Mantra Magazine Issue #013

Mantra Marketing Magazine Issue #013

Covid-19: Adapting the Business We discuss our approach to adapting the business during the Covid-19 pandemic

09 Direct Sales: Career or Stop-Gap? We caught up with Rich Snowden to discuss career opportunities and his journey to becoming an entrepreneur

19

Recruitment and Social Media

Adapt to Accelerate #013

We discuss upskilling existing staff, moving recruitment online and social media as a coaching tool

29

Mind Your Mind Feeling more connected to your colleagues and friends, and looking after your health during these challenging times

49

CATEGORY OUR CONTRIBUTORS

Our contributors Francis Colam Chief Editor

Fran is Chief Operations Officer for Mantra Marketing working with people and companies to help the business become more efficient and profitable.

Alex Rae

Art Director / Designer Alex is the Managing Director of Bristol based film production company Falcon Productions.

Rose Lucas Editor / Author

Rose studied at the University of Bristol where she obtained a BA in English Literature, before moving to London to study at Identity School of Acting and continue her work as a writer/ editor.

Nic Kane Photographer

Nic is a Bristol-based photographer specialising in the commercial, events and fitness sectors.

001

CATEGORY INDEX

In this issue Welcome 003 Do It Together

007

Adapting the Business During Covid

009

Is DIrect Sales a Career or Stop Gap

019

Recruitment and Social Media

029

RedSeven Back to School

035

Travelling in a Post Pandemic World

039

Adapting in the Face of Adversity

047

Mind Your Mind

049

Celebrating 7 Years

053

18 Months On

055

Books & Podcasts

059

Glastonbury Festival of Performing Arts Mantra Weekender 2018

061 063

Events 078 Office List

080

002

CATEGORY EDITOR'S LET TER

Welcome

TO ISSUE #013 2020 EDITION

Hello out there! (We shout from our respective windows) We hope you are well and have managed to get through what has been an incredibly challenging time with some sense of perspective and wellbeing.

During times like these, our work really does

come back around, but the learning and the self-

become our life. Back in March when we went into

development that we have invested in is invaluable.

lockdown, faced with the unfathomable concept

We have condensed 12 months of education in a 12

of a global pandemic, we began to focus on the

week period; the fact that our entire organisation

connections we have to the people in our lives - be

has spent this quarter learning together stands us

these colleagues, family and friends, housemates

in incredible stead for the next quarter, not only in

or neighbours - and the contact that we had with

terms of skill set, but also mindset.

these people essentially became our world. The last quarter has been a true test of character and

The training programme ensured that our team

we are incredibly proud of the way that everybody

remained in touch with one another every single

in our organisation has come together and pulled

day, giving them a focus and a feeling of being part

through in the face of adversity. An Entrepreneur,

of something. Our guys have been working from

by definition, is someone who is not afraid to take

home via Zoom and over the phone which despite

risks. Someone who sees opportunity where others

presenting its challenges has ultimately been a

see obstacles. Someone who is resilient, eternally

shining example of their ability to adapt.

optimistic and ready to come at whatever life throws at them with creativity and passion. Whilst

The energy, commitment, support and drive has

no-one could have prepared for a global pandemic,

been phenomenal, so much so that even their

our inherent qualities as Entrepreneurs have pulled

housemates have been blown away by the sense

us through this period of uncertainty with great

of team spirit. The fact that we’ve managed to stay

gusto, and we are now - as an organisation - more

connected and grow together as a team despite

prepared than ever for what the future holds.

the geographical separation is testament to the core values of the business. It has reaffirmed our

Looking back to the beginning of 2020, things had

belief that we truly are building something special

never looked better for the company. By March, we

here, something that extends beyond the sales

had essentially gone from operating at 100mph to

themselves and becomes more of an attitude for

a stand-still in terms of the theoretical business

life.

activity. We had to deal with the repercussions of

2020 Five countries - fifty cities five years

the industry grinding to a halt and that, of course,

Not only have we grown in terms of our skills, but

had an impact on everyone who works with us.

we have also managed to recruit during this period.

However, although we haven’t spent this last

This means that we will be in a fantastic position to

quarter ‘working’ in the traditional sense - selling

expand the business once the restrictions lift and

face-to-face in the field - we have spent a huge

can’t wait to welcome new faces on board. We’ve

amount of time working on ourselves and our

expanded into a new territory and moved over

organization; upskilling and developing strategies

into Energy Sales, which, prior to this, we wouldn’t

for the future, moving parts of the business online

have had the opportunity to do. It’s broadened

and reformatting the recruitment process. In many

our business perspective and we now have an

ways it really brought the team together and

additional strand to the organisation which we are

although the sales themselves were paused, the

really excited about. That isn’t to say that our work

real ‘work’ was only just beginning.

in the Charity Sector won’t ever come back, but instead of sitting there and doing nothing whilst we

003

In terms of education, development and therefore

wait for them to return (not knowing for sure when

potential, we are in a much better position than

that will be), we saw an opportunity to establish

we were before we went into lockdown. Money will

continued --->

CATEGORY EDITOR'S LET TER

004

05

CATEGORY EDITOR'S LET TER

'We’re always looking at how to improve, how other businesses are working, and for the next generation of talent. '

new connections with other companies.

We are now working with a company called ‘Don’t Waste Money’, switching people from their energy providers to save them money.

The insight it has given us into the Energy market has been mindblowing - in an article from the Independent, Ben Chapman writes, ‘new research shows that consumers have handed an extra £18.7 billion to gas and electricity suppliers than if they had regularly switched to the best deals’. We’re really excited about the direction in which we’re moving with this new client.

As restrictions ease, we have gradually started returning to the field, finding ways to work whilst adhering to social distancing regulations. It’s important that our customers feel comfortable with us engaging with them on the doorstep and we want to make sure that everybody - both clients and members of our team - feel comfortable in the work that they are doing.

The way in which we run the organization has

changed

forever.

The

adaptations

we have made to our sales process have actually helped to streamline the business and as a result we are operating at a higher level of competency. We will be doing a lot more coaching and training over Zoom from this point onwards as well as continuing some of the phases of recruitment online. We have become more efficient and therefore more profitable as a business, and therefore have opened up further opportunities for expansion in the future. We’re in a really good place right now. If anything, this has been a test of Entrepreneurship, and we’ve emerged stronger than ever.

Our goal is to continue expanding and there will be lots more opportunities opening up within the company over the next few months.

Whether

you've

been

working

towards a career in Direct Sales, or have stepped out of lockdown with no idea of which direction to move in, get in touch. We are here to support you, to give you a step

' Take care and we can’t wait to celebrate some of our achievements

up into a career that affords you a fantastic quality of life and the autonomy to do with it what you please; it really is down to you.

with you in person! ’ James Buckley CEO Mantra Marketing Group

006

07

08

CATEGORY STR ATEGY

ADAPTING the BUSINESS

DuringCovid-19

‘We’re incredibly proud of the way in which the organisation has responded to these difficult times. Like everyone else in the world, we had no idea of the scale or extent to which the pandemic would impact our lives, but we took it in our stride, moved everything online and continued to work as best as we could’ - JAMES BUCKLEY -

STAY SAFE

T

009

his last quarter has

PULLING TOGETHER:

thrown our industry

I caught up with Mark Widnell from Enigma, Phil Reid

into (yes, I think you

from The Promotions Company and Rob Cotterell

know what’s coming..)

from RedSeven to discuss how they have managed

‘unprecedented’ terri-

to adapt their respective organisations in response

tory. The ramifications

to covid-19. Mark shared that, ‘For us it’s been pretty

of a global pandemic

full on. When these things happen, you can either

are almost unfathom-

sit back on your laurels, feel sorry for yourself and

able and it can be dif-

wait for everything to blow over, or you can pull to-

ficult to focus on ‘the week ahead’, let alone ‘the

gether and look at the ways in which you can adapt,

future’ when faced with such a vast scale of eco-

grow and alter the business in response to what’s

nomical and social disruption; however, whilst anxi-

been happening in the world. We’ve really made the

ety levels can be high and finances unstable, it is

best of the situation and I’m incredibly proud of my

important to stick together. Forging strong connec-

team’. It’s as much about attitude as it is about any-

tions and enhancing the support network has nev-

thing else, and so one of the first things Mark did

er been more important as we work to sustain a pro-

was to ensure that his team felt as if they were still

ductive level of motivation and keep our business

part of a collective despite their respective isola-

moving. Positivity and team-building have always

tion - ‘The first 4-6 weeks was all about bringing the

been at the heart of our company and whilst these

community together. We’re used to working in quite

are incredibly testing times, our sense of ensemble

a disparate fashion, so it was important to establish

and ability to think outside the box stand us in good

a sense of togetherness from the get go, to main-

stead for coping with the chaos. It’s about adapt-

tain a connection with everybody across the com-

ing; finding alternative methods of approaching the

pany’. Once they had established a sense of unity

workload that came before, whilst simultaneously

as a company, it was time to step into the virtual

implementing new strategies for the future. Now,

office space, hosted by...yes you’ve guessed it...Zoo

more than ever, is the time to connect with your in-

m.

ner Entrepreneur. Take a breath, fill your ‘glass half full’ and step out into the unknown.

continued --->

'You can pull together and look at the ways in which you can adapt, grow and alter the business in response to what’s been happening in the world. We’ve really made the best of the situation and I’m incredibly proud of my team’.

011

CATEGORY STR ATEGY

'It’s about offering a helping hand, but more importantly, we want to help people find their own identity and discover what they stand for themselves.'

MOVING THE BUSINESS ONLINE: GEN-

Industry. Instead of wasting time waiting

ERATION ZOOM: For those who have been

for their clients to return, the team decided

living under a rock for the last 3 months (no

to plough headfirst into a comprehensive

judgement passed), Zoom is a ‘modern enter-

online training programme. They essentially

prise for video communications, with an easy,

went ‘back to school’, launching into an

reliable cloud platform for video and audio

upskilling of the entire organisation. Phil

conferencing, chat, and webinars’ (https://

Reid from Promotions Co. was one of the

zoom.us). Over the last couple of months,

main brains behind establishing the online

the platform’s average number of daily meet-

coaching programme and describes how ‘it

ing participants rocketed to over 300million

has enabled them to continue growing the

+ worldwide, with businesses, families and

business’. The programme consisted of 4 or

friends using it to stay in contact during lock-

5 half hour sessions each day led by various

down. Because of the way it is formatted,

members of the company - both in the UK

Zoom allows for up to 500 participants (with

and internationally - over the course of 7

the ‘large meeting add-on), and is therefore a

weeks. Sometimes they had Owners running

fantastic means of holding large-scale video

these sessions, and sometimes they had

conferences as well as more intimate training

brand new members of the team, depending

sessions.

on what people’s strengths were. This meant that everyone had an opportunity not only

Mark tells me that - as a result of moving

to develop their skills, but to develop their

things online - they’ve ‘been able to bring

sense of Entrepreneurship and confidence

everyone together in a way that perhaps

through taking the reins and teaching others.

we wouldn’t have done before; meetings

Phil elaborates on how each day panned out:

have been more frequent and we have been able to get more people in each meeting

‘We had a ‘huddle call’ every morning at

as a result of it being held online, so in

8am during lockdown to plan each day

many ways this has helped us to establish

and maintain a sense of structure. We had

a stronger sense of community’. You’re

separate calls for each team and this meant

engaging with people that you might not

that we were able to be really time-effective,

have had the chance to meet with in person

even more so than before lockdown. Before

before which means you can start putting

we moved everything online, if I wanted to

names to faces and establishing a more

teach somebody how to run an appointment,

coherent understanding of the scale of the

I

business. Because everyone is in the same

presentation and a whole array of other in-

boat, worldwide, they have been able to

person sessions that would have spanned

schedule meetings with Brand Ambassadors

the course of a month or so; whereas now,

and other Owners across the globe, as

we’ve managed to get through the same

opposed to having to base their in-person

level of up-skilling in a quarter of that time

meetings around specific physical locations.

which is phenomenal. The guys have had

Not only did this enable them to continue

nothing to do except learn which is a pretty

educating their guys, but it also meant

unique position to be in, so we really made

that the guys were able to develop a more

the most of that.’

would

have

planned

an

open-day

comprehensive understanding of the scale of the organisation. There’s something about

For the first 3 weeks, the team focussed

the tangibility of seeing everybody’s face

simply on up-skilling and training with a new

on the screen that shifts your perspective

topic every single day. From Week 4 onwards,

slightly.

they started interviewing new people, holding online open days and recruitment sessions

ONLINE TRAINING PROGRAMME:

via Zoom. Once they’d recruited everyone,

Once they had established a sense of

they used the remaining 3 weeks to train

unity across the business, they could then

the new members of the team and bring

begin to focus on structuring the next

them up to ‘working level’. The first week and

few weeks of ‘work’. The first thing to do

a half they were coached, and the second

was to establish a ‘work schedule’ that

week and a half they actually coached that

didn’t involve fieldwork; face-to-face sales

information back to the people that had

simply weren’t possible due to the covid

trained them. This allowed for the integration

restrictions and both the Charity and Events

of the new skills and an opportunity for them

sectors in which the companies worked had

to put into practise everything that they had

been forced to take a step back from the

learned.

continued --->

012

CATEGORY STR ATEGY

MOVING ONLINE

REMOTE methods of RECRUITMENT The

next

phase

first load of recruits, and so have paused on

was

bringing more people in for the time being to

recruitment. Rather than halting the process

focus on developing the initial intake. Mark

entirely due to the restrictions, the interview

explains that, ‘in this way, we will have a solid

process was started via video-chat. Rob

development strategy in place and we will be

explains how ‘it’s actually a brilliant time for

able to grow the business more successfully’.

recruitment right now. Whilst the traditional

It’s important that all areas of the business

methods of bringing people into the office

are developing at a similar pace, in order to

aren’t available, we’ve been successfully

expand the organisation in a sustainable and

managing

effective manner.

to

our

an

transposing

The teams have just finished training the the

organisation

of

online

recruitment

format

process

over

Zoom which has been incredibly productive in many ways’. Not only has it meant that

WHAT CHALLENGES HAVE YOU FACED

they are able to interview more people due

WORKING VIA ZOOM?

to it being more time-effective, but there

been invaluable in providing a virtual ‘space’

is also a wider pool of talented individuals

in which the company could operate, it’s not

looking for employment. As a result of other

without its challenges. After all, our indus-

businesses having to lay people off because

try is essentially based around person-to-

of the pandemic, the recruitment market is

person communication, so it took some time

full of fantastic people that are now seeking

to get used to the etiquette of interacting

alternative careers.

with each other online (not to mention the

Whilst Zoom has

40-minute timeout which sometimes cut Mark describes how moving the business

the meetings short without warning!). Rob

online has ‘made lots of people realise that

was quick to establish a simple set of ‘Zoom

they can change the way they work. I’ve now

rules’, such as ‘everyone putting their video

got twice the number of people working for

on mute when they joined’ and ‘ensuring that

me than before lockdown began, which is

people were appropriately dressed for work’

quite something. Because the recruitment

etc. which sounds basic, but these are things

process started online almost 6 weeks ago,

that are easy to let slip when you’re working

we’ve been gradually building up a team of

from home! Despite the obvious hindrances,

people that we’ve never met in person which

Mark describes how ‘working on Zoom has

is bizarre. In a way it makes you re-evaluate

been a chance for us to pick out those indi-

the necessity of a physical office space’.

viduals who have shown true Entrepreneurial spirit’. They were running the training sessions every single day, so it was easy to decipher who was putting in the most effort and who continually attended every session. Small things such as who switched their video on and things like that really made a difference; being able to see your peers has a huge impact on your productivity. He goes on to describe how, ‘Because people are at home and not having to physically come into these meetings, it’s a lot easier to simply not log on and take a step back without feeling the immediate repercussions of that; it really comes down to personal levels of motivation and that’s a big part of what it means to be an Entrepreneur. It’s certainly given me an idea of who I am going to put my time and energy into working with when things are up and running again at full capacity’.

NEW CLIENTS After

they

had

completed

their

online

coaching programme and come to terms

013

CATEGORY STR ATEGY

'it’s a lot easier to simply not log on and take a step back without feeling the immediate repercussions of that; it really comes down to personal levels of motivation and that’s a big part of what it means to be an Entrepreneur'.

with the prospect of their Charity and Events partners perhaps not returning to the field for some time, they decided it was time to branch out and explore a new avenue of sales. They started engaging with two Energy Comparison Companies called ‘Don’t Waste Money’ and ‘Love Energy Saving’, who essentially try to save people money by switching them over to a new energy provider.

Each

Owner

implemented

a

structured

training programme based around the new product whilst swiftly moving into telesales so as to be able to complete their work remotely. Mark explains that ‘the guys who are on the tele-sales side of things actually go through a training programme with the client over Zoom. They have to go through a series of tests before they can get on board.

We have a similar process with the Domestic Energy client where our guys get sent four videos with questions at the end of each video. They have to answer those questions and submit a DBS check and then I complete the training process with a day’s coaching in Sales in the office. The final part of the training is in person, but obviously with all the social distancing rules in place, and then

perhaps we could offer a ‘Charity Package’

the guys are ready to go out into the Field.

where a business can buy into not just one

It’s quite a varied and rigorous process, but

charity, but three or four that best match the

that’s simply what these times demand’.

ethos of their business.’

When times are hard, the true Spirit of the Entrepreneur shines through. We’ve been testing our levels of Entrepreneurship to the extreme, and it’s simply been a case of seeing what’s out there and where we can take the business during this time. Kev and his team went to companies such as Costa, Starbucks and Nando’s etc. and said, ‘look, you’re going

The pandemic has made lots of people realise that they can change the way

to want to boost your sales as quickly as

they work. I’ve now got twice the number of people working for me than before

possible once we’re out of lockdown, can we collaborate on some 3-4-2 offers?’ for

lockdown began, which is quite something. Because the recruitment process

example. He elaborates upon his strategy of

started online almost 6 weeks ago, we’ve been gradually building up a team of

how to best adapt the business: ‘I had a list

people that we’ve never met in person which is bizarre.

of 20 ideas or so and we just worked through those and adapted our way of working as best we could during this time. I spoke to Mike

- MARK WIDNELL -

Blain and said you know, charities are going to need to get money quickly. They’ve been hit hard by the pandemic simply because people aren’t in a position to be able to donate or to support in the same way as before. The economy is suffering and it has a knock on effect. I suggested to him that

014

CATEGORY STR ATEGY

‘those that are working ‘face-to-face’ come in each morning for ‘Impact Training’, so ways in which we can successfully engage with members of the public despite the limitations of wearing PPE and having to be 2 metres apart’.

DEVELOPMENT OF NEW SKILLS

interacting with the public explaining how

In order to successfully transition into the

‘those that are working ‘face-to-face’ come

Energy market, the teams had to adapt

in each morning for ‘Impact Training’, so ways

their skills accordingly. Mark shares how,

in which we can successfully engage with

‘We’re used to doing a lot of the relationship

members of the public despite the limitations

building with the Charities so upfront when

of wearing PPE and having to be 2 metres

you first speak to them. With energy sales

apart’.

it’s a little different. We’re essentially saving them money by reducing their energy bill so

In terms of the technical aspect of completing

you don’t have to do as much relationship

door-to-door sales, Rob explains that ‘they

building beforehand!’. 65% of people are

have a system in place now where they

currently paying too much for their energy

complete the majority of the sale on the iPad

bill, so it’s a relatively simple conversation

and then any sensitive information given

that’s had on the doorstep or over the phone.

by the customer is done over the phone

‘You still make an effort to get to know your

with the call centre. We’ve adapted not just

customers, but you do it towards the end of

in terms of our personal approach, but also

the sale when you’re working for the Energy

in terms of the physical selling process in

Client as opposed to spending the initial 10

order to continue the work professionally and

minutes establishing a good relationship

responsibly. A lot of companies looked at the

with whoever you’re selling to’. Rob describes

situation and thought, ‘we simply cannot sell,

how ‘working in the Energy field with this new

we cannot do the work’; whereas, we came

client has actually been really brilliant for the

together and found new ways in which to

guys in terms of their skills-development. It’s

move forward’. The main thing, really, has

simply more difficult to get people to sign up

been treating each sale with subjectivity and

for this as opposed to fundraising, so whilst

sensitivity. Rob describes how, ‘the first day I

it’s been challenging, it’s only made for a more

went out, I was very apprehensive and I really

resilient and talented workforce’. When the

had no idea how people were going to react.

fundraising does come back into business,

Some people were understandably cautious

the team will be in an even better position

and very keen to social distance, and others

to move forward in that sector, ‘because

were just thrilled to see someone! A lot of

the guys will be better sales-people. We’re

people just want to have a conversation and

covering all bases and growing in all sorts

the fact that we could then offer to save

of ways as we move through this uncertain

them money during a period of time where

period’.

everyone is experiencing financial instability, was a bonus. Of course we had customers

015

As things are beginning to lift slightly in

that weren’t willing to engage, but the

terms of lockdown restrictions, the teams

majority of people were very willing to engage

have been able to start working together

and we were able to save them up to £500 a

in person a little more. Promotions Co. have

year on their utilities which was a lovely thing

got two floors in the office building, so they

to be able to offer considering the economy

have been able to socially distance the

as it stands right now’. As we move out of

space and have 5 guys upstairs, 5 guys

this period of lockdown, it is important to

downstairs, all working 2 metres apart. They

remember that everyone will be responding

have 3 guys working from home and another

differently to the idea of being out in public

division of the office working face-to-face

again, so the guys have made a concerted

in PPE. Phil has ensured that everybody

effort to ensure that their customers feel not

feels comfortable going back to this level of

only at ease, but safe.

We are planning for the future and maintaining a positive attitude, focussing on the new opportunities that have arisen as opposed to what we may have lost.

CATEGORY STR ATEGY

LOOKING FORWARDS - EXPANSION

Zoom and learn that way, whereas that could

In terms of the trajectory of the business

never have happened in person. Normally,

looking out over the rest of the year, each

to build an organisation in our industry, you

office still has the same goals in place as

spend a lot of time travelling, which of course

before, they have simply shifted them back

has its benefits, but ultimately wastes a lot

by a quarter. Phil explains that they ‘are still

of time’.

working towards the same high standard of sales and it’s been important not to

All in all, adapting the business during the

lower our expectations of ourselves despite

pandemic has been a blessing in disguise.

the uncertain climate under which we are

We’ve made it work, we’ve adapted as best

operating’. Each organisation is planning

we could and we’re now in a fantastic position

for the future, with the potential caveat

moving forward. Rob tells me that ‘the thing

of another lockdown after the summer.

I’m most proud of is the way that the guys

Mark explains how ‘that’s a worry for many

have responded to all this. No-one sat there

reasons, and is partly why I decided to move

whinging and moaning and feeling sorry for

us into telesales. I can’t see them shutting

themselves. Everyone threw themselves into

down the economy again because it would

this new territory with absolute commitment

just have a devastating impact on everybody,

and enthusiasm, taking notes, educating

so I am confident that if we have another

themselves and each other, and generally

lockdown, my team will be able to continue

coming at it with a positive attitude. They

the work over the phone. We don’t know how

were all really keen to learn new skills and to

long we will be living with this virus, so until

improve their technique which I think made us

they find a vaccine, we have to adapt, plan

all realize that we are surrounded by a team

ahead and make sure we have strategies

of incredible, like-minded, positive individuals.

in place to be able to continue the work

I’m sure that a lot of people will have

regardless of restrictions in terms of travel

responded to this in a very different way and

and communication’.

it’s not always the case that you can take things in your stride with such adaptability

Despite having to adapt many aspects of

and energy, but I’m really really proud of my

the organisation, The Energy campaign has

guys and the way in which we’ve handled

opened up lots of new opportunities all over

this, together’. Here’s to a future where we

the country. Mark and Enigma Promotions

learn from experience. It’s not always the

have plans to open two new offices, one

case that we must return to where we left off,

in Exeter and one in Plymouth. Essentially,

but rather move forwards with knowledge,

they will be splitting the business in two

awareness and a new found perspective.

and moving into a variety of new divisions: Telesales,

Business-to-Business

Energy,

Domestic Energy, Charity Lotteries. It’s a really exciting time and has shaken things up in such a way that it has forced them to explore new ways of working: ‘We are planning for the future and maintaining a positive attitude, focussing on the new opportunities that have arisen as opposed to what we may have lost. In that sense, we are in a good place, and the teams are closer than ever’. Decisions that were initially made

' Everyone threw themselves into this new territory with absolute

out of necessity have actually proven to be

commitment and enthusiasm, taking

extremely productive for the organisation

notes, educating themselves and

as a whole. Things like recruiting online for

each other, and generally coming at it

example, the offices will continue to do in the future; not only does it save them time, but it

with a positive attitude.'

broadens the recruitment pool to other cities.

Rob can now ‘recruit in say, Cardiff, and build an office without actually having to be there in person. It also means that my guys can watch me do a recruitment appointment on

018

IS DIRECT SALES A CAREER OR STOP-GAP MY JOURNEY TO BECOMING AN ENTREPRENEUR

w/ Rich-Snowden

‘​Where other people might see challenges, I see opportunities ’

CATEGORY DEVELOPMENT

'The qualities that emerge out of taking on the responsibility of representing your company are professionalism, delivering extremely high levels of customer service and the ability to engage with people on a human level'.

O

individuals.

Some

team

here is

‘something to fill a gap and to keep me busy’.

at

made

It didn’t take long for him to change his attitude

up of an

towards the industry. He quickly realised that

incredibly

it didn’t have to exist either as either a means

b r o a d

to an end or a ‘stop-gap - it could be both. All

range

too often we are pushed into making binary

of

decisions based on nothing but impulse or ‘word on the grapevine’; however, there is been

merit in leaving your options open for a while.

working in this industry for decades, some

Rather than deciding on a career forever and

left University early to pursue this career

finding yourself stuck in a rut, why not simply

and others never imagined that this was

commit to working hard in the moment and

where they would end up. However, they

see where you end up. Rich saw his initial

all have one thing in common: an absolute

role in the industry as both an opportunity

commitment to their work regardless of any

to develop skills in an area he wasn’t used to,

preconceptions they might have once had in

and, if he decided to pursue it in the long run,

terms of themselves or their career.

it could be a fantastic career opportunity:

Rich

Snowden

is

of

ur

them

now

an

have

established

‘I was young, you know, I was 20 years old so

Entrepreneurial figure in the Direct Sales

I hadn’t ever really given much thought to my

Industry, having worked in the sector for 13

future at all, let alone my career! My priorities

years; however, looking back over his initial

at the time were very different to where they

foray into this line of work, he never would

lie now; it was very much a case of ‘as long as

have imagined that this is where he’d end up

I have money in my pocket and my lifestyle

over a decade later. Rich initially trained as

could be met by what I was earning at work,

an apprentice in the motor trade, an industry

then that was fine’.

within which he worked for the next two years before being made redundant. Finding

The pressure to put all your eggs in one

yourself in a position of redundancy can be a

basket regarding your career can often lead

peculiar thing to process as you try to garner

to an unhealthy work/life balance, whereby

a sense of self and sense of placement in the

you end up investing a lot of energy into

world. After all, you haven’t been let go due

distinguishing between the two as opposed

to any lack of skill or misplaced motivation,

to integrating your work into your life and vice

and yet it can feel hard to know where to

versa. Of course there are merits to working a

make your next move. Do you try to re-enter

9-5 job that you leave ‘at the door’; however,

the same industry again? Do you re-evaluate

if you are the type of person that possesses

your entire career path? Or do you try to find

the core values of an Entrepreneur, you

a ‘filler’ job to support you financially whilst

are far more likely to seek gratification and

you weigh up the first two options?

fulfillment from the integration of the two as

Rich decided on number 3. He started

opposed to one simply existing to serve the

searching for a new career, but was aware

other. In consolidating your career with your

that he still needed to make some money in

sense of self, you are able to be cutivate an

the meantime. Whilst he was ‘looking for a

objective approach to your ‘development’

real job’, he managed to pick up some work

and therefore the trajectory of your life/

in Direct Sales in an office in Southampton,

career. That isn’t to say that your entire

a decision that he describes as simply

existence should

continued --->

022

CATEGORY DEVELOPMENT

'The rate of advancement is really quite astonishing and within 9 months of stepping foot in the office, he was running his own business'.

be based around your work, or that you should seek validation entirely through your job; however, the kind of people who tend to succeed in this industry lean towards a more holistic approach to their work-life balance.

This leads me on to discuss the limitations of forming preconceptions about the type of career you think is right for you. Yes, some people have had a passion and drive for a certain career-path since they were a child, but this isn’t always the case (more on the importance of educating students on potential career paths later in this edition). For those people who perhaps could benefit from figuring it out as they go tend to be pressured into making a decision before they are ready.

We, on the other hand, are very much of the ethos that you get out of this career whatever you put into it. In other words, you are given agency.

Not only can preconceptions limit your understanding of yourself, but they can also prevent you from exploring the potential of an entire industry. Often they are born out of a lack of knowledge and a habitual impulse to judge the unknown. Rich explains how he ‘definitely didn't expect (his career) to turn out the way that it did. My preconceived notions of what a career in Direct Sales was very much centred around a rather bleak idea of a con man on the doorstep trying to eke money out of an unassuming customer. I had images of myself being forced into lying to people, manipulating them into doing something they didn’t really want to do - essentially selling my soul to the devil!’. He explains how the biggest surprise for him was the realization that he didn’t have to be a certain way to succeed in this industry; it’s about finding yourself and pouring your personality into your work, as opposed to desperately trying to fit a mould and, in the process, stunting your development.

‘It’s much more about being a brilliant Brand Ambassador. The qualities that emerge out of taking on the responsibility of representing your company are professionalism, delivering extremely high levels of customer service and the ability to engage with people on a human level. I founded my business on these qualities and looking back I’ve really come a

023

'In their first full year of trading, they turned over £1million; however, whilst being inspired by this, Rich remained relatively level-headed'.

long way not just in terms of my skills, but in terms of my attitude towards the industry as a whole.’

As you start to coalesce yourself and your career, you begin to care about the work you are doing. You move away from perceiving it as simply a ‘means to an end’ and begin to understand it more as a way of life. As you broaden your understanding of what it means to be an Entrepreneur, you begin to map out a trajectory in terms of where you see yourself in 5, 10, 20 years. You start to invest in a vision of a future. This is reflected in the way that our customers respond to us. Rich explains how ‘we bring in amazing customers that stay on board for years and years. Anyone can sign up to something that they then cancel as soon as you've left the house because they didn’t really want to do it, so we’re much more about customer attention and maintaining these relationships.

Again it comes back to investing in the business, investing in a future career as opposed to just looking at it as a way to make some fast cash.’

The other thing that drew him in was just how quickly you can progress in this industry. The rate of advancement is really quite astonishing and within 9 months of stepping foot in the office, he was running his own business.

In their first full year of trading, they turned over £1million; however, whilst being inspired by this, Rich remained relatively level-headed, describing how, ‘it all just happened quite naturally, driven, really, by pure enthusiasm and excitement’ as opposed to any sort of ‘plan’. He is a prime example of throwing caution to the wind, ‘going with the flow’ and ‘seeing what happens’ and there is a lot to be admired about that attitude towards life. I asked him to elaborate upon his relationship with his career over the last decade or so...

Anyone can sign up to something that they then cancel as soon as you've left the house because they didn’t really want to do it, so we’re much more about customer attention and maintaining these relationships'.

CATEGORY DEVELOPMENT

At what stage did you think, actually I’m really enjoying this, I’m

that I could be whatever I wanted to be and create whatever I wanted

going to make this my career?

to create: I was in charge of my career. I think that mental shift from viewing yourself as a passive cog in someone else’s business, to

I think my mindset towards the industry shifted when I began to visit

someone with agency that can make things happen for yourself is really

the different offices. I first started working in Southampton and after

what changes everything. Once you’ve asserted a sense of being your

a week or so, people started high-fiving each other - I had no idea

own Boss then the industry opens up for you. A lot of people who enter

what was going on - and then suddenly I was told that I was going to

this business think that they have to copy, but I quickly realised that it’s

Bristol for the week. I jumped in a car with a group of strangers and

not about replicating other people, it's about sourcing your inspiration

found myself shadowing them - working alongside those salespeople

from other people and then pouring that into your own version of the

was incredibly inspiring. It was an incredibly formative time and made

same career.

me realise that the people you work alongside have a huge impact in terms of your perception of the industry as whole. When you are first

What was the next step for you once you’d made a commitment

starting out, your colleagues are really your only portal into what this

to this career? Where did it first take you?

line of work means, so I think, consciously or not, you place a lot of value on these early interactions. For instance, the office that I worked in

So I ended up setting up a business in Colchester in Essex before

previously - One Way Marketing - was run by a young Nigerian woman.

I’d even set foot in the town! I’d hear really good things about that

She was fantastic and I’m sure I learned a lot from her, but we never

area and decided to jump on it as an opportunity, which in retrospect

really shared many of the same passions. Whilst I was inspired by her

means that I had probably adopted the mindset of an Entrepreneur

in many ways, I suppose the lifestyle that she was affording herself

at quite an early stage. It was the best move I ever made; I loved the

didn’t strike a chord with the ambitions that I had for mine? You know,

place to bits and ended up staying there until 2010. During this time we

she would parade around in her Gucci shoes and Prada handbags and

generated a huge amount of success, winning records such as ‘best

whilst that was brilliant because it was a representation of her idea of

quality in the country’ and this led to us opening a second office in

success, it didn’t motivate me. I never aspired to fill her shoes. (no pun

Cardiff, followed by a third in London. By 2009 we had expanded into

intended)

Poland and eventually things came full circle and I opened up another office back in Southampton in April of 2019.

Yes, I suppose a big part of this industry is seeing yourself in others and finding inspiration that way? When you are able

How has your role changed over the years?

to pin an idea of success on a figure, how does that change things?

Over the years I suppose I have taken on more of a consulting role, helping business owners around the country with their strategies for

Yeah it was only when I travelled to Bristol and saw young guys my

development. I wanted to start a family and so that was a big part

age running their own businesses, driving fast cars and living a great

of returning to Southampton and basing myself there. I made the

quality of life, that I began to see myself in those people - my sense

decision in order to be closer to my parents and began to think about

of ambition started to come alive. It was a wake up call, a realisation

the future in terms of how I wanted my life/work relationship to exist.

025

CATEGORY DEVELOPMENT

I think once you’ve tasted what it’s like to work for yourself, you can’t really imagine going back into regular employment where you’re working for someone else your whole life. This business ticks all the boxes I need:

'I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it. When you put yourself out of your comfort zone you really do achieve'

It allows me and my family to live a certain lifestyle, it gives me freedom both financially and in terms of where I want to take the business, and the best thing about it is the way in which the industry allows you to grow alongside your peers. It’s not just about one person reaping the rewards of an entire company’s work, it’s about collaboration that’s the thing I find most gratifying.

Looking back upon the span of your career, how do you feel about the direction in which it’s taken you?

If I look back over the last 13 years, I never would have imagined that this is where I’d end up. It’s quite an unusual set-up in terms of business structure and the opportunities there are for self-development, so I feel very lucky to have fallen into this line of work, but also proud of myself for taking the reins and dedicating myself to this career. It really has been a combination of ‘stop-gap’ and ‘career’, but has meant that I have been able to find myself through my work and learn as I go.

What would your advice be for new recruits, or people that perhaps haven’t considered a career in Direct Sales before? What would you say to them?

Throw yourself into this! You might not have any idea of where you want it to take you, but that doesn’t matter; as long as you commit to the work and work hard, then the industry is your oyster. It really is a case of getting out of what you put in. By nature of being self-employed, you are our own Boss, which is both a liberating and daunting prospect, depending on which way you look at it. Personally, I find the agency that comes with this line of work incredibly motivating, so I would recommend digging your heels into the work, committing fully to this career and running with it. It essentially comes down to personality type and character traits, so if you’re worried about not having the right CV or the necessary skills to apply, go for it anyway; you can pick up these skills as you go. I would also say don’t let your preconceived notions of the industry or expectations you have for yourself hold you back; I never would have imagined this would be where I ended up, but I am very grateful that I took a chance on this career.

027

CATEGORY DEVELOPMENT

‘We’re looking for optimists. This business is 99% attitude and 1% concrete ability. If someone tells me something isn’t going to work, I will question it and find a way to find a silver lining. Even over the last few months with covid-19, insead of falling into a pit of despair, I naturally will look for new opportunities and I think that’s the key to becoming a successful Entrepreneur - your mindset’

- RICH SNOWDEN -

028

CATEGORY GROW TH / EXPANSION

Recruitment and

Social Media w/ RedSeven & Promotions Company

B

ack in March, when

develop as an organization’. Drastic times don’t

the world went into

always call for drastic measures; in fact, adopting

lockdown

we

a calm and measured approach to the chaos that

were thrown into a

was descending upon the world was probably what

realm of uncertainty

enabled the team to find their feet and successfully

and panic, we had a

adapt to the situation. So what was their process

lot

during lockdown and how did they manage the

of

and

reconfiguring

to do. One of the main

areas

of

recruitment process online?

the

business that we immediately had to reformat was

PROCESS

recruitment. We soon realised that despite having to base ourselves at home and press pause on

PART 1: Development of Current Team in Order

some of our partnerships with clients, one of the

to make Way for New Recruits

things that we could focus on was sourcing brilliant

In order to make way for new recruits, the initial

people with whom to move the business forward

focus was on upskilling the existing members of

when things lifted. Here’s how we did it...

the team. The team found themselves in a pretty unique position in that, as a result of the frontline

RESPONSE TO LOCKDOWN - ATTITUDE

sales work coming to a halt, everybody’s day-to-day

Rob Cotterell from RedSeven explained how they

schedules were cleared and they could hone in on a

‘looked at lockdown a little differently to some

purely skills-based development regime. Instead of

companies. When things came to a grinding halt,

looking at the first few weeks as having ‘nothing to

a lot of our team had the mentality of, ‘there’s a

do’, the guys saw an opportunity to essentially go

silver lining in this and it could be recruitment’’.

‘back to school’ and upskill the entire organisation:

RECRUITMENT ATITUDE

Sourcing the right people is a big part of Direct

029

Sales and given that they knew there were going

‘Having the opportunity to really focus on training

to be a lot of skilled people that had been made

the guys was a huge silver lining to this period.

redundant or lost their jobs, they looked at the

Normally, we don’t have the time to be out in the

situation as an opportunity to find some fantastic

field and continue our training; it had become more

new people to grow the organisation. Kevin Nash

of a ‘learn as you work’ development programme

from Promotions Company describes how being

and whilst there are definitely benefits to that in

thrown into such unprecedented territory ‘forced

terms of character building and directly engaging

us to work harder than we’ve worked before, and

with the public, having the chance to strip it all back

that itself has injected a new lease of life into the

and go ‘back to school’ was a real benefit to us all’.

business; we’re coming at things with a new energy,

(Rob)

an alternative approach and new ideas of how to

We’re coming at things with a new energy, an alternative approach and new ideas of how to develop as an organization’ - KEV NASH -

CATEGORY GROW TH / EXPANSION

'I was out of my comfort zone before I even set foot in the company, but since that first pitch on day 2 I’ve even pushing myself. That’s why I am where I am now. I’ve taken risks and reaped the rewards.'

Every single day, they were running Zoom calls with different levels of the business. At one stage, they were running 5 or 6 separate Zoom meetings per day, so the training itself became the centre of the business for the first few weeks. They had guest speakers from across the country running sales topics, leadership topics as well as hosts from India, America, Australia. Not only was this hugely beneficial in terms of learning from a vast array of professionals, but having the chance to engage with speakers from all over the world helped to puncture the feeling of ‘isolation’ that would now and then rise to the surface. There’s something about realising that everyone is in the same boat, globally, that helps you to harness a sense of perspective. Kev tells me how, ‘the online training programme that (they) developed helped everybody to establish a sense of structure and routine to their days, and was a fantastic opportunity to reconfigure aspects of the organization that we perhaps hadn’t had the chance to do in a while’. For example, Rob started to record his presentations online, meaning that he was able to send these recordings out to people to study in their own time. They now have what is essentially

an

archive

of

presentational

footage that can be used as a resource for training new recruits in the future.

PART 2: Moving Recruitment Online After the initial stage of upskilling the existing team was well in motion, the team began their online recruitment process. Throughout the whole of lockdown, they focussed on placing adverts online, reaching out to people that they thought might be interested in a career change: ‘we made sure that we were absolutely on the front foot during those first few weeks’. They knew we wouldn’t be able to run the business in the same way as before, so instead of simply watching their clients drop away and feeling helpless, they quickly adapted to the situation and made the most of their time out of the field to focus on building a strong network of new team members. They saw an opportunity in that there would be a broader demographic of people looking for new careers and focussed their efforts on that. Kev ensured that they were reaching out to people on a variety of platforms - Facebook / Instagram / LinkedIn - and adapted the social media content in a

031

'The biggest thing for me is that this industry offers so much support and networking; whereas at University this wasn’t the case'

way that placed recruitment at the forefront of the organisation. ‘We knew that we would be missing out on our usual student intake

how

due to the fact that both Bristol Universities

everyone feels comfortable being in that

had closed down and people wouldn’t be in

environment again, but at the end of the day

a position to take on graduate schemes etc.,

we are face-to-face specialists and it was

so we tried to focus more on actively reaching

brilliant to get back to working together in

out to people rather than waiting for them to

person once more. That’s what we’re good at

seek us out’.

and what we love about this Industry’.

They decided to start reaching out to interns on Instagram and headhunting people from other industries via social media. Once they had pulled together a strong list of potential employees,

they

began

the

interview

process. This was all done over Zoom, which despite feeling initially quite reductive in the sense that you aren’t able to interact with your interviewee in person, actually ended up being a much more time-productive method of recruitment: ‘It has saved us a lot of time in the long run. We’ve managed to streamline the business in that sense and have realised that recruiting online is perhaps the way forward which is interesting’ (Rob). Kev, on the other hand, certainly missed the faceto-face aspect of the recrtuiment process and explains how it’s not just about what happens during the formal interview: ‘We’re such a people-facing business, you know,

the

relationship

building

process

begins in our reception space as we welcome people in; it’s sort of like we’re hosting a party and the recruits are our guests, so it’s been difficult not having a physical space to welcome people into. It’s in those first 10 minutes or so that you make connections and you get to know people when they’re a little more relaxed, so we’re very much aware that not all aspects of the recruitment process have translated over Zoom.’

PART 3: Stepping back into the field In June, when the restrictions started to lift somewhat, the team were able to start holding their first batch of face-to-face recruitment sessions in-person. These have been in groups of just 3 people at a time in order to adhere to social distancing and masks and hand-sanitiser are provided. After such a long period of isolation, it probably feels a little bizarre for people to enter the work space again, especially for interviews.

Rob explains

continued --->

it’s

important

‘to

make

sure

that

CATEGORY GROW TH / EXPANSION

how it’s important ‘to make sure that everyone feels comfortable being

It wasn’t without its challenges, after all ‘there are only so many zoom

in that environment again, but at the end of the day we are face-to-

screenshots that you can post!’ (Kev), but they found a way to adapt

face specialists and it was brilliant to get back to working together in

their social media presence to meet the needs of their viewers in the

person once more. That’s what we’re good at and what we love about

best way possible. ‘We’ve had to be quite creative in terms of sustaining

this Industry’.

our online presence, so I’ve been posting links to books and podcasts, links to resources that people might find useful to study in their own

SOCIAL MEDIA AS A COACHING TOOL & PLATFORM FOR RE-

time, graphics instead of photographs...things like that’.

CRUITMENT One of Kev’s other goals back in January was to start using social Kev and Promotions Company

media, in particular Instagram, as a tool to widen the recruitment pool.

Seeing as there hasn’t been an opportunity to get together and

Prior to lockdown, they had been gearing up to launch a landing page

to attend events etc., Kev has had to move the social media of the

from IG to the website to link people to recruitment information and

organisation in a slightly different direction. Instead of posting photos

this is something that they are looking forward to setting up over the

and coverage of meetings and milestones, he decided to use the

coming weeks. Using things like hashtags is a fantastic way to connect

platform as an additional resource for coaching and training purposes.

with a broader audience and social media really is paving the way for a

He explains how they ‘started pushing the social media side of the

more contemporary version of recruitment.

business in January, focussing on Instagram in particular as a tool for personal development’. They invested in a series of professionally

You can check out their social media pages via:

filmed videos to release as more of an educational resource, as

@thepromotionsco

opposed to simply using IG as a way of promoting the company.

@redsevenmarketing

034

REDSEVEN

Back to School

Debunking the stereotype of self-employment and inspiring the next generation of talent with local Swindon Colleges.

W

i

h

establishing a long-standing relationship with

traditional

t

the colleges, where others hadn’t - ‘It's been

methods of

really lovely for us to put some effort into the

recruitment

local community of schools and it’s been met

f a l l i n g

with such gratitude. The schools have just

by

the

been so thrilled to have an organisation that’s

wayside,

so engaged and willing to put some effort in

and

that our relationship with them has developed

social

m e d i a

really quickly, it’s been great’.

platforms paving the way for a vast array of new talent to be discovered, there are

So how did they get the ball rolling? One

a variety of ways in which one might find

day, Nina and her colleague simply turned

themselves working in the Sales industry.

up to a college and asked to speak to the

Nina Collis from Redseven has been widening

career’s advisor. They explained what their

the recruitment pool for years now, and one

business was about, the sort of skills that

of the ways in which they ensure that they

they teach members of their team, asked

are meeting a wide demographic of people is

if there were any events they could attend

by going into local colleges in Swindon, (where

and it was as simple as that! That year they

their company is based). I caught up with her

attended two careers fairs as a company

to find out how this initiative began and why

and on one of the visits they were asked

it is so important to engage with the student

by a teacher if they’d be willing to speak to

community.

a group of students directly - ‘As you can imagine, I thought it was going to absolutely

The initiative began back in 2015. Recruitment

flop - students are a notoriously tough crowd,

wasn’t as high as they initially thought it would

especially 16-18 year olds! But I wanted to

be, so they started looking into alternative

make a great first impression so I said yes’.

ways in which they could start introducing

Ironically, Nina actually ended up doing the

their brand to the talent in their area. Nina

actual presentation on ‘First Impressions’;

explains that ‘It’s one thing just spreading

she spoke about body language, how to make

awareness, but to really get people interested,

someone like you in 7 seconds, what to avoid

it’s about providing some value’, so they set

etc - ‘I tried to make it funny and relevant. I

up some workshops with various colleges

remember I used a picture of Kanye West and

and start getting involved with careers fairs.

said you know ‘this is someone who doesn’t

She soon realised that the attendance rate

know how to make a good first impression’

from businesses at these careers fairs was

which got a laugh’. The presentation went

surprisingly low, probably due to companies

down well with the students and from that

thinking, ‘oh these kids are too young, there’s

point onwards, the RedSeven team started to

not much point being there’, so they decided

run workshops and talks, mock interviews and

to take the opportunity to really invest in

work exchanges on a regular basis.

036

CATEGORY GROW TH / EXPANSION

‘It's been really lovely for us to put some effort into the local community of schools and it’s been met with such gratitude.

This soon led to Nina meeting with a woman

students about the benefits of going self-

from The Careers and Enterprise Company

employed. More and more people are now

(who cover the South West) and she was

choosing to be freelance, opting for a more

offered a role as an Enterprise Advisor for

flexible career path as opposed to simply

Swindon New College. It transpired that it

settling for the standard 9-5 salary job. Nina

had become a requirement for children to

explains how the term ‘side-hustle’ has been

have access to workplace engagements

so overused as of late, because freelancing

throughout their education - be that a tour of

is becoming such a trend, and so to involve

a business, work experience or a talk from an

students in this conversation before they

employer - in order to better equip them with

find themselves having to complete their first

the necessary skills for pursuing a career.

tax-return is something that we should be

Part of her role now is to go into the college

doing more of! Congratulations to Nina and

along with other advisors and decipher - from

the team at RedSeven for their continued

a business perspective - which of these skills

work in local colleges and for inspiring the

are missing from the student’s education.

next generation of talent in the field.

‘It’s so important to bridge the gap between your education and the real world before you leave school, otherwise you can feel totally misguided and out on a limb. It’s not the responsibility of a teacher to give you sound career advice across the board. It’s much more beneficial for them to bring in someone from that specific industry and for the students to be able to ask questions and gain a direct insight into the workings of a company’.

As a result of this further engagement with the careers department, RedSeven started offering tours of their office - ‘At one point we had 15 x 15 year olds come in to speak to Rob about how he started the company and to see how the organisation operates which was fantastic. The kids were really engaged and the teacher was really grateful that they were given a first-hand insight into the industry’.

The whole point of the Government incentive is that children get a much broader insight into what careers are on offer. One of the big problems is that there simply aren’t enough

between your education and the real world before you leave school,

women going into STEM roles (science, tech,

otherwise you can feel totally

engineering and mathematics), so that’s

misguided and out on a limb'.

why initiatives such as this are so important, to inform the students of a vast array of career opportunities so that they are able to choose which avenue to follow. Again, it’s about providing them with a sense of agency and not quashing their potential before it’s had a chance to be fully explored. Nina, for example, ‘never knew (she) wanted to do sales or that it would suit (her) personality I was just lucky in that I fell into it’, proving the importance of educating students on the wide array of potential careers that are out there waiting for them.

Another aspect of this initiative is to inform

037

‘It’s so important to bridge the gap

‘It’s one thing just spreading awareness, but to really get people interested, it’s about providing some value’

038

TRAVELLING IN A POSTPANDEMIC WORLD REFLECTIONS ON

Miami

CATEGORY TR AVEL

'For the younger generation of talent that are looking into a career in this industry, the opportunity to travel the world is a huge part of what attracts them to this line of work'.

Why do we Travel?

•

Winning a place on a trip encourages the guys to hit their sales criteria and goals

•

Through travelling the globe, we are investing in our team and the future of the business.

•

Mixing business and pleasure is very much a part of our ethos as an organisation

‘Travel is a huge part of our business. We integrate many trips abroad into our working year, not just as time to relax and explore other cultures, but as a chance to learn from other businesses across the globe. It is therefore something that we are going to miss hugely over the next few months. However, it is more a case of postponing as opposed to cancelling the plans we had in place for 2020 and we will be going ahead with our trips to Sri Lanka and Ibiza as soon as it is safe to do so.

Whether this involves diminishing the group size, or reformatting the trip slightly, we will do whatever we can to get our guys back out there. For the younger generation of talent that are looking into a career in this industry, the opportunity to travel the world is a huge part of what attracts them to this line of work.

We can assure you that we will do everything that we can to ensure that we continue to integrate trips into the company calendar, and we look forward to sharing these experiences with you again.’ - Fran Colam Our trips abroad are essentially about expansion; expanding the mind, expanding your perspective on the industry and expanding your sense of self as an Entrepreneur. Sometimes you have to step away from your immediate context to be objective about your career, and what better way to do so than to step off a plane into a brand new city. We have been lucky enough to host trips to Sri Lanka, Ibiza, Portugal and America to name but a few. I caught up with the guys to hear about the most recent trip to Miami...

Back in February, we took a small group out to Miami for five days to network with US companies. The trip served as a reward for

041

CATEGORY TR AVEL

'One of my concerns was how I was going to be able to properly establish my business whilst studying, but the trip to Miami really cemented the belief I have in myself'.

'It was really interesting to see what

the team hitting their sales targets and was a both a chance to relax and enjoy some down-

How did you find the trip to Miami? What

time in the city as well as an opportunity to

did it offer you?

learn from other businesses. Congratulations to Vik, Magda, Josh, Paul, Mark and Rob who

Vik: It was such a fantastic opportunity in

were the lucky few to go Stateside!

terms of networking, and for us younger

works for them and the strategies that they have in place for such rapid levels of expansion'.

members of the team to get inspired and The conference itself was held over 3 days

learn from people that are at the top of

at The Miami Beach Club and was based

their game. There were so many different

around the topic of ‘Expansion’. All our offices

offices there which created a really inspiring

have big plans for expansion over the next

atmosphere and I definitely came away with

few months, so this was the perfect oppor-

the motivation to push the business forward

tunity to learn more about the process from

back in the UK. For instance, they open up

people who have established an incredibly

offices out there so quickly, it’s extraordinary.

successful business model. The US organisa-

It was really interesting to see what works

tion have opened up 25 offices in the last 18

for them and the strategies that they have

months which is extraordinary, so we went

in place for such rapid levels of expansion. I

over there to find out how they’ve managed

definitely think it’s something we can learn

to grow the company at such a rapid rate in

from back home. Just before lockdown, we

such a short amount of time. It was a chance

had enough guys to open up another office,

for us to find out how they strategize, what

so we’re looking to do so post-July which is

their targets are, what they do differently,

exciting.

and bring some of that learning back home to the UK to develop our own organisation. It

Josh: These work trips are always so fantastic

was a fantastic conference, jam-packed with

because not only do they serve as a reward

opportunities for education and learning, as

for hitting our sales targets, and therefore

well as for self-development. As with most

as motivation to work hard, but they always

of our trips abroad, they are as much about

offer opportunities for further development.

broadening perspectives and soaking up an-

They are the perfect combination of learning

other culture as they are about the meetings

and having fun, and both these things feed

and the work; after all, the spirit of the En-

each other in a lot of ways. This trip was quite

trepreneur is rooted in an interest in others.

intense; we had meetings from 9am-6pm, so it was quite full-on and required a lot of

After the conference finished each day,

focus (even though a lot of it was sitting and

there was an opportunity to have drinks and

listening) but meant we got a lot out of it.

to network with the other Owners in a more informal setting.

What were your main takeaways from the trip in terms to bring back to the UK?

There was also time for some essential sightseeing and to explore the area. One evening

Vik: I am actually still at University, so one

they went down to Little Havana, Miami’s

of my concerns was how I was going to

bright and bustling Cuban district with Latin

be able to properly establish my business

Art Galleries, restaurants and live music to ac-

whilst studying, but the trip to Miami really

company their dinner. This area is renowned

cemented the belief I have in myself; it

for its Domino-playing tradition, and as you

gave me a big dose of motivation as well

wander through the park you can watch the

as providing me with the skills necessary to

old folk playing each other as the sun sets.

make these ambitions a reality. We are hoping

On another day, the team went to play golf

to open up in Bristol with the two divisions of

at the Donald Trump National Course, which

the company - Energy and Charity - so it’s a

( at $150000 a year for membership!) was a

really exciting time, despite all that has been

glimpse into a rather lavish lifestyle, as well

going on.

as a chance to play in a stunning location.

And of course, they spent some well-deserved R&R time on Miami beach.

042

“ If you’ve got the right attitude and simple core values then here you go take the reins! "

CATEGORY TR AVEL

'It really embedded in us the importance of sourcing people with these core values. It’s about finding people that can perform, set a good standard and build a business'.

Josh: This trip in particular was a chance for us to

each year which changes things a bit I think. Saying

see how the US operates in terms of business ex-

that, there were definitely aspects of their business

pansion. It was incredibly eye-opening to see the

model that we can take back into our self-employed

speed and momentum with which people rose up

structure, such as holding people to basic expecta-

through the company. It's very much a case of, ‘if

tions and core values. It really embedded in us the

you’ve got the right attitude and simple core values

importance of sourcing people with these core val-

then here you go - take the reins!’ which was both

ues, otherwise you’re just going to come up against

surprising and inspiring. It really was as simple as

difficulties if you try to expand the business with

that! they’d see who was capable of training and

people who don’t fundamentally want the same

building a team and then say you know, ‘which city

things as you. It’s about finding people that can

do you want to go to? See you there on Monday!’. It

perform, set a good standard and build a business,

was phenomenal.

essentially.

And in terms of the specific skills you devel-

Does it feel as though there is a slightly more

oped whilst you were out there, what did you

precise recruitment process in terms of who

learn?

is even allowed through the door in terms of qualifications?

Vik: There was an Office Owner out there called Melissa who really inspired me in terms of branding the

Josh: Because they are employing people and

business. What she did with a lot of her guys out in

therefore committing to a base salary, I think it does

the field was give them personalised water bottles

impact who they decide to interview. They can’t

and things like that, which just meant that she was

take as many risks on people because they have

promoting her business in alternative ways. It also

to pay them $250 in their first week, it's a state-

served as an indicator of just how proud she was

requirement, so I do think that it has an affect on

of her brand, which is a really lovely quality to see

the initial recruitment process, yes.

in a business owner. It inspired me to go to a shop in Miami and start making my own merchandise. I designed my brand logo out there and got hoodies, hats, polos etc. made with the new design to start handing out to people. It has really impacted my relationship with my own brand; when you have a physical item with your own logo on it, you have a tangible representation of our business, which encourages you to engage with your company in a different way. That can be really useful for clients to see and enhances your sense of brand identity.

Josh: The biggest takeaway for me was definitely the speed and confidence with which they were expanding the offices out there; however, it’s important to note that they are operating under a slightly different business structure out there because they are paying everybody a base salary, whereas we are all self-employed. It means that they can ask slightly more of their guys from the offset because they are getting paid a set amount

044

CATEGORY TR AVEL

'It’s engaging with the personal side of the business that I find motivates me because I am able to see myself in these people; you put a face to a name, a quote, an organization and it helps you to ground it in reality somehow'.

How do you find learning in this environ-

to respond in the moment and perhaps ask

ment, at a conference listening to talks,

questions that you wouldn’t have thought

as opposed to in the field? What are the

of otherwise. Zoom feels quite ‘structured’

benefits of attending events such as

in the sense that you’re not really able to

this?

gain a proper insight into how the business is run, you’re just fed information about the

Vik: It’s incredibly motivating to hear people’s

process. It makes you realize quite how much

stories, first-hand. The speakers that we lis-

you pick up on from sharing the space with

tened to were so inspiring in the way that

someone else and absorbing everything

they talked through their background and

from their body-language to their communi-

their journey to becoming a successful En-

cation skills, to the way they hold themselves

trepreneur. It’s engaging with the personal

in front of an audience, to their intonation....

side of the business that I find motivates

It’s fascinating.

me because I am able to see myself in these people; you put a face to a name, a quote, an

And did you have a chance to have some

organization and it helps you to ground it in

downtime and socialize?

reality somehow. Another thing that they’re really good at over there is holding people

Vik: Yeah there was plenty of time to explore

accountable, so that’s something that I’ve

both sides of the business; we went out club-

been putting into practise, especially during

bing, we had drinks on the beach so there

lockdown. When you’re not seeing people

was lots of time for socializing and hanging

face-to-face, it’s important to ensure that

out. It’s so nice to combine business and

people are working hard and not just doing

pleasure and to celebrate each other’s suc-

the bare minimum because they’re at home.

cess. It’s an important combination in this industry.

Josh: Yeah, as Vik mentioned, it was really interesting to see first-hand how they interact

Josh: Yes, by the end of the working day we

with their guys; they are quite militant in hold-

were very ready for some downtime and so-

ing people accountable but it clearly works!

cializing! We’d leave at 6pm and go and have

It was also just really exciting to be around

dinner and then finish the evening with some

such a broad demographic of business Own-

networking drinks which was a great chance

ers; there were companies from so many dif-

to get to know the guys in a more informal

ferent States, you know, we were chatting

setting.

to people from Texas, from New York, Dallas, Chicago...so many accents going around, it

How are you feeling about the prospect

was great! I think it’s really important to get

of travelling less as a result of the pan-

out of your bubble sometimes and to hang

demic?

out with a broader variety of people from different backgrounds; you pick up on so many

Josh: It is a shame, you know, we had a few

intricacies in terms of approach and people

trips planned and the May Ball etc. so we are

skills, as well as the more technical side of

missing out on opportunities to celebrate

things. Our industry is about engaging with

each other’s achievements, but we’ve man-

people from all walks of life, so that’s really

aged to stay pretty well connected on Zoom.

why travelling and expanding your network is

Social events online have really made a dif-

so important.

ference and whilst it is sad not to be able to travel, I know that we’ll just appreciate it

What is it about having the chance to at-

a huge amount when it comes back around.

tend these business conferences in per-

For educational purposes, there’s nothing

son that impacts your learning?

quite like the real thing - travelling to a new bit of the world and learning from the best

045

Josh: There’s definitely something in the im-

of the best in the flesh - so we’ve got that to

mediacy of face-to-face learning; you are able

look forward to again!

Adapting in the Face of Adversity

w/Monument Promotions

We caught up with Matt Nicholson from Monument Promotions to see how things have been

developing since he opened up his second office. Matt and the team have now expanded into two cities - Swindon and Manchester - and have been busy adapting to the new strand of the business, working with energy-saving client, ‘Don’t Waste Money’.

So what are your plans for expansion post-lockdown

in which we engage with the public, but I also think that the

when things start moving again?

conversations we have on the doorstep will need to change as well. For example, I think we will be openly discussing

Over the next quarter, we’re going to be focussing on

the impact of the pandemic on the Charity sector with our

establishing the energy-residential side of the business, so

customers; the context within which we are working will

developing our relationship with ‘Don’t Waste Money’. We’re

definitely become part of the proposition and that’s really

also looking forward to re-establishing our relationship with

important to us. It’s about being honest and responding to

our charity partners once again and once all our team have

each member of the public in a subjective way; the pandemic

returned from being furloughed, we will be looking at opening

will have affected everybody individually, so it’s important to

up two new offices in Cheltenham. Rather than opening up

acknowledge that.

in lots of new different locations, we will instead be focusing on opening up new divisions of the business in the cities

In terms of recruitment, have you found that there has

we’re currently based in. The divisions will be: Charity Events,

been a wider pool of people looking for work?

Energy Residential, Events Residential in both Cheltenham and Swindon.

Totally! The recruitment pool has opened up in a huge way for us. There are going to be a lot of highly skilled people

Are there any changes you’ve made to the business

from a wide variety of backgrounds that will be looking for

during this period of re-evaluation that you will carry

new avenues of work. I’m really looking forward to working

forward?

with these people and the fresh energy this will bring. Over the coming months, I will be looking to scout individuals

Absolutely. It’s been great in the sense that it’s given us the

in the organisation who might be capable of heading

opportunity to expand into a new area of sales and we’ve

the Energy side of the business once I move back into

now split the business into two parts: Charity and Energy.

Charity work, so there’s definitely an opportunity for rapid

I will be running one strand of the organisation and will

progression over the next few months. A big part of my role

appoint somebody else to run the other, and each location

is searching for those people who will replace me as I expand

from now on will split off into these two divisions. I think that

the organisation, so I’m always on the lookout for new talent.

the last quarter has provided us with the opportunity to really consider the type of business we want to run. It certainly

On a personal level, what have you taken away from this

gets you thinking about the bigger picture and your position

time? Has your interpretation of what it means to be an

within the industry as a whole; that shift in perspective has

‘Entrepreneur’ changed at all?

been really beneficial for me, personally. It’s funny, as the world has slowed down, things have really picked up for us;

I think I’ve come to realise that a lot of it comes down to

we’ve been going at 100mph, learning a new product and

adaptability. That’s certainly something that we will be

adapting to a brand new way of working.

instilling in our teams from now on. I’ve learned that, however stable the economy feels, it’s about being ready for anything

Do you think that you will change the way that you

and not afraid of change. The skills that we teach our

engage with your Charity Partners once they return to

guys aren’t set in stone; we very much encourage them to

the industry?

integrate these skills into a way of life, an attitude towards the industry as opposed to trying to follow an exact formula

I think there will be a huge demand for Charities to catch up

for success. I’ve realised the importance of building strength

on missed income, and we will absolutely be ready to jump

into my team; by this I mean instilling in them a belief that

on board as soon as the opportunity arises. Obviously the

success isn’t just about context, it’s about self-belief and

first thing to think about is PPE and reformatting the way

mindset.

047

'Over the next quarter, we’re going to be focussing on establishing the energy-residential side of the business, so developing our relationship with ‘Don’t Waste Money’.

CATEGORY HEALTH & WELLBEING

Mind Your Mind Looking After Your Mental Health During a Pandemic

Looking after your mental health is extremely important during these challenging times, and whilst work can be a welcome distraction from the anxiety of a global pandemic, it can also be difficult for some people to feel ‘productive’ under such extreme circumstances.

I chatted to various members of the Organisation

body’s individual circumstances and support them

about how they managed to sustain a sense of ca-

as much as you can. I’m sure that those people who

maraderie during lockdown and their tips for mov-

did have to leave will come back once things are

ing forwards as lockdown starts to ease. Despite

properly up and running again, and we will welcome

the geographical separation, there are still ways in

them with open arms’.

which you are able to feel connected to your col-

Kevin Nash

leagues and your friends; it is these connections that help pull you through the difficult days and

‘A vast majority of the people we recruit are quite

ensure that you still feel like you are part of a team.

young - in the 18-35 age bracket - so they don’t necessarily have children to home-school or as many

‘The strangest thing for us has been the separa-

other responsibilities. This has meant that they’ve

tion. We are such a face-to-face company, we spend

been able to fully throw themselves into the online

most of our days in each other’s pockets! We thrive

coaching programme and have kept themselves

off being in busy places, attending events, travel-

busy in a way that’s been incredibly productive’

ling the world and are used to lots of physical con-

Fran Colam

tact, you know, hugging and high-fiving each other as a way of establishing a tangible sense of what

2) Staying connected

we’re about: people! So it’s been a difficult time, but

‘I made sure that 90% of people had contact with

I’m very proud of the way that every single one of

at least one other person in the organization every

our offices has dealt with things; we’ve found the sil-

single day. This was so important in keeping a sense

ver lining in all this and have made a lot of progress

of cohesion and togetherness across the company.

in terms of the way we operate as an organisation.

Even just one conversation with someone else in

It was very much a case of, let’s pull together and

your company means that your bubble of solitude is

not just ‘get through it’ but come out the other side

broken and you are able to see things a little more

even stronger’.’

clearly. It means that you’re not so stuck in your

Fran Colam

head and you’re able to, well, simply communicate!

Weekends were by far the hardest. The weekdays

1) Respecting each individual and their needs

flew by because there was a solid structure in place.

‘We’ve been doing things like Zoom Quizzes to

A lot of the guys were starting their day with a call at

keep everyone together which has been great. It’s

8.30am and had a solid timeline in place for the rest

different for everybody though; some people have

of the week, whereas the weekends really dragged

slipped through the gaps regarding government

on because when you don’t have anywhere to go, or

support and so have had to take other employment,

people to see, you become acutely aware of time!’

but then on the flip side of that, we’ve had a fantas-

Phil Reid

tic period of recruitment. You have to respect every-

049

CATEGORY HEALTH & WELLBEING

let's pull together

050

If you’ve got the right attitude and simple core values then here you go take the reins!

051

CATEGORY HEALTH & WELLBEING

'People were occupied, they had a reason to get up each day, a focus and a responsibility to the team. During this period of literal isolation, it is so important to try and remain connected to others, be this family, friends or colleagues'.

People

a

‘challenge’ though, otherwise I wouldn’t

reason to get up each day, a focus and

were

occupied,

they

had

keep it up, so I decided to train towards

a responsibility to the team. During this

my version of a Triathlon! This involved

period of literal isolation, it is so important

500km on a trail bike, 50 km running, 30km

to try and remain connected to others, be

walking. I posted updates every day and

this family, friends or colleagues. We really

shared photos with my team so that they

are a family here at Mantra, so to quickly

could track my progress, and get a taster

establish a strong support network was

of the beautiful scenery in Devon which

one of our main priorities as we went into

was an added bonus! Being somewhere

lockdown.

like Devon has been a blessing during

- JAMES BUCKLEY

lockdown and the landscape has really helped our mindset I think.

3) Establishing a sense of routine &

- MARK WIDNELL

setting up a ‘work-space’ at home One of the things that I tried to implement

5) Online social events and (dare I say

straightaway was that everyone got up

it)...Zoom Quizzes!

early and started the day with the right

Usually, we have team-nights once a week

energy. That was really important to me

where we go out for dinner, have some

and I think is partly why we’ve managed

drinks and take the time to enjoy each

to get through this so successfully. You

other’s company outside of the workplace,

get up, you get out of bed, you iron your

so I made sure that we had quizzes, online

shirt and trousers and get dressed for the

socials, cocktail-making nights and things

working day, even when you’re working

to ensure that the social side of the

from home. That makes a huge difference

organization was kept alive.

to how you feel and how productive you

- ROB COTTERELL

are. It’s such a simple thing, but really

does have an impact upon your emotional

We’ve been using Zoom regularly for social

well-being. Another thing that I made

activities and that’s really helped us to

sure that everybody did was to make a

get through this period of isolation. It’s as

‘To-Do’ List every morning. This helped to

important to spend downtime together as

establish a sense of routine, which really

it is to work together ad that’s something

could have been the first thing to go had

that’s always been at the heart of how we

we not put small things in place such as

operate as an organisation

this to anchor the day.’

- KEVIN NASH

- PHIL REID

6) Coaching and Training 4) Exercise

Moving the business online was not

Exercise has been a huge thing for me

without its challenges, but the wider

personally, and a lot of the team. It really

company pulled together and quickly

helps to get moving and to get out of your

established a slick online training platform

head and into your body, so I’ve been

and timetable for everyone to work by. Not

doing a lot of yoga which has helped a

only did this enable us to keep learning

lot. Another thing has been getting up

and training our guys, but it meant that

at the same time everyday and asserting

we all felt connected which is a huge

some sense of agency over your day, be

part of the ethos of our business.

this through exercise or other types of

had a ‘huddle call’ every morning at 8am

routine.’

during lockdown to plan each day and

- FRAN COLAM

maintain a sense of structure and then

We

full days of coaching sessions, so this I’ve been making sure that I do my exercise

meant there simply wasn’t as much time

every day which has been really beneficial

to sit and worry about the world or get too

to both mindset and physical health.

overwhelmed by the situation.’

I knew I needed to set myself a daily

- PHIL REID

052

CATEGORY MILESTONES

CELEBRATING7 YEARS

w/ RedSeven

Celebrations are in order for the RedSeven team who will be celebrating their 7th Birthday on the 23rd October. Congratulations to the whole team who have worked so hard to grow the organisation over this time - we couldn’t have done it without you. We hope to be able to raise a glass with you in person after the summer and can’t wait to toast our achievements. After a good few weeks of reflection, what better time to look back over some stand-out moments for

STAY SAFE

the team. Here are 7 of their highlights:

053

01

Their first day in the new offices

02

Nina winning UK Admin of the year

03

Promoting our first Managing

04

San Francisco! (A fantastic

05

Pioneering lotteries for charities

06

Speaking in front of over 2000

07

Taking two of the team on a

Director, Matt Nicholson

networking trip)

people at an industry rally

business class flight to Florida

CATEGORY MILESTONES

054

EIGHTEEN MONTHS ON

Redline-ChanceCowie Chance Cowie stepped into the world of Direct Sales 18 months ago

after making a quick-fire decision to leave his job in Tenerife and move back to the UK

A

fter a whirlwind

Chance quickly found his feet in the field and

first

few

this is where he really thrives. The business

m o n t h s ,

quickly started to gain momentum and by

learning

the

April 2019 his 25-strong team were hitting

ropes

and

personal bests every single week. However,

to

despite the team having grown by 500%,

grips with the

they were still working out of their original

industry,

he

office space which was ‘literally the size of a

himself

broom-cupboard’. Time to move! The team

building a team of his own and setting up

transferred to a new space over in Ancoats

Redline. So where did it all begin? Chance

just in time to celebrate their 1st Birthday. The

opened up in Disbury in Manchester back in

physical space in which you are working can

October 2018 with a team of just 5 people,

have a huge affect on your state of mind, so

and looking back he ‘never would have

the literal shift to a new location came at the

expected to be where he is today’. When

perfect time. The new office meant that they

you first enter the industry, it can be easy to

could start to concentrate on recruitment and

look at other businesses with offices all over

soon they had grown the team to 43 people

the world and think ‘how am I ever going to

and were achieving over 200 weekly pieces.

get there?’, but Chance explains that ‘it’s all

Fast forward another 6 months and Redline

about maintaining a positive attitude, having

are looking to open another two offices by

faith and staying as present as you can’. This

2021. Despite the pause in proceedings due

mentality is something that Founder of ‘The

to the small blip of a global pandemic, the

Strategic Coach’, Dan Sullivan, promotes,

team have high hopes for the future and have

explaining how: ‘getting trapped in their

used the last quarter as a chance to expand

past is one of the biggest things holding

into a new residential division. Chance himself

entrepreneurs back in their lives. Yet it is the

has been running topics at Amplify and used

present that holds all the possibility, growth,

the time to share his experience of building a

excitement, and satisfaction of being an

business with others; how to turn the genesis

entrepreneur. Being present in the moment

of an idea into a reality.

getting

found

is an undeniable catalyst for success’. In this way, things begin to grow, naturally. This isn’t

I caught up with the man himself to reflect

to say that you shouldn’t set yourself goals

upon the first year and a half of Redline…

and work towards targets - this is all part of running an office - however, it’s all too easy to get lost in the idea of the career and drift off track. A healthy dose of ambition goes a long way, but only when paired with a strong work ethic and two feet firmly on the ground.

056

057

CATEGORY INTERVIEW

‘getting trapped in their past is one of the biggest things holding entrepreneurs back in their lives. Yet it is the present that holds all the possibility, growth, excitement, and satisfaction of being an entrepreneur. Being present in the moment is an undeniable catalyst for success’.

I suppose lockdown has given everyone

It can be difficult to remain present as your

time to reflect upon various things, their

company grows, so being able to hand

career path being one of those. Did you

responsibilities over to my team and business

expect to end up in this position when

partners makes it a lot easier to focus on

you first entered the industry?

the things that you’re good at. In order to stay present, I’ve learned to delegate and

Absolutely

not.

That’s

what’s

been

so

inspiring about this line of work - the rate at

therefore to not try and juggle everything at once.

which you can progress! My life has changed so quickly and I am so grateful to be where

What do you love about the industry?

I am today, running my own business and

How do you stay inspired?

achieving things I never thought possible.

Everything! I love the highs and the lows, the What would your advice be to anyone

variety and the pace of this industry. I keep

looking to move into this line of work?

myself inspired by continually setting myself challenges and goals to hit along the way. I

I suppose my advice would be, ‘be a student’.

think that’s important in order to sustain a

I don’t mean that in terms of actually going to

sense of momentum.

University, but I mean in terms of the mindset that you adopt; be curious, be interested,

What do you think has changed since

learn from others and tune into your self-

lockdown?

development.

So

many

people

spend

thousands of pounds on degrees that they’ll

That’s a hard question! Really, I don’t think

never use or think about again, just because

much has changed in terms of how we’ve

they were told that that was the trajectory

approached our work, which is a good thing!

that they should follow, and I think that can

My mentality is very much along the lines

stunt a lot of people’s potential in many

of: where there are challenges or hardships,

ways. At the end of the day, this industry

there are opportunities.

is a people industry; the skills learned here can be life-changing, not just in terms of the business side of things, but in all aspects

What are you looking forward to over the

of your life and I think it can be far more

next few months now that things are

beneficial for people to step into a job and

beginning to return to ‘normal’?

learn as they go, whilst making a career out of it, as opposed to following the traditional

The main thing I am looking forward to now

University path.

is being able to give my friends the same opportunities that I’ve been blessed with.

Last time we spoke, you talked about

To be able to work and grow alongside your

the importance of staying ‘present’, of

peers is a really fantastic thing and I love

maintaining a clear sense of perspective.

being able to facilitate that. It’s how I started

Have you managed to stick to this as

out, so I want to be able to offer my skills to

you've grown the business?

others now that I’m in the position to do so.

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CATEGORY BOOKS & PODCASTS

Books and Podcasts Me and White Supremacy

Girl, Woman, Other

How to recognise your privilege, combat

Teeming with life and crackling with en-

racism and change the world

ergy - a love song to modern Britain and

The Comparison Cure

How to be less 'them' and more you

black womanhood

By: Layla F. Saad

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By: Bernadine Evaristo

By: MLucy Sheridon

CATEGORY BOOKS & PODCASTS

During lockdown, we relied on forms of entertainment more than ever. As our worlds got smaller and we were confined to our homes - human interaction diminishing by the day and conversations with housemates starting to loop - it was time to plug-in and get lost in the realm of audiobooks, podcasts and soundscapes.

Uncanny Valley

Podcasts

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No Such Thing as a Fish By: James Harkin / Andrew Hunter No Such Thing as a Fish is a weekly British podcast series produced and presented by the researchers behind the BBC Two panel game QI. In it each of the researchers, collectively known as "The QI Elves", present their favourite fact that they have come across that week.

02

How to Fail with Elizabeth Day By: Elizabeth Day is a podcast that celebrates the things that haven't gone right. Every week, a new interviewee explores what their failures taught them about how to succeed better.

03

Off Menu By: Ed Gamble / James Acaster Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster is a food and comedy podcast in which guests are invited to select their dream menu by British comedians Gamble and Acaster. Off Menu was launched in December 2018 and was nominated for the 2019 British Podcast Awards in the Best Entertainment category

Uncanny Valley is a coming of age story set against the backdrop of our generation's very own gold rush

04

Table Manners By: Jessie Ware Jessie Ware hosts a podcast about food, family, and the beautiful art of having a chat, direct from her very own dinner table.

By: Uncanny Valley

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Glastonbury

F E S T I VA L O F P E R F O R M I N G A R T S

With large group gatherings still very much out of the question, I’m sure we will all be missing our festival fix this summer! Whilst it’s not quite the same

as sharing a field with 250000 others, wailing along to Beyonce and dancing in Shangri-La until sunrise, the BBC uploaded hours of archive footage of the biggest festival in the UK to enjoy from the warmth of your own home (who wants to be covered in mud anyway eh?!). Celebrating 50 years of Glastonbury Festival, get stuck in..

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Mantra Weekender MALMESBURY / COTSWOLDS 2018

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We reminisce on our Festival in Summer 2018 and look forward to whats to fun times in a field again soon.

To celebrate such a fantastic year so far, we headed to Boondock’s Festival to let our hair down and celebrate the community we have built between us.

What better way to come together than to spend the weekend sharing stories over sharing beer whilst soaking up the fresh air of the great outdoors. We spent the weekend camping together, donning our brightest festival gear and dancing until the sun came up over the stunning West Country hills. We were lucky enough to occupy our own section of the festival, with our own tipis and fire-pits; Boondocks is all about finding your Tribe, and we have certainly found ours here . We are a community. We work together, travel together...and party together. We hope you all had a fantastic weekend!

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Office List 2020

CATEGORY OFFICE LIST

Our UK, Spanish and Russian office list. Please be sure to visit our social media channels for future developments

UK

RUSSIA

SPAIN

Mantra Marketing Group James Buckley / Francis Colam www.mantramarketinggroup.com

JB Company Zhasmina Suleimanova Moscow website coming soon

EMDI Marketing Nelson Pereira Reus www.emdimarketing.com

RedSeven Marketing Robert Cotterell Swindon / www.redsevenmarketing.co.uk

Magic Magomed Parizhev Krasnodar website coming soon

RedSeven 2 Dale Trinder Cheltenham www.redsevenmarketing.co.uk

ZIMA Albina Zigangirova Moscow website coming soon

Enigma Mark Widnel Plymouth website coming soon

People Boosted Veronica Ovechkina Moscow website coming soon

Monument Promotions Matt Nicholson Swindon www.monumentpromotions.co.uk

ZAR Marketing Aidar Zamaletdinov Belarus www.asana-mg.com

Fairview Advertising David Hebblethwaite Ipswich www.fairviewadvertising.co.uk

First Group Albina Fazlieva Nizhny Novgorod www.firstgroup.moscow

Redline Promotions Chance Cowie Manchester website coming soon

Yuppie Timur Konovalov Moscow www.yuppie.city

B23 Marketing Roddy Barker Glasgow website coming soon

We Make Radik Kamalov St Petersburg www.pr-wm.com

The Promotions Company Phil Reid Bristol www.promotions-company.co.uk

Luck Look Company Aina Papedova Krasnodor website coming soon

Regardless Marketing Floyd Marriot London www.regardlessmarketing.com

MarGroup Mikhail Mareev Nizhny Novgorod website coming soon

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