The Man on the Moon Principle

Anna Stubbs • October 22, 2025

In 1961, President John F Kennedy famously announced his goal of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to Earth before the decade was out. As we know, in July 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first people to walk on the moon, and were brought back to Earth safely, achieving JFK’s goal.


At a time when most people hadn’t even been on an aeroplane, landing on the moon would’ve felt unachievable and overwhelming. However, such a massive goal united people with a purpose; the story goes that even a cleaner mopping the floor at the space station said his job was to help put a man on the moon.


So, how did they make the goal achievable? They broke it down into milestones, with each one taking them closer and closer to achieving their ultimate goal.


The first milestone was to achieve lift off. So, they set about resolving this challenge. The next milestone was to reach orbit, so they had a team working on this milestone.


Then, they had to reach the moon’s atmosphere, land safely on the moon, take off from the moon, enter Earth’s atmosphere and land safely back down to Earth.


You can see how breaking the goal down into milestones gave everyone a more achievable objective to focus on which was less overwhelming. Those milestones were then broken down into the actions which needed to be completed. Each action was essentially a small step towards reaching the ultimate goal.

We can use this principle in our planning.

Start with a 12-month goal, then break this into milestones on your way to achieving the goal. What milestones will you reach in the next 90 days? What actions do you need to complete each week to reach them?


You might have a longer-term goal you’d like to achieve within 5-10 years. Follow the same process of identifying the milestones and the actions you need to get there.


What’s an important goal that will unite your team in a common purpose? When you’ve identified your goal, break it down into milestones and actions. Don’t forget to celebrate when each milestone has been reached.


If you need help making a plan for your business or breaking your goals down into milestones, get in touch.


“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” - Lao Tzu

Start Up Loan Scheme: getting your business off the ground

By Anna Stubbs • January 29, 2026
Having adequate access to adequate funding is fundamental for any startup. In the early stages of getting your enterprise off the ground, you need working capital to reach the all-important minimum viable product (MVP) stage, rent premises and hire staff. But where does this initial funding come from? Let’s look at the UK Government's Start Up Loan scheme and the funding options it offers.

Cost-saving measures and how they drive profits

By Anna Stubbs • January 29, 2026
Question: “Can cost-saving measures in the business truly be a key driver of profits?” Running a profitable business is one of your key goals as an owner. Without profits, there’s no capital to reinvest in the business, no funds to grow the company and no money for your own dividend payment at the end of the financial year. So, is cost-saving the answer in these challenging economic times? Answer: “Careful management of costs is a fundamental way to improve your profit margins and profitability as an enterprise” Cost-saving measures will have a direct and measurable impact on your profits. This is usually achieved via two main mechanisms. Firstly, reducing your variable costs (like raw materials or direct labour) increases your gross profit margin. This retains more revenue from each sale you make as a business. Secondly, lowering fixed overheads (such as rent or software licenses) directly reduces the total expenses on your profit and loss statement, leading to a higher net profit. This immediate bottom-line improvement makes you a more financially healthy prospect to investors and lenders – which, in turn, can often make it easier to access funding and grow the business. Want to know more about cost-saving measures?  Talk to the team about your profit goals and we’ll advise you on the key ways you can reduce your overheads and expenses to drive improved profits.

Protecting you and your business: taking out insurance

By Anna Stubbs • January 29, 2026
We all hope that our pathway along the business journey will be smooth and uncomplicated. But the reality is that accidents can happen, along with unplanned injuries, damaging weather events and legal suits from disgruntled clients. So, what can you do to protect your business from these potential negative consequences? The answer is to take out the relevant business insurance for your company.