Kevin Duncan – författare

Ever wanted to be an entrepreneur? Ever wanted to control what you do, when you do it and stop just making money for someone else?Now is your chance. Starting up a business has never been more exciting.This book explains what you really need to know to make your business a success: How you'll know if you've got a good ideaThe practicalities of setting up a companyHow to manage the moneyHow to sell what you doHow to make sure you stay soon through it allThis is the book you need to swagger into the Dragon's Den full of confidence.

Today thousands of marketing books exist ready to bombard you with buzz words and secrets to marketing success, but by condensing and summarising current thinking in marketing this book gives you the chance to become an authority yourself - quickly and efficiently. This book presents marketing ideas from the profiled books clearly and accurately and will allow you not only to put these ideas into place but also explain them authoritatively to colleagues. Books profiled include The Long Tail, Meatball Sundae, Buzz, Affluenza and Blink. Saving you hundreds of hours of reading time Marketing Greatest Hits is vital for anyone looking to keep up with marketing practices NOW.

Sunday: Get started with realistic goals and a detailed business plan, and do your market researchMonday: Learn strategies for building a network of contacts and how to handle meetingsTuesday: Learn how to get the product or service right and increase your marginWednesday: Choose the most effective ways to communicate with customers and prepare useful marketing materialsThursday: Market yourself and your business and learn how to cut the jargon and describe what you do in 30 secondsFriday: Motivate yourself to work hard and ignore distractions and make a good impression as the face of your businessSaturday: Avoid difficulties and problems through using personal planning and business planning tripwires

You are about to embark on one of the biggest adventures of your life. It's a daunting prospect, isn't it? An empty desk, no customers, no confirmed money coming in, and no one to gossip with. Welcome to running your own business. Every issue is now yours to wrestle with, and yours alone. But then so is all the satisfaction when things go well, whether that is mental or financial. This book expertly guides you through the principles of running and growing a successful business - including what to do when it's not going exactly as you wish. Crammed with practical advice - from assessing pros and cons to motivating yourself and adopting effective practices - it will help you find clear, practical solutions and prove invaluable as you tackle this great adventure.

If you want to be the best, you have to have the right skillset. From generating ideas and creating business plans to sales and marketing, THE ULTIMATE STARTUP BOOK is a dynamic collection of tools, techniques, and strategies for success. Discover the main themes and key ideas you need and bring it all together with practical exercises.This is your complete course in entrepreneurship. ABOUT THE SERIESULTIMATE books are for managers, leaders, and business executives who want to succeed at work. From marketing and sales to management and finance, each title gives comprehensive coverage of the essential business skills you need to get ahead in your career. Written in straightforward English, each book is designed to help you quickly master the subject, with fun quizzes embedded so that you can check how you're doing.

How many times have you thought of something crucial to do and then forgotten it completely?That's why people invented lists. And very useful they are too. If, and only if, they are used effectively. Put thirty things on a list, and it becomes too daunting. Put three things on, and there's no point in having a list. And so we have refined the art of list writing to allow for about ten or twenty things to do.But in truth, most lists are rubbish. Randomly assembled, they do little to help the author navigate their way through the maze of stuff to do. After all, the only point of a list of things to do, is to get things done.Tick Achieve does just that. It shows you how to get stuff done, with lots of little techniques tried and tested on scores of individuals over 25 years. This includes the cathartic and highly effective process of writing a list of what you are not going to do.The author has trained hundreds of people in the art of getting stuff done. There is no Big Plan as such (contrary to what many other books suggest). It's all about details, and they can be very easy to implement. Little things can make a massive difference.Once you get the hang of it, life gets easier. In a business context, and personally. You can sleep better and worry less. Concentrate on the things that matter, and leave out the trivia and irrelevant. Learn how to celebrate little bits of progress, look down your list, tick off a job well done, and shout Tick Achieve!EXAMPLE CHAPTER OUTLINE1. BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE "I'm too busy, I'm in a meeting": professional time wasting and how to avoid itTeams; what's the point?The problem with the business world: other peopleHow to think more and worry lessHow being organised lets you take it easyAction not activityOutcome not output"If I do x, then y will happen..."2. STRAIGHT TALKING AND GETTING STUFF DONE Permission to talk straightCliché and jargon red alert listHow to get to the point and get everything done quicklySome ways to say no politelyHow to liven up boring meetingsSpotting business bull****Cutting through it and moving on3. LEAVE IT OUT Less really is moreHow eliminating issues gets to faster answers in businessWrite a list of what you are not going to doImproving your time managementSimplifying everythingBeing totally objective about the pastHow leaving it out forces the issue4. ONE IN A ROW How breaking big problems down into small tasks really worksHow to eat an elephant - in stagesKnock 'em down one at a timeRapid sequential tasking: an alternative to multi-taskingThe one-touch approachTick, achieve, move on5. LOOK LIVELY! The value of energy: in business, and in life generallyGetting your attitude rightWhy lazy people are unhappy peopleSpeed, that's the thingSpotting pointless peopleDitching the time wastersDon't waste time yourself: beware aimless net surfersCutting out the irrelevant stuff6. HOW TO OUTTHINK YOURSELF Pre-arranging tripwiresDealing with problemsPretend the job is finishedIt's urgent - pretend it's notIt's not urgent - pretend it isThe art of outthinking yourself7. TICK ACHIEVE The art of great list writingThe Priority MatrixThe Growing Pane and how to use itTick achieveSo have you done it?

If you work in business, the chances are you have fallen under the poisonous spell of business bullshit and jargon. Very few of us seem able to avoid "reaching out", or "walk the talk", or "shifting paradigms", or "think outside the box". No longer solely the province of management consultants, investors and MBA types, business gobbledygook has mesmerized the rank and file around the globe.Help is at hand with this The Business Bullshit Book, aptly described as "the world's most comprehensive collection" of the top 2,000 business terms and jargon that have infected us all. Stay sane (and keep your colleagues and customers from suffocating you) from the business bullshit madness by having this dictionary by your side. Based on his wide and extensive experience with business bullshit, Kevin Duncan deciphers the terms and language of modern-day business speak.

BE AS EXCELLENT AS YOU CAN BEIn this 5th anniversary edition Kevin Duncan has teamed up with his daughter to produce a thoroughly updated, cross-generational compendium of helpful advice. It draws together 50 ingenious thoughts to improve your attitude and your approach to life and work, with each section now augmented by Rosie Duncan’s informed suggestions about how to apply them. The Excellence Book is a life-affirming handbook to help you be the best you can be – whatever your age or seniority.

Bullshit is everywhere. Some of it is just lazy, some is complete nonsense, and yet some is at least trying to communicate something, even if it fails. Bestselling author Kevin Duncan has been on a life mission to improve business language and understanding. In his latest book, he weeds out the worst offenders, and the contexts in which they most frequently occur, to provide readers with a path to clear communication. The book starts with an examination of why we seem to use so much jargon and non-sensical words and phrases in our daily working lives. Duncan then lists and analyses the 100 most popular examples of bullshit used internally and externally, their real meaning, and rates how harmless or dangerous they are. The book ends with advice on dealing with bullshitters and a manifesto to help anyone achieve clear, bullshit-free communication.

All businesses today face increasing pressure from customers and legislation to improve their sustainability credentials. Moreover, companies' employees and shareholders are demanding the same. Yet, many companies are playing catch-up and urgently need to get on track for the future. This book explains how companies - small or large - can do that in a series of practical stages. The authors adopt a method that asks a series of questions that then require brutally honest answers to, that then go on to develop guaranteed actions for companies to implement. For any business owner or manager who realize the importance of running a sustainable business, but do not know where to start, this book provides an essential springboard. It all adds up to a roadmap towards the next decade - and for businesses to remain relevant and resilient.

Wherever you work, the chances are you have fallen under the poisonous spell of business bullshit and jargon. Very few of us seem able to avoid "reaching out", or "walk the talk", or "pivoting", or "think outside the box". No longer solely the province of management consultants, investors and MBA types, business gobbledygook has mesmerized the rank and file around the globe. Help is at hand with this handy dictionary, aptly described as "the world's most comprehensive" of the top 2,000 business jargon and non-sensical terms that have infected us all. Stay sane (and keep your colleagues, manager and customers from suffocating you) from the business bullshit madness by having this dictionary by your side. Based on his wide and extensive experience with business bullshit, Kevin Duncan deciphers the terms and language of modern-day business speak to save us all from going stir-crazy!

People find it difficult to express ideas and solve problems purely with words. They find it much easier to use diagrams. Distilled into this single, handy-sized volume are 60 of the most useful diagrams, which are used by the smartest managers and entrepreneurs globally, to aid their problem-solving and thinking. Triangles and pyramids, grids and axes, timelines, flows and concepts - the 60 diagrams are each visually presented, and then explained in an accessible manner, including tips and advice on how you can apply them to your own situations.

Ideas are the fuel of business, work and your career - it only takes one good one to make a difference. Distilled into this single, handy-sized volume are 60 of the most useful diagrams and visual techniques, many of which are used by consultants, academics, MBA students and the smartest managers and entrepreneurs globally to help them think of and create great ideas. Structured into five key parts (preparing to create ideas; generating ideas; generating more ideas; judging ideas; enacting ideas), the 60 methods are each visually presented and then explained in an accessible manner, including tips and advice on how you can apply them to your own situations.

Plenty of people are intelligent and have the right qualifications. But in business, to be successful, you also have to be smart and creative. This book contains 60 pieces of distilled wisdom to help you think smartly and creatively, and to enable you to stand out from the others. By the author of the bestselling The Diagrams Book (published in 14 languages), each piece of advice can be read in one minute or the entire book in one hour. Divided into six main sections (Growth, Communication, Innovation, Creativity, Relationships and Thinking), this powerful little book draws from a range of disciplines and perspectives to enable readers to transform the way they approach work and life.

All businesses today face increasing pressure from customers and legislation to improve their sustainability credentials. Moreover, companies' employees and shareholders are demanding the same. Yet, many companies are playing catch-up and urgently need to get on track for the future. This book explains how companies - small or large - can do that in a series of practical stages. The authors adopt a method that asks a series of questions that then require brutally honest answers to, that then go on to develop guaranteed actions for companies to implement. For any business owner or manager who realize the importance of running a sustainable business, but do not know where to start, this book provides an essential springboard. It all adds up to a roadmap towards the next decade - and for businesses to remain relevant and resilient.

Ideas are the fuel of business - it only takes one good one to make a difference. Distilled into this single, handy-sized volume are 60 of the most useful diagrams and visual techniques, many of which are used by consultants, academics, MBA students and smart managers globally to help them think of and create great ideas. Structured into five key parts (preparing to create ideas; generating ideas; generating more ideas; judging ideas; enacting ideas), the 60 diagrams are each visually presented and then explained in an accessible manner, including tips and advice on how you can apply them to your own situations.

As working environments develop through new 21st century structures, the problems and difficulties they face also become even more complex and difficult to understand, explain and resolve. The ways in which we express these processes are now patterned through a mixture of wording and imagery; diagrams and charting which help to explain trends and visualise long-term sustainable goals. From thinking, doing, working, planning and prioritizing, through to presenting, selling, negotiating, progressing in your career, or just plain fooling around, this highly practical book provides effective tools and guidelines to help anyone who wants to be more efficient and outstanding. After the runaway success of The Diagrams Book, Kevin Duncan returns to combine his experience and expertise into an interactive visual guide. A guide to assess your competency to problem-solving and challenge you to further construct new ideas through visual and diagrammed solutions, for greater improvements in all sectors of life.

SOLVE ANY PROBLEM USING VISUAL THINKINGThis book is a classic. The author has spent a decade collecting the world’s most helpful diagrams, and here is the result. Over 100,000 copies and 15 translations later, this 10th anniversary edition contains 100 diagrams, 50 of them new from the original. Cross-referenced by the most common use occasions, this is a reference book that no one who makes presentations should be without. Save yourself thousands of wasted hours generating endless charts and instead cut to the chase with one or two carefully selected diagrams. Truly a triumph of visual thinking, this is the author’s gift to the world.

We can all be better in every aspect of our lives. Kevin Duncan (author of the bestselling The Diagrams Book and The Ideas Book) draws together 50 ingenious thoughts and inspirations to improve your attitude, your approach to life and work, the questions you ask, the decisions you make, and even your timing in the things that you do. We are the owners of our success, and the main source of that success is excellence. Practical and highly accessible, this is a life-affirming handbook to help you be the best you can be - whoever and wherever you are.

Presentations that are effective and can genuinely get across your message, ideas or information need to be powerful and delivered in a way that attracts immediate attention. This book, by a leading business trainer, provides an easy-to-follow method for developing powerful presentations that can used in any business presentation situation. Based on the core idea that fewer slides and fewer words can achieve the greatest impact, the author shows you how to make your point or argument effectively in just ten slides. By being focused and on target with your message, you can present virtually anything, anywhere by using this dynamic and powerful method.

To succeed and perform in today’s business and work environment, you need to harness a broad spectrum of skills and people. This book enables you to highlight your self-improvement areas and establish how to work with your colleagues more effectively. It covers every aspect of high-functioning business performance – from attitude, action, creativity and communication to efficiency, empathy, strategy, and sustainability. At the heart of this book is an ingenious diagnostic tool (ACES System®) that enables anyone to assess their personal strengths and identify self-development areas to perform successfully in the modern business world. Whatever your stage in your work life is, at whatever age, the methods in this book can help you play your best career game, give you the winning edge, and allow you to ace it.

Strategy is a plan of action designed to achieve a long-term or overall aim, and there are many areas in business where a decent strategy will be of value. Strategy is not complex, but it can be hard, because of the pain of having to make choices.In this practical guide, bestselling author Kevin Duncan offers intelligent and quick solutions to tricky business issues through smart strategic thinking and action. He provides 50 smart ideas to help you arrive at your solution (and present it in a way that everyone can understand!).

Ideas are the fuel of business, work and your career – it only takes one good one to make a difference. In this single, handy-sized volume – a bestseller that is now in its 10th anniversary – are 100 of the most useful diagrams and visual techniques, many of which are used by consultants, academics, MBA students and the smartest managers and entrepreneurs globally to help them think of and create great ideas.Structured into eight key parts (preparing to create ideas; generating ideas; understanding ideas; judging ideas; enacting ideas, explaining and selling ideas; having responsible ideas; top 10 ideas), the 100 methods are each visually presented and then explained in an accessible manner, including tips and advice on how you can apply them to your own situations.

Technology can be a wonderful thing. It can also be a curse when it overwhelms us. If your phone, computer or other devices are beginning to rule your life, then you need help.We don't have to be ruled by our machines. It's time for us humans to fight back. 'How to Tame Technology' tells you exactly what to do, practical tips and simple things that you can do to regain control. Take the test and find out just how addicted you are - then learn how to cure yourself.'I can't talk now, I'm on the phone'For those of us suffering from technological overload, it's time to pause and think. Author and Plain English commentator Kevin Duncan has trained and advised some of the UK's top companies, including Saatchi & Saatchi and Shell, in how to cope with all this. This thought-provoking book grapples with just how addicted we have become to technology and offers a set of ideas to help wean us off our technological drugs and lead a more fulfilling life. It looks briefly at how we got here, tests you on how serious your condition is and then offers real solutions, including rapid sequential tasking (v multitasking), communicating concisely, using the best method of communication for the job, all while retaining your sense of humour and enthusiasm.'Every page is a prompt to imagine things differently. A handbook for these challenging times ahead.'Mark Earls, author of Herd'He does for business what Nike does for sport.' Richard Hytner, Deputy Chairman, Saatchi & Saatchi Worldwide'Anyone who owns a mobile should have this on their shelf.' Robert Ashton, author The Life Plan

So What? gets straight to the point so you can cut through the noise and nonsense of work. Much of what we learn in our formative years is unlearnt in later life. As grown-ups we are often unable to answer the simplest of questions in a clear, direct way, and frequently have no idea why we are doing something. This can lead to crippling inefficiency in business, and goes some way to explaining why so many people spend so much time doing things that have no bearing on the true purpose. by behaving in a genuinely inquisitive way, you can get right to the heart of the matter and save yourself hours, days, and even months of anguish. The questions So what?, Why?, How?, and When? can be hugely effective when applied in the right context, and this book shows you how to use them. Once all the right questions have been posed, there is a final sure-fire method for testing whether something is relevant and helpful. By completing the sentence "Something must be wrong if...", it is simple to work out if you are wasting your time. For example, "Something must be wrong if I don't want to go to work in the morning." So What? shows you how to become truly inquisitive again. So let the questions roll. Pay attention to what the answers are. Learn from them, and you will immediately improve your prospects of finally getting somewhere in life.

Start is a one-stop guide to getting your business of the ground. Written by someone who has actually been there and done it, it gets straight to the heart of launching your business, with no-nonsense ideas to help you start out with confidence and a clear direction. Pick up some essential tips like:* Start with the idea. What is it and how will it realise your ambitions?What is the long-term plan? If you don't know where you are going then you won't get there.* Simplicity is the key. Don't overcomplicate things so that the idea is pecked to death by ducks. If you can write it on a postcard and explain it to your mum, then you can get started.* Make clear plans. Draw up One-page business and personal plans to work out what you want in the simplest and clearest possible way.* Decide what you want. Flush out whether you are building to sell, or just want the business to fund your lifestyle, then take the leap of faith and get it underway. Work hard, but don't confuse being busy with being effective.* Learn from experience. Realise when you are gaining speed but losing altitude, and have the courage to change things when they aren't working well. All vital stuff, packaged and presented in a way that will help you put it into practice right away. So what are you waiting for? It's time to Start.

Plenty of people are intelligent and have the right qualifications. But in business, to be successful, you also have to be smart and creative. This book contains 60 pieces of distilled wisdom to help you think smartly and creatively, and to enable you to stand out from the others. By the author of the bestselling The Diagrams Book (12 languages licensed), each piece of advice can be read in one minute or the entire book in one hour. Divided into six main sections (Growth, Communication, Innovation, Creativity, Relationships and Thinking, this powerful little book draws from a range of disciplines and perspectives to enable readers to transform the way they approach work and life.