify the words if they say ‘honest’ do they mean you won’t steal from your company?

What do you want your Personal Brand to stand for – answer / describe yourself under the following 6 key areas:

1. Values: What’s important to you
2. Drivers: What motivates you
3. Reputation: What others think about you
4. Behaviour: How you act in front of others
5. Skills: What you can do that others can’t
6. Image: How you look and dress

Create a MindMap with your name in the centre with each branch as one of the key areas from above with sub branch’s that are words that sum up the area i.e. under ‘Values’ you could write ‘loyal’, ‘energetic’; under ‘Drivers’ you could write ‘problem solver’ etc

Think like Oprah – boil your Personal Brand down to the one key word or idea which you want people to know you by – identify that one core thing – in Oprah’s case people trust her and feel connected, her key trait is ‘Empathy’

Use Social Media, what do you engage with and say on line – this is the area you can create your own persona and presence but be careful what you say on line ast could come back and haunt you!

Take action by bringing your brand to life, push yourself to do more around your Personal Brand so others will identify with you. Use your passion and talent to gain recognition and make yourself in demand.

Your Personal Brand cannot be bought, nor made up – it has to be earned – the good news is it is never too late to improve your Personal Brand by focusing on who you are, what you are great at and what value you deliver to others. Remember your Personal Brand is all about your reputation – it is all about you!

If you want help to create your Personal Brand – why dont you give me a call, Howard Kent – I would love to chat with you about your ambitions and brand plans.

Being a Business Owner does not have to be a lonely place!

Ask any business owner and they will tell you that owning and running a business can be a lonely and desolate place. You cannot expect your spouse or friends to relate to your problems as they are not involved in the day-to-day running and management of your business, anyway they probably have their own worries which is taking up enough of their time and energy.

One way of getting around this problem is to bring on board a non-executive Director or employ the services of a mentor or coach who can help you reach a decision in a logical and from an impartial point of view offering guidance and to help you see the woods from the trees.

In ancient Greece the great philosophers Socrates and Plato would have sat for hours with their peers debating matters of interest and concern in what was a forerunner of the Mastermind Group.

In modern day the Mastermind Group concept can be traced back to the author Napoleon Hill. In 1908, Hill was commissioned by the American industrialist Andrew Carnegie to interview over 500 of the most successful people of the day and put together a general formula for business and life success. The ‘project’ took over 20 years to complete culminating in ‘The Law of Success’ later to become ‘Think and Grow Rich’, which included a series of steps of which he advocates the ‘Power of the Mastermind’ which we now know as the Mastermind Group.

A Mastermind Group is a group of people preferably not more than six who are of a like mind from either the same or different industries sharing a common need for success in their business venture. The group meets on a regular basis with the objective of supporting each other through the sharing of experiences and knowledge.

When forming a Group choose members who are likely to create synergy, who are focused, ambitious, open-minded and goal oriented with a positive outlook who will bring to each and every meeting energy and a willingness to share . It is beneficial to include people who have real experience and success in business and who have overcome personal challenges. The Group is designed as a long term support system and not as a ‘drop-in’ session whenever you feel you need a motivational lift.

The Group becomes a place where individuals can bounce ideas, discuss problems confidentially and learn from the wisdom of their fellow Group members. Mastermind Groups can offer valuable benefits including accountability to ensure that projects don’t slip in terms of deadlines and completion. An additional advantage is the power of simply stating your goals out loud which in turn can help you to clarify your thinking and to ‘follow-through’

So if you find yourself in a situation where you are over whelmed and feel you have no one to turn to with your problems why not take the initiative and create your own Mastermind Group and gain from the support of fellow business people, or better still enage with a Business Coachon a 1:1 basis who is there to listen and guide you through along the path to success.

If I can be on any help, reach out and lets have a chat. Click on my Chat link and set up an appointment with me.

Are you struggling to grow your business?

Are you struggling trying to grow your business? Are you having sleepless nights worrying about growth? Do you feel constantly overwhelmed and out of control? Are your employees running your business ‘their’ way, constantly complaining and not delivering the service your customer wants and is paying for?

Does this sound like you, all stressed out, exhausted or worse still thinking of throwing in the towel? I bet you thought none of these problems would ever happen to you when you decided to start your own business, right?

If you would like to get out of the daily grind in your business and be a Business Owner that enjoys your business and life while making the money you would like, there are two simple mindset shifts you need to make to start moving in the right direction:

1) You are now a Business Owner – right! You are one of the elite few who have made the shift and going it alone. But this requires a completely different mind and skill-set than being an employee. You now need to start working “ON” your business rather than “IN” your business! Without this shift, you will probably find yourself in the same place or maybe in a much worse position twelve months from now.

2) Think of your business as a product rather than what you provide or do. What do I mean by this? Everything you do in your business should be all about developing a process and building equity. Have you seen the movie ‘The Founder’? If you haven’t then go see it. It’s all about McDonalds founder Ray Kroc played by Michael Keaton who built the McDonalds brand into what it is today. Let’s face it McDonalds is not only a fast food chain, it it is first and foremost tried, tested and proven process to anyone that wants it and can pay the price to have it. Can you achieve such results in your business?

What you need is a great product or service, well trained employees, a business process, a marketing system that works every time, a proven sales system, a financial system with KPI’s and an operations system. The objective is to leave nothing to chance in your own business, everything must work together like a well oiled machine.

Think of how you can build your business into a turn-key operation that someone else would want that can be duplicated. Now you have a recipe for success. You will be in a position to get your life back, make more money than you ever thought you could and start to sleep like a baby at night with no worries. How sweet does that sound!

To create a business that will work without you takes time with the right mind and skill set. You cannot be expected to do it on your own. You need to employee the right people for the jobs that need to be done and not necessarily like-minded people but people who will bring specific expertise with them and be able to work as part of a team. In a lot of cases it makes economic sense to employ specialists or consultants to oversee certain aspects of the business while it is evolving and growing. All the time you will be learning from their expertise while you focus on growing the business.

Having a business that works which is profitable and sustainable is every Business Owners dream! So, if you are struggling with your business, cash flow, marketing, sales, people, process etc. I would really like to have a chat with you and show you in just a few minutes how you can evolve and turn your business around. Why dont you book a Discovery Call with me – simply click on the link on the site and lets talk.