Neville crop  As most business people in February know there is a last minute dash to get that present for their “loved one”.

With the pressure of time against us all, we end exasperated at the cost of those roses that seem to double in price between 1st February and the 15th.  Is this savvy business practice by the florists or is it bad planning by the business owner?

I can sit here quite smugly knowing that I sorted my Valentine’s Day present out the first week of January when prices were low and so was demand.  The reward for me is knowing that the price I would normally have to shell out was reduced by over 75%. I feel no pressure as everything is sorted and hopefully I will get the “other half” in a good mood for the rest of the month!

This time reminds me that life as always reflects business.  We all know we have to sort things out but life / business seems to take over and we finish off up against it and seemingly paying over the odds for something that we can’t do without.

We all know the typical harassed Christmas shopper looking for presents on the 24th knowing full well that the prices will drop on the 26th.  Christmas like Valentines, like Birthdays, like anniversaries are always on the same date each year, but still we rush around at the last minute to get it sorted.

Running a business the pressure is constant and that decision to commit to future costs always seems to arrive too late for us to scout the market, and leaving us at the mercy of the incumbent supplier who knows they can relax for another year or even further, happy they have secured the business at an increased margin.

I am often amazed at the costs and service that businesses seem to accept. Fortunately for my clients this is now not the case as we are always aware of the costs / deals that are around and the timings to ensure we get those deals for our clients.

One thing I still haven’t got sorted for them though is the roses!

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