--- title: SME business guides | MD business tools | leadership advice | Robert Craven description: "- Robert is one of the UK's best-known and sought-after speakers on entrepreneurship and innovation. - He is not full of theoretical rhetoric; he offers practical solutions - tangible business results. - Robert's work on marketing and strategy has been widely published and acted upon by thousands of growing businesses. Specialties: entrepreneurship, business growth, working in small and large businesses" --- ** # Vistage UK Blog ** Category: All categories Uncategorized Business Leading, Not Managing Getting Ahead Strategy Work/Life Balance Issues Employee Motivation Life At The Top Sales Vistage Members Speakers HR Economy Marketing Recruitment Vistage Change Management Being a new CEO Vistage Chair Exit Planning/Strategies Family Business Technology Vistage Staff Time Management Vistage Open Days Mental Health Brexit Negotiation Scaleup Business Cybersecurity Raising finance 10 Results ## Robert Craven ![Robert Craven](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/ea0d9180e2abc28159c44b910a2aa8bd) - Robert is one of the UK's best-known and sought-after speakers on entrepreneurship and innovation. - He is not full of theoretical rhetoric; he offers practical solutions - tangible business results. - Robert's work on marketing and strategy has been widely published and acted upon by thousands of growing businesses. Specialties: entrepreneurship, business growth, working in small and large businesses Find me on: ### Recent Posts [Business](https://blog.vistage.co.uk/topic/business) June 5, 2015 [![](https://blog.vistage.co.uk/hubfs/Blog_Images/pixabay_images/lion-fish-501647_1280_thumb.jpg) ](https://blog.vistage.co.uk/the-greatest-threat-is-digital) ### [The Greatest Threat Is Digital?](https://blog.vistage.co.uk/the-greatest-threat-is-digital) If we were to believe the hype, online and offline, then it would be natural to conclude that the greatest threat to running a successful and sustainable.. [Business](https://blog.vistage.co.uk/topic/business) March 13, 2015 [![](https://blog.vistage.co.uk/hs-fs/file-2571733107-jpg/Blog_Images/pixabay_images/simplebusinessquestions.jpg) ](https://blog.vistage.co.uk/your-blog-post-title-here) ### [Get Closer to Your Customers with this Simple SME Business Manifesto](https://blog.vistage.co.uk/your-blog-post-title-here) Whilst focussing on how to make entrepreneurial businesses more businesslike, I have developed a simple manifesto. Using entrepreneurship as the starting.. [Business](https://blog.vistage.co.uk/topic/business) November 20, 2014 [![](https://blog.vistage.co.uk/hs-fs/file-2109820353-jpg/Blog_Images/pixabay_images/should_your_business_be_more_honest.jpg) ](https://blog.vistage.co.uk/why-is-truth-always-the-first-casualty-of-business) ### [Why is Truth Always the First Casualty of Business?](https://blog.vistage.co.uk/why-is-truth-always-the-first-casualty-of-business) The truth is that truth is a very rare commodity in business. Would you agree that nobody tells the absolute truth in business? Would you agree that there is.. October 27, 2014 [![](https://blog.vistage.co.uk/hs-fs/file-1964326836-jpg/Blog_Images/pixabay_images/change_business_name.jpg) ](https://blog.vistage.co.uk/opal-fruits-why-a-name-change-is-never-enough) ### [Opal Fruits & Why a Name Change is Never Enough!](https://blog.vistage.co.uk/opal-fruits-why-a-name-change-is-never-enough) "Opal Fruits... made to make your mouth water." Those of you of a certain age will remember the TV ad as if it were yesterday. Actually, it was from 1997. The.. [Work/Life Balance Issues](https://blog.vistage.co.uk/topic/work-life-balance-issues) September 29, 2014 [![](https://blog.vistage.co.uk/hs-fs/file-1727090564-jpg/Blog_Images/pixabay_images/spend_more_time_out_office.jpg) ](https://blog.vistage.co.uk/why-great-ceos-work-less-to-achieve-more) ### [Why Great CEOs Often Work Less to Achieve More](https://blog.vistage.co.uk/why-great-ceos-work-less-to-achieve-more) We are endlessly told that hard work creates more profit. Work harder to create more profit in your new business. Does more work really mean more profit? Do we.. [Business](https://blog.vistage.co.uk/topic/business) August 14, 2014 [![](https://blog.vistage.co.uk/hs-fs/file-1457568737-jpg/Blog_Images/pixabay_images/running_your_own_business.jpg) ](https://blog.vistage.co.uk/technically-an-expert-but-you-cant-run-your-own-business) ### [Technically an Expert but You Can't Run Your Own Business!](https://blog.vistage.co.uk/technically-an-expert-but-you-cant-run-your-own-business) I meet plenty of so-called experts. Right now, I keep encountering SEO and SEM experts, digital consultants, social media experts, marketing agencies. They.. [Business](https://blog.vistage.co.uk/topic/business) June 27, 2014 [![](https://blog.vistage.co.uk/hs-fs/file-1113222590-jpg/Blog_Images/pixabay_images/ceos_obsession.jpg) ](https://blog.vistage.co.uk/5-things-really-great-business-leaders-obsessed-with) ### [5 Things Really Great Business Leaders Are Obsessed With](https://blog.vistage.co.uk/5-things-really-great-business-leaders-obsessed-with) The principles of business growth are pretty straightforward. Find and fine-tune a formula that works, test that it can scale, and scale it. It all looks so.. [Leading, Not Managing](https://blog.vistage.co.uk/topic/leading-not-managing) May 28, 2014 [![](https://blog.vistage.co.uk/hs-fs/file-867246460-jpg/Blog_Images/pixabay_images/Leadership_development_and_ideas.jpg) ](https://blog.vistage.co.uk/why-business-leaders-need-more-than-a-quick-fix) ### [Why Business Leaders Need More Than a "Quick Fix" ](https://blog.vistage.co.uk/why-business-leaders-need-more-than-a-quick-fix) ‘Directors’ of growing businesses are not the same as ‘owner-managers’. They have different profiles, different leadership styles, different needs, different.. [Leading, Not Managing](https://blog.vistage.co.uk/topic/leading-not-managing) April 30, 2014 [![](https://blog.vistage.co.uk/hs-fs/file-710616735-jpg/Blog_Images/pixabay_images/md_thinking.jpg) ](https://blog.vistage.co.uk/most-mds-dont-know-what-they-really-want-do-you) ### [Most MDs Don’t Know What They Really Want - Do You?](https://blog.vistage.co.uk/most-mds-dont-know-what-they-really-want-do-you) The conference hall goes silent as I pull out the flipchart marker pen. You could hear a pin drop. A glimpse of the blindingly obvious or a stroke of genius, I.. [Business](https://blog.vistage.co.uk/topic/business) February 27, 2014 [![](https://blog.vistage.co.uk/hs-fs/file-547757943-jpg/Blog_Images/pixabay_images/telescope_vision_search_find_why.jpg) ](https://blog.vistage.co.uk/forget-business-as-usual-mds-need-to-rediscover-their-why) ### [Forget Business as Usual, MDs Need to Rediscover Their 'Why' ](https://blog.vistage.co.uk/forget-business-as-usual-mds-need-to-rediscover-their-why) Working with CEOs and managing directors of fast-growing businesses, I am asked (in one form or another), “How can you help us to grow?” I am not sure if this.. [1](https://blog.vistage.co.uk/author/robert-craven/page/1) ### Subscribe to Vistage Insights X ? ![](https://www.bizographics.com/collect/?pid=8256&fmt=gif) ![](https://px.ads.linkedin.com/collect/?pid=3037762&fmt=gif)