The Quest - Issue 4

Issue Four 2017

‘Key Collaborator’ case study:

Love Sharer ANGELA MAKEPEACE

Stuart Swindell Does money rule your life

BeCollaboration C0-Founder

ERKAN ALI Do You Know How Money Is Made?

Gavin Perrett Wealth and how we see ourselves

Gary White Money and the search for value

Mark Neild The rise of neo-entrepreneurship

‘The Quest’ is a BeCollaboration Digital publication

Published by BeCollaboration, 21 Victoria Road, Surbiton, Surrey, KT6 4JZ UK Issue 4, first published on 12th June 2017.

All rights reserved.

Copyright Š BeCollaboration and Contributors, 2017 While aligned to the vision and values of BeCollaboration, the views expressed here are soley those of the contributors and are not expressions of policy on behalf of the BeCollaboration leadership.

For more details about The Quest and about BeCollaboration, visit our website at www. becollaboration.com. You can contact the team by writing to thequest@becollboaration.com, or to one of the contributors whose contact emails can be found at the end of their articles.

The Quest is a publication platform open to members of BeCollaboration to contribute to major debates and issues of concern. Operating within the UK economy, and part of a global economic system, contributors to The Quest hold a big picture. They are personally involved with complex issues that require the skills and intent of many to solve. They are on a passionate, sometimes a lifelong search, to secure change in the world and as such hold a great responsibility for benefitting future generations.

BeCollaboration believes in working for a world where every individual has the opportunity to be the best they can be: where we are empowered to recognize and honour our ‘innate genius’, exploit our full potential and make our dreams real. We seek a world where business and work are designed to meet a Human need for respect, to be valued, to achieve and to contribute to others. Most of all we seek a world where everyone has the opportunity to have their voice heard and make a positive difference to the planet and humanity.

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About our contributors Mark Neild From flying Navy helicopters to realising ÂŁ1/2bn benefits through innovation consulting, I now empower innovative people to monetise their creativity in an authentic way.

Gary White Accountant and finance director providing significant R&D tax savings for family companies across London and Essex.

Gavin Perrett Director at Hawkhurst Alternative Investments Gavin is committed to empowering his clients to secure financial freedom by building a property investment business and growing a successful portfolio

Angela Makepeace Angela Makepeace Motion Graphics Studio Business owner and After Effects Animator. Loves sharing business love with persuasive, entertaining and informative business stories using Motion Graphics video.

Erkan Ali Creator and Co Founder of BeCollaboration Erkan Ali has been working with business owners and their teams to produce breakthrough results for over 20 years.

Stuart Swindell Co Founder of Unique Accountants.

He firmly believes that our results in life (financial and otherwise) are determined by how we think.

Hence, his life’s passion and quest is the study of success-based thinking.

Stuart inspires business owners and individuals to focus upon getting results that truly count.

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Editorial Gill Tiney

With the General Election behind us and Brexit negotiations looming, we are, as a society in The UK, more than ever focused on finance. There is never enough money for the NHS, Police Force, Fire Service, Railways, and more. What is enough? And how will we pay for it all?

Teresa May wants us to save our income all our lives to ensure the security of the next generation in inheritance and yet wants to take it away if we happen to fall ill. Jeremy Corbyn makes sweeping statements - free university places for all, free school meals for all primary school children, without any reassuring methods of how we, as a nation, can pay for it. Other parties were all making similar promises.

Without any clear way forward the public was in a flux of uncertainty and major concerns were, understandably, how it would affect us as individuals. Will we be paying more tax? Will prices rise? How will we manage if we have less income? – that’s before we even start to consider the terrorism issue! We find ourselves fearful, on shaky ground, feeling vulnerable and unable to predict the future. The media had a field day, scaremongering every new announcement until the space between fact and fiction became blurred – even more so than usual.

The root of all the angst is money. Will we ever have enough? In today’s world, the answer is an emphatic No! Why is this? Why is our relationship with money so damaged that we can see no solution to solving this never-ending conundrum? The answers stem from our view of who we are, and our history and relationship to money, on an individual basis and as a society.

We judge ourselves by how much money we have – Stuart Swindell’s article gives a personal tale of how his perceptions of money can be traced back to a childhood memory and how it affected his life, there is no surprise he became an accountant.

Erkan Ali asks a more fundamental question. Do you know how money is made? He lifts the curtain on our assumptions and considers what might happen if we made a change.

We rarely consider we have enough, why is that? How much is enough? Gary White looks at ensuring your business is running at an optimal level, without stressing that you need more.

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[Editorial - continued] Much of our need to consume can be identified as a comparison culture that Gavin Perrett evaluates in his piece. Whilst Mark Neild goes further by looking at how we are evolving into neo-capitalism and how the era of entrepreneurial spirit is prompting a ‘sea change in consumer behaviour’.

We all have different perceptions of money, perhaps one way to view our lives is not in monetary terms of what we are worth, but instead how wealthy we are. Wealth can be measured in many ways such as happiness and blessings, good relationships, work that is fulfilling, and opportunities to give back to society, all make for a life well lived. A great example of someone demonstrating this way of BEing is Collaborator in our community Angela Makepeace whose philosophy on life she shares in this issue.

If you are wealthy in this way and you happen to have money as you go along, then it’s a bonus.

About The Quest Team The Quest is produced by the BeCollaboration Digital Team and is made possible by, you

For being a great webmaster and technical lead, our huge respect to Simon Thomas of Toucan Internet LLP. simon@toucanweb.co.uk

For marketing and communications, our huge thanks go to Scott Campbell of Affecting Peoples Lives scott@affectingpeopleslives. com

For content development, sincere thanks to Sara Wilbourne of Becoming Us sara@ becomingus.uk

For concept design, layout and art, our warmest gratitude to Angela Makepeace of Angela Makepeace Motion Graphics Studio info@angelamakepeace.co.uk

For her driving force to bring the project to fruition, proofing and liaising with contributors, writing of editorial and case study and being our Team Dynamo we give huge thanks to Gill Tiney’ gill@becollaboration.com 6

Lead article

Mark Neild

THE RISE OF NEOENTREPRENEURSHIP

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Can purposeful capitalism without intervention be a force for good?

state and bureaucracy. Loyalty in the workplace was rewarded by a dependable career with a comfortable income up to and in retirement.

Proponents of capitalism argue that it has Undemanding, but broadly achievable brought untold wealth to far greater sections of aspirations engendered general contentment society than ever before. In evidence, they cite and engagement with the status quo. the reduction of global poverty from 84% of the world’s population in 1900 through 28% in 2000 New capitalism has changed everything. down to below 10% in 2015. Industrialisation The dependability has gone.

Since The spreading first across the North Atlantic and 1980s, increasing automation and migration more recently across the Pacific is a good news of work to low-cost economies have steadily story surely - something to celebrate? eroded work security. Aspirations stoked by consumerism exceed any chance of realising But there is a different side to this coin. them, while Government has steadily rolled back controls, reduced workers’ rights and Although extreme poverty (imagine surviving curbed union power. Zero-hours contracts and on less than £1.50 per day) is falling, new “the gig economy” have broken the traditional wealth created flows disproportionately to bonds between employer and employee. For the rich. The same is true in the UK and US. many, unprecedented degrees of flexibility From the 1930s to the 1970s, UK trade unions and freedom is a mixed blessing that they and Government policy kept capitalism in are neither prepared for nor comfortable with. check. The richest 1% took 8% of the wealth Highly skilled knowledge workers thrive in this when Margaret Thatcher came to power. 40 system, but traditional blue collar jobs have years on, they take 16%, a consequence gone and traditional character virtues of loyalty of what Owen Jones describes in his book and involvement go unrewarded eroding any Establishment as “a religious observance of the sense of belonging. In the new capitalism, ideals of neo-liberal capitalism”. Jones paints the service ethos of the public sector is being a picture of a well-paid elite easily securing replaced by every man for himself. Building lucrative contracts or senior positions from for the future has been replaced by exploiting friends. Assured and in control, these people the present. Careers have been replaced by believe their unique skills means that they “are precarious work - employment without rights worth it”. In contrast, “chavs”, a subordinate applying to over 1/3 of the UK workforce if you class of workers do grunt work that anyone include part-timers. can do so are not worth anything. Human Resources, (the human bit since airbrushed Is this a sustainable future? out), describe a commodity to be obtained and exploited for the lowest possible cost. It is nearly a decade since the financial crash The consequences are described in Richard showed us just how “worth it” the Establishment Sennett’s book. The Corrosion of Character really are. On the face of it, little seems to describes how the implicit contract between have changed. Is new capitalism the end workers and employers has broken down. Old for the economy as we know it? Will we see capitalism epitomised structure, predictability, vilification of those without work, characterised 8

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as scroungers and locked away in ghettos to respect for customers than their corporate competitors. Competitive advantage flows avoid them troubling those that contribute? from better insight into their customer’s needs Enough of the gloom. Despite Government rather than brands and barriers. Their passion inaction, things are changing for the better. and vision more than compensates loyalty lost Three major democratising forces are at work since old capitalism. Innovation is their creed; that together will transform new capitalism digital marketing, automation, their workforce into a far more benign force entirely without and crowdfunding their fuel to get amazing creations in front of just the right people. They intervention from a self-serving Government. can scale quickly, entirely independent of the First up the Neo-entrepreneurs, bucking the Establishment’s capital. system by setting out on their own. These modern entrepreneurs are working a process Next is the democratising influence of the that delivers virtually guaranteed success if Internet itself and inextricably linked, the rise properly applied, but played by different rules of the “Digital Natives” - never too far from than the MBA world of business. Followers their gadgets. Described in his book Millennial & Demographics, Sweeney of Eric Reis “Lean Startup”, learn to exploit Behaviors yawning gaps left in the offerings of larger characterises the behaviours of the millennial companies with virtually no risk and little if any generation as a “sea change in consumer investment. Their currency is collaboration with behaviour”. More specifically “They have grown their “audience” who play quadruple roles of up with a huge array of choices and believe customer, sales force, funder and inspiration for that such abundance is their birth right and feel new products. Technology is their accelerator less need to conform in their consumer choices as they harness its advances to empower to everyone else in their generation or to other customers to do amazing things that they had generations.” This empowered generation is always wanted to but never thought possible. used to getting its own way and going wherever Lean and hungry this new breed has far more they need to find what they want– if necessary Join the discussion...

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making it themselves. Sweeney explains that they “don’t want to work 80 hours a week and sacrifice their health and their leisure time, even for considerably higher salaries.” “Millennials are a social generation—and they socialize while consuming (and deciding to consume) your products and services.” Millennials are social, replacing loyalty to a firm with loyalty to their beliefs, preserving bonds irrespective of location, interacting through social media, through personal recommendations and seeking the views of others before they buy.

This has profound implications for marketing.

The Internet empowers consumers to discover more about products than a generation ago.

Review and price comparison sites powered by affiliate revenues are now the norm in most industries.

Established products actually need to deliver beyond the façade of brands purporting their excellence. “While companies have put their faith in branded content for the past decade, brute empirical evidence is now forcing them to reconsider. In YouTube or Instagram rankings of channels by number of subscribers, corporate brands barely appear”.

(Holt, 2016). In this new market, purposeful and value led brands fare much better than those bloated by TV advertising.

behaviours. As a 2013 HBR article put it, “Feedback through social media is immediate, permanent, and extremely public. When individuals feel strongly about a company’s performance on social or environmental issues, one small voice can quickly become a swarm”. Social pressure has been far more effective at persuading recalcitrant firms to pay taxes owed than the huge resources of government. But social media has a dark side too. A recent Guardian article shows all too clearly how clever technology can pinpoint swing voters enabling social media to serve them highly targeted ads.

The Internet also propels new markets that could ultimately save tomorrow’s workers. The neo-entrepreneurial economy is powered by education and resources, both of which are freely available online. Neo-entrepreneurs need not be highly skilled. Numerate, tech-literate and sufficiently engaging to attract and work the right audience, but being a graduate is certainly not a pre-requisite and too much business education makes you more likely to over-think things. Bella, my client in Malawi speaks little English and barely completed primary school, but 4 hours of Skype coaching has doubled her sales and we are only halfway through. The Lean Startup movement provided nearly 3000 Startup Weekends in 150 countries in 2016. Gaining access to the right Increasingly social media is being used as skills is easier than ever and access to customers a force for militancy against inappropriate is easier too. A growing number of sites like 10

“A recent Guardian article shows all too clearly how clever technology can pinpoint swing voters enabling social media to serve them highly targeted ads.”

Fiverr.com and upwork.com enable budding entrepreneurs to offshore many corporate tasks on terms far more favourable than offered locally, while also bolstering low wage economies. This is just the beginning.

just a public relations play. An increasingly compelling business case can be made for sustainable supply chains, equality and diversity and to a lesser extent protecting the environment.

Companies like Marks and Spencer are leading the way with their “Plan A” and their experiences The third democratising factor is social echo the findings of Grant Thornton in that Plan A conscience. The 2008 financial crisis exposed the substantially helps their recruitment. flaws in “shareholder value”. The assumption that corporations exist purely to make shareholders These Social and technological trends are richer irrespective of social consequences is steadily shifting the balance of power away facing serious challenges. As we have seen, from Institutions and into the hands of workers the generation entering today’s workplace and consumers. We are witnessing an emerging are less interested in a career, place higher capitalism based on collaboration rather than value on work-life balance and better able to exploitation, which is largely self-regulating. A forsake corporate life altogether. They also care new authenticity and transparency binds trust and about social consequences –twice as much commitment into socially responsible behaviour. as Generation Y and 4 times as much as Baby The millennial generation has yet to reach its full Boomers according to Nielsen. They have the power and influence so perhaps these trends are muscle to change behaviour using social media, set to accelerate and make the world a far better so it is hardly surprising that the power of the big place to live in. companies is gradually draining away. A study by Grant Thornton in 2014 highlighted that “Investor calls for transparency and the rise of social media You can contact Mark at: have thrust the impact businesses have on the economy, the environment and society more Mark@agileering.com firmly into the public spotlight.” They also show the increasing power of people “58% of firms cite staff recruitment and retention and 64% cite customers as reasons to make them more socially responsible”. Today CSR is no longer Join the discussion...

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What are the BeCollaboration meetings all about?

We are a community of motivated and passionate people who choose to work closely together so we can make a positive impact on businesses, organisations and the lives of individuals we work with.

People get involved with BeCollaboration for the buzz of being part of something larger than themselves. They want to be able to fulfil their dreams and ambitions with a team of collaborators who are as passionate as they are, and share the same goals.

Collaboration creates empowerment for personal, professional and philanthropic growth. In short, we are up for changing the world. Fancy a bit of that?

You can see a little more about the whole BeCollaboration approach to life and business here: www.becollaboration. com/our-vision

Details of all our meetings are on our website: www.BeCollaboration.com

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Gary White

MONEY AND THE SEARCH FOR VALUE

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Money is at the forefront of so many people’s thinking for so much of the time. I am no exception and have often fallen into the trap of using money as a way of valuing people, organisations and even lives at times. Being an accountant in practice I deal with companies and business owners all the time and so often our discussions, of course, are centred around money, in terms of cash flow, meeting the monthly payroll, getting customers to pay more quickly, helping to improve profits etc.

enough. Enough money in the bank, enough customers or clients, enough highly skilled and motivated employees, enough invested in a pension or for the longer term. Modern day business changes so quickly and we meet so many people either face to face or via social media etc that it is easy to spread ourselves too thinly and simply chase too many opportunities out there and try to do too much ourselves. I see opportunities to make more money almost every day and the reality is, not all of these will materialise or turn into reality. Developing the ability to say no politely or perhaps a little more Dragons Den like, “I am out” are ever more essential in the modern world where you literally face hundreds of marketing messages every day.

I deal with companies that either don’t have enough of it, are chasing the next big opportunity, are keen to grab every new customer who comes through the door, all potential situations you could imagine where there are often significant financial The whole sales process in business has consequences. changed also from selling to people, to now During the recession, back in 2010 I remember just helping them to buy. People no longer having to slash £400k off our annual expenditure want to be sold to and will do all they can bill when we were a £3.5m turnover business. to resist saying yes until they are absolutely That was a hard thing to do, affecting people’s ready. I regularly get calls from clients who livelihoods and futures and of course it was say that their sales teams are struggling to get certainly not much fun doing it. The reality was, new business and that people are resisting we were carrying too many overheads and the old sales techniques which worked so should not have allowed the costs to have built well traditionally over the years. We are now up to an uneconomic level in the first place! all hugely educated buyers and are only a few And that is from a firm of accountants who you clicks away from getting full knowledge over would assume would have a good handle on any product or service we may be interested their costs always and ran a tight ship. You can in, so why should we be interested in hearing spend half your life advising other businesses about the features of a certain product or how to improve profits and cash flow, yet service from someone who is interrupting our still manage to miss your own business and day when all we are really interested in is “What assume that savings cannot be made. Wrong! is in this for me?”

Our measurement criteria for wealth is always categorised in material items, i.e. our houses, One thing I rarely come across with companies cars, savings and investments and the value of business owners is the saying that we have of the shares in our companies. The whole When is enough, enough?

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“If you can apply the simple financial management concept of ensuring that everything you do maximises the long-term wealth of your company or business, then you will not go far wrong.”

foundation for financial management is based on the maximisation of shareholder wealth.

This means that a value of a share in any business should always be the net present value of all future cash flows arising from the ownership of those shares. This means that if we receive say dividends of £50k per annum from a share for the next 10 years and that our cost of holding those shares are 5% per annum (the expected returns we could get elsewhere from our money having regard to risk etc) what value would you put on those shares? The fact is that a dividend of £50k in 10 years’ time is worth a lot less than it would be if you got it today, in today’s monetary value. To be precise, with a discount rate of 5%, money in 10 years’ time is worth around 61% of today’s value.

So how would you value shares in such a scenario?

The £50k per annum over 10 years would not be worth a net present value of around £387k plus we would need to estimate the value of the shares in 10 years’ time, again at today’s value. This sort of calculation should under pin not just share valuations but any business decisions applied now or in the future.

For example, if we can earn £500 per day in our business and have an opportunity to develop a whole new market that could enable us to

generate an extra £300 per day but not for another 3 years, how many man hours are we prepared to put in now to get into that new market and what is the required return on our investment of time now to get there? Too often we will just pursue the new idea with little thought to how much time we can justify looking at it, and then not establishing the Return on Investment (ROI) needed to justify the time investment required.

Another way of valuing a business of course is to establish a multiple to apply to the annual profits (profit before tax, depreciation and interest etc). In most cases in establishing a multiple to apply to a business, accountants, corporate finance specialists and potential buyers, therefore, will look at the multiple that was applied to similarly sized companies in similar sectors and recent deals etc in establishing the “market” multiple. But doing this surely misses the one vital ingredient which distinguishes a high performing business from an average or poor one? The culture within the business. But how do you measure culture? I have recently met with some business coaches who have found a revolutionary valuation concept that allows a value to be put on a company’s culture in terms of the premium or discount to the normal earnings multiple for the sector concerned, depending on whether the company’s culture is good, bad or average.

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“...What I have clearly seen is those with the most money are not necessarily the happiest.”

Organisations with a good culture will include I am keen to combine the financial valuation with those for example that have: the cultural measurement criteria to provide a more accurate and relevant valuation tool Clear meritocracy for companies going forward. I can then help companies to maximise those key factors to No blame culture with all taking joint ensure that they work on the areas to maximise responsibility for successes and failures the longer-term value of their businesses, and with the right culture, enjoy it in the process One with a culture of learning, sharing and too! collaboration within the organisation.

So, what have I learned about money over the Where all staff are valued, communicated with years, both in terms of my own experiences of frequently and given constructive feedback it and what I have seen with clients and their and development. experiences and attitude towards it?

Surely a company which shows clear and measurable evidence of cultures such as the above will be worth a good deal more than one which scores badly along those lines and is perhaps a more dictatorial type of leadership with high staff turnover and low esteem within the workplace?

Speaking as someone who was part of a £2m acquisition based on spreadsheet numbers 8 years ago which took no account of the differing cultures within the 2 businesses, I know from bitter experience how important that culture is within a business and that companies with widely differing cultures will rarely get on together. Now when I advise clients on acquisitions, looking at the culture in the target organisation is the first thing I will get the client to do when considering whether to acquire it or not. If the two do not fit, it is highly unlikely that the acquisition will make the financial returns expected.

Firstly, what I have clearly seen is those with the most money are not necessarily the happiest.

Many of them work too hard in their businesses and their financial success has come at a price, with failed marriages and dysfunctional family lives for example.

Some are so driven that they cannot switch off and as soon as they have their first million, then go after the next 1, 2, 3 or 4. Some are naturally driven and determined people and the money is just a by-product of their success. They didn’t go into business purely for financial reasons and did so because they were simply very good at delivering a certain product or service and business success happened almost by accident.

Some just love the thrill of the chase and the journey to wealth, only to find when they have the money and take life easily they soon get bored and unfulfilled. Others just sell one 16

company and then just must get back into business and buy another and try to do it all over again. There are some seriously good tax breaks to encourage such serial entrepreneurs such as entrepreneur’s relief, EIS and SEIS relief.

If you can apply the simple financial management concept of ensuring that everything you do maximises the long-term wealth of your company or business, then you will not go far wrong. Worrying about every aspect of the financial side of your business will be counter-productive and if it really does worry you that much it may be that you are not suitable for running a business and need to consider going back and getting a job somewhere.

Some make big fortunes in one industry and then look to replicate that in a different sector (like football) and then lose serious amounts of course. Success in one business certainly does not guarantee success in another but in my experience, most are born winners and simply Speaking as someone who as been a do not accept defeat or little distractions like business owner now for 27 years that is simply something that I could not even contemplate recessions etc. for a single minute!

I think enjoying your business and really making a difference in your industry is more My overriding philosophy with money is that important than financial gain overall, although it does not guarantee happiness but having if you really are making a difference to your experienced some tough times in business customers, then you must ensure that they pay as well as good times I certainly know which you sufficiently to do so. A business deal must I prefer! be win:win as if it is win:lose then nobody wins in the long term. If you are good at what you do (and that means charging enough too) and you You can contact Gary at: have a real passion for what you do and the difference you make to your customer’s lives, gary.whiteaww@gmail.com then the financial rewards will follow.

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Gavin Perrett

Wealth and how we see ourselves

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Social Status – the house we live in, the car we drive, the neighbourhood we live in, where we go on holiday, the restaurants that we eat in, the people that we mingle with, the career that we have, the business that we own, the balance of our bank account, the number of properties that we own, the value of our investment portfolio, the amount of mortgage that we owe, the balance of our credit cards and loans.

Our attitudes towards wealth and our perceptions of ourselves are largely driven by post-recession fear which is driving a protectionist attitude towards family wealth.

How often do we think about these things and do we let them define how we perceive ourselves? Do we make assumptions that other people judge us in the same way that we judge ourselves? Do we indeed judge other people in the same way that we judge ourselves?

Historically there have been regional variations with regards to how we perceive ourselves financially. These differences remain despite the global political shift that Brexit and Trump have signaled in recent years.

Now more than ever we appear to be immersed in a comparison culture. Social media has a lot to answer for here. For somebody in an unresourceful state, the constant photos and updates of their friends on Facebook can create a highly biased reality that ‘everyone else seems to be doing so well and is so happy and here am I, broke, sad and struggling’.

Of course, the reality is generally very different; human nature dictates that most of us will share the happiest elements of our lives and be less vocal about the more mundane aspects of life and indeed the events that cause us anxiety and sadness.

It is very easy to make assumptions about the financial position of your peers on the basis that they are now taking holiday number 3 for this year. We can then put ourselves down because we’ve only had 1 holiday so far. What am I doing wrong and what are they doing right that I’m not? Once again, this is not a useful strategy - how do we know that all 3 of those holidays haven’t either been paid for by parents or funded by debt.

Life insurance, critical illness and estate planning business is on the rise as many aim to create solid foundations for future financial decisions.

Great Britain still has an uncomfortable relationship with money. We are selfdeprecating by nature and are often embarrassed by money: embarrassed not just for not having enough but indeed for having too much. We do not celebrate our successes for fear of offending our friends and peer group, as if any celebration is some form of veiled criticism or otherwise is seen to expose how much others around them have yet to achieve In stark contrast our American cousins shout their achievements from the rooftops.

Success is to be applauded, and striving for financial independence is actively and publicly encouraged. Reliance on the state is frowned upon and there is no shame in the proclaiming that a child has graduated, or a sports car has been purchased, or an individual has upgraded to a more luxurious property.

Post-recession fear is shifting to something more positive A post-recession sense of fear of loss is now starting to evolve into an entrepreneurial spirit.

Many are now entering into business and investment in order to safeguard their financial

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“Are we teaching them to be selfsufficient, but to be caring of the world we live in and the other people and creatures that live in it too? ”

interests. This is largely happening out of a the principles of the forward financial planning. sense of necessity as opposed to being an This obviously needs to be tempered with the fact that money is a tool to be used to support extracurricular “luxury strategy”. ourselves but is, in itself, not instrumental in Property investment in particular, is being creating our future happiness. readily embraced by individuals who 20 years ago would have regarded such an investment Understanding philanthropy and connecting strategy as unnecessary, expensive, risky, business to the philosophy of giving back will ostentatious and time-consuming. Now it is also demonstrate the power of earning an increasingly being relied upon exponentially income, in order to help those less fortunate as a way of funding children’s education and than ourselves. Examples such as Bill Gates and Steve Jobs define the power that money retirement. can bring and can be viewed as great The reliance and trust in pensions is (somewhat philanthropists, however, I prefer Ricardo unfairly) at an all-time low and our attitude Semler’s interpretation of philanthropy towards debt remains cautious. No longer do families rely on remortgaging the family home “if you have to ‘give back’ you took too much in to fund the lifestyle hoping that the property the first place” market in their area continues to climb neither do mortgage lenders permit this type He makes a point of giving as he goes believing that the universe will provide what you need. of behaviour anymore.

You can find talks from Ricardo at Ted.com Our attitude to money starts at a young age and is fostered from our families and throughout our This outlook celebrating diversity and education system. Many people blame their opportunity should be encouraged in schools lack of financial competency on the fact that as and finance should be fundamental in many children we are not taught for instance how to areas of the curriculum, not just through the calculate mortgage repayments or educated in mathematics lessons. How often do people 20

say, ‘I was rubbish at maths’ therefore they find themselves struggling financially, when they create a self-fulfilling prophecy that they will never be able to handle large sums of money. •

delivering praise publicly for businesses and employees alike to promote empowerment in the workplace Promotes the notion that success can be a win-win environment with business, employee, client, supplier and the local community all benefitting from the spirit of abundance

A working knowledge of money, from a practical perspective, ensuring children understand how they can harness it and be empowered by using this tool and so provide choices for their future, rather than seeing it as something that In conclusion, a healthy attitude towards wealth is needed as an end goal to define their status begins at school. Imagine how empowering it and happiness. would be to encourage our children to develop an understanding that wealth as a holistic entity So, until we see a change through the can comfortably rest upon a solid foundation education system how can we prosper within of success in the following areas: our current paradigm? The answer sadly is that the people most likely to prosper are the ones • financial already doing so, the capitalist economy is set • health up to favour the wealthy. The only way we can • personal development make an impact is to collaborate with each • education other and provide each other support and • contribution education to succeed. Not a natural state to be • collaboration in, considering we are used to the analogy of being in competition with each other and that By promoting a culture of collaboration at we should fear the opposition, but one that at school where children yearn to discover not BeCollaboration we understand as the only only their own genius. but that of their fellow way forward. student’s, aspiration can take on an inspirational new shape. Out goes the corrosive cult of How can collaboration help? comparison, one-up-manship, sabotage and envy and in comes a spirit of compassionate Collaborative networking encourages ambition, self-respect and mutual appreciation. businesses from the same industry to work together without the fear of competition creeping in. Working to each other’s strengths You can contact Gavin at: and having an abundant approach to the local community and the business opportunities gavin@hawkhurstai.com that it offers.

• Celebrating the friendships that are borne out of collaboration, charity and supportive business relationships.

• Sharing successes, testimonials and Join the discussion...

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Profile: Taking a look at a key Collaborator in the community.

Angela Makepeace Love Sharer at Angela Makepeace Motion Graphics Studio

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Angela Makepeace is a BeCollaboration member and co-host with Scott Campbell at the Essex meetings and she has given us the most widely used quote to describe what it means to be part of BeCollaboration

fires and a book on winter ones. Always trying to learn, always trying to be the best me, but understanding of myself when the best me is having a rest.

What do you do for a living?

‘It’s where I can be the best ME that I can possibly BE’ I share the love of businesses who believe they offer something good and positive to people Angela Makepeace in the world, with Motion Graphics Explainer videos.

Here she shares some more about the person What brought you to BeCollaboration? behind the quote.

How non-businessy it was. I could arrive and Who is Angela Makepeace? Like, dislikes, be completely myself. I didn’t have to go on hobbies, adventures, happy place. about how great I was or how busy I was, when actually I felt pretty bad and had no work on.

I see myself as a little odd. I’ve never been There was nothing pretentious about it. It was one to follow the crowd. I’m always doing a group of human beings wanting to face and things my own way at my own pace. Anything walk in the direction that they wanted to, with conventional and considered ‘normal’ others who believed in them, without being that is expected of me is just ignored. This bogged down by a corporate need to prove includes behaviours and social norms. (I was themselves to others. It was a room full of never a ‘goth’ or anyone who dressed in an people who only had themselves to impress. alternative way at school, I just dress for me and usually ignore extreme current trends) I What would you say is the attraction? just believe in making your own path. Dislikes - fakers and liars, or people who think they are That everyone is there because they want to better than anyone else, this really pokes at grow, learn and improve themselves, while my values. I get really upset at politics and the being vulnerable. It is a safe space. We don’t news and try not to watch or listen. The world go there and pitch, (Has anyone ever pitched?) is such a beautiful place but we don’t hear of It is about turning up as a human being and those stories and it upsets me. Adventures are learning from each other. We all have so anywhere in the world where I can live out of a much to give. A current trend is fear and I backpack and be surrounded by well-travelled think people feel that when you give, you people. I like to be prepared though and know are exposing yourself to weakness, (People what footwear and hairstyle is applicable. :) and will steal your idea/be your competition.) At when prepared I’m ready for anything. Travel BeCollaboration when you meet people in the reminds me what is important in life, which I same industry it is about passing work to each believe is love and people to come ‘home’ to. I other, working together on bigger contracts, it love walks and ice creams on sunny days, and is not about isolating yourself.

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men and women for our tribe. Marketing has changed so much over the past year. We’re That I always feel ‘re-aligned’ going to give more freebies, more information and motivated after each one.

It and simply share more love. is something about the energy in the room.

When people work with you or meet you at What have you learned about yourself at BeCollaboration what would you say they BeCollaboration? get from your BEing?

What do you love about the meetings?

That I am a human being first. (I know that sounds obvious) but it’s something I really believe in. You are amazing. You are capable.

You can lead and walk in whatever direction you choose to. I have also learnt that because I am a human it’s OK to feel a little defeated, overwhelmed, confused, exhausted, jealous, angry... Being a human being is hard.

This is how I feel my BEing is.... (in reality this is probably how Angela used to be to others, we now see her more as a motivated encourager and someone who is ready to take on a challenge. More like this. )

What valuable lesson would you say you have given to the BeCollaboration community?

How has that helped you?

If I can grow, develop and push boundaries to create my dream life... they can too. It is all By understanding that it is OK to feel ‘human’. about mindset and choices. Choose every day By reflection, it is OK for your business to be to be 1% better than you were yesterday and human too. I see a lot of business people bang your business will follow suit. on about how great they are and how busy they are when I know they are pretty quiet. I know people in my industry who give me figures on Angela Makepeace Motion Graphics Studio how much work they’ve had on in the year, Sharing your business love with Motion Graphics and knowing what I know about video, they Explainer videos are either lying or mass producing some pretty terrible work as their figures don’t match up.

Like being human, it’s OK for businesses to You can contact Angela at: slow, feel exhausted, need a re vamp or just have bad days. BeCollaboration has helped info@angelamakepeace.co.uk me understand business on a whole other www.angelamakepeace.co.uk level which is usually swept under the carpet.

It has given me a new way of thinking.

What is your next big adventure?

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Erkan Ali

MONEY MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND

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“In 2014, 82 people had as much wealth as the bottom half of the human population that’s 3.5 billion people, and in 2016 that number shrank to 62 people” We wake up thinking about it, we go to sleep worrying about it, the majority of adult waking hours are spent identifying how we can get more and what we can spend it on, and yet…. very few know where it comes from, who control’s it and how it comes into existence?

Money creation was recently reviewed in the UK house of commons for the first time in over 170 years….Nov 20th, 2014 – here are some highlights on YouTube Few people know that 97% of our money supply is created not by the government (or the central bank), but by commercial banks (private businesses) in the form of loans.

As the result of a recent poll by Positive Money.org shows that most MPs lack a sufficient understanding of money creation.

A worrying number of our MPs do not understand where money comes from. This leaves them ill-equipped to predict another financial crisis, deal with rising debt, housing bubbles or understand a fundamental driver of inequality.

As a business consultant, I have worked with many professionals, lawyers, bankers, accountants and business owners, often one of the first questions I ask is, “do you know where money comes from?”

“Err, the Bank of England, backed by GOLD?”….I answer, “no.”

I ask, “So why do you want more money?”….. they often look confused and a bit irritated, as

if to ask, doesn’t everyone want more money?

Here in lies the elephant in the room, Money Huh, what is it good for?

We are living in an infinite growth debt based paradigm, our global economy is showing cracks, with immanent probable collapse ahead. We all know that consumption at the current rates is unsustainable, we also know that material goods and consumerism will never satisfy us and yet, most countries, businesses, households and individuals are way too deep in debt.

In 2014, 82 people had as much wealth as the bottom half of the human population that’s 3.5 billion people, and in 2016 that number shrank to 62 people. (reference Oxfam) We are living in a global financial system that deposits the world’s production output in the bank accounts of very few elites, this is not done by hard work, talent or even luck…. but it’s by design, a design that at its core is fundamentally corrupt.

While the tax burden on our population has been rising, VAT, NIC, Road Tax, Fuel etc. wages have not kept up with the rising cost of living, wealth has been systematically stripped away from the middle classes.

Our youth leave university with life long debt burdens, this situation cannot possibly continue, the squandering of our young human talent, surely must be a crime against humanity…yet it continues.

Added to all of this, trans-humanisation (the

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integration of technology and biology) and the tide of Artificial Intelligence and robotics, human jobs are simply disappearing, think driverless cars and advanced automation. This video by C.P.G Grey gives a good overview.

Ref. Humans Need Not Apply Aug14 So where does that leave us, what’s next and who will win/lose, and how can we stay relevant in an ever-changing economic model?

Wake UP…!

By being alert to what is happening, often under our noses, by researching and learning from a wealth of different media, you can begin to piece together what is happening and connect with others who are working together to develop new ways of surviving. By understanding why our systems are failing us we can begin to make a change.

In the ‘Be Inspired’ program that I designed (a one-day transformational intervention designed to connect individuals to their innate Genius), we examine the role and purpose of money, look at how it is created alongside the education system, the complicit nature of the mass media, and how all these social grooming mechanisms seemingly conspire to

keep things the same. Consider that anyone who is saying things cannot change are probably the ones who benefit from them staying just the way they are.

I see a world where we are conditioned to fear, competition, and scarcity leaves us feeling separate alone and vulnerable, as Julius Caesar practiced, divide and conquer.

Money has been used as a tool to divide and conquer, to control and give advantage to those in the CLUB, and for the majority the 99%, you are not invited, basically your name’s not on the list, and YOU can’t come in.

Joseph Campbell said if you want to know what a society reveres most, just look at its biggest buildings, in the west it’s shopping malls and banks. Is this what our society really cares most about?

Edward Bernays is cited as the father of PR to quote him, “We are governed, our minds are moulded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of.” ―Edward L. Bernays Money & Sex are the two things that drive 28

human beings crazy, we lust for it, we are influenced by it and we can lose everything for it.

SO, What NOW…?

This is after all a BeCollaboration publication and at the heart of our vision and mission is creating a world predicated by love, connection and abundance. This is a step change, a transformation for the common man and the intellectual. How do we break free from the constraints of the infinite growth debt based paradigm, how do we set ourselves free of scarcity and competition, how do we open our minds and hearts to the abundance of the universe, and see beauty within, every day? One person alone cannot change the world, but together we are stronger and can and do achieve more than we ever felt was possible.

How do we see money in a new light and be instrumental in breaking free from its allure and our dependency on it?

Here’s a Thought!

Gandhi said, “Be the Change,” the art of creating an abundant heart centred approach.

Simple things will begin to have a profound impact on others and in you.

5. Visit your Mum and Dad, tell them you love them, if they are no longer with you, find your brother or sister, cousin or friend.

6. Gratitude, be thankful for what you have.

7. Smile, dance and laugh, with ecstasy, filling your fingers tips and toes 8. Engage heart 9. Engage soul 10. Feel your emotions, be angry, if that’s how you feel!

11. Connect with others, look in people eyes, see their humanity 12. Take what you need, give back what’s left 13. Consume less 14. Give to others 15. Pray, meditate, be calm 16. Take walks, get close to nature 17. Take time to share and contribute to others 18. Make a difference to others 19. Keep working on your game 20. Forgive, fast, that includes yourself 21. Learn new things, be smart and relevant 22. Remember “Human Being First” Yes, all very simple and yes you have probably heard all this before, I guess, but rather than feel helpless simply know that every action you take has an impact for good or bad. We simply need to fill it with more good, more understanding and more love. Once we have that worked out then anything is possible. …. and what about Money, I hear you say?

Practices; 1.

2.

3.

4.

Let people out in traffic Give others the benefit of the doubt Be generous Be slow to judge

I will leave you with this thought, money never solves your problems, never, it just gives you new problems; Life goes like this,

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“How do we break free from the constraints of the infinite growth debt based paradigm, how do we set ourselves free of scarcity and competition, how do we open our minds and hearts to the abundance of the universe, and see beauty within, every day?”

You need a job, you get a job, then you want a car, then you want a place to live, then a relationship, then you get married, then you need a bigger place to live, then you have kids, then they need stuff, then you sell up and then you get old, you get ill and then you die, and if you want a problem free life, then death is your best option. Being driven by stuff, being a consumer will never bring happiness, understanding that people bring happiness, good relationships based on trust love and support.

KEY, what contexts are currently shaping your reality, life and actions?

By working on our inner peace heart centred circuitry, we can collectively raise the consciousness of our understanding and the understanding of others, this way we can transform money, work and life on this planet earth.

You can contact Erkan at:

Socrates said “an unexamined life is a wasted life,” by reviewing the way the world looks we can transform our reality and in my view that includes money.

Erkan Ali Creator and Co-Founder of BeCollaboration

erkan@becollaboration.com

Long story short, BeCollaboration, be part of something bigger than yourself, connect, grow and learn….then the actions you should be taking will reveal themselves.

As we say at BeCollaboration – CONTEXT is 30

Stuart Swindell

DOES MONEY RULE YOUR LIFE?

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“Someone once said to me that “at their essence, human beings are uniquely the same”. This for me wonderfully encapsulates what it is to be human.”

Why is it that, in a relatively short amount of time, some lottery winners have completely wasted their newly found fortune, quickly returning back to the life that they had before? Whereas, others are barely able to spend a penny, either through fear of change, the risk of losing their new found sense of security or for some other personal reason. Yet others cope with their new monetary gain in a very balanced way, integrate it into their world smoothly and comfortably and create a new life that works very well for them indeed.

Then there are those stories that we hear, you know the ones, about some of the so-called ‘rich and famous’ - plenty of money, fancy cars, a huge house, an endless list of other material objects and yet they are as miserable as sin, suffer bouts of depression and in some cases become suicidal! Comparatively, there are people at the other end of the scale who live a very simple existence, are considered poor by many and yet they live a purposeful life that brings them true happiness and fulfilment. You know the type - they seem to have nothing, yet they wake up each day with a smile so brilliant that it radiates to reveal their inner-most beauty.

A smile that not only feeds their soul, but that lights you up too if your paths happen to meet.

When you reduce money down to its core, what you are essentially left with are pieces of metal or paper. And in the more modern world, digits on an app. So, even if you do think that money rules your life, I can assure you that it’s not the money itself, it’s the meaning that you make of it.

So, what does money mean to you?

No matter how many times I’ve asked people this question, I’ve never heard the same answer twice. I may initially get an answer containing the same words or phrases as someone else, but when I dig down to find out more, their deeper true answer unwinds into a fascinating personal story. I’ve heard numerous people say things like, ‘money doesn’t grow on trees’ or ‘money is the route of all evil’. Yet the underlying meaning for each person is always different, part of what I’ve come to know as their money story.

If the meaning you give to money forms just part of your reality, then the meaning you give to everything forms your whole reality - your very own life story, your very own ‘meaning of life’. A ‘meaning of life’ which is different from everyone else’s. This is a thought of universal 32

vastness. It explains that life itself and our world(s) are so full of variety and wonder that our experience is a very individual and colourful one indeed.

Someone once said to me that “at their essence, human beings are uniquely the same”. This for me wonderfully encapsulates what it is to be human. I think it’s amazing how our worlds can be so different, yet we still manage to connect and relate to each other. Do we ever truly know what someone else means? Do we really understand what they are saying? In a word, I think that the answer to this is most probably ‘No’. Yet although we each see the world so differently, we are essentially all human beings.

We may each be running different software (i.e. our mental patterns/programs), yet fundamentally the hardware (being human) is the same.

Of course, sometimes we see the world from a completely opposite perspective to others.

This is especially apparent when someone else’s values or beliefs are so different to yours.

And indeed, significantly opposing values and beliefs can lead to wars! Whether that be wars between couples, football hooligans or countries.

Beliefs are convictions that you hold to be true, whilst your values are principals, ideals or standards of behaviour. Beliefs are your way of making sense of the world and they either empower or limit your behaviour. Your values are the things that you think are important to you, they determine your priorities and in some way act as a measure/guide as to whether your life is turning out how you want it to.

When it comes to money, life or anything else that you wish to consider, your beliefs and values are at the very core of your meaning.

They are your rules and guidelines for living life, ultimately resulting in how you behave.

There are times when we strongly object to someone else’s behaviour. When we see

someone behave in a strange way (i.e. different to our own behaviour) we are reluctant to agree with it (especially when we see it harming themselves or others). Yet, where there is disagreement, there can still be understanding and forgiveness.

At the heart of your beliefs and values, if you’re willing to take time to look, you’ll always discover a positive purpose or intention. In other words, your beliefs and values are in some way serving you. They want you to live a more purposeful life. A life where you do more of what’s important to you. It’s just that your positive intention doesn’t always translate into (what may be considered) a positive behaviour.

Put another way, at the heart of all that we do there’s a good intention. When you look at it this way, you can be more accepting, understanding and compassionate. It’s at this level that you can learn to forgive yourself or others. Forgiveness does not mean forgetting, nor does it mean agreeing with the behaviour.

It means that you have a deep understanding and acceptance of what is driving you to do what you do at your core or what has driven someone else at their core to behave in the way that they do.

So where do your beliefs and values come from? Here’s one way to look at where they come from:• Authority – expertise, law, position, policies, etc.

• Emotion – feelings, convictions, causes, purposes, etc.

• Intuition – insight, impression, subconscious, etc.

• Logic – observations, facts, assumptions, formulas, etc.

• Science – facts, data, biology, sociology, etc.

• Sensory – personal experience, direct knowledge from the senses, etc.

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However, what’s also important is to understand that your beliefs and values are mostly formed when you have a ‘Significant Emotional Event’ in life. You know - the things that happen in your life that define your life’s story. And whenever you link/associate money to these events, this is where you create your meanings around money - your money story.

So, does your money story rule your life?

I guess in one sense the answer to this is yes.

However, this denies that we have any control over our money story. And that simply is not true.

rule your life. You have the choice to change any time you want to. You don’t have to wait for a ‘Significant Emotional Event’ to change your life or your story, you can create one using your imagination. And even if a Significant Event happens, you are the one who can decide what it means to you.

So when it comes to money (or anything else) ruling your life - you’re the king of the jungle my friend. So go and give it some meaning that counts!

You can contact Stuart at: stuart@uniqueaccountants.co.uk

It’s absolutely possible to create a new money story. If you’ve got unwanted behaviours around money, remember there’s always a good intention at the heart of every behaviour. Don’t challenge your beliefs or you’ll come up against a brick wall! Be accepting, understanding and compassionate in taking the time to discover what’s driving you at your core and forgive yourself for the past. Decide what you want for the future and commit to change.

You are ultimately in control, you and you alone 34

The Quest Invitation to visit.

BeCollaboration believe that true collaboration – as you have witnessed here in The Quest, occurs when people develop and deepen their relationship, building trust through sharing their authentic self. This doesn’t generally happen as a result of online communication. Meeting face to face is the best way to create amazing possibilities where wonderful projects happen. The Quest is just one such project.

We believe that meeting regularly is fundamental to our growth and learning so we have monthly meetings for guests and Collaborators to meet and discuss new ideas, issues and potential solutions.

Each meeting delivers knowledge sharing, business insights, personal development opportunities as well as thought leaders in the making presenting their genius to the room. All of this in an atmosphere where fun and laughter are paramount. At the end of the meeting, we find no one wants to leave so we continue the conversations in a social get together for as long as you want to stay.

If you would like to visit and meet our community you are very welcome. There is no cost to attend, simply bring an open mind and a listening heart.

You can get full meeting information including upcoming dates and venue details here www. becollaboration.com just click on ATTEND A MEETING. We look forward to meeting you soon.

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Dates: 6th July Essex, Chelmsford 13th July Herts, Hertford 20th July Surrey, Banstead 25th July London, Shad Thames

No meetings in August

7th September 14th September 21st September 26th September

Essex, Herts, Surrey,

London,

Chelmsford Hertford Banstead Shad Thames

5th October 12th October 19th October 24th October

Essex, Herts, Surrey, London,

Chelmsford Hertford Banstead Shad Thames

What happens at a BeCollaboration meeting.

2pm – 3pm is the Introduction for guests. Learn more about what inspires us to be part of the community, our journey so far and how to make the most of your visit.

3pm – 6pm The Collaborators will join you to share, create, discuss, inspire and learn – plus have fun!

6pm onwards there is always a social vibe to continue the conversation, you are very welcome to stay and we can get to know you more too.

We look forward to welcoming you to a BeCollaboration event soon.

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