Had an interesting chat with a print company owner of many years standing the other day.

He's a wise owl of a certain age who's been in business through more than a couple of recessions, and seen great swathes of technological change affect the way his company operates.

His business is in a space that's inextricably linked to the retail environment so I was keen to hear his views on the state of the trade in retail. Not least because of the amount of downbeat news coming out of the sector, including hundreds of store closures at BHS, Focus DIY and JJB to name but three.

Rather than worry about the overall retail environment, my man preferred to focus his attentions on those retailers that are on the way up, taking a ride on their coattails in the process. While it would be pretty miraculous to have a customer base comprised entirely of ultra-successful clients, a strategic sales effort targeting businesses that are in the ascendancy has definitely paid off for him. It's safe to say that he wasn't among the suppliers looking bereft and broke after Woolworths tipped over.

As a top tip this sounds simple enough, but it's amazing how many companies don't pay enough attention to the stellar performers, rather than the schmucks, on their own client lists.