How many times have you heard the old saying “If you keep doing what you have always done, you’ll keep on getting what you always get”? Except that now as a close colleague of mine pointed out, you are more likely to get less than you used to get by doing the same old things.

Despite people’s awareness of this, I still find business owners telling me that they know what is wrong with their business, but are still blindly following the same route, with the same personnel doing the same things. When I point this out to them, they swear that they will therefore make changes, and they don’t need me to help them, and to hold them accountable. 99 times out of 100 nothing changes, because once you put yourself in the mindset of “knowing”, then you are far less likely to be open to change. To make changes might be seen as admitting that in fact you “don’t know”, and therefore pride and stubbornness become your worst enemy.

So it is a breath of fresh air every time I meet business owners who want to make changes, and are prepared to accept that some outside help and advice can be hugely beneficial. In fact one of my clients is always pleasantly surprised by the path our meetings take, but equally well is delighted with the outcome, and the new level it takes them to.

Of course every investment you make at the moment must be carefully thought through, and where possible a level of return on investment assumed. However, if you are stuck in a rut, wondering how to change and move things forward, why not think about investing in a coach.

Whilst we are being bombarded with bad news all around us, it is important to keep focusing on the here and now, and what we are doing to avoid being sucked into this general despondency.

With that in mind I have just heard from another of my clients that he has had his best year ever turnover wise. He now becomes the fourth one of my current clients to have achieved their best year ever, and it just goes to show what can be done if you concentrate on the key areas of your business.

So remember, doing the right things, and plenty of them will always hold you in good stead. Of course in tricky times such as these, there are bound to be “elephant traps”, and unforeseen problems which are going to throw you off course. But the key thing is to have a clear target of where you want to get to, and know why it is you want that, and then set the strategy to allow you to get there. If you are then thrown off course you still know where you want to get to, so you have to reset the strategy and plans as to how to achieve it.

Having financial targets (forecasts/budgets), having the right business structure, having robust systems and procedures in place, and having a great team to make it all happen, are still all principles which you should work towards. And if you’re not sure how to achieve this, having the right coach may be the answer. Just because the world is collapsing around our ears doesn’t stop these things being the way to move forward.

As has been proven by my clients, if you keep doing enough of the right things with a clear focus and direction in mind, the chances are you will rise above the rest, and come out safely on the other side of all this turmoil.

I have just returned from a whistle stop trip to Australia, taking in Sydney, Canberra and Cairns all in the space of 6 days. It was a wonderful trip with my father, who had been asked to attend the dedication of a memorial to my grandfather in Canberra, and I was there ostensibly as a chaperone.

It just goes to show it is never too late in life to do or change things. My father (now 86), who has never been to Australia had more or less given up all hope of ever seeing where his father was born and bred. However, due to a combination of unforeseen events the opportunity arose, and my father was determined to take advantage of the situation. It was a tiring and emotional trip for me, let alone my father, but it goes to show how if you truly want to do something then you can make it happen.

The key to achieving your goals is actually setting goals that are genuine. Very often I find that people set goals for themselves which sound good, but in reality they are not things that they really, truly want. So there has to be a genuine desire to create the determination and drive behind anything that you really want.

To test this out, think of the things you most like doing, and then imagine what you would do (or actually have done in the past) to make those things happen. You clear your diary, you make time, you make money, or you do everything in your power to allow you to achieve it.

So next time you set a goal, make sure you really want it, believe that there will always be a way of achieving it, and then set yourself mini targets so bit by bit you make it possible, and ultimately realise your dreams.

SEO, platforms, back links, HTML, these are not the latest fashion tips but that mysterious language of the computer and more specifically the internet. And immediately I know some of you will have mentally switched off. I know it all seems a bit strange, another language, and best left to the experts, but why?

Anyone with children will know how easily they deal with new technology. How often have I asked one of my daughters to install some new software or set up a new piece of equipment? An expert on tap, but is it really that difficult?

Now I am a real novice and I don’t always get it right first time, or even second, but I keep trying and bit by bit it is becoming clearer. And for businesses today, like it or not, a presence on the web is important, especially with the massive increase in the use of phones and tablets that can access the internet. More and more people are turning to the internet to find out information, be it the times at the cinema, cheap car insurance (is there such a thing?) or booking a holiday. Imagine how big your market could be.

So my advice is to take the plunge. Begin with one thing, why not join LinkedIn for example and once you are feeling more confident try something else, and before you know it you’ll be wondering why you were so reticent.