Welcome to this Autumn 2023 edition of The Successful Founder Magazine.
This issue focuses on keeping up momentum and continuing to grow and thrive and setting yourself up to storm in to a successful 2024. You’ll fnd a wealth of useful and inspirational features on everything from buiding your social media presence, being the best leader you can be, embracing new ways of working, reducing stress and more.
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Ten top tips from the newly crowned Toastmasters International UK Public Speaking champion Anthony Garvey to help you do just that.
As an entrepreneur you need to be able to speak in front of a multiplicity of audiences and do so with conviction and authority. That way you’ll hold their interest and be in a strong position to win them over. This is the case whether you are speaking to potential investors, customers or industry groups.
From my experience in business, and as a public speaking champion, let me share some tips to help you as you move your startup onwards and upwards.
Who are you presenting to and what are they turning up to hear? If you are delivering an investor or sales pitch for example, do some research in advance on the people sitting across the table from you. By checking out their LinkedIn profles, you can tell if they are interested in getting straight down to business to talk about the numbers or if they prefer to get to know people frst. This will allow you to adjust your presentation style accordingly. If you are presenting online, ask people to turn on their cameras, keep them on mute, but encourage them to ask questions at the appropriate time and add comments in the chat.
Imagine the audience reacting positively, see them smiling and applauding and run that image through your head several times before you begin to speak. If it is a live presentation, turn up at the venue early and greet the people who are attending as they come in. Then when you are delivering your presentation, look for the positive faces who are wishing you well and supporting you as you are speaking.
Use your phone and record one of your practice sessions. Watch it back and check your content, your body language and your eye contact. If there are elements you need to improve on, change them. If you are presenting online, practice in front of a mirror. Facial reactions are really important on the small screen, so keep your expressions in check. Record the actual session too, so you can review it afterwards. And remember, the more you practice, the better you get!
Take the time to pause when you say something really important in your presentation. Highlight those moments in your script in advance and when you deliver them, take the time to look around the room to ensure the audience is getting the message. Ask yourself what single sentence you would like the attendees to take away and remember from your presentation. Once you identify this key message, make
sure you focus on getting it across efectively. Repetition is good here and don’t forget to pause after you deliver it! If you momentarily lose your thread when speaking taking a sip of water is another kind of pause that will enable you to clear your head and get yourself back on track.
Alter your tactics
Be prepared to alter your tactics during a presentation, particularly during a sales or investor pitch. If you notice you are not connecting or people don’t seem as interested as you would like them to be, change your approach. Maybe you could ditch the slides and speak to the audience directly. Perhaps you could interact with the attendees more. Think on your feet and if you feel it isn’t working, do something diferently.
Be a volunteer speaker
Particularly if you are an inexperienced or nervous speaker take every opportunity to practice and improve your public speaking and presenting skills. Volunteer to chair meetings for your local charity, sit on committees, attend conferences etc. It’s also well worth watching and listening to top speakers to pick up tips on how to improve. You can do this in person or online. Whatever your level of experience, the way to improve your presenting is to do more of it.
Drop into a Toastmasters International club, either in person or online. There are more than 16,000 clubs in 145 countries. Toastmasters teaches you how to manage your fear of public speaking, schools you in leadership and communication skills, helps you run meetings efectively, and encourages you to develop listening and evaluation skills. All activities that are invaluable to entrepreneurs. You are welcome to drop in as a guest, to see if the club you have chosen suits you. As a member, you’ll have a mentor to help you on your speaking journey, to achieve your communication and leadership goals.
Think about how you did after your presentation. Did you connect with the audience? Did you feel comfortable as you spoke? How could you improve when you present next? Use your presentations as a learning experience and as an opportunity to grow and improve. It can also help to ask someone in the audience that you trust to give you a private evaluation afterwards so you get an objective view of how you performed and how you can do even better next time. And if you have concerns about particular aspects of your presenting, you can ask your evaluator to keep an eye on them.
Many speakers work hard on their presentation, but they often forget about the Q&A session afterwards. You need to work just as hard on the Q&A session as you do on your talk. Try and anticipate what the questions might be and prepare some good answers. If you can, practice and prepare and refne the answers to these questions with a trusted colleague. If you are speaking live at a venue, it can also help to get the event organisers to ask the frst question or two, especially if you agree in advance what they are going to ask.
Use your entrepreneurial powers and visualise a positive speaking experience. Imagine the audience reacting positively, see them smiling, nodding and applauding and run that image through your head a few times before you begin to speak. If it is a live presentation, turn up at the venue early and greet the people who are attending as they come in. Then when you
are delivering your presentation, look for the smiling faces of those wishing you every success.
Anthony Garvey DTM is the Toastmasters International 2023 UK Public Speaking champion. Toastmasters International is a not-for-proft organisation that has provided communication and leadership skills since 1924 through a worldwide network of clubs. There are more than 400 clubs and 10,000 members in the UK and Ireland. Members follow a structured educational programme to gain skills and confdence in public and impromptu speaking, chairing meetings and time management. To fnd your nearest club, visit www.toastmasters.org
image: pexels-andrea-piacquadio-3761509.jpg
The fear and uncertainty caused by the pandemic has shaken even the most optimistic among us. However, even during the worst of times we have seen people innovate and thrive amongst the chaos - how do these high achievers maintain an unrivalled focus to achieve their goals? And, more importantly is this a skill we can all learn?
The answer is most certainly ‘yes’, according to Dario Bucceri, founder of the Sensemaker® Thirty Day Sprint Challenge. The Challenge was inspired by Dario’s own ambition to compete in the Comrade’s Ultra marathon, and the act of a fellow runner who helped him to fnish the race at a point when he was about to give up.
In this article, Dario uses his own experience and expertise to create a step-by-step guide to developing a positive mindset. A mindset that will not only increase your success in business but will improve your outlook in your personal life - creating a feeling of balance and positivity that should help everything to become easier.
My positive mindset has helped me to achieve so much in my life, when frst diagnosed with Parkinson’s I felt very depressed and found it hard to do anything. However, once I realised that with the right medication I could manage my condition I turned it into a positive. By training my body to be as healthy as it can be, I am not only continuing as I was before but I’m working harder and achieving even more success - including the fnish line of a few marathons!
Here are some of the steps that have worked for me and that I reinforce with all my clients:
Decide: A positive mindset is neither a feeling nor is it an event. Instead, it is the result of wilful decisions, the fruit of an approach to life that responds to incoming challenges with stubborn determination, sustained action, and a belief that you can infuence the outcome in some way.
Omit serendipity: Serendipitous events do happen, and people do win the lottery. The odds of either taking place are so small and difcult to predict that relying on one or the other to land good fortune is unwise. It is better to get going with what you have available than to sit back and wait for the Universe to do it for you. By doing this you give serendipity, whether it arrives or not, something with which to work.
Deconstruct: Activate the positive power of what you feel is blocking your success by instead identifying these blockers as signposts to breakthroughs. By deconstructing the challenge to micro problems that have combined to form the whole overcoming them is immediately more achievable. Develop and test solutions, weaving success into “knowledgescafolding” to conquer even the most signifcant obstacle.
Act: Congruency between what you say and what you do is critical. Action brings life to words, giving power to your decisions and making them signifcant. Actions fuel learning as we live in a state of trial, error, and adjustment, patiently building “platforms of understanding” that, in time, will lead
Think long term: Life takes time. Progress can be slow as we identify blockers, clarify causes, learn our lessons, and apply our learnings. It’s better to set a more extended timeframe and be surprised at better-than-expected results than to aim for a quick win and be disappointed.
Find a tribe: We succeed because of people, not despite of them. If we associate with individuals who live ethically, relate honourably, think positively, take responsibility, plan specifcally, execute consistently, and work efciently, the chances are good that we will raise our game to become like them. If the people with whom we associate are lazy, unethical, dishonourable, negative, irresponsible, vague, inconsistent, inefcient, and immoral - we will become like them too.
According to research by the University College of London, it takes 66 days to create a habit . By committing to building positive habits over time we can improve our outlook and productivity, here are a few that I credit with improving mine.
A product of the Sensemaker spirit is self-control. Preparing for and completing marathons is a wonderful place to develop this trait. That said, any exercise, at any level, that empowers you to test your limits, to practise a marathon mindset is, in my view going to be valuable. You certainly don’t need to be sporty or super healthy, I began with the NHS couch to 5km app when I struggled to jog for thirty seconds!
Treat other people the way you want to be treated. Tell the truth and talk straight. Listen more. Think in terms of outcomes and next steps. If a meeting starts without an agenda, end it. If a conversation becomes unnecessary call it. Make every word and action count. Don’t manipulate. Take time to listen. Empower others to progress. When resolving operational issues, always start with the process.
Something that I ask all my sprinters (clients taking on the Thirty Day Sprint Challenge) to do is to record a daily journal. Journalling is important because without a vision (a picture of a preferred future to aim for), people become like a rudderless ship on a journey that has no destination. Subject to the currents and winds, the ship drifts aimlessly and inevitably fnds its way to the rocks
Similarly, if you have a dream and its fulflment is delayed indefnitely, they can be negatively impacted too. The fnal piece of the puzzle is this – what I think about is where I will go.
Let us pull this all together. I can increase the probability of achieving a goal by having one (that seems obvious). I can increase the probability further by writing it down (creating a fxed expression of the goal) and can increase it again by thinking about it. The more I think about it, the more
probable it becomes that I will attain it.
Enter my journal. Once each day, I catch myself doing things right by recording my “Thankfuls”, those outcomes and events for which I am grateful. I remember my goals as I write them reminding myself of the tasks I committed to complete to move them forward as I write those too. I take time to think, to refect, to develop and enhance what I am doing.
I write my vision down so that I can run with it, and then I meditate on it often, giving action to my words, making them important, bringing them to pass.
By developing good habits, giving ourselves goals and the time to achieve them and reminding ourselves of these goals we are much more likely to achieve them.
All this said, even armed with the most positive mindset, life does and will get in the way of your goals - what separates those who will succeed and those who will lose sight of their goals is the response.
Take control of these moments by fnding a quiet place and allow time to make sense of what is going on around you. High achievers know that with every mistake and failure you will learn something that makes you more resilient to face future challenges and more thankful and excited for the success that lies ahead.
Author: Dario BucceriRewind a few years, and I was staring down the barrel of a miserable middle-age and beyond. I didn’t have a great pension, and while I’d had an exciting career, I wasn’t set up for life.
Like so many of us, we put of the inevitable, and then when those silver streaks start showing, we suddenly realise that we’re not as perhaps “fscally aware” as we would have liked to be. More and more people realise that their paltry pension pot won’t carry them through the golden years.
Turning your passion into a proftable business is infnitely possible right now, regardless of your age. With the online course industry projected to be worth over $3.25 billion by 2025 (Forbes), more and more people in their 50s and 60s are turning their experience and know-how into a digital course.
Want to set up a new business when you’re over 50? Then you’re in good company. According to the Ofce for National Statistics, more than 4 out of every new business in the UK are started by people aged 50 and over. And it’s a growing trend.
I set up my business from my spare room because I didn’t ft into a career box anymore, and for health reasons couldn’t go back to commuting long hours each day.
I began by working one to one with people and teaching them how to be Confdent on Camera. As my business took of, I realised that the more successful my business was, the harder I worked – and I had to fnd another way.
My husband had just retired, so we wanted to enjoy this time together. He didn’t want me chained to my business.
I wanted to live more and earn more, and I wanted to have time for my family and travel and write. I turned my knowledge into an online course and began selling it online on social media. Fast-forward a couple of years, and I’ve now sold over 50,000 courses, and these now sell while I sleep…
Creating digital courses has also enabled me to still make money from home during the Pandemic and even when I was home-schooling my son.
And that’s the beauty of building an online business that fts around your life rather than feeling chained to the business.
It’s frstly about fguring out what you want to do. What’s your superpower? What could you teach others? Perhaps you’re a better baker than Bake Of or a whizz at organising. The frst step to creating a successful digital product is fguring out what you want to share.
People want to learn from people like them and being of a particular age is now a beneft instead of a weakness. Who would you instead learn social media from? A 20-something whizz or a woman in her 50s who can explain Instagram in a way that makes sense to you?
I now work with small business owners to set up a digital course who are consultants and coaches, pet-preneurs and ballet instructors and they all want to live more and work less.
Like 81-year-old Stan who loves tap-dancing and people and is building an online community to combat loneliness. Or 60-something Kathleen who took her ballet studio online so she could spend more time with her grandchildren in Melbourne.
My book, Make Money While You Sleep shows the exact roadmap to start making money while you sleep. The beauty of the online world is that age or location is no longer a barrier to your fnancial success – you just need hard work, a willingness to stand out from the crowd and the fre in your belly to go for it.
Start by…
Figure out what you want to teach and try to identify a gap in the market. What’s your superpower that makes you stand out in a crowded space?
Niche down. There’s a saying in the online world that there’s riches in the niches – and for good reason. Perhaps you can drill down on your audience by targeting a diferent age or sector in society. The more your talk to your potential clients, the more successful you will be.
Automate your systems. You can’t make money while you sleep if you don’t build processes and systems to do the work for you.
You don’t have to be a know it all! Be prepared to get scrappy in the beginning and go all in on one social media platform –whether that’s LinkedIn or Facebook.
You don’t have to do it all! We all start somewhere! Learning all the systems and tech is full on, but if I can do it, you can do it! You’ve got this!
Make Money While You Sleep by Lucy Grifths (Hodder & Stoughton, £14.99)
Skin Alchemists founder Theresa Edward was born and raised on the Caribbean island of St Lucia. She comes from a family of renowned herbalists and grew up seeing her Aunt Mano –an alchemist and the most established herbalist on the island – blending botanicals from her garden, creating remedies, tinctures and harnessing the medicinal power of plants to help local people overcome all sorts of ailments and skin conditions. In this article she shares her top 10 tips on how to start a skincare brand.
Growing up, Theresa was surrounded by St Lucia’s fresh, natural superfood ingredients including Turmeric (antiinfammatory), Coconut (moisturising) and Nutmeg (antibacterial), that were used topically to heal various ailments. This ‘knowledge’ was passed down from generation to generation and is a part of Theresa’s DNA.
After migrating to London, her skin and health fell victim to the negative efects of a fast-paced city life, air pollution and processed food. Although Theresa never sufered from acne as a teenager, here she was in her 30’s plagued with spots, her skin was dull and she was always sick with the latest bug, or colds which would last for months. She was always tired and lethargic.
A shift in consciousness came during a trip back to St Lucia after observing an almost immediate increase to her energy levels attributed to eating fresh, organic foods. Her skin became clear and glowing from swimming in the mineral salts of the ocean and masking with volcanic mud from the Sulphur Springs. Theresa had re-connected once again with St Lucia’s traditional ways and was reminded of their powerful efects on the skin and one’s spirit.
Returning to London, she was inspired to act on her recent experience in St. Lucia by replicating these natural benefts to create a line of organic skincare formulated using ancient remedies and potent plant alchemy; aromatherapeutic scents, packaged in the most luxurious way, ultimately enticing people to fall in love with caring for their skin.
Quality, honesty, transparency and integrity are vitally important to Theresa. SKIN ALCHEMISTS is 100% vegan and natural. Using the highest quality organic or wildcrafted therapeutic ingredients, at the highest quantity for them to be efective.
Theresa’s advice to anyone thinking of starting their own skincare brand is to:
1. Conduct Market Research and Testing: fnd your niche, identify your USP’s and target market, fnd out what the competition is doing. My frst market research was ofering free samples to family and friends if they would fll out a
tick box feedback form so I could get honest answers. I also approached a few green beauty bloggers and ofered them free products for testing and feedback.
2. Network and build relationships: and that starts with who you already know. In the early days I called on friends to help me with things like photography, spreadsheets. Attending exhibitions and online groups helped build my network. I met the packaging designer I work with in a Facebook group for female entrepreneurs. She in turn introduced me to packaging suppliers. The organic farmer we source our plants from now emails me updates on when the crop may be ready so I can plan better and always fulflls my orders frst.
3. Do not be afraid of evolution I started of just wanting to formulate clean skincare which fed my skin with potent plant actives. Then thought what if these potent products would have the most intoxicating scents, which led me to working with the best aromatherapist to develop the scent. I’m now working with organic plant farms to source whole plants from which we can extract the benefcial botanicals inhouse and really create what I like to call plant medicine for the skin. We will continue to evolve as long as it means getting a better product to the clients.
4. Branding and Marketing is key to standing out in an already crowded market and this is where you can diferentiate yourself. I jotted down all the ideas I had in my head on how I wanted the branding to look, feel, whose eyes it should attract and created a mood board. My collection was inspired by Alchemy and St Lucia. I incorporated this into my packaging by having triangular shaped boxes reminiscent of the symbol for alchemy and the Pitons of St Lucia, which is diferent from the standard square packaging we are used to seeing.
5. How broad is your skillset? Take stock of the talents and skills you may have from previous work experience. A lot of time and money can be saved by doing things yourself. To this day I still design and update my own website. That is not to say you shouldn’t work with a professional when necessary.
6. Passion and understanding of how the industry works is vital. If you are doing this because you have solid contacts within the industry, that’s great but the industry is forever evolving, and passion is the only thing that will keep you going when the no’s come and the sales aren’t coming in as quickly as you’d hoped or when suppliers let you down.
7. Consider alternative sources of funding to banks if it’s needed. I boot strapped my business and still do. Not because I have an inheritance or anything. I am passionate about conjuring these skin-changing magical potions. However, I can lack confdence in myself at times and didn’t want to incur debt if this didn’t work out. So, I funded the business by
working other jobs. I still have the pictures from working in a restaurant kitchen washing dishes for a few weeks because I needed £600 to put towards my packaging. Those photos keep me humble and motivated. There are other alternatives such as the SEIS investment scheme and crowdfunding.
8. Harness the power of Social Media and their communities no matter what space you operate in there will be a community of followers and some will have greater infuence than others. I don’t have a team and huge advertising budgets. So, I learned to build an organic following on social media and through that medium connect with the green beauty community who have been extremely supportive.
9. Keep true to your vision and set a true value for your products – don’t dilute what is the best version of yourself to follow trends or to make sales. My products are in the luxury bracket and I did struggle to set those prices because I was scared it would be unafordable. However, I realised that
these products represent years of skill and knowledge of my craft, they contain the best quality ingredients, fresh and potent in beautiful packaging. I had to price accordingly.
10. Be prepared to put in the hard work as it doesn’t happen overnight. My business is three years in the making. I have to attend popups, plan events, update my social media with new content, develop the business, do my accounts, the order fulfllment and I had a baby a year ago. So that can mean I have to answer emails and pack orders when she is asleep, stay up later at night or wake an hour before she does to get work done.
Felipe Polo, a digital entrepreneur, non-executive director and investor, shares his top fve ways to identify your niche and build your business for success.
Launching a business can be a daunting experience with developments often happening at 100mph, leaving little time to refect, learn and grow. It’s key then, that you spend a good amount of time working to identify your niche – what you can ofer, how it difers to what is already in the market, and how it will add value to your customers – before you launch, so that you can make sure your business decisions are driven by the right motivations. Especially in the early days when decisions need to be made at speed, your niche can help you focus your product or service, enabling you to ignore the inevitable distractions that have the potential to weaken your brand and your business.
I kick-started my professional life as a Software Developer in someone else’s company, but as my expertise grew and I climbed the career ladder, I quickly realised that under the broader industry umbrella of ‘technology’ I could carve out my specialism. Having co-founded and sold a software development company, I’m now in a position to support other business leaders and help them navigate their own niche.
Deciding what you will build your business on usually evolves from pre-existing experience. I had a vast amount of experience in building diferent, software-based microservices for a broad range of clients. I could see how these diferent services helped to streamline operations, support culture and enhance productivity. Instead of continuing to build software for clients, I knew I had value to ofer in advising business owners on how technology can act as a business lever in mentoring teams to enable them to reach their full potential. My experience gives me a unique perspective and I work at the intersection between tech, teams and business, providing sound advice to businesses on digital transformation to drive results.
Market research is crucial to honing a business niche as it helps you understand the level of need for your proposed service or product, and what customers may value most. By using market research to “niche down” you can often fnd an underrepresented and entirely unique specialism. For example, your skills may be in business consultancy – is there an underserved area of the market that you have the skills, passion and experience to support that can help you brand your business and niche down further?
Now you know what you can sell to provide beneft and what your niche is, the next step is to extrapolate it into a concise service or product ofering. For me, the ability to distil your vision, service and its value into one sentence is crucial to take your ofering to market. If you can’t explain what you ofer in one sentence, your customers might struggle to understand the value.For example, I advise business boards on technological solutions that streamline operations and save on costs.
Once you have a customer base and have enough data, segmentation is invaluable for those operating in niches as it enables you to align your products or services to specifc customer-types.
Segmentation also does not require industry specialists anymore either, as the right software will enable you to split and review your data set for product and proftability. This kind of software is an upfront cost, however, may increase your chances of success in the early days of launching your niche to market.
Throughout the life cycle of any business, a leader has to be ready to adapt as processes unfold. Launching any business is a challenge with a great number of potential variables waiting to trip you up. Of course, there are large scale events like global pandemics, but smaller things like pricing and outsourcing requirements may change quickly too. An open mind and a willingness to pivot will help you overcome challenges, refecting an entrepreneurial culture of risk-taking that drives you forward.
Felipe Polo is a digital-focussed entrepreneur, non-executive director and investor, who helps organisations align their tech, teams and business strategy.
When you think about it, every day you take the corporate wage is a day you work for someone else’s interest, not your own. You could be investing your brainpower and energy in your baby, with the potential to be paid back tenfold. If you have a good business idea, surely it makes sense to invest in it?
But as many globally successful female founders show us, it can take a while to land your ideal role. The good news is that you can start your entrepreneurial journey at any age, and those who come to it later actually stand a good chance of success:
Those years working for other people have built up your industry knowledge and product expertise. You can fgure out the things that cause you and your customers pain and make the job hard – and create a business designed to fx them.
To reduce the up-front hurdle, a low-cost, limited scale solution that you take to a few people can help test the water. Importantly, it can get you in front of people talking about the issues you want a voice on, in a low-risk way for both you and your clients.
The workplace is notoriously ageist, but as an entrepreneur you can turn it to your advantage to reset your mindset and focus on the positives of being older. Not the least of which is the credibility that
A specifc beneft of a longer career is that as an older entrepreneur you have a lot of experience of diferent places, companies and events, so you can more easily fnd a point of commonality with the person you are talking to. A personal connection is a great way in, so maybe you went to the same conference ten years ago? The longer you have been in business, the easier it is to fnd these connections.
Many older entrepreneurs can leverage their contacts network, and if you are setting up in a ‘nearby’ professional feld then many of your contacts could probably help you.
However, it’s important to try and fgure out how people can help out without it being about money: an introduction perhaps, or maybe capability in their business. You can often fnd other entrepreneurs will assist as long as you’re willing to return the favour. Most people work on the basis of what comes around goes around.
Regarding fnance, generally you should avoid giving away any kind of equity stake in the early stages. You don’t know what the value of your business is this early in its lifecycle and you will probably regret it later.
The main reason to bring in long-term partners is to access something you can’t fnd anywhere else and is intrinsic to growing your business. Instead, outsourcing can be your best friend, particularly in the early stage. If it works, you can bring that function into the business later, and if it’s a disaster you don’t lose anything.
Use your skills
Older entrepreneurs often have negotiation experience, having learned the value of money, so will know how to get best value, when to negotiate and when to walk away at those vital early days of getting a business of the ground.
Someone who has worked in a company for a long time also has good workplace social skills; listening skills, a mindset of collaboration and a positive attitude to advice from others are characteristic of an older entrepreneur. Some younger entrepreneurs, on the other hand, think they are right about everything from the of. A risky assumption.
Setting up a small business has many pitfalls, so it’s great to go into it with a willingness to listen and take advice that your younger self might not have done.
Don’t leave it too late
Factor into your plans that it will probably take at least six or seven years – probably ten – to get a business really going. If you are looking to set up a business that will fund your retirement in your mid-60s, you need to think about starting it in your mid-50s.
Starting a new company is a lot about having the mental appetite, but the 50s is the new 40s: you’re still energetic, healthy and full of new ideas. Those who get booted out of big corporates often fnd the last few years in the business are miserable and they get side-lined. So, don’t leave defated; instead leave on your own terms, when you are still feeling good about yourself.
And remember, in your own business your age is irrelevant. You won’t face the frustration of less experienced people getting promoted just because they ft the target management profle.
Some aspects of going solo are like a cold shower. For us
“oldies” it can be a steep learning curve to get on board with all the software tools out there that make the task more efcient. Not to mention the sheer amount of time you spend at your computer.
The entrepreneur’s essential role is co-ordination and there’s some fantastic software to help manage a live project such as Slack and Monday.com. Especially now, with everyone WFH, it’s important to get everyone connected to you and your team at a click of your button.
Equally, sales and marketing have gone digital. You have to work out how to navigate this strange world of views, clicks and conversions, whatever your business. My solution: hire a whiz kid to do this for you, but don’t neglect it. No marketing, no business. That’s the simple truth.
Also, see how much time you’re spending on low-value admin and think about the things that only you can do and what are the things other people can do for you. A virtual (or real) PA can help to police you and assist with things that take up your
valuable time. Good ones will help design their own role – to make sure you do the things only you can do.
And fnally, your sudden loss of status can be strange. No one phones you anymore and you’re not (yet) of much interest to sales people. Now you have to win friends and infuence people from your personality alone, not your corporate job title. But at least such friends are ‘real’ – they respond to you and not your business card.
For me, running my own business was the start of many genuine new personal friendships as well as fnding the freedom and reward that working for someone else never would.
About the Author
Roger Jackson is the founder of Sensecheck.com and the CEO of Shopper Intelligence, an international specialist market research frm.Kirsty Prankerd shares her advice for fellow entrepreneurs setting out their business goals for 2023.
I set up Write From The Heart with my mum around seven years ago from my daughter’s bedroom while I was on maternity leave with my frst child. We had no initial investment — just the small sum of £300 which we scraped together ourselves. The business grew very fast, gathering popularity on Facebook, Instagram, and Google Shopping. Within months, we left our jobs to focus on Write From The Heart full time.
Within a couple of years, we have moved into a large ofce, invested all of our proft into new equipment so we could print all of our products in house, and we have taken on a team of 15 fantastic employees. We now have one of the biggest selections of remembrance keepsakes, and quite possibly the largest range in the UK. Our business has survived COVID-19 and shows no sign of slowing down.
Neither me nor my mum are graduates or have any qualifcations. We believe that our drive and determination, together with our strong family bond, have been the key to our success. However, along the way I have learnt a few very important things about setting up and nurturing a growing business that I think every entrepreneur should know.
Below, I’ll take you through three of my top tips for making your new business a success.
Perhaps the most important thing you can do when setting up a business, and something you have no doubt started to do already, is to clearly identify your business goals. This involves determining exactly what you want to accomplish and when you want to achieve it by, plus planning what you’ll do once you’ve achieved this. The more detailed your goals are, the better — setting ‘make a proft’ as your main ambition isn’t enough.
I would suggest taking extra care to ensure that whatever goals you set yourself are realistic. I fnd that if I set myself too big a challenge, I then end up getting none of it done or feeling defeated when I fall short of my expectations. Small steps and constant progression are far better than diving in too deep and burning yourself out, so set manageable goals frst and scale accordingly as your business grows.
The next step is to put plans into place to achieve the goals you’ve set. In addition to manageable goals, it’s crucial that you set realistic deadlines and encourage honesty from yourself and your team if you don’t think you’ll be able to
meet them so you can take action. You’ll also need to think about how you plan to track and measure these goals — at Write From The Heart, we use project management software to monitor our progress.
To stay on track, you’ll need to learn not to do everything yourself. Work together with your team to delegate the correct work to the appropriate people — our operations manager works hard on creating new samples and testing new products, our production manager tests new equipment, our sales and marketing team will be uploading all new products and content to the new website. I manage the whole process, but I have to trust in my team to deliver the goals I set for my business.
As your business grows, it can become more difcult to stay committed to achieving your goals, particularly when life gets busy. This is another reason why trusting your team and delegating is so important, so that responsibility is shared, and goals can still be met even if someone is struggling. Plus, if I feel like I’m not achieving anything or I can feel myself falling behind, I know that I can reach out to my team and they will help push me towards my goals.
When running a business, you can’t ignore external factors like being a parent and other similar responsibilities. You need to balance both work and life, as failing one aspect will have a knock-on efect on the other. This part isn’t easy, especially during a pandemic —both me and my husband juggle running the business and homeschooling our children. So, this year we have decided not to set any deadlines until the schools re-open rather than put too much pressure on ourselves. We have instead promised to do the best we can, which takes commitment but is a far more reasonable ambition for 2021.
There are a lot of things you need to run a business, including an idea and the determination and drive to make it happen. However, the tips in this guide can help you set goals, meet them, and continue to achieve success in 2021 and beyond.
Kirsty and Jen Prankerd set up Write From The Heart on Facebook while Kirsty was on maternity leave with her frst born, inspired by the new baby gifts she received from friends and loved ones. Now, Write From The Heart employ 15 full-time staf and ofer one of the biggest selections of remembrance keepsakes in the UK, achieving sales of over £2.5 million in 2020. Kirsty, now a mum of two, was nominated for the National Mumpreneur Awards in 2014 and regularly ofers business advice and interviews about her success.
and
CEOof Unbound. For entrepreneurs developing your presence on social media and building your following is an important step to your marketing and brand development.
However, making entertaining or informative content people want to come back to over and over again is time consuming.
One area in which you can develop, and maintain control over, your business and personal brand is by publishing a book and ofering content and of-line experiences that sit alongside it.
Here are my fve top tips for getting a book published and monetising your followers.
Publishing a book gives you the opportunity to control the narrative so you can keep your work true to who you are. But you’ll need to fnd a publisher who shares your vision or publish the book yourself.
Finding a publisher is much easier said than done. The likelihood is that you’ve built your following by ofering your audience something that mainstream popular culture has missed. Traditional publishing is designed around maximising the chances of producing bestsellers, which means they look back into the past to try to emulate something that has already been done. It breeds a kind of unconscious conformity, which is not usually a place suited to the wild creative spirit that exists online.
Publishing the book yourself might then seem the best route to go – the time it takes to tout your book around the publishers could be better spent getting on with it yourself, and maintaining control of your work. However, publishing a book costs a lot of money.
The obvious solution to this problem is to crowdfund your book. By crowdfunding your book, you will retain complete creative control over your work. You can produce something you care about, which in turn will appeal to your followers.
Traditional publishing is also limited by the public expectation of what a book should cost – typically up to £10 for a paperback and £20 for a hardback. However, by crowdfunding your book, you can sell additional experiences and merchandise around it. For example, video games infuencer, Dan Hardcastle, raised over £300k for his book, Fuck Yeah, Video Games, on Unbound.
What’s interesting is that 80 per cent of the money he raised came from non-traditional book sales, unique experiences
and greater access to Dan such as signed copies, exclusive illustrations and personalised videos. This is nearly £250k in revenue that he might not have received if he’d simply published through a traditional publisher. Such is the power a crowdfunded book can bring to an infuencer.
Writing a book for your followers sounds simple, but what should it be about? Only you know the answer to that. The key is to be as authentic as you can. Don’t try and write what you think someone else wants to read. Or even what you think will sell. Write the book you care most about and tell your audience what that is. They will back you if they believe this is core to who you are.
At Unbound, we’ve developed a machine learning algorithm that helps us to predict, with a high degree of accuracy, how much a book is likely to raise before an author crowdfunds it. By using data such as the size of the author’s following and the topic of the book, we can predict with around 80 per cent accuracy precisely how much a book will raise within 90 days of accepting pledges / pre-orders.
However, you don’t need to have a degree in data science to decide what to write about. You’ve got plenty of followers, so run a poll. Crowdsource your book idea and they’re more likely to buy it.
4. Be creative with rewards
There’s a fairly simple rule to follow when ofering rewards to followers: the more creative the ofering, the greater the value. And make sure what you ofer is authentic to who you are and what you do.
Never has this been so aptly demonstrated than with popular YouTube comedian, Stuart Ashen, when he ofered a ‘box of mystery tat’ as part of his crowdfunding campaign for his book Attack of the Flickering Skeletons. He sold three boxes of junk at £250 each. But of course, it wasn’t really ‘junk’. Each box was a hilarious collection of unique things Stuart’s fans would recognise and value because they love what he does and they trusted him to deliver something suitably extraordinary.
Within any given audience, you’re bound to have a select few avid supporters who will pay a signifcant premium for exclusive access to you or your ideas. This is a fact traditional publishing simply cannot capitalise on. However, the digital economy has created untold new opportunities for authors to engage with their most passionate fans.
Dan Hardcastle created a reward level at £2,500 for Fuck Yeah, Video Games, which allowed a supporter to choose
the video game for an entire chapter of his book. This was clearly only targeted towards the superfan. In some respects it didn’t even matter if someone bought it – it mainly served to demonstrate the depths of his accessibility and creativity, and to act as something that grabbed the attention of his followers. However, as a bonus, it did actually work and he sold out this reward level.
You would have to sell 312 copies of a traditional paperback to match this one purchase from a superfan. Every highlevel reward like this is bought by people who are die-hard supporters of what you do. They want the opportunity to have something unique. To connect with the creative people they most admire. You.
The other great thing about superfans is that there’s a direct correlation between the quality and passion of an infuencer’s audience and the amount of money they’re likely to be able to raise from them. What encapsulates your ofering to your followers? What can you ofer them that’s unique to you?
There are many people who are building up large numbers of followers. Publishing is one of the industries with the potential to embrace this new paradigm. Use the tips above and use a book to express your ideas and develop your brand.
Author
Dan Kieran is the co-founder and CEO of Unbound, a crowdfunding publisher that combines data science and an award-winning publishing brand with an online marketplace. Readers pre-order books through pledging, Unbound publishes and sells them, giving authors a 50/50 proft split and access to an engaged community.
The publisher’s 200k users from 195 countries have pledged £7m+ to fund 436 books to-date, including bestsellers like Letters of Note and The Good Immigrant. By predicting future trends, Unbound funds books more quickly and reaches instant, data-driven acquisition decisions. www.unbound.com
In the wake of unpredictable fnancial markets and blurred fscal and monetary policies from the global response to economic shutdowns, all asset owners and investors need to adapt quickly to the new fnancial landscape. Or otherwise face signifcant challenges in building and managing their portfolios in today’s new normal.
Globally, Governments have been spending big on stimulus packages, and infation is set to hit record numbers as we progress through recovery mode. We are living in unprecedented times, and we are heading into what experts agree is a highly unpredictable future for investors and businesses.
Everything is under the spotlight – from how you set return targets and manage liquidity, to how to assess external factors that would protect you from the crash.
Many SMEs are feeling the fnancial challenges. Even so, the market has powered higher, fuelled by expectations of a period of strong growth after the successes of the vaccine programme and as the economy fully reopens. The outlook is not doom and gloom. Far from it. Remember, it is always in the times of greatest crisis that lie the opportunities of a lifetime.
Markets are changing rapidly. Employees are resigning from their jobs at an unprecedented rate. The great resignation, as it’s been named, where people are quitting at a faster rate than jobs were lost during the pandemic. Where are they going? Large numbers are following their passion and purpose to start their own enterprises, joining the £multibillion gig economy or becoming retail investors.
Now is not the time to continue with the same investment strategies you had been doing prior to 2020. The landscape has changed rapidly, so the smartest thing is to re-look at investment from a new perspective. Learn how to maximise your investments using some of the top investor strategies that set you up for success in the digital decade. Get ready for the new roaring twenties.
Think back to the stock market crash of the 1920s, if you’d have told people then that within the next decade TVs would become readily available in people’s homes and TV networks would become industry giants, they would’ve been doubtful. Right now, we need to look towards the disruptive technologies that will skyrocket in next 10 years.
Learn from renowned investors like Masayoshi Son, who was one of the frst to invest in companies like Yahoo, Slack,
Uber – all highly lucrative ventures in disruptive tech. The four key areas to focus on now are: Fintech, Edtech, Greentech, Medtech – all trillion-dollar industries that are transforming the business landscape.
We are living in a vastly diferent world to 20 years ago when money itself is no longer the highest transactional value. The popularity of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) has surged in 2021, and the upward trend is set to continue into 2022 and beyond.
NFTs
NFTs are basically a tool for providing proof of ownership of a digital asset that can be attached to anything from a Tweet to a JPEG image. If you aren’t familiar with how it works, it’s time to get to know it. Artists, infuencers and celebrities are making huge profts using NFTs and their use is becoming more mainstream. Take digital artist Beeple, who sold a collection as an NFT through auction house Christies for nearly $70 million recently, making him one of the most valuable living artists in the world. In future we will see the same thing happening with physical objects as well as digital entities.
The speed of pace at which this is taking place is accelerating massively and your investment strategies need to take this into account. We are going to see property owned via NFTs and more. This allows anyone to be a collector, or trade collectibles. It opens a global marketplace to you and is transforming everything when it comes to assets.
With NFTs, tokenisation, digital ownership and digital currencies becoming the norm we will begin to see everything linked to blockchain. With digital assets, virtual land and a new digital grafti world, we will embark on an entirely new world where we get to rewrite the rules.
The boom in NFT’s is linked to the rise of the metaverse. The metaverse is, simply put, it’s a 3D digital world that is soon going to replace the 2D internet. Often referred to as extended reality, the core idea of metaverse is to create a 3D virtual environment which you don’t just see but become immersed in when you socialise, manage businesses, investments and more.
During the next decade, digital currencies and the meta economy will grow so big that billionaires in the metaverse will be richer than the billionaires in the real world.
Ownership of digital objects that can be easily bought and sold in the metaverse are now growing fast – from art, collectibles, games, music, property and virtual land. As the metaverse becomes planet sized and linked to our real world, digital currencies will become the new normal.
The strength of cryptocurrencies is increasing exponentially. We are seeing disruption in the property markets where increasing numbers are investing outside their normal currency and using cryptocurrencies in particular. This makes perfect sense as there’s little point in your property investments going up by 20% if your currency decreases by 20%. So, think about hedging against your country as well as hedging against your asset base. Property is a key hedge against infation.
Another key growth trend is impact investing – for proft and purpose. Millennials and Gen Z-ers are the driving force behind the conscious investor trend, motivated by their sense of purpose and values.
As we see the wealth transfer from Baby Boomers to their younger counterparts there is potential for exponential growth in impact investing over the next decade. All the key growth areas, such as greentech and edtech, ofer positive impacts on society as well as high returns. Surely a win-win for everyone.
Prepare for impact investing by researching exactly what you want to be a part of, making a plan so that you know what your pathway is. It is about spotting the emerging trends and jumping in at the opportune moment.
The old rules have changed. Now it is no longer about how big your business or investments are, but how fast and nimble you can be to get into the right thing at the right time.
AuthorRoger James Hamilton is a New York Times bestselling author and Founder and CEO of Genius Group, a multi-milliondollar group of companies including GeniusU, Entrepreneurs Institute, Entrepreneur Resorts and Genius School. https://www.geniusgroup.net/
When you run a business, it can be easy to come across certain fnancial issues. These issues can be caused by anything from mismanagement of funds to periods where there are no new business leads. For any business owner, this can be incredibly disappointing and can cause issues when it comes to keeping the business afoat.
To help you with this, we have put together some tips on how you can get through a tough fnancial period with your business still intact. Keep reading to fnd out more about this.
One of the common reasons why businesses go through periods of fnancial struggle is due to a focus on new customers rather than existing customers. When you are spending all of your cash on targeting new leads, you are ignoring those customers who have been loyal in the past. If you want to get your business through this tough time, focus your eforts on existing customers and get them to keep coming back. This will be more cost-efective and benefcial for your business in the long-run.
Are you struggling to pay for new equipment for your business? One of the best ways to tackle this and avoid having to pay out large sums of money during a tough period is to try out equipment fnancing services like those available from Charter Capital who you can schedule a free consultation with. Equipment fnancing can get you the equipment you need and make sure that all costs are covered. This will get your business back on track to earning money.
Our next tip for businesses who are struggling with their fnances is to cut marketing costs. This might seem counterproductive, but we are not advising that you stop marketing altogether. Social media is an efective tool that allows you to market your business for free and still reach your target audience. If you are spending all of your funds on fyers and traditional forms of advertising, then make this change and give your business the boost it needs.
Our fnal tip for those who are trying to get their business through a tough fnancial period is to stop hiring staf. While you might fnd that you are understafed during certain times of the year, there are plenty of ways of managing this situation without committing to expensive employees. Using freelancing sites can be the perfect way of getting the job done without having to pay a salary or job benefts to your employees. Next time a staf member leaves or you’re going through a busy period, consider freelancing rather than hiring.
When you are going through a tough fnancial period, it is important that you think carefully about how you are running your business. Consider trying out some of the ideas that we have discussed in this article and you should be able to come up with some solutions and get your business back on track.
Proft is a fair indication of the success of a business. However, even the most proftable enterprises can fall into fnancial difculty if they ignore their cash fow. This past year has put this into perspective where even hugely proftable organisations, such as airlines, tech giants and retailers, have experienced cash fow difculties, meaning they have had to rethink their operations.
As a business owner, you mustn’t underestimate the importance of your cash fow. Having a full understanding of your working capital will provide you with a world of insights into the day-to-day running of your business that will help you identify weak points which could be a lifeline to its future survival.
It’s all very well me warning you about the importance of having a healthy cash fow, but it’s valuable that you fully understand why. As some will already know, working capital is a technical term for the amount of money your business needs to fulfl its everyday fnancial requirements. These are essential payments that must be paid. If you have negative working capital, then you don’t have enough money to cover your costs. These costs include:
· Staf wages
· Supplier invoices
· Rent
The working capital formula will measure the short-term fnancial health of your business, allowing you to take a temperature check and identify any immediate problem areas. The calculation for this is: working capital = current assets – current liabilities.
A healthy business will have more money coming in than going out, allowing it to take care of all its fnancial obligations. Without having a positive cash fow, your business won’t be able to cover its costs, which could lead to potential collapse, especially at a time when the economy is struggling.
Cash fow problems are one of the leading causes of bankruptcy, so it is no wonder that 20 percent of start-ups don’t make it past their frst year in the UK and a staggering 60 percent go bust within their frst three years. The importance of cash fow cannot be underestimated!
Another key metric to keep an eye on is your business’ working capital ratio. One step further than just working capital, this measure refers to the number of times a business can pay of its current liabilities by using its current assets. If
your current ratio is less than one, it’s a clear red fag that you are heading for fnancial difculty. The calculation for this is: working capital ratio = current assets ÷ current liabilities.
If you have done your calculations and you can see things aren’t looking as healthy as you would like them to be, then you may be asking yourself what to do now. Firstly, it’s worth remembering that there isn’t a one-size-fts-all answer to how much working capital is the right amount for a business, but it is easy to identify what isn’t enough. It’s also important to understand that as your business’ requirements will change over time, so will the amount of working capital required. This is why you should always be on top of your numbers.
During times of fnancial difculty, especially during the pandemic, things may look bleak. However, there are always things you can do to improve your business’ cash fow situation. Here are three tips to improve the cash fow position of your business:
– If it isn’t possible to operate as you currently would (perhaps due to the pandemic), or you are just looking for other ways to diversify, consider pivoting and new ways to expand your sales market. This could be by ofering new products or services, encouraging customers to buy more, or introducing rewards programmes and referral schemes.
– Overhauling your cash fow doesn’t just mean getting more money in, but also reducing the amount of money going out. You can do this by cutting out any unnecessary expenses, streamlining your business’ processes or asking suppliers for longer payment terms and discounts on bulk orders, for example.
– Be strategic with when you pay the bills. If your supplier ofers a discount for paying early, take advantage of that. However, if a diferent supplier doesn’t ofer a discount, keep hold of the invoice and pay when it’s most favourable to your business – without making a late payment, of course.
You may want to track your cash fow monthly, or even weekly. By keeping a regular check of this, you will always be in a good position to react to change from within your business, as well as external circumstances. You will also be able to factor in annual payments, such as corporation tax.
An accurate cash fow forecast is critical to know what is likely to happen to your working capital and is key to being able to make informed fnancial and investment decisions for the future of your business.
Author:
Simon Smith, Partner at Wellers, one of the UK’s leading accountancy frms .To fnd out more about raising fnance and improving working capital, download the Wellers guide.
As the year draws to a close I imagine many of us are looking forward to time of to recharge and relax. Given the challenges of the past three years, I would say this is a well earned break. For business leaders, this period of refection also presents an opportunity to think about plans for the future. Specifcally, having survived (fngers crossed) the worst of the pandemic, how can they ensure their company thrives in a changed world?
Remote working, digital transformation, a renewed focus on diversity and inclusion, supply chain issues, changing consumer behaviour and so on – the list of challenges and opportunities is long. What we have seen is that the companies that have approached these challenges well are those that had the technical infrastructure aligned with the expertise and structure to quickly pivot to a digital only business environment. Underpinning all of this was a keen awareness of the power of data to inform and enhance their decision making and processes.
These data driven businesses can provide great inspiration for leaders considering how they can approach new challenges in 2023. Crucially, becoming data-driven isn’t an all or nothing afair. It’s a journey that any business, no matter their resources or size, can embark upon. This means that it applies just as much to businesses that struggled during the pandemic and are looking to rebuild, as it does to those that thrived and are looking to kick on.
There is of course no singular journey every business takes – instead it is better to think about becoming ‘data driven’ as adhering to a set of principles:
Using the insights generated from data to inform decision making.
Educating and training staf at every level to understand data and apply it to their work.
Providing the technical infrastructure that enables data to be collected, managed and used efciently.
Breaking down barriers between departments to enable the free fow of information and ideas.
Creating policies and procedures that encourage use of data. Building a data-frst and testing culture.
Embracing innovation and new ideas.
The end goal is to have every facet of the business – from product development, marketing and customer service through to HR, fnance and commercial strategy embedded with data. You will know your business is successful when every decision no matter how small is infuenced by insights
gleaned through data. In short, people will decide their next steps not because, ‘that’s how we’ve always done it’, or ‘gut feel’, but rather, ‘that’s what the numbers say is the best choice’.
Luckily very few, if any, businesses need to start from scratch. Chances are you and your team are already using a lot of information to carry out your jobs. Your business probably already holds, or has the capacity to collect, a lot of useful data. Moving from what is probably an informal or ad hoc approach to something more systemic begins with technology.
In my experience, getting the right data infrastructure in place is where the majority of companies fall down. This is because there can be a preconceived notion that the right technical platforms will be too expensive, existing platforms can be modifed to do the job or simply that it’s too tempting to jump ahead and start getting ‘results’. Doing the hard yards of assessing and procuring the right systems can seem daunting. However, it’s important to remember that there are a huge number of options out there that can cater to any budget. The beneft of expending capital and time up front is paid back tenfold through the efciency and efectiveness it will enable.
So what infrastructure do I mean? Again, there’s no set tech stack. However, broadly you will need platforms that enable data to be collected, stored, managed, analysed and integrated back into your workfows. Ideally, it will be a system that is fexible, scalable and will easily ‘speak’ to your existing platforms. How powerful and complex this infrastructure is will depend on your initial goals. For example, if you plan to start by focusing on marketing – look at a system that will integrate well with your existing CRM and will enable data analysis around marketing efectiveness – such as identifying when customers are likely to churn, or the best time, channel or frequency to send communications.
When you decide what you need, the next step is empowering your team to use it. What you really need to avoid is the concentration of skills within one department or group. Not only does this create a single point of failure and bottlenecks it also means that insights are limited to the skills and knowledge of the team members within this group. I often see marketers entirely reliant on their data scientists or analysts for the most rudimentary insights. Similarly, marketers and data scientists often need to rely on the dev team to make the simplest changes to their platforms.
Training needs to cover both understanding data and using the platforms to actually do the job. Critically, it needs to be tailored to the individual. The aim isn’t to create a team of data scientists or IT experts – it is to create a force of specialists who have all the skills needed to be experts in their respective felds and job functions.
The best way to approach this is to start with a pilot. One
of the most obvious applications of data in the current environment is within HR. Remote working has meant a lot of the mechanisms ‘traditional’ HR used to monitor and assess factors such as performance or morale are unavailable. Clever use of data can help fll these gaps and make HR decision making much more powerful. It also has the capacity to remove internal biases that have played a big part in the lack of diversity at many companies.
After piloting a project you will soon come to understand what processes and procedures need to be embedded in your business. These learnings will be invaluable as you begin to expand to diferent functions.
Finally, it’s important to remember that training, processes and infrastructure alone will not create the data driven culture your business needs. This will take time. People need
to feel like they are being brought on the journey with you, not sidelined or rendered obsolete. I recommend being fully transparent with your plans and consulting closely with team members of all levels on what they want and need. The senior team also needs to walk the walk and talk the talk. This means undertaking training and upskilling so they are also ‘data driven’.
Author: Natalie Cramp, CEO of data science company Profusion.To help new investors take the plunge into angel investing, and avoid saying ‘if only I’d known that when I started!’ we sat down with expert angels with years of experience to compile our list of the top fve lessons they have learned. We have changed the names to spare any blushes.
John shared with us the details of one of his frst investments that went bust. ‘I invested into a young business that had developed an interactive app for tourists. It was clear to me early on that a lot of research, branding and grit had gone into making a stellar product and so I confdently invested. Not long after I parted with my cash, the company got into fnancial trouble and folded. That hurt, but what hurt a lot more was when the CEO created another suspiciously similar business a few months later.’
John later came to learn that it was the CEO and not the business who owned the IP. This tiny little detail meant that when the business folded, the CEO could walk away with its greatest asset, the IP.
A key takeaway from this situation is to ensure that all IP is owned by the company, not the CEO or any other party.
After getting friendly with the founders and seeing a real business opportunity within the food industry, Tom invested £50k into a bakery business eager to capitalise on the global craze for their signature product. He was so enamoured, he even set up a franchise of the business at Heathrow airport.
Yet, he explained, ‘Cracks started to show as the CEO was overly relaxed about the fnancial afairs of the company. He was keen to show growth to investors and so expanded quickly to around twenty sites.’
This rapid expansion caused issues as around half of these new sites were what Tom kindly described as not good. Soon, the failure to realise the revenue expected from the expansion led founders to go back to shareholders with their hands out, looking for more capital to keep the business afoat. ‘It was not a good situation,’ continued Tom, ‘Not only had the revenue not come in, but the customer experience had sufered as a result of the business trying to do too much too quickly – which impacted the brand.’
Quick expansion and high standards not being able to remain consistent led to the critical mass never being reached. ‘It was inevitable that the company was going to go into administration once the overheads outweighed the revenues by a ridiculous amount’.
Interestingly, the company was bought by someone in the industry with more experience and it is now a thriving business with stalls across London train stations.
The lesson here is about speed and experience. Of course, as a minority shareholder, you can’t dictate the company’s plan, but you can counsel them. And if you see them trying to go too fast in an industry in which they are new, put up a red fag and introduce them to that contact you have who has done it all before, so they have the guidance and the support they need to make it work.
Lesson 3: Scrutinise the balance sheet; ensure the data source is credible
This lesson came six months after an initial investment into a fower distribution company when it was discovered that the business owed £350k in VAT. Caroline explains, ‘I have a thorough approach to everything, and my due diligence on this investment, like all my investments, was done with a fnetoothed comb. The problem, I later learned, was there was missing information.’
The Business Plan that was sent to Caroline didn’t disclose this fnancial information. If it had, she would have quickly seen the company was insolvent.
The lesson here is a nuanced one. Of course, Caroline did her due diligence, so how could she have avoided this situation? At Envestors, we always recommend our companies work with accredited advisors to show investors information has been reviewed by a qualifed third party. This could be an accountant or corporate fnance advisor or, failing that, we recommend investors work with an investment network that is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority to protect themselves from situations like this. A regulated business will ensure all information is clear, fair and not misleading.
After a colleague gave her a tip of about the ‘coolest new business to disrupt the ftness industry’, Julie was excited to make her second angel investment. The timing was a bit tight, but she managed to conduct her due diligence in time to get the beneft from the Enterprise Incentive Scheme (EIS) in the year, which meant her £10k investment would be subject to 30% tax relief and if things went badly a further £2,800 in relief, so the total amount she stood to lose was £4,200 and not the full £10k.
‘Sadly,’ says Julie, ‘while they had a stellar brand, the business was absolutely not the next big disrupter. I could tell from the outside things weren’t going well and getting information out of them, despite being a shareholder, was like trying to interrogate an MI5 agent.’
Then the inevitable happened, the business folded. ‘I was upset when I found out, but I exploded when I learned my tax relief wasn’t coming.’
While Julie believed the business was eligible for EIS, she later learned the paperwork had been incorrectly fled and there was no tax relief to be had.
The lesson here is to ensure that the EIS paperwork, and all paperwork related to your investment, is being handled by a qualifed individual such as a lawyer or company secretary. S/ EIS is notoriously complicated and it is easy for non-specialists to make little, but expensive mistakes.
As the current COVID-19 situation has proved, external factors can’t always be controlled. Tanith learned this lesson after investing £20k into a boating business as she knew that ‘boats don’t deplete in value over time as they just get repaired’.
‘The company was doing really well and decided to expand. We were all onboard with it. To purchase more boats, the company took a loan from an international bank. But soon after, the fnancial crisis descended like a perfect storm and sank us.’
Once the fnancial crisis took hold in 2008, the bank pulled in the loans. While this decision had nothing to do with the business, it left the founders scrambling to fnd new backers in the worst fnancial crisis in recent memory. Unable to do so, the boats were sold of.
This shows how external events, such as recessions, can impact businesses hugely and uncontrollably. Overnight the business went bust and Tanith and the rest of the investors lost their investments, just like that.
A key lesson to take away here is that stuf happens. The only way to protect yourself against the uncontrollable is to build a diverse portfolio. Experienced angels know that a good portion of their investments will go bust, while others will circle the drain slowly before sinking and some won’t do much at all. Then, there will be one or two that will exceed their potential. Accept that some will fail – no matter how clever you are – and ensure you’ve got enough in your portfolio to balance the risk.
One of the greatest appeals of angel investing is that it is a lot more than just providing fnancial resources to earlystage companies and waiting for a return: a key role of angel investors is to help the business grow by sharing contacts, advice and mentoring the founding team. Therefore, angels are referred to as smart capital as they deliver both fnance and expert knowledge. The lessons from our fve angels have been learned the hard way so I hope you can gain the beneft from them.
AuthorChantelle Arneaud is from Envestors.Envestors’ digital investment platform brings together entrepreneurs and investors across geographies, communities and sectors –creating the single marketplace for early-stage investment in the UK. www.envestors.co.uk
As entrepreneurs we know that 2022 has been the most extraordinary and challenging year to-date. The issues we face aren’t going away in the coming weeks. This means that the only choice we have is to take the remainder of the year by the scruf of the neck. Start-up founders need to put all their energy into squeezing the best out of the rest of the year!
We have the opportunity create something better for everyone instead of some watered down ‘new normal’ that focuses on all the things we can’t do. The frst step for getting the most we can from the remainder of 2022 is to embrace uncertainty. None of us know what’s around the corner so what do we do now and for the rest of the year? We demonstrate our entrepreneurial skills and adapt.
Let’s look at ideas to give you a boost in the right direction.
Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck became obsessed with understanding how people cope with failures and setbacks. Initially her research looked at kids and how they reacted to puzzles they couldn’t solve. She thought that she would fnd diferent levels of resilience but what she actually found was that children, especially young children didn’t even consider not being able to solve the puzzle as a failure in the frst place. It was just a game – a fun challenge. The outcome of Dweck’s research is now world famous and she proposes that our success and happiness in life comes down to one thing –mindset. According to Dweck there are only two – fxed and growth.
Those with a fxed mindset, have a fxed idea of what they are capable of, believing that what they are born with is the fnish line. They tend to be more defeatist, accepting the problems without much efort or belief they can fnd solutions. Those with a growth mindset believe that what we are born with is just the beginning. What we are capable of is not determined by anything other than our own aspirations, efort and determination.
Interestingly, Dweck believes we are all born with a growth mindset and get trained out of it by the school system, unsupportive parents and social expectations. We are taught that failure is unacceptable – even though all great success comes through failure not by avoiding it. If ever we needed to re-assess that growth mindset it’s now.
Take a minute to consider whether you have a fxed or growth mindset? Has Covid-19 made it more fxed as you sink into a gloom? If you imagine you had a growth mindset instead –what would you do? Looking at your startup and the rest of 2020 – what could you try? What have you always thought of doing but never got around to it? Lean into the uncertainty
and adapt. Use it as a springboard to try things you’ve been putting of. Is there a diferent market you could approach? Stay fexible, open and curious.
What have you done today? Is that getting you closer or further way from your life goals and those you have for your startup? If you want a diferent tomorrow so you fnd a successful way through the pandemic, you need to take steps to change what you do today.
Stop for a moment and refect on how you spend your time. When did you get up this morning? How much TV do you watch? How much time do you spend on social media? How much time do you spend learning something new? Do you spend time with family or friends? Are those exchanges enjoyable or stressful? How much time do you spend on your health? How much sleep do you get most nights?
Take a minute to draw a circle and divide it up into slices that represent how you spend your time during a typical day. Now draw another circle and divide it up to represent how you would like to spend your day. What could you change today in your startup or growth business to improve your day? Identify the things you like or can live with and the things that you don’t like and can’t live with. How can you change the aspects of your day that bring you down?
Often, we don’t need to make wholesale sweeping changes; subtle little shifts accumulate to bring about change.
In 1967 psychiatrists Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe developed a list of 47 stressful events that could impact health and happiness. The assumption is logical – we get more stressed when bad stuf happens to us, start accumulating stressful experiences such as a job loss, illness or divorce and you are more susceptible to physical illness, disease and depression. Global pandemics and economic uncertainty don’t help especially if you are in the early stages of your startup.
But, the fy in their theoretical ointment was the fact that not everyone who experienced really tough life events were negatively impacted by them. On the contrary, some of those people actively fourished. This feld of study is called post traumatic growth or adversarial growth and studies have shown that great sufering or trauma can actually lead to huge positive change. For example, after the Madrid bombings of 2004 psychologists found that many of those afected experienced positive psychological growth. A diagnosis of cancer and subsequent recovery can also trigger growth.
The people in many of these studies found new meaning and new purpose from surviving something terrible. Instead of seeing their situation as a failure or a problem they believed Nietzsche, who said, “What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger”. As an entrepreneur how can you use Covid-19 in the last months of 2020 to fnd new meaning and positive growth?
Take a minute to think about exactly what you are worried about most in your startup and identify one thing you can do about it right now. Set that in motion. What positives could you pull from the turmoil? Get creative – think of at least three positives that Covid-19 and the current economic turmoil could give you and your business. It might not be fun but if you can fnd the silver linings you can often move on quicker.
I’m a great believer in the power of micro moments and tiny interventions. These suggestions are pulled from my Meee in a Minute books, each ofering 60 one-minute micro-ideas and insights that can help us to shift our perception in life, family and at work. It need only take a minute to make a change and get the very best out of the last few months of 2022 or you and your startup’s team.
Author
Sid Madge is founder of Meee (My Education Employment Enterprise) which draws on the best creativity and thinking from the worlds of branding, psychology, neuroscience, education and sociology, to help people achieve extraordinary lives. www.meee.global
Unfortunately, at some point or another, most businesses will face a crisis of some form or another. Whether it is a data breach, a disgruntled former employee, a malfunctioning product, an environmental issue or more recently, a global pandemic forcing businesses to change how they do things overnight, a crisis can hit at any time.
A crisis of any nature can threaten an organisation’s reputation and cast doubt over its future and a poorly managed crisis can ruin a business for years to come. Yet unfortunately most organisations tend only to focus on crisis communications when the event is already happening.
The way you choose to communicate in a crisis refects your brand, your values and your entire ethos as a business and so it is absolutely vital to have a plan in place because the best way to manage a crisis is to prepare for one. While each scenario is unique and will have factors beyond your control, preparation is key. At Represent, here is how we advise clients prepare for when things go wrong:
Create a dedicated crisis comms team responsible for planning and communicating during a crisis. This should include a representative from all aspects of the business – PR, marketing, sales, HR, IT and fnance, as well as your senior leadership team. They should have in depth knowledge of the business, be able to think on their feet, and have the authority to make important decisions.
Ensure your crisis comms team meets regularly to review potential threats, both internal and external, and develops a plan for dealing with each potential crisis. Having processes in place for all eventualities will enable you to deal with them much quicker and more efciently and reduce the potential for reputational damage.
Understanding who your key stakeholders are is absolutely vital to executing efective crisis comms. Think about who you need to communicate with – employees, customers, the local community and the media (to name but a few) and then plan, plan and plan again for each and every potential scenario.
Unfortunately, an issue or crisis may attract media attention. In these cases, it’s important you have a spokesperson trained for media interviews. Do some media training in advance to give your spokespeople the skills to control an interview and
stick to the agreed messaging. It is a hugely valuable process that leaves participants confdent and prepared to handle whatever tricky media questions they may be faced with. You don’t want to be left red faced like BP chief executive, Tony Hayward, who following an oil spill that resulted in the death of 11 people, told a host of journalists: “There’s no one who wants this over more than I do. I’d like my life back.” This did nothing but exasperate the crisis.
Clear and concise messaging is vital. Be consistent, honest and draw on the facts, while being careful not to speculate about the unknown. Be clear about what you are going to do to address the issue and then be sure to share the same message across all your communication channels. Make sure anyone taking calls at your organisation repeats the same message day in day out until the crisis passes. And don’t forget that once it has, it is even more important than ever to share positive news from your company in the months ahead.
How you respond to a crisis can make or break your reputation. That’s why it is vital to plan – assemble a team, plan for diferent scenarios, ensure you are consistent in your messaging and train your spokespeople so that if and when a crisis does occur, you are ready for it.
Author
Judith is founder and managing director of Edinburgh-based PR & digital marketing agency, Represent Comms.
It’s a common scenario: you have just fnished that presentation you’ve spent hours, days or even weeks preparing for, and you are really pleased with how it went. But now you are faced with a Q&A session. Although this may be daunting because it is harder to rehearse, it can be an incredibly useful experience and should be encouraged if time allows. It ofers you the opportunity to further demonstrate your knowledge and expertise on a particular subject which could beneft your business, for example, by instilling confdence in potential investors and therefore encouraging their participation.
Q&As also ofer a valuable chance for self-refection. For instance, a section of the presentation you think is clear, may not be if you receive lots of questions about it. Perhaps it is time to look again at the content or your delivery of this topic, and either edit it if you are giving the same presentation again or be mindful of avoiding similar mistakes in your future presentations.
Here, Zoe Melhuish, Content Creator at creative marketing agency PMW, advises on how to approach a Q&A session.
Although it might not be possible to rehearse exactly what questions you might receive in the same way you can your presentation, it is still possible to prepare for your Q&A to an extent. Look through your presentation for any obvious gaps. Perhaps, for example, you have not included certain sales fgures, or projections. Any gaps in your presentation are where your questions are most likely to come from and identifying them allows you to ensure you know the relevant information you may need. You could also try practising your presentation to a trusted colleague who might think of questions on topics you hadn’t considered, increasing your awareness on the types of questions you may receive and allowing you to prepare for them.
A bottle of water is your best friend. Those frst few seconds after being asked a question can be nerve-racking. You don’t want to start speaking before you’ve had chance to think about your response, nor do you want to be seen as hesitant and therefore nervous or uninformed on a subject. By having a drink of water at hand and taking a sip before you answer a more difcult question, it gives you valuable thinking time without looking like you are hesitating. However, it is best to avoid having a sip of water before every answer as this might then appear to be a nervous habit.
No matter how many times you have presented, it is natural
to feel nervous which can make us feel uncomfortable and more likely to fdget or use body language we would not normally. Try to avoid crossing your arms as this can appear defensive, and fdgeting, for example, with a button or hair tie can highlight your nerves. However, it is important to not look too stif and rigid as this could also demonstrate discomfort. A good way to stand is with your shoulders nice and relaxed (try to consciously push them down. When we feel nervous, we tend to raise them without realising) with a calm, open posture, a smile and a nod whilst talking can also indicate confdence.
To really connect with the audience, it might be useful to employ something called convergence, where your speech and your behaviour becomes more like that of the person asking you a question as a way of making yourself more relatable to them. For example, you could try adopting a similar speed of speaking and perhaps using some of the same gestures or phrases that they do. You don’t have to change your natural style of speaking too much, in fact it’s best not to, but using a few similar phrases will help you connect to your audience, making them more receptive to your answers.
When delivering your answers, an awareness of a theory regarding four key components of efective conversation, known as Grice’s Maxims, could make your responses more efective and help you feel more confdent. This consists of:
Your answer should detail enough information that the question has been addressed fully but should not be too long. Once you have given all the relevant information you need, stop. It is easy to think a long, in-depth answer is needed to show your expertise, but this is not the case, and you are more likely to ramble making you appear less confdent or knowledgeable.
Your answer should be true or if you are unsure, for example, if the question is about a future projection, it should be what you believe to be true. Whilst it can be tempting to exaggerate to try to impress, it can be easy for the audience to spot and embarrassing if you get caught out. Being honest, even under pressure will make you appear more trustworthy and ultimately beneft your business.
Your answer should be as relevant to the question as possible. This shows that you are actively listening to the question and
have understood it. It is possible that in your presentation you might have missed out a piece of information that you wanted to include, and the temptation might be to try to include it in an answer that doesn’t really ft the question. However, this is more likely to make it appear as though you have misunderstood the question and undermines the audience’s confdence in you.
Deliver your answer in a clear way. Try to avoid ambiguity, obscurity or vague language. Remember if you need to take a second to think of the answer before you give it, that’s OK. A
clear, well-articulated response will leave your audience with a greater understanding on the topic and confdence in your expertise. Don’t forget to consciously slow down your speech as we often speed up when we are nervous, which can make our answers less clear.
With practice your Q&A can become as strong and confdent as your main presentation. If you are still feeling daunted, try to remember that the questions are not being asked to trick you, but because of a genuine interest and to learn from you. You are the expert, so have confdence in yourself and your answers.
Good quality links and content have become much more important for telling the search engines whether a site should be served up in their search results or not. That’s why an SEO-savvy PR agency is now the most powerful weapon for boosting web trafc.
Louise Findlay-Wilson, Managing Director at Energy PR, elaborates…SEO may seem like a dark art, but it’s only perceived like that because people have tried to ‘game’ the system, using tricks and techniques to take advantage of the way the search algorithms work. For instance, in the old days, the links to a site were a key measure which Google’s algorithm used. So, SEO agencies focused on securing backlinks; whether they were legitimately sourced or of any quality was of no real concern. The SEO power of a small number of high-quality backlinks could easily be replicated by an enormous quantity of low-quality backlinks! And so, an entire industry was born, with people paid to paste links back to sites by adding them to every website on the internet that had a comments section. What nonsense!
These days, while high-quality backlinks are still extremely powerful, such spamming is quite rightly penalised. The algorithm has become smarter. And that’s the bottom line really. SEO algorithms are in a constant state of evolution, in their bid to help users fnd what they are actually looking for. While there might be a few tricks you can play, eventually the algorithm gets wise, and you might even be penalised for trying to out-fox the system.
Google wants is to ofer users a relevant, quality search result. As a result, modern SEO eforts are all about honestly generating and promoting a usable site, that’s purpose is understood and ‘does what it says on the tin.’
Seen in this light, a PR agency has such a big role to play in all of this. A decent PR agency utterly understands the target audience a business is trying to reach. It will know what makes them tick, what questions they have, and so will help ensure that in terms of content and tone the website ‘talks’ to them clearly and helpfully.
The PR agency will also deliver quality links to your site through its online media activity. PR people are highly skilled at leveraging the news agenda to get a journalist to do your marketing for you, talking about your products and services in what feels like a third-party endorsement and carrying links in the ensuing coverage. Such media activity boosts trafc to your website and vastly improves your Google performance. Let me quickly explain why this is the case.
Respected online media titles are rated by Google and the other search engines. If your company is featured in an
article on a relevant topic in a good, pertinent media title and that article then links through to your website, Google’s algorithm notes it. It recognises that, for that subject, a respected website (the media) directs people to your site. If this is repeated on many media sites consistently, Google will conclude that yours is a good site to point people to for that topic. So, it will place you higher in the search rankings when people search for it.
That’s why, with some careful consideration for the key phrases/topics that matter to your business, you can use online media relations to dramatically boost your web trafc. For instance, we’ve helped one company more than double its already good web trafc fgures in a year, through highly tactical media work designed to boost its search engine optimisation.
Obviously, this kind of work isn’t a quick fx, but the sooner you get the right PR agency on board, and they make a start, the sooner you will make a diference.
A savvy PR agency will also help your SEO in other ways. For example, writing up your successes as case studies, and prompting happy customers to leave Google reviews, massively boosts your SEO.
The agency will refresh your website’s blog or knowledge centre. Regularly crafting compelling, carefully optimised, content, which again boosts your chances on the search engines. I don’t mean pages rammed with keywords which are hard to read and add no value. I mean content which adds value to the reader; educates and informs them; perhaps answers technical questions and helps with their decisionmaking. If relevant and useful it will also be perceived to merit recognition by the search algorithms.
The PR agency will also help you develop relations with infuential bloggers and vloggers – arming them with content which again links to your site. Good for your trafc and for your SEO.
Brand partnerships, either with likeminded complementary brands or with suitable infuencers, is another powerful way to create web trafc, content, links and SEO, and PR is the vehicle which drives such brand relationships. For instance, we helped toy brand Galt, partner with the kids’ luggage brand Trunki. Through the alliance both parties reached new online audiences, boosted their content and drove web trafc to their respective sites.
The jury is out on whether shares on social media may or
may not afect a web page’s position in search listings. While Google doesn’t overtly say they do, a spokesman did confrm that Google crawls social websites for data in the same way that it would any other site saying: “Facebook and Twitter pages are treated like any other pages in our web index, and so if something occurs on Twitter or occurs on Facebook and we’re able to crawl it then we can return that in our search results.”
Furthermore, in a 2018 study, Hootsuite tested the SEO results of articles; some had been promoted on social channels, some hadn’t. It found that the pieces with top social shares received an average 22% boost during the duration of the experiment.
Even if you don’t believe social activity boosts SEO performance, social profles defnitely infuence the content delivered in search results. You may have noticed yourself that if you search on a brand name, social media profles will often be amongst the top results.
That’s an important consideration, as if your social channels are going to be the frst thing someone is served up when they search for your company, you want them looking tip top. It pays to have profles with up-to-date info and engaging content. Again, something that’s part of your PR activity.
Conclusion
As you can see, PR is a critical SEO tool. Indeed I’d argue that it really is the only future-proofed SEO strategy, because it generates real backlinks, true endorsements and content that’s designed to resonate with your audience rather than hoodwink the search engines. If you’re not using PR as part of your SEO strategy, please start. But rather than appoint an SEO agency that’s trying to ‘adopt’ some of PR’s tools and techniques to help them ‘game the system’ – why not go for the real deal, appoint a proper PR agency that knows its SEO stuf.
Author:
Louise Findlay-Wilson is a regular speaker and commentator on PR, digital and social media and owns leading agency, Energy PR.
Fear at work comes in many forms. External forces that are out of our control like the pandemic give rise to fear and force change upon us because we are living in a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) world. Internal fear forces at work may arise from unfair treatment, anxiety about job security, or fear from bullying and harassment. Whilst we can’t control many external forces, leaders can eliminate fear within the business because fear stops inclusion, and a lack of inclusion generates fear, but how does this cycle develop in the workplace, and how do we break it?
Fear is often systemic. The less diverse the business, the more likely the problem is systemic. Making employees fearful of losing their job keeps them vulnerable and easy to manipulate. Fear that is felt collectively within the workplace, is harder to alleviate. The more fear there is in a business, the more likely it is that people who don’t ‘ft the mould’ will be excluded. We fear those who are ‘diferent’. We are consciously or unconsciously fearful of people who are diferent to us. Some of us are afraid of saying the wrong thing or simply not knowing what to say in the frst place so we keep them at arm’s length, as is often felt by workers with disability, indeed all minority groups.
Hoping for the best isn’t going to work. Whilst some leaders are given budgets to support inclusion, and we know that diversity makes us smarter and changes the way we think, this will simply never be enough to break the mould and create real change.
Fear generates opportunities for bullying. Fear is highly efective as a means to exert control over others. Bullying and harassment are still rife in the workplace and through intimidation and exclusion tactics, bullies disempower victims and also coerce others into enabling fear. Cultures characterised by bullying are neither cost-efective nor productive ones.
Fear-based management. Fear-based managers are obsessed with the rules, punishments and structure. They use exclusion techniques to maintain control and cling to power through fear. They are frequently insecure about their own position and enjoy power games to divert from their own ineptitude.
Shift from ‘I’ to ‘we’. Dominating opinions mean silent voices, so you lose the benefts of diversity. Instead, welcome diferent opinions and harness the collective intelligence of the entire team for better results. You will go further together. Avoid group think, don’t go with the consensus. Encourage disagreement by listening, calling for input from everyone
and creating transparent processes. That doesn’t mean you should create a tug of war of ideas. Instead, be open to other’s ideas and ofer co-responsibility and co-accountability for actions taken as a team.
Change the culture – To efectively focus on changing culture and behaviour, don’t be derailed if things don’t go according to plan immediately. In every change programme you will need to go backwards and forwards. Be prepared to unlearn what you have learnt and to relearn new habits – this takes time, education and commitment. Minorites don’t need fxing, it’s the attitudes towards them that need attention. Blocks, poor systems and processes, and toxic individuals need removing. Put everything you have behind efective change. Leaders are pivotal in ensuring diversity and inclusivity and need truly to believe in the value of D&I and do all they can to achieve and support it, including creating signifcant budget. Ensure you have people who infuence positively on the change programme and that the change panel are diverse themselves. Hold efective meetings preferably around a round table to avoid a visual hierarchy and call out interruptions if they arise. Research shows that men are three times more likely to interrupt women in meetings. As a preventative measure, leaders should name this as unacceptable behaviour before the meeting starts. Practise collaborative behaviour by enabling everyone to state issues respectively, question if you think there is a misunderstanding and take turns.
Commitment, not compliance. Training, groups discussion and real action are needed to raise awareness and for deep understanding. Compliance won’t be nearly as efective as commitment.
Avoid meritocracy because merit is in the eye of the beholder. Don’t reward individual behaviour if you want a collective result. Systems and processes are needed, but so is collaboration. Recognise your bias. We all have biases, but we need to recognise and accept they exist. Just because you have a daughter doesn’t mean you don’t unconsciously have a prejudice towards women. Take a step back to see what your actions say, test your ideas with a coach.
Handle bullying properly. How a business handles bullying reveals how they feel about diversity and inclusion as well. Active, genuine inclusion is the single most efective way of eliminating dysfunctional behaviour. The importance of belonging and connection have never been more important. Speak to people, be curious and engage in courageous conversations. Listen to other people and come without judgement. These conversations may not always be comfortable, building psychological safety often isn’t, however it is incredibly powerful.
Role model the right behaviours and call out the wrong ones. Listening to what others say and paying attention to what isn’t being said and the conversations that are being avoided are key to inclusion and reducing fear. If you feel that these avoidances are deliberate, raise them with leaders, who themselves should strive against a blame-based culture. Minorities require support and engagement. Anyone in a minority might need time to fnd their voice but it is vital they are given those opportunities. Don’t rely on them to lead the change or fx the problem or put them on a committee or interviewing panel just for the sake of it. The whole panel has to be onboard with reducing fear, and supporting and building D&I. Remember minorities aren’t the problem, it’s the attitude towards them that’s the problem.
Leaders should evaluate systemic problems. Leaders shouldn’t be afraid of the evaluation of their systems and
processes and shouldn’t do it as a tick box exercise. Data may be diferent between groups, countries or departments so collect and evaluate separately. Ask for regular updates on D&I and test to see how it is helping or hindering strategy. Know what the gender and minorities pay gaps are and where in the hierarchy the D&I talent starts to decline.
Diversity means diferent reward centres, beliefs and experience. Find out what your people need, think and want and they will be sure to feel included.
by Thom Dennis of Serenity in Leadership and Suzie Lewis, Founder and MD of Transform for Value: www.serenityinleadership.comWe know that if a plant isn’t thriving, frstly you consider whether it is in the right environment. Is it being watered too little or too often? Is it in bright sunlight when it prefers shade? Is it potted in the correct soil? You may also need to till that soil, gently breaking it up, to release the nutrients inside, enabling the plant to thrive.
The same is true for teams. Teams need ongoing care and maintenance. Efective teams are greater than the sum of their parts, achieving high levels of trust, agility, and productivity. They can innovate, integrate new ways of working more quickly, challenge openly and produce great outcomes.
In our experience there are four essential elements, underpinned by self-awareness, that need to be in place and working efectively for a team to be able to thrive. As a founder or leader of a growing business, by exploring your team through this model, you can identify perceived issues in any of the facets that could cause dysfunction or inefcient working methods.
I can’t get enough of this model in my own team, whether we are hitting the highs or the lows, invariably I fnd the answers we need working in this way. We examine how we are nurturing our climate, maintaining our focus, building great team processes and encouraging our fow.
Teams where individuals are healthily self-aware of their personality preferences, understand others and adapt and connect to each other, produce the best climate and enjoy higher levels of trust and engagement.
Tapping into the diversity of the team, creating a climate of constructive challenge and mutual respect ensures problems and opportunities are approached from a wide variety of perspectives. Creating a team climate where members are encouraged to come at things diferently and feel able to openly express themselves, in whatever way suits their preferences, tend to generate new ideas which beneft the team and the business.
Teams are also most efective when people have a positive perception of the team unit, feel that they add individual value and feel that their contribution is appreciated. Regularly recognising great teamwork and celebrating success creates a powerful efect which can be contagious across the organisation.
When teams are focused, with a clear vision and goals, they are more able to identify practical steps to move from current to future state and are motivated to take the necessary steps to get there.
At Insights we’ve found that diferent people respond to goals in diferent ways. When we tailor the outcomes to the team, ensure we have purposeful and visionary, yet specifc goals, this can lead to higher performance, when we maintain the focus. A focus on our clearly stated ambition helps to create clarity and understanding, avoiding a lack of ownership.
Additionally, we’ve found a mix of team-centric goals –maximising each person’s contribution to the team – as well as individual goals improves overall efectiveness and performance.
Teams with strong processes thrive because there are clear methods of working. Processes which cover the human or people related aspects of team development, strategic processes which can keep our eyes frmly on the horizon, individual and team measurement and performance processes are all vital components to ensure the team is aligned and understands it unique and specifc function in the organisation.
At Insights we also have a value of ‘enjoying the journey’ together. Whilst it may sound silly to have processes around having fun, teams who play together stay together, so ensuring regular routines to ensure human connections are made is essential.
How a team works together – or fows – is an important ingredient in its overall success. Taking the time to listen to colleague’s personal experiences, empathising and responding authentically with each other helps ensure fow.
We have a culture of check-ins and check-outs at Insights which signifcantly helps establish fow. Sharing personal or professional experiences and aspirations for the meeting, or project, at the beginning of team time together encourages teams to be empathetic and respectful of team members. When teams have the shared goals and focus on fow, they work collectively and interact positively – this increases team unity and collaboration and encourages individuals to bring forward new ideas in service of their shared goal.
A team being ‘in fow’ which is hard to pin down, but it is very apparent when it’s not happening. Each member of a team, and particularly the leader of the team, has the responsibility to nourish and till the soil of the team so it can establish fow,
Climate, focus, process and fow are four simple elements when applied to a team are ingredients akin to tilling the soil, hydrating and nourishing a plant, which can help ensure your team grows and thrives. Taking this lesson from nature, what
are you doing in your teams to ensure you are maximising your team’s success?
Author
Fiona Logan is Chief Executive of Insights. Fiona came to Insights in 2015 as VP Europe, and soon took on the role of Chief Operating Ofcer. She joined from her post as CEO of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park following an international corporate career with IBM and Unilever. Fiona has attended Henley, Harvard and Macquarie Business Schools and is a previous winner of the UK Public Servant of the Year from the Women in Public Life awards. Fiona enjoys life as a mum to two teenagers and is a passionate wild swimmer, walker and environmentalist.
https://www.insights.com/
How we adapt to new ways of working today is going to have a dramatic impact on the types of talent we hire in the future. As many of us have experienced, working from home has become a more accepted, and necessary, practice in the wake of Covid-19 and the disruption caused over the past two years.
As restrictions are lifted in the UK, businesses are faced with a choice, while many people now expect the option to work remotely. In response, people have shown willing to go and fnd the ideal role that fts to their lifestyle. Businesses are becoming more fexible and are now placing less emphasis on the workplace.
Employees are no longer restricted by their geography and employers are granted the opportunity to scour the planet for the best talent for their operation. What this means is that companies are fnding it easier to diversify their workforce with a variety of experienced people, which will bode them well in the longer term, as the role of industry on its environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) comes into play.
Although an opportunity for positive change and strides towards more equitable employment, on the other hand, this also means that companies that provide remote and hybrid working options are going to have to fnd ways to integrate new starters and jobseekers into their workforce.
Without the same levels of facetime that pre-pandemic hires perhaps took for granted, the new and future generations could lose out of invaluable experiences gained by rubbing shoulders with their peers. That natural osmosis is vital to the transfer of knowledge. If we ignore this fact, businesses could fnd that the knowledge base within their organisation will eventually diminish.
Despite a change in attitudes towards employee welfare and the greater level of choice employees now own, the success of any business is still ultimately dictated by the market they work in. It’s unfortunate, but at this moment in time I believe lots of managers still defne their company’s success in the same way as they used to before remote working became the norm; defned by the number of hours people are seen to be putting in while business leaders seem to correlate that with fnancial growth.
However, there are new, numerical factors that businesses have begun to take note of in recent years. For example, the global eforts to combat climate change and its pursuit for net-zero will have a direct impact on the longevity and future growth of our industries. Furthermore, focus is turning onto the company’s social responsibility. As a result, more businesses are becoming conscientious employers.
It’s difcult to know how deep this transition is truly translating within UK companies. There are many business leaders who, at this time, perceive ESG as a disruption or a cost, rather than something that’s of immediate beneft to them, fnancially. That said, there is a much broader conversation around social and environmental responsibility within the workforce. While a huge positive, there are still several companies that are struggling to navigate these changing times.
Even prior to the Covid era, our communities were already becoming more connected. With the acceleration of conferencing technologies and the changing sentiment among employees working remotely, our workforces are becoming more homogenous while proving they can operate without the need to work side-by-side.
For example, our team at Optimist Performance facilitated an “away day” for one or clients last November. What’s interesting is that, of the 50 people in attendance, less than half of them had met one another before that team event, while the others were meeting each other in the fesh for the frst time – despite having worked for the same company for the past two years.
This gives you an idea of how far the proverbial tentacles can spread, and how far companies are willing to go to fnd talent – it’s becoming much more extensive.
The challenge in this “new normal” continues to be based on how we help people to nurture and develop as employees. The question, however, is how to do that efectively while ensuring that people have the fexibility to continue working of their own volition.
This is where businesses must tread carefully as our industries enter new territory. Working remotely might be appealing if you’re an experienced hire – if you have the talent, businesses are less likely to turn you away simply because you don’t live within a commutable distance of their headquarters.
Where we are seeing challenges is when companies want to fnd less experienced hires that they can mould and nurture. While the workplace is traditionally a hub of information for a new starter, without regular interactions with their peers –away from Zoom or whatever virtual conferencing platform you elect to use within your business – they are more likely to plateau if they are not exposed to the wealth of experience in the company on a daily or even a part-time basis.
There are certain scenarios that cannot be replicated by workforces working remotely. Hearing and seeing how an experienced member of the team operates imparts wisdom that cannot be realised on a virtual video call. As our working patterns become more prescribed, meaning that our days are
often pre-disposed by online meetings, and we fll the time we do spend in the ofce with as much “practical” facetime as possible, there is the risk we’re migrating further away from the working cultures that we used to thrive on.
The most efective way for people to develop is by being around other people. The methods with which this is being deployed is now becoming more varied. And that’s ultimately a good thing because people do work at diferent speeds and at their best in diferent environments, so it’s important to retain that fexibility to work where you feel most comfortable. Therefore, while the pandemic has accelerated the technology and ability for companies to hire diferent types of talent, almost anywhere in the world, we should be mindful of the knowledge transfer that could be lost if your workforce is entirely independent of each other.
In response, while employees now demand more fexibility around where, when and how they choose to work, the employer carries a responsibility both to the individual’s
wellbeing and personal development and can be difcult to juggle when building a diverse team formed of diferent levels of experience and people at diferent stages of their careers. As a result, we should also be establishing the infrastructure and opportunities for people in the workforce to work alongside one another wherever possible. And that begins with creating inclusive and dynamic hubs where the wider team feels welcome, empowered, and enthusiastic to do what they do best.
AuthorOllie Phillips is the founder of Optimist Performance, a company specialising in performance coaching, leadership, and behavioural change
. www.optimistperformance.com
There is a saying: “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” This cannot be more true when it comes to entrepreneurs and their network. A community of like-minded peers is crucial for any business owner and their success. To network and share experiences and insights with other leaders allows you to draw from the expertise that only another entrepreneur would have.
When I started my business, I initially felt very isolated. Very few of my friends ran their own businesses or had to think about the things I was thinking of at that stage. As my business grew I started getting increasingly anxious with the lack of just being able to talk to someone in the same boat. As a frst-time entrepreneur I was suddenly expected to know how to run a multi-million Pound business, without anyone to bounce ideas of, share knowledge with, or just get some more complex questions answered. It became evident that having like-minded people to surround yourself with wasn’t just a nice to have, it was a necessity.
The importance of networking cannot be overemphasised. It is essential for all business people, but particularly for the founders of startups and for entrepreneurs.
Luck was on my side when I was on a business trip in the Philippines and randomly discussed how to utilise ofshore resources with someone I had met there one day. Through him I was introduced to a supplier who was a member of Entrepreneurs Organisation (EO) London. As an entrepreneur, working long hours and doing a great deal of the work on my own, I hardly thought I could aford the time to network. This proved to be entirely wrong! Not only was this an introduction to a like-minded individual with advice and expertise to share, but it also turned out to be my frst experience of just how members of the forum look out for one another. I received frst class introductions and invaluable hospitality and insights into business - something that hasn’t stopped to this day.
After that specifc trip, I found that my local needs were also being met back in London. Once a month members meet up in a forum - in essence it functions like a board meeting for entrepreneurs. Preparation is required in the form of a onepage update on what you’re busy with at that particular time. If there is a particularly gnarly problem holding you back, this meeting gives you the opportunity to present it - just like at any company board meeting. It’s not all work though - we religiously have dinner afterwards!
Being in EO is not just great in concept, it also translates well into practice. With multiple chapters across the globe, you’ve always got a support network, no matter where you are. My business focuses on modernising fnancial, tax and regulatory reporting and bringing some colour to what can appear to be a grey world of manual and mundane tasks. Our latest
software, called for:sight, is helping our clients digitalise tax, cut costs, drive efciencies and boost compliance. When we expanded the business into the US, the local New York chapter provided me with a lot of support - from fnding an accountant, a recruitment consultant and even an apartment. All sorted in one afternoon thanks to connections through EO!
When starting a networking journey, keep the following in mind:
Make new connections where and whenever you can; however, don’t forget about the ones you’ve made in the past.
Be authentic when meeting new people. This will help build genuine, long-lasting relationships.
Present your company in such a way as you want people to perceive it. Honesty and authenticity are key here as well.
When discussing topics in a group, try touching on those that are of common interest.
Be active and of service when dishing out advice to other entrepreneurs. This will make you unmissable - the one to contact when help is needed.
Stay in touch with your network to uphold strong relationships.
Whether, as a business owner, you’re looking for new business opportunities, to combat loneliness, to build connections, to help others, to have questions answered, or to build brand awareness; networking is the answer - and the easiest way to do that is through your local chapter of EO or another business networking forum.
Author Richard Metcalfe, Board Advisor at ARKK and board member of Entrepreneurs Organisation London.https://www.arkksolutions.com/
https://www.eolondon.org/
Writing copy can be challenging and the last thing you want is to spend hours working on a piece, only for it to miss the mark.
Zoe Melhuish, Content Creator at creative marketing agency PMW, advises on the tools and techniques that can make your writing more efective and help you to get the most out of your copy.
It may sound like a cliché, but it really is essential to grab your audience with your frst few words or sentences. Your opening, or ‘hook’, is what determines whether your audience will read the rest of your copy.
An example of this can be seen in a famous scene from the comedy series, ‘The IT Crowd’ in which Moss is trying to contact the emergency services via email. In his frst draft he types, “Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing to inform you of a fre which has broken out at the premises of…” before rewriting it as “Dear Sir/Madam, FIRE! FIRE! Help me!”
Although these are emails as opposed to the copy you might be writing, they are a great way of demonstrating an inefective opening vs an efective opening as you can see how the second draft grabs the attention of the audience more. Why? Because it is short, sharp and snappy, getting to the information quickly, whereas the frst draft rambled on, making it easier for the audience to gloss over the information rather than absorbing it. So, make sure your own openings are similarly short, sharp and get to the point.
A question can also be an efective hook because it actively engages the reader and encourages them to think and to pay more interest to the rest of the copy.
We regularly come across triplets or examples of the rule of three in efective writing. For example, ‘Reduce, reuse, recycle’. These are short sharp phrases, often no more than three words long, that, when put together, have a powerful impact and are crucially very memorable. They may contain alliteration (all starting with the same letter) but are still efective without this. Triplets are a great way of communicating simple instructions, so are often used when explaining how to use a particular product.
Whilst accidental repetition can cause the audience to switch of, deliberate repetition can emphasise your point
and make your copy more efective. Repeating a key phrase or rhetorical question, which the topic of your copy provides the answer to, can reinforce your key message to the audience. For example, if your copy is about advice on how to feel more energised, you could repeat the word ‘tired’ in a rhetorical question, for example, ‘tired of feeling tired?’, then provide the solution.
This technique works best when a small section of writing, such as a short phrase or question, is repeated, and it is important not to use repetition too much as this could cause the reader to switch of. Try to limit using the same phrase a maximum of three times in a piece to avoid this.
This is a technique in which rather than talking to the audience from a distance, such as writing ‘some people fnd’, you refer to them directly, for example, ‘you can see’. This makes the audience feel closer to the writer, that they are being addressed as an individual, and that the business understands them. It is a relatively simple technique but used appropriately it can make your writing more efective. However, be mindful of how formal your piece of copy needs to be, as using direct address can make a piece less formal, so consider when it is most appropriate to apply this technique. A strong ending
Think of your copy almost as a story with a beginning (the opening), a middle (the body of your copy), and an end (brining the piece to a close). Your audience should be able to identify when the copy moves from one section to the next. However, when reading a piece of copy it can sometimes feel like there is a beginning and middle, but no end, rather the copy stops abruptly. To avoid this, try signalling to the audience that your copy is ending by briefy bringing together some of the main points discussed, linking back to the opening of your copy or providing a call to action, such as visit this website, buy now, etc. By doing this you will improve the structure of your copy and make it feel complete, which will provide a better reading experience for your audience.
Although writing copy can be challenging, practising these techniques will help you create more efective pieces. If, however you still feel that your copy could be improved, then consider employing a professional copywriter who will be experienced in using these techniques and many others.
When most people think of ‘infuencers’, they are usually thinking about Instagram stars. And whilst these infuencers can reach large swathes of the population, they aren’t always the most efective, particularly when it comes to brand advocacy and word of mouth marketing.
The very best infuencers for a business, are its employees. Afterall, what better brand advocate could there be than the people that work there?
The biggest brand advocates share the same values as a business and will display those values – and therefore the company - in a positive and authentic light.
Whether deliberate or not, brand advocates and business infuencers will boost awareness: supporting sales, customer engagement and even recruitment.
David Bernard, CEO of innovative artifcial intelligence recruitment frm AssessFirst, is passionate about creating a positive business culture and states that personality underpins this.
He said: “During recruitment, though the cognitive skillset of an individual is important, their personality should never be overlooked. If a candidate’s personality has a high afnity with their employer - and its values, mission and visionthen the candidate will represent and advocate for that frm, becoming an infuencer often without realising.”
David explains why recruiters should consider which information about a person is truly transformative in the search for ideal candidates.
He said: “Through predictive psychometric technology, we are able to provide non-bias evidence that will indicate a candidate’s ability to thrive in a particular company culture, in a particular job, and even within a very specifc team. Company culture looks after itself with the right people on board.”
Great company culture boosts productivity, with happy employees being 31 per cent more productive than less happy counterparts. What’s more, a happy and emotionally healthy workforce is proven to drive brand engagement.
For example, Swedish fashion brand Lindex is renowned for its uplifting and encouraging culture. Supporting its staf through body positivity initiatives, Lindex launched an underwear campaign using them as the models. Because of this, brand advocacy is very high.
Similarly, Zoom is recognised for its culture that focuses on employee satisfaction and ultimately, takes care of its staf whilst they take care of their work. This comes as the frm takes the top spot as the company with the happiest employees for the second year in a row.
And, with research showing that 90% of Zoom Video Communications employees report happiness with their work-life balance, topped with 98% stating that they would call their work environment positive, this is a positive refection of Zoom’s cultural commitment to ‘deliver happiness’ to its staf. David said, “A workplace culture that is centred around fexibility, collaboration and community is one that will achieve great success: attracting and retaining new team members.
“And, as employees are a business’s biggest infuencer, these are all things that should be considered and put into practice.” David is a pioneer of remote working: helping his team to seek out an ideal work-life balance, which is demonstrated through AssessFirst’s 100% remote business model.
He said: “Where employers can do it, remote working provides new opportunity for both employees and businesses.
“It gives businesses access to a larger talent pool, fostering collaboration with people from diverse backgrounds worldwide.”
Avoid the risk of clashing culture with personality
To maximise productivity, it is important for businesses and employees to work together towards the same goal.
And David explains the risks that businesses may face if their company culture isn’t refected by the people that work there. He said: “Culture and personality are so closely bound to one another that there is great risk in not having them aligned.
“Bad reviews, negative word of mouth marketing and lack of efciency are all things that are put at risk when employee personality and business culture aren’t aligned.”
Employees are critical to the success of any business, so it is only right for their personalities to be embraced. David encourages companies to nurture individual personalities as part of a collective cultural establishment. This, he argues, is what creates the best infuencers your business could ever hope for.
In business, failure is as much a part of life as success, if not more so. Entrepreneurs are often driven by high achievement and therefore can feel setbacks deeply, but handled in the right way, challenges can propel us forward to go on to achieve even greater things.
The very concepts of ‘success’ and ‘failure’ are deeply subjective terms that are rarely as black and white as proft and loss. Moreover, these concepts can be heavily infuenced by our own perceptions of a situation and how we frame things in our minds. Think of a time you pitched an idea to a group. You might have come away thinking it landed horribly, or people just didn’t get your idea. That feeling of failure has crept in. However, the group might have loved your idea and wanted to discuss it further internally before sharing any feedback with you.
Considering and understanding context is, therefore, incredibly important when it comes to determining how to move on from either end of the success/failure spectrum. What were your goals to start with? Where have you come from to get where you are now? What can you learn from where you are today to take you into tomorrow?
One of the most common reasons for failure is poor expectation and goal setting from the outset. It is human nature to overestimate what we can do and place ourselves on an unattainably high pedestal. But if we shoot for the moon and fail, it becomes all the more painful a process to recover from. Instead, if we are realistic with our goals and specifc about what we want from the get-go, it will help give a clearer indication of what success or failure will look like based on the outcomes we achieve.
If your goals are dependent on a team, a shared agreement of what those goals are, and a common sense of purpose are absolutely essential to ensure everyone is clear about what it is they are working to achieve and in what way.
Strong leadership action is key. The role of a strong leader is key. The most efective leadership action involves outlining a clear sense of direction, whilst also setting the tone to invite everyone to participate without fear of judgement or reproach. This is known as ‘psychological safety’ and is critical to facilitating good conversations where everyone feels their input is valued and important. This enables people to feel comfortable within a group and more likely to perform at their best. Teams who are not having good conversations, are not likely to succeed.
Moreover, it is also important to think about how teams are built and come together. Our human nature is to gravitate towards people who mirror ourselves, but homogeneity and ‘group think’ can often be the enemy of success. To innovate, you need diversity amongst your team so as to fnd as many difering perspectives on how best to reach your goal or tackle a problem.
Research has shown that when we experience a set-back, how we choose to respond can fundamentally afect our brains. Specifcally, internalising a failure (or something we perceive to have been a failure) and dwelling on it, can eventually impair our ability to function in the future. So, it’s important to remember that success and failure are like a rollercoaster. You have to have the highs and the lows, but there will always be a way up again.
Positive thinking is not simply a cliched motivational message to be added to mugs, it really does make a diference. By using positive language in our thoughts, we can shift our thinking to reinforce the messages we need to be successful. For instance, instead of “I hope I don’t make a mistake during this meeting with a client” turn it into “During this meeting I will speak clearly with confdence because my idea is worth sharing.”
Studies have shown that focusing on the positives of our outcomes, even our failures, we can shrink the psychological hurt we feel as a result. This is important because when we experience failure and it hurts us, our subconscious tells us that we never want to fail at that same thing again, giving us a propensity to avoid doing anything similar again in order to prevent the hurt. This is known as avoidance motivation.
The counter to avoidance motivation is promotion motivation, which is the process of telling yourself something went well and celebrating it. By recognising your progress in small chunks and reviewing that process, it extends our enjoyment of our achievements if we take the small wins. Our brains accelerate as we perceive success to be closer, so the more we see achievement, the closer we feel we’re getting to it. When running a marathon, our brains simply couldn’t cope if we just focused on getting to the end of the 26 miles, but if we tackle it by celebrating a series of smaller milestones, it increases our motivation and helps accelerate achievement. The same approach can be taken with business goals.
British tennis player Emma Raducanu demonstrated a brilliant response to adversity after she opted to drop out of the Wimbledon following health issues, despite a promising start to the competition. Instead of dwelling on the situation, she actively took control of the narrative by retelling her story
by focusing on the positives of her game up until the point she had to drop out. The strategy worked well, and she went on to win the US Open only a few months later.
It is true that most start-up businesses fail.This, however, is not necessarily a negative. If in doubt, considerthe countless, hugely successful, entrepreneurs who have all had their fair share of business failures along their path to success. Failure is a positive when you use it to infuence how you plan for the future and provides an additional set of tools to help you fex and deal with adversity in the future.
It’s useful to take a strength-based approach to this, which means regrouping and learning from the positives of the experience as opposed to trying to solve problems. Ask yourselves what went well? How did you achieve what you did? What processes helped you achieve this? What values did you work to in order to deliver those strengths? Now, how can you shape those strengths to reimagine them in a positive light?
When going through this process, it’s good to have open and honest conversations which use positive language to build on people’s ideas, even if they are not views shared across the group. Taking a human-centred approach plays a huge part in building empathy amongst the team which will help boost
The most successful people accept and expect failure to happen and therefore plan accordingly for it. For an efective strategy, be sure to build in an ‘in case of emergency’ style plan so that if and when things go wrong, you are more prepared to respond.
None of us are gifted with a crystal ball, so there will inevitably be things that do occur that are outside of our control. In order to respond to those sorts of challenges, it is helpful to always try and keep time back in the day to ‘expect the unexpected’. By doing so, it helps us to always keep one eye on our ultimate long term strategic goals, whilst still retaining an all important ability to react in the moment.
AuthorStuart Kelly is a Performance Psychology Consultant at Impact, a global leadership development and creative change agency. Utilising his background in sports psychology, Stuart works with high performing athletes and teams to help them prepare and perform at their optimum.
Website: https://www.impactinternational.com/
Work-life balance is a term we’ve frequently heard banded about and more so since the Covid-19 pandemic, which has seen many of us working remotely.
A balance suggests that we should have an equal division of working and family or leisure activities, but shouldn’t we be looking to fnd harmony between work and life, not balancing one against the other?
This is especially true for business owners and leaders. At the diferent stages of their businesses, they will need to dedicate diferent amounts of time and energy.
Just as the needs for family, friends, and yourself change and go through seasons, your business will too. Therefore, work and the rest of life might not always be balanced and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing in the short term.
Some people are building their business at pace and dedicate their time and energy to that. For others, family comes frst and there is every shade of grey in between. Business owners are individual leaders, with unique businesses and diferent personal and company visions. However, those who put their business frst do need to be mindful of what they might sacrifce in their homelife.
The challenge is how we achieve a ‘work/rest of life’ harmony, starting with defning what it means to you.
Finding the harmony of your work-life brings perspective. If you only ever focus on delivering your vision for work, you may well forget why you’re doing it in the frst place: mostly likely to live well and look after those you care about. It’s easy to miss this if you only work.
When you start a business, you often burn the candle at both ends and you get used to working long hours. It becomes the norm, and you don’t challenge yourself as to what you really need to focus on.
By taking the right amount of time away, you feel revitalised, healthier, and then actually enjoy work more as well as ‘life’. Not only that, but you reduce stress and increase productivity. Stop feeling guilty
Business owners often face a lot of fear. Fear that their business is about to evaporate; that the people who work for them don’t understand what the business needs; that if they turn down an opportunity that it may never return, and in general, they feel guilty when they are at work, and guilty when they are not.
You should never feel guilty for taking a rest, it’s important that we do.
A lack of harmony between work and life often boils down to not prioritising and planning efectively. You’ll fnd that if you maintain one to-do list for both business and personal tasks, you’ll be able to prioritise your time much better. And once you have a plan, stick to it.
Business leaders often overwork because they have a reluctance to delegate. This might be because the processes are in their heads, meaning it’s quicker to do the task themselves rather than explaining to someone else. Secondly, leaders can worry that no-one can do it like they can. Instead, leaders need to challenge themselves and ask – “could they do it better than me?” It’s important to accept that we all have diferent ways of doing things, and just because someone has a diferent approach to something, it doesn’t mean it’s wrong…and it could be better!
It’s bafing how many of us continue with a work-life balance with which we’re unhappy. If you hear yourself saying “I don’t have time” or if your partner complains about how much you are working, that might be a signal to review how you’re spending your time and make changes.
We all have the same amount of time available to us. What difers is how we each choose to use it.
Sometimes we can be very insular and not realise that as leaders, we need to think about the work-life harmony of others too. You are an example to your employees. What sort of culture are you creating if you’re always at your desk? They may replicate your behaviour, believing that working long hours is what is expected of them.
Take some time out to think about these things and you’ll be on your way to leading a more fulflled working life.
Author Mags Fuller, co-owner of The Alternative Board https://www.thealternativeboard.co.uk/
Churchill said, men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most pick themselves up and hurry of as if nothing had happened…
If you have stumbled across the article and hurry of ‘as if nothing has happened’ it will be shame.
What might have started out as an intrinsic enthusiasm to progress a career, to climb the corporate ladder or to build a business can often end up with a person developing perfectionist and obsessional traits.
If these traits become habitual then choosing work over other aspects of life can soon turn into a compulsion to work.
For those men that progress from a habitual to a compulsive demeanour, they can often fnd that their continued weighting of work creates signifcant challenges in their lives, particularly when married and with children.
Workaholism is seemingly most prevalent in Type A’s; those men that are hype competitive and obsessively outcome oriented – the same men that undoubtedly go on excel in their corporate companies or build hugely successful businesses.
Workaholics can forget work – life balance as most of their time, they’re experiencing work – life confict.
Let’s get clear, workaholism is defned as a ‘compulsive desire to work’ and a defnition of an addiction is ‘compulsive engagement despite adverse consequences’.
The word that stands out, that links these defnitions and that can be used to assess your attitude toward work is ‘compulsion’.
If you have a compulsion, a consistent urge to work then it’s likely that you have progressed from having a passion for your profession to becoming a workaholic.
The term came into existence in 1971 in the book ‘The Confessions of a Workaholic’. A time when many of our fathers would have been in the ‘thrusting’ stage of their careers and since then has gone on to become a somewhat socially and maritally respectable and acceptable addiction.
According to the fndings of recent survey that covered 2,000 employees across the UK (commissioned by SPANA), it found that 57 % of those surveyed checked their emails during the weekend, that 40 % feel they cannot switch of after work and that 20% checked their emails whilst in bed.
A sign of our wider attitude to work is when we ask someone ‘how are you?’ and they reply curtly with ‘busy!’
Our ease of accessing work through our devices and superfast broadband means that for many, ‘busyness’ has become a badge of honour and in many company cultures, being frst in and last out of the ofce and fring emails at obscure times have become the subconscious metrics that determine whether or not someone is a ‘hard worker’.
As a society, I cannot help but feel we’re underestimating the seriousness and impact of workaholism in a socioeconomic sense.
Progressing the conversation around workaholism is an objective manner is a study the Bergan University (Norway). The study attempted to pin down exactly what lead people to developing a compulsive attitude toward work. The research team studied over 1,100 people and developed the Bergan Work Addiction Scale (BWAS).
The BWAS is diagnostic test to assess attitudes toward work and consists of 7 yes or no questions:
1.Do you think about how you can free up more time to work
2.Do you spend much more time working than initially intended
3.Do you work in order to reduce feelings of guilt, anxiety, helplessness
4.Have you been told by others to cut down on work but you don’t listen
5.Do you become stressed if you are prohibited from working
6.Do you de-prioritise hobbies, leisure activities or exercise because of work
7.Have you worked so much that it has negatively impacted your health
I believe the BWAS is a useful sense check, however, I also acknowledge that at times it may be necessary to prioritise work; the key diferentiator between having a passion for your work and being a workaholic is seemingly found in the word compulsion.
Steven Bartlett, millionaire millennial, the founder of Social Chain and host of the highly acclaimed, The Dairy of a CEO podcast talks regularly about his ‘compulsion’ to over index work and the adverse impact of this is his life, particularly in terms of his health and in his closest and intimate relationships. As a gender, Steven included, it appears many modern day professional men have/are aligning their identities to what they do and go on to derive their self-worth from how well they do it. Who are you without your career?
If your business was taken from you, who would you be… Take a moment to ponder these perhaps uncomfortable questions…
Over the past few years, I’ve worked with a number of clients that would have never considered themselves to be workaholics, instead they’ve viewed their approach toward
work as demonstrating their drive and desire, to be their best and provide for their families.
But for many of these men, the outcome of their actions, and their tendency to over index work is always the same, they come to me: Lacking balance, experiencing unhealthy levels of stress, their wellbeing has declined and their relationships and become distant.
Maybe the alarm bells are ringing for you, maybe you have never considered yourself a workaholic, but if you feel slightly uncomfortable reading this, may be there’s some inconvenient truths to be faced.
It’s trite but true, if you fnd yourself in a hole, stop digging. The more we converse and normalise the conversations around the difculties modern men experience, the more we, collectively, can reduce the stigma many men feel around asking for help or admitting they have an issue with something.
Author: Dan Stanley, Founder of BetterMen https://www.better-men.uk/Not only do product sampling marketing campaigns provide immediate value, but they also have a long-lasting impact on sales. Alternative strategies, such as coupon campaigns, tend to only be trackable for two to four months until the coupon expires. With sampling, consumers are given the opportunity to experience a product’s quality frst-hand and therefore the potential for them making a buying decision even months after is high.
Jeremy Freedman, Managing Director of the UK’s specialist private label wet wipe manufacturer, Guardpack , has a great deal of frst-hand experience with product sampling, particularly within the cosmetics sector. Despite the fact that you are efectively sending out free stock, Jeremy has found product sampling to be the most cost-efective marketing strategy Guardpack has helped to facilitate for their clients. In fact, some reports have found that as many as 73% of consumers were likely to buy a product upon sampling it.
Aside from being cost-efective, product sampling also provides an easy way to test the success of a product, whilst helping to build a more resolute brand and building on product confdence. Here, Jeremy has shared his personal insight into exactly how product sampling can improve your sales and how the strategy can be implemented.
Through product sampling, you can achieve a number of things. You can introduce a product and gather immediate feedback from consumers simultaneously. It is also an ideal marketing strategy for a new or improved product. It can be rewarding to utilise this technique when introducing a diferent use for an established product, or even in the efort to reach an audience in a new location.
Once you’ve established the aim of your sampling strategy, you must ensure that your target market has ample access to your product before launching your campaign. Along with this, you will need to consider how much stock you will need to meet the demand that will occur, following the sampling campaign. The average consumer is likely to be turned of if, upon trying the product, they discover it is not available for purchase after their initial introduction to it.
There are a variety of ways product samples can be delivered to your audience, including special events, magazine inserts, in-store distribution and even direct mail. The method, or methods, you choose will depend on the audience you’re attempting to reach. Some samples may even be distributed as on-pack promotions - a toothpaste sample attached to a bottle of same-brand mouthwash, for example. Alternatively, there’s also the option of near-pack promotions, such as, a free sample of laundry detergent alongside the purchase of
a new washing machine. Further to the above, you may wish to distribute your samples via a related industry partner, as this is certainly a cost-efcient method. An example of this could involve being ofered a free sample of moisturizing cream at the dermatologist’s ofce, or being provided with a much-needed wet wipe at the end of a particularly messy meal. This method is excellent as it puts the product in the hand of a consumer with an active need for it; giving them a memorable opportunity to appreciate its value.
Diferent brands will rely on diferent distribution methods to reach their respective audiences, and with such a vast range of methods to choose from, you have a great opportunity to control the expense of the campaign. Delivering samples in a direct mail campaign, for example, will be a lot cheaper than attending an event and hand delivering your product.
Being one of the cheaper methods certainly doesn’t make direct mail inefective, however. By establishing metrics for a direct mail campaign, you can test demographic lists, as well as the results of any subsequent direct mail campaigns. Looking to the more expensive end of the spectrum, event sampling may be costly, but the impact your brand can make through presentation alone can ofset the cost. Reaching your target audience at an event or venue that ties into your brand’s image will do much to create a positive brand association amongst your audience, that will almost certainly impact future purchases.
It’s also important not to forget the most modern form of product sampling: social media infuencers. Providing infuencers, with a large and relevant following, with product samples can help with your brand’s organic growth. This method is very cost-efective as you will only need to send out a small amount of samples for your product to reach a wide crowd.
Now that you have a good idea of the various benefts and methods of using product sampling as a marketing tool, you may feel ready to get started, but it’s always important to do some further research before sinking your teeth into something like this. You will need to understand the importance of psychographics in determining your sampling approach, for example. As well as how to utilise analytics to measure the overall efects of your campaign.
Like any business decision, a great deal of planning and preparation is paramount, and one of the most benefcial things you can do to ensure the success of a very efective marketing strategy.
Author
Jeremy Freedman has been producing more bespoke and personalised wet wipes sachets than any other UK company since 1995. Unlike other wet wipe contract sachet manufacturers, Guardpack are happy to ofer considerably low runs - from only 2000 units for bespoke productsmaking new product launches and trials a very afordable option. Further to this, the Guardpack team are also working hard to encourage their clients to invest in their range of biodegradable wipes, as well as their sachets made of a recyclable plastic laminate.
Guardpack website: https://www.guardpack.co.uk/
Equity crowdfunding, invented a decade ago, is more popular than ever with entrepreneurs and investors - professional and amateur alike. But as a successful founder and entrepreneur, what do you need to know about this important branch of Fintech?
Equity crowdfunding leverages the power of our social networks to address the difculties entrepreneurs and founders face in raising early-stage fnance. Entrepreneurs pitch online to raise equity funds in return for shares in their company. If the target amount is reached, cash is exchanged for shares; otherwise, all bets are of.
It works a bit like an online version of Dragon’s Den, except that entrepreneurs pitch their ideas on an equity crowdfunding platform to a huge virtual network of potential investors. Equity crowdfunding is often attractive to investors because they can put small amounts into a variety of businesses, with potentially high returns. It’s also appealing to entrepreneurs and founders because they have control over what they sell, how much and at what price.
Equity crowdfunding has a diverse group of investors. Many are experienced venture capitalists, angel investors and entrepreneurs in the same sector as you.
Others are interested in a particular frm or product, while some are looking at the impact of an investment on a neighbourhood or the environment. Another set are simply looking to grow their savings at a time when interest rates are rock bottom. So the environmentally conscious can invest in promising new ideas for carbon capture, while enthusiasts can invest in their favourite micro-brewery.
The typical pitch receives the bulk of its funds from a few large investors, but also from many people who just like the product or want to support a company that is local to them or employs people they know.
Don’t forget that the social network aspect of equity crowdfunding could be an important source of new ideas and feedback that could help your business for years to come. use the shareholding register, and the wider pitch process, as a foundation for a loyal and wise client base.
When a founder or entrepreneur raises funds through equity crowdfunding, the funds they raise create a liability in the form of equity, rather than debt. The business owner is exchanging a share of their future profts for capital right
away. This means that, unlike if you had raised money from a bank or via online peer-to-peer lending, there is no immediate impact on your cash fow because interest is not paid on debt.
This gives you an extra advantage - raising capital in this way doesn’t expose you to the threat of bankruptcy if you’re not able to meet your debt obligations.
Of course, the new equity holders will have rights to the agreed share of your future profts, once you begin to earn them.
It’s not a time-consuming process
Entrepreneurs and founders know all too well that the process to raise funds can be a long and torturous one.
Equity crowdfunding platforms have well-established processes. Entrepreneurs and founders must capture the imagination of the ‘crowd’ on their chosen platform. Success is far from guaranteed, but there are numerous examples of what works and what doesn’t.
At a most basic level, entrepreneurs must provide business plans and information about their team and products for all potential investors to see and take part in online conversations about their business. The video from the entrepreneur explaining the business model and why she or he is the right person to implement it is often key.
The process, as far as entrepreneurs and founders are concerned, is tried-and-tested and not too time-consuming.
Be aware of how much information you’ll need to make public
Despite the many advantages of equity crowdfunding for entrepreneurs and founders, it’s not an ideal way of raising funds for all new businesses.
If yours is a frm which relies heavily on a unique technology or business model, you’ll need to post quite a lot of detailed information about this on the platform. You may prefer a less information intensive and open-source way of raising funds.
AuthorSaul Estrin is an Emeritus Professor of Managerial Economics and Strategy and the founding Head of the Department of Management. He was formerly Adecco Professor of Business and Society at London Business School where he was the Director of the CIS Middle Europe Centre and Research Director of the Centre for New and Emerging Markets. At LSE he is afliated with the Centre for Economic Performance and was the Research Director of the Entrepreneurship Institute.
Sooner or later, your company will be the victim of fraud. With fraud up 150% during the pandemic and fraud techniques becoming more sophisticated than ever (thanks in part to more experienced fraudsters selling their expertise as ‘fraud as a service’) it’s almost an inevitability.
At SEON we have a personal history with fraud. Originally, my Co-Founder and I started a cryptocurrency exchange. Almost as soon as it was launched the exchange was hit by a wave of fraud attempts, and probably quite a few successful frauds that we just could not detect. When we looked at the market for anti-fraud solutions that would cut fraud attempts of at the source, we found the industry was lacking. Nothing we saw was using the power and speed of cloud computing, big data and assisted machine learning – the industry was a step behind what was possible. So, we made our own. It worked incredibly, and when news spread of how well we were doing other companies asked if they could use the software, and we found that we had a viable business model that could make an impact on the growing and very costly world of digital fraud.
Your company might not have the resources to code an entire anti-fraud solution from scratch, but there are ways to make yourself safer. One of the key things we do as a company at the top level is try to understand how fraudsters operate –half of the interviews on our Cat & Mouse podcast are with former or current fraudsters, and they’re a great source of information on how our opponents operate.
Listing every technique that they use would be impossible, but what you can do is learn to see your company as a fraudster sees it. This will allow you to fnd vulnerabilities and patch holes that you might not have known about otherwise. Understand the two types of fraud
Very broadly, there are two types of fraud:
1. Automated: Using data sets and scripts a fraudster will send hundreds or thousands of low efort, low-level attacks – the easy to spot phishing scams you probably receive in your inbox and delete right away are one example. If your company has an eCommerce site, then a script could create dozens of fake accounts using publicly available or hacked data and exploit loopholes in your systems. SEON’s own automated, and signifcantly more intelligent, systems are extremely efective at combatting this type of fraud.
2. Sophisticated: These require a fraudster, or a whole team of fraudsters, to be actively engaged in trying to part you from your money. They could be in contact with you for months to ‘social engineer’ a desired outcome, even call you on the phone or meet you in person. They might even partner with your company or pose as investors. These types of fraud can only be countered by your own wits and a willingness to
question everything, no matter how legitimate it appears. Seeing opportunities
One of the key takeaways from our conversations with fraudsters is that every company has something that they could want. You might think that their one and only goal would be to open up your bank account and transfer everything out, but you would be wrong. Even if you restrict yourself to only thinking about ‘value’ in monetary terms there are dozens of easier ways to get money from a company – sending fake invoices, creating multiple accounts to abuse signup bonuses, claiming to have not received orders that they have paid for and getting a refund and so on.
Information can often be as valuable as currency as it can lead to further frauds or just be sold on dark web marketplaces. A list of every company that your company does business with, for example, could be used in fraud attempts in which fraudsters impersonate (either over the phone or through hacked/spoofed emails) a purchaser at a company and ask for goods to be delivered or payments to be made.
Once you have audited your company top to bottom for everything that could potentially be of value to fraudsters you need to look at how everything on your list can be accessed and how likely it is that fraudsters will be able to use each form of access. Nobody is likely to hack the high-end security on your company’s bank account, for example, but they could easily fnd out the name and email of somebody in your accounting team along with the name of one of your suppliers and send them an invoice that looks real, seemingly comes from a real email address but directs money to another account. They could also compromise an account and ask for a password to be reset that would allow them to download the details of every customer you have ever done business with.
Finding each way for money, goods or information to move out of your company and who controls these access points is key. It is likely that rather than installing frewalls and tightening up processes, a lot of your anti-fraud work will be in educating the staf members who sit at key points (IT professionals, accountants, receptionists or anyone in a customer-facing role) about what information to give out and what questions to ask. If your IT manager gets an email ostensibly from the company’s CEO saying that they need a password reset, how can that be confrmed as legitimate? If your receptionist gets a call asking for the email for your head of accounting to send an invoice, how should they respond?
Fraudsters are not going to give your company a pass because it is a start-up – they did not when we started our crypto
exchange. However, fraud solutions today are incredibly powerful at reducing fraud in companies ranging from startups through to established multinational businesses, but even the very best cloud-based software is not going to prevent a junior employee giving out their line manager’s email address. Just as children need to learn not to talk to strangers, your growing start-up needs to know how to spot fraud attempts and to always have one eye on safety.
Author
Tamas Kadar is the founder and CEO of SEON. He started the company with his co-founder when they were still students in university and built it from scratch. A graduate of the elite Corvinus University, he studied Deep Info Comms where he saw frst-hand how fraudsters and hackers looked to get around security measures. He has been featured in Forbes’ ‘Hottest Young Startups in Europe’ and is a regular startup pitch winner. He’s a true tech nerd’s product visionary for creating a fraud-free world. Visit: https://seon.io/
If there’s one thing that may be universally true when it comes to all the business owners Hanneke Antonelli has worked with over the years, it is that they are constantly looking to uplevel. There’s an almost neverending drive among most entrepreneurs to always do better, do more, and reach new levels of success-- whatever that may look like for them. The thing that is harder to determine is a guaranteed way to make sure they reach it. There are myriad obstacles that can get in the way of the next big thing, and that can make it harder to reach your goal. But at the end of the day, most entrepreneurs realize that success actually comes from within. They are ultimately able to create the success they want, and they are in charge of making it happen. That doesn’t necessarily make it any easier though, as anyone who has come up against mindset blocks knows. But what if there was a way to rewire your brain to create success? Hanneke says that you can, and she can show you how.
In order to rewire your brain for success, you have to frst understand how the mind works and how that infuences your actions. As Hanneke says, you can cultivate the strategic mindset you need for success, you just have to know how. This is what she lays out in her Up Level Formula that she uses with clients, and outlines in her new book The Up Level Project. The formula goes like this: Beliefs + Thoughts + Language + Feelings + Actions = Results.
So what does this mean exactly? To start, it’s important to remember that these factors all work together and also afect each other. You must strengthen them all to achieve the results you desire. You can say you want to make something happen, and even think you’re taking the action to make it happen, but if you really dig deep and fnd that for whatever reason you don’t actually believe it can happen for you, that holds you back. Your thoughts and beliefs afect your actions and reactions, and if you don’t truly believe you can do something, or aren’t thinking thoughts that align with what you want, you won’t likely get where you want to go.
What Hanneke advises clients and readers to do if they are having trouble reaching a goal and want to rewire their brain for success is to frst step back from action, and take a look at their belief, thoughts, and language, before moving on to the actions that they think will bring success. As she explains, if you believe that it’s impossible to achieve something or it’s too late to fx a problem in your life or business, then you will have thoughts that line up with that belief. Thoughts will come up like “oh this will never work”, or “we’ll never fgure this out.” If you have those kinds of beliefs, then you use language like “well, we can try to do…”, or “I guess I can…” If you are in a place where you have these kinds of beliefs about what you’re doing, and you’re using this kind of language, your actions will be in that same type of energy. When you believe deep down that something isn’t going to work, you act in a way that isn’t giving it your all. Are you going to show up 100% if you already think it isn’t going to work? No. Even if you
think you still will, you just don’t. And putting in half hearted efort will never achieve the results you want, because as all entrepreneurs know, you’re only going to be happy with the results, and consider it a success, if you’ve given it your all and done the absolute best that you can. And not the best that you could in the moment-- but the actual best of your full ability.
So how do you use this formula to rewire your brain for success? The secret sauce, as Hanneke says, is in stepping back to evaluate which section of the formula you specifcally need to work on at this time. Stepping back will allow you to be more strategic and see which areas you’re struggling with. Is it your belief that’s the problem, and you need to fnd ways to stop doubting that it is possible for you to achieve what you want? Is it in the language, and even though you believe you can make something happen you downplay it vocally because you don’t want to sound boastful or even jinx it? Or if you’re being really honest are you not taking the best confdent actions to create the results you want? Are you just going through the motions to check things of the list and procrastinating on the stuf you know will absolutely move the needle? You may need to work on one of the components, or you may need to work on several. But taking the time to assess where you’re out of alignment and review this in a truly honest way is key. Figure out what needs to change and how. Once you implement tweaks to this formula, you’ll quickly start to see results. The beauty is that the formula is more of a cycle than a linear progression. Once you achieve the results you’ve been working toward you’ll inevitably need to revisit the Up Level Formula. As you get ready to level up to the next stage of success you’ll re-evaluate your beliefs, thoughts, language, feelings and actions again.
The exciting part is that once you’ve done it one time it’s so much easier to recognize these components of the formula in yourself, and even without consciously taking the time and efort to think about it, you may catch yourself using language that doesn’t align with your goals, or experiencing feelings that you recognize might trip you up and need to be addressed. You get better and better at being able to notice the factors that are keeping you stuck and naturally fx them before it becomes a frustrating block in your progress. Like with most things, the more you practice it, the better you get. Soon you’ll be rewiring your brain every time you are ready to uplevel in your business or life, and you’ll be constantly amazed at this power you have over yourself and your success.
Author Hanneke Antonelli is an author and award-winning certifed life coach with 16 years of experience growing businesses in various industries. She draws on her business degree, Wall Street sales experience, and her decade as an entrepreneur to help business owners upgrade their leadership skills.
Visit: www.hannekeantonelli.com
Scaling your business, whilst maintaining efciency, is possibly one of the hardest things to do in performance advertising. The reason for that is down to the way the platforms are set up.
There are two traditional scaling methods - horizontal scaling and vertical scaling
Vertical scaling increases the daily spend on each of the ads. As an example, you could start of at £10 a day and push that up to £1000 or £10,000 per day. This used to work, but things have changes and now it’s pretty difcult to do unless you’ve got an amazing advert and performance.
Instead of increasing daily spend from, for example, £10 to £1000 per day, you run 10 diferent £10- a-day ads to get you to that £1000 per day total spend. To scale horizontally you need to create more adverts rather than just increasing the daily spend.
You will see much better performance from horizontal scaling when you use rules to incrementally increase daily budgets, rather than massively increasing them over a given time frame.
You can set up automatic rules; if your target is 3 times your return on ad spend, you can tell Facebook to automatically increase the daily budget by 10 or 15% if your ad is hitting that target and this is probably the most efective way to scale vertically.
There is a huge advantage to outsourcing your performance marketing as not only do you get access to a specialist but also the advantage of that agency being able to compare against other brands in other locations, and potentially even brands in similar verticals
For example, if we can see that the CPM’s are really high in the US and this is consistent throughout, this identifes a universal trend across the platform. If you are only working on one brand and one ad account, it would be almost impossible to make those sorts of assumptions with such limited data. With multiple clients, you can study overall performance and whether specifc ad platforms are broken or have been down
for a period of time. This insight can then be ofered to the client and changes suggested to their plan or strategy based on this evidence.
New clients often haven’t had a pixel setup implemented, so there is no pre-existing data to work from. This means that from an audience perspective, you have to target cold or upper funnel audiences, and the way to do that is through interest-based audiences. On most platforms, you can target people based on their interests, age and in some cases, fnancial information. Using some of our bike brands as an example, we have generic bike audiences which are really broad- those who have an interest in cycling, cycling teams, the Tour de France and so on, but we also have a specifc audience in cycling publications which have similar attributes. In addition, you can also create persona-based audiences. These are created based on diferent interests but instead of getting everyone interested in cycling (from the previous example), we would target someone of a certain age group. We can then use this customer profle and target your ideal customer through their interests; this is really efective.
Once you have over 100 conversions through the pixel, or if you’re working with a client who has pre-existing data, you are then able to create lookalike audiences and these audiences are your best performers
What is a look alike audience?
If you have 100 customers, Google will then duplicate that audience by targeting people with similar characteristics to your customers, based on aspects such as fnance or demographic. Your existing audience has already bought your product so by duplicating it, you have doubled your audience. Therefore, on a paid social, the lookalike audience will probably be your best performing audience.
You can also stack lookalikes. Instead of targeting one lookalike audience, you can put lookalike audiences together, creating an even wider reach.
Brands love to hit people with ofers because they are a good converter. If you ofer a 20% discount on your product, you’ll get a much higher clickthrough rate and probably a conversion. One of the problems that we see over and over is that brands are only trading on discounts. As a frst interaction
with your brand, customers are likely to make a purchase because people like the ofer and want to buy it ‘now’, but this means you are only trading on one messaging style. To avoid this, it’s better to tailor the copy or the type of creative specifcally, depending on where people are within the funnel. In the upper funnel, videos explaining the proposition of the brand and the USP of the product are efective, making sure that you are educating your audience about your brand and ofering so that even if they don’t purchase, they will know more about you, and you will have infltrated their subliminal radar.
In your lower funnel, your audience is already educated about your brand and this allows you to push the sales boundaries and provide them with an ofer because they’ve already been
through multiple touchpoints, so your fnal right hook could be a 5 or 10% ofer.
The results from these methods will be your guide on what is working and what to avoid but regular tweaks and refnement are key. And your safest bet? The advice of an expert who does this morning, noon and night – it’s a minefeld out there!
ENDS
Author Tim Hyde, Founder and Director of Social Media Marketing Agency, TWH MediaYou’ve decided to invest in property. Fantastic. But which type of funding should you seek? Do you just need capital or would a bit of hand-holding and business advice help you to reach your property portfolio goals faster? There are merits to both approaches, so let’s take a look at them in detail to see which suits your needs.
Are you 100% confdent in the property investment that you’ve got lined up? If so, and all you need is cash, then you’re in a strong position to ask family and friends to lend you what you need. Or to go down the route of using a bank or other lender.
Either way, if you’re confdent you can return the capital –along with interest, of course – and you can convince those you’re borrowing from to share your confdence, then this can be a neat and straight-forward solution to fnding the funding you need.
It’s important to understand whether you might need more than just cash for your property investment. After all, there’s a lot to be said for learning from the mistakes of others rather than making them yourself, particularly when large sums of money are involved.
If you feel you’re going to need experience as well as capital, then it’s worth seeking a partner who can help guide you through the acquisition side of the investment. In that case, it’s worth considering the person who you’re borrowing from just as carefully as the return on the capital.
Finding the perfect partner means looking for someone who brings a wide range of knowledge to the table. Their experience can be invaluable, as can their contacts. Look out for someone who knows how to deal with tough situations and who has plenty of experience of diferent types and sizes of property investment transaction.
It’s also important to fnd someone who is a good listener. The emotional side of investing in property is often overlooked, but the process can go from being exciting to worrying to infuriating and back to exciting very rapidly. Having a partner who understands this and who you can talk things through with can help you to keep calm and make sensible, wellplanned decisions rather than rash, reactive ones.
Finding a lender who can provide all this – as well as funding –can really pay dividends, so don’t feel rushed to borrow from someone that you don’t have the right feeling about. There’s a lot to be said for trusting your entrepreneurial side when it comes to deciding who you’re going to work with.
Whichever kind of funding you opt for – whether with business advice or without – think carefully about the return that you’re going to give on the capital you borrow. Your long-term plans will come into play here.
For example, are you planning to build up a property empire that you will keep for the next 20/30/40 years before eventually handing down to your children? If so, it makes sense to do all you can to avoid giving away equity. Of course, that’s easy to say, but in reality it will likely involve doing some hard miles to start with.
As such, keep your eyes on the prize while you’re putting in the hard work for very little initial return. Start small, with low overheads and build up your property portfolio slowly. After all, if you’re looking at a decades-long plan for your property investment, you’ve got time to spend building up a solid base for that on your own terms.
If, on the other hand, you’re looking to invest in multiple properties, with a view to selling after a few years in order to make a relatively fast proft, then it might be worth giving way equity in exchange for professional advice and support from someone with the experience, contacts and time to accelerate the speed to sale. If that person can walk you through the legalities of founding a tax-efcient property investment company and help package the business for sale when the time comes, then there’s a compelling case to make it worth their while with equity as well as (or even instead of) cash returns.
Shorter business lifespans such as this are better suited to partner-funders, as they can get you to your goal faster.
Ultimately, which type of funding you should seek will depend on your personal circumstances, goals and long-term strategy. There’s not really a right or wrong approach here but it is essential to recognise that the decisions you make early on in your investment process will likely still be with you years later, so they warrant plenty of thought and careful judgement.
AuthorSteve Jacob is Group CEO of Fabrik Property Group, as well as a director of its subsidiary, Fabrik Invest. Steve has been part of over 1,000 property transactions and has a wealth of industry knowledge to share. He has been involved in construction and business from a young age, moving from working on site to working in the city as a broker, before founding Fabrik Property Group in 2014.
Website: https://fabrikinvest.com/
No matter what industry you work in, the only thing that’s constant is change and how you move forward with your brand. This couldn’t be any truer for business owners who want to connect with consumers online and create new growth opportunities.
To do this, you’ll need to bring your brick-and-mortar store into the digital world, and it doesn’t have to be a difcult process. To help make the transition easier, I’ve put together fve of my top tips for moving a business online.
Firstly, you should think about creating a website for your business. You’ll need to think about the type of platform your website needs to be built on; this will vary depending on your needs and your industry.
For example, if you own a fashion business, then Shopify is an ideal platform, because it’s specifcally designed for eCommerce and makes it easy to sell products.
On the other hand, if you want a website that’s content-rich then WordPress may be more suitable. WordPress is a popular platform for blogging and has plenty of helpful widgets to enhance the customer experience.
Whatever platform you choose, make sure you do your research to fnd what works best for you and your business.
Don’t forget, you’ll also need to choose a domain name for the website of your online store. It’s good practice to have a domain name that matches the name of your business so your customers will recognise it immediately when they search online. When picking a domain name, make sure you try to keep it short and easy to understand, plus if you’re trying to target a local audience, then .uk or .us may be most appropriate.
Having a website is great, but now you need to make sure people can fnd you. Thinking about your local presence is a great way to get started, along with relying on referrals from others.
A great frst step you can take is building a Google My Business page. This creates a free online listing for your business, that allows you to add a description and photos, along with your contact details and address, meaning people can fnd your business in local searches. This is great if you still have a physical presence and want to drive footfall to your location.
Another great mechanism on Google My Business is the reviews platform. Recommendations, referrals and word of mouth still work online as a great way to win new business.
Make sure you are delivering exceptional service and ask your customers to leave you a review. This will help you to grow your audience and build credibility online.
3.Build a community of brand advocates through social media
My next tip is to create a social media strategy that’s linked with your website. Whether it’s Instagram, TikTok, Twitter or Facebook, social media is an easy way to connect with new customers, sell more products and drive business growth through website trafc.
Where I think social media really shines is in the power to create an online community of customers who are passionate about sharing your story. A platform that’s particularly great for this is Instagram, as you can use features such as Instagram Stories and Instagram Live to encourage people to share content that’s related to your business.
This user-generated content can be seen and shared by people who may have never heard of your brand and help to build more awareness. It’s because of this type of content that social media is such a great tool to use to reach more people organically.
If you’re looking to make a quick return from your online business, then you may also wish to consider running some paid social media ads, which will use specifc demographics to target adverts at your audience.
4.Video marketing makes a diference
As part of the wider strategy for moving your business online, you’ll want to invest in video marketing. This is because video is arguably the fastest-growing content medium in the world, with 54% of consumers wanting to see more video content produced by brands.
Video is an invaluable tool for increasing customer engagement across multiple platforms and providing more context about products and services.
I recommend experimenting with short form and long form video content to truly get the most value. This could involve creating 30 – 60 second videos that are displayed on product pages to give customers a deeper understanding of your goods, or used purely for engagement purposes on Instagram Reels and TikTok.
You could also consider starting a YouTube channel and create long-form videos, which dive deep into your brand story. This will have the beneft of building a stronger connection with your audience and going into detail about your products and services.
My fnal tip is to create a blog section for your website, where you can craft high-quality articles that are relevant to your industry.
Blogging is an integral part of any content marketing strategy and for building brand awareness. In fact, 60% of consumers feel that blogs provide useful information for them early in the buying journey and help them make an informed purchasing decision.
Here’s a quick check list of what you should consider when developing a blog:
•Have an engaging title that grabs the attention of the reader.
•Clearly separate blocks of text with H1 and H2 tags for better Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).
•Include short and long-tail keywords in the text to improve the chances of a blog being found in search engines.
•Use high-quality images and feature alt text as part of your SEO strategy.
•Feature a clear call to action at the end of the blog.
There are many benefts to moving your business online, which range from increased brand awareness to future proofng your business sales channels. By following these steps, you’ll be in a better position to move your company online and continue to adapt to the needs of your customers.
Author
Claire Daniels is the CEO of Trio Media, a fully integrated digital marketing agency and Google Premier Partner in Leeds. Claire was voted as Most Infuential CEO of the Year in Leeds in 2021 and also spends her time co-hosting two podcasts, The North Star Podcast and Bobble Pod.
Website: www.trio-media.co.uk
Mark Brown, founder of Psybersafe, online cyber training, talks about the infuence of psychology on the way we learn in business.
Businesses spend, collectively, millions of pounds on training every year. But are we sure we’re getting value for money – or that the training is having any useful impact? Sure, you get a certifcate at the end, and perhaps a document with some handy tips, but does the behaviour of the learners actually change? Does anything actually change?
My business kernel came from a question posed by a colleague: How can we help our clients protect themselves against cybercrime? We were working in an innovation incubator at the time, so had the space and some funding to look into what ‘good’ training really looks like. How could we get past the tick-box exercise that corporate training often entails, and get to something that was genuinely useful?
With a 25-year background in the fnancial markets, I became interested in how psychology worked in business, and I took a degree through the Open University. This led to a deep interest in behavioural science and how we can use its models and principles to improve the way we design, deliver and measure training – particularly cyber training in my case.
The premise is simple: We know that people don’t really ‘learn’ in a single training session, or over a webinar or by following a PowerPoint presentation. They access information, and they might fnd out something that they didn’t know before, but they are very unlikely to do anything diferently.
And yet, with something as critical as cybersecurity, it’s vital that we can change behaviours. Why? Because statistics suggest that 90% of cybercrime attacks succeed because of human error – and the criminals rely on people’s ambivalence. It’s gets them through the door. So, it’s not good enough for training to ‘tell’ people about the dangers of cyberattacks –you have to train them to think, behave and act diferently.
Using psychology in training is about changing habits. In fact, we use some of the same work that is used in hard-hitting government campaigns, such as smoking or drink-driving. The fact is that our brains are primed to take the easiest route. It’s why we use passwords like ‘Password’ or pin numbers like ‘1234’. It’s easy to do, easy to remember and so why make life more difcult?
In cybersecurity terms, it’s vital for businesses of all sizes to challenge these habits and encourage people to be more secure. Not just with their passwords, but also with checking and identifying suspicious emails and texts, checking links and fles before they click on them, and alerting IT departments when they are not sure about something.
That’s something that’s particularly important now that many more businesses have remote or home workers. We know that people rely on ‘prompts’ – things that help them to take action. So, in the case of security, employees are used to security passes, clocking-in tabs, reminders to lock laptops and other ofce-based security signals. These make them more likely to be careful with their own IT security.
When working from home, none of these signals are present – and people are working in an environment that’s very familiar and comfortable. So, it’s no surprise that security may be slipping. Without the prompts we are used to, we let our guard slip – and that’s exactly what a cybercriminal is waiting for. In fact, the whole pandemic has been a bit of a gift for phishing and ransomware scammers.
It’s the fact that smaller businesses are often less secure than larger organisations which makes them a target for cybercrime. SMEs should be worried about attacks – particularly ransomware. That’s because the criminals know that security might be easier to get past, and smaller companies might not think they are in danger, so behaviours are far less focused on organisational security than they should be. So instead of targeting large companies with great IT security and tough restrictions on employee access and security, they’ll go for those smaller businesses where cybersecurity just isn’t high enough up the agenda.
So, for these businesses especially, cyber training has to be about more than ‘tell’. It has to be about ‘do’. Behaviour-based training should take place over an extended period – the actual training can be short and sharp, but it should cover several months so that learners get into the habit of doing it, repeating it and putting it into practice. Lasting behaviour change requires lasting intervention.
It should also be reinforced or embedded through nonstandard training methods. So, for example, we deliver our training in monthly episodes that are less than 10 minutes long. In between episodes, learners get emails that remind them about what they’ve learned, encourage them to make sure they’re putting their learning into practice and ofer hints and tips on how to behave diferently. This method helps to embed the learning so that it stays with the learner.
By understanding how people inherently behave, businesses can manage change, improve skills and create a more motivated workforce. Businesses that ignore the lessons that behavioural science can give us are likely to experience poorer cultures, lower productivity and high staf turnover.
AuthorMark Brown is the founder of Psybersafe, an online cyber training programme, run as a Software as a Service model (SaaS) and based on proven behavioural science.
Website: https://www.psybersafe.com/
In her hit One Moment in Time Whitney Houston sang powerfully about a moment “When I’m more than I thought I could be.” It is moments like these that we strive for as entrepreneurs. Moments when our innate talents are used to the full and we bring our true potential into the light. Perhaps you’ve had moments when you have surprised other people and also surprised yourself with specifc business achievements.
As Winston Churchill said, “There comes a precious time in all our lives when we are tapped on the shoulder and ofered the opportunity to do something very special, that is unique to us and our abilities, what a tragedy it would be if we were not ready or willing.”
As a startup founder it is worth thinking back to times when you have grasped an opportunity and what you learned from the experience. My frst example is from my fnal year in secondary school. I was given a major part in a play, at the last minute, the day before it was due to be showcased to the entire school. At that point I hadn’t learnt any of the lines and I would be singing a solo. I accepted the challenge and managed to pull it of. I also enjoyed the experience.
As my teachers perceived me as a timid, quiet young person they were amazed that I could step into the breach and do so well. It happened again, years later when I came from behind to win a workplace karaoke competition. And also when I was able to land on some smooth solid ground when paragliding in the mountains.
What did colleagues and friends say after these events? “I didn’t know you had it in you!”
What struck me here is that I did know I had it in me. The challenges I was presented with had reached inside and pulled my ability out for the whole world to see. The genuine expression of surprise got me thinking that so many of us could tragically go through life without showing our inner talents simply because they either haven’t had the chance to shine through or weren’t brave enough to reveal them to the world.
So, why hadn’t others seen this side of me before? Reality is perception based and grounded in our social interactions. When assessing others, we ask ourselves do they ft our version of normality? Do they act, speak, behave and dress as we believe they should? We make split-second decisions and then categorise them. This judgement is mirrored onto our peers and consequently our version of ourselves becomes a mixture of who we think we are and who other people think we are. This can mean that we limit what we put out to the world, which will have knock on efect on the development of a new business.
To have any chance of changing this self-perception and tapping into our inner potential entrepreneurs need two essential things: opportunity and bravery.
By their very nature opportunities come from an external source and present themselves unexpectantly. In the moment we may feel unprepared to take them on. We could miss the window of opportunity, leaving us with feelings of regret and frustration that we didn’t have the necessary gumption to take the plunge.
The big obstacle most people (even entrepreneurs) face when deciding to take up an opportunity is self-doubt. So how can you overcome this and allow your true potential to come to the fore? The solution lies in gathering your inner strength so that you overcome any hesitation and go for it. This is the second element in the equation.
It’s worth remembering that our feelings can form a pattern during these moments that Whitney Houston sang so powerfully about. When an opportunity attracts you, you’re likely to feel hope and enthusiasm initially. However, selfdoubt is usually close by. It can react like a poison ivy, stifing your courage as it begins to surface. I like to compare these feelings to the frst fight of a fedgling. The little birds muster the strength to take of only to waver and dip sharply. Soon however, they learn to glide and eventually begin to soar spectacularly. During such times you need to hold your nerve until you get through the pattern of feelings.
Ideas to help seize opportunities and unleash your true potential
•Ask yourself if it is fear of failure or success that is really playing on your mind. Are you comfortable in your self-image no matter how limiting it is?
•Visualise a successful outcome. Think of the benefts that this event or project will lead to as you build your startup. How will your self-perception change? How will your self-image improve as a result?
•Be brave enough to, at least, give the opportunity a go. You are bound to learn something even if it doesn’t turn out quite as planned. You’ll feel better for trying, and others will admire you for your courage.
•Build on any positive experiences (big or small) you have had in the past. Write down how you mastered the tasks involved. Note any struggles you had and what you did to overcome them.
•Look to a successful entrepreneur, or business leader that you admire and learn from them. If they’ve written autobiography read it to understand their experiences of overcoming challenges.
•Keep a notebook of how you are feeling during the initial period of your new role as a startup founder. You will notice the pattern described above; the emergence of self-doubt and unease, gradually giving way to a more familiar experience. This can be used to draw solace when taking on future opportunities.
•If you feel as though you have taken on a mountain, break your challenge down into smaller chunks and work on them, step by step.
Having navigated through the choppy waters of self-doubt you will fnd that you are increasingly able to make the most of
the opportunities that come your way. Your entrepreneurial talents will come to the fore. You can then start building your bank of experience and really harness the power of your inner strength to grow your business and make your investors happy.
Aine O’Neill is a member of Toastmasters International, a not-for-proft organisation that has provided communication and leadership skills since 1924 through a worldwide network of clubs. There are more than 400 clubs and 10,000 members in the UK and Ireland. Members follow a structured educational programme to gain skills and confdence in public and impromptu speaking, chairing meetings and time management. To fnd your nearest club, visit www. toastmasters.org
Alice Tark, Chief of People at investment platform Change discusses how the cryptocurrency industry will continue to disrupt fnancial services and what it means for founders
With the global economy entering another period of uncertainty it’s easy to be less optimistic about the future. However, we all know that the most successful entrepreneurs see challenges as opportunities. A slow down in the tech industry can actually provide a moment of refection. It is the perfect time to think about where the next wave of innovation is going to come from and decide how you can position your business to make the most of it.
In the fnancial industry, the answer to this question is still found in decentralised fnance (DeFi). This may raise some eyebrows, because, after all, cryptocurrencies are in a well publicised bear market right now. Well, the simple response is that asset classes go up and down. In fact, many of the world’s stock markets are also now seeing similar drops. The fgures behind the investments tell you a clearer storyrecord numbers of people are trading and investing in crypto assets. In fact, investment in startups operating in crypto and blockchain remain strong. This is because there is a huge amount more to DeFi than Bitcoin or even NFTs.
At its core, DeFi is about empowering everyone to access the global fnancial system on their own terms. They can trade, invest, pay each other, take or give loans, have insurance, and own and move assets all over the world without the middlemen of fnancial institutions. To put this into perspective, according to the World Bank, 1.6 billion people are currently ‘unbanked’ - they do not have access to any traditional fnancial institutions. In Morocco that’s around 70% of the population. However, in more economically developed countries like the US it’s still an eye popping 7% - tens of millions of people. These individuals cannot easily do many of the things we take for granted - lease a car, buy a home, take out a loan, start a business or even have a bank account. Without fnancial access they fnd it next to impossible to accumulate wealth and improve their lives. DeFi can change all of this. It creates a whole new way for everyone - not just the unbanked - to run their fnancial lives. Imagine that. A world where everyone no matter where or who they are can have equal access to the tools they need to create wealth, buy and sell any asset globally and pay for goods in a huge range of ways.
So why isn’t DeFi all everyone is talking about on the news or in the pub? The short answer is that there is still a lot of work to do to get to this goal. Much of the infrastructure, applications, user experiences and products needed to make it a reality have yet to be built. A lot of progress has been made but we’re very much at the start of the journey. This is why there’s such a clear opportunity for ambitious entrepreneurs
in the crypto space. Let’s take just one example that we’ve all heard about in the past year - NFTs. Now - you may be a little sceptical about it because much of the conversation around NFTs has focused on the valuation of digital art. Again, like with Bitcoin you need to look behind the dayto-day values to really understand their worth. Using NFTs for art is just one very small application. What we are really talking about is creating a new way of owning and trading goods. Everything from cinema tickets through to property could, in principle, become NFTs. If we get it right, buying a house could change from several months to a few minutes. The crypto community is experimenting with how this all works through digital art at the moment. We’re learning what works, what doesn’t and how the best use cases and customer experiences can be created. A savvy entrepreneur can get involved and could be the person who comes up with the killer application.
Keeping an eye on what the crypto community is interested in is just one way to see what area of DeFi you could become a part of. There’s also taking what you know alreadysuch as the ‘traditional’ industry you work in and seeing if new solutions like blockchain could solve long standing problems. Many of the most interesting fntech and proptech companies have taken this approach.
Perhaps you’re an expert in cybersecurity? Maybe you could create a solution that will become the top security protocol in the new DeFi world. Or you’re involved with a charity that works with the homeless? Then you could develop a platform to help them to become banked and get out of poverty. The sky really is the limit because there’s so much yet to be created and so much innovation possible.
To get started, the best way is to do your research. Go to events, meet the community, read lots of diferent opinion pieces. You don’t need to become a mathematical genius who knows the intricacies of the blockchain, but you do need to be able to cut through all the hype and misunderstandings about the sector to see the real challenges and opportunities. In my experience, the crypto community is incredibly helpful and supportive - they want people to get more involved. So do not be afraid to ask for guidance. And just so you know - my door is always open! https://www.changeinvest.com/
In popular culture, successful entrepreneurs are typically portrayed as brilliant mavericks, forging their own paths. But even the world’s most high profle entrepreneurs didn’t get where they are today on their own. Of course, entrepreneurs work hard but they also lean on support wherever necessary. And for many entrepreneurs, the most valuable form of support available is mentorship.
One need only look at the value some of the world’s leading entrepreneurs got from their mentors to see how important mentors can be. Mark Zuckerberg leant on Steve Jobs for advice during Facebook’s early growth stages, Warren Bufett helped Bill Gates deal with tough times at Microsoft, and Sir Richard Branson asked British airline entrepreneur, Sir Freddie Laker, for guidance when he was trying to get Virgin Atlantic of the ground. There’s a chance their companies would still have been successful without that guidance, but the path to success would’ve been a lot rockier.
That makes sense: people in a position to provide mentorship have seen it all before and know how to get businesses out of a rut. They also know what it takes to overcome an entrepreneurial challenge and what connections can help an entrepreneur take their business to the next level.
I’ve also experienced that value personally. I’ve been blessed to have multiple mentors over the past 15 years. Each of them has contributed to an “aha” moment when I’ve hit the ceiling in business. It’s that feeling of frustration when you’ve tried lots of things and nothing has worked. I experienced this in my previous business where, by asking me a series of questions, my mentor helped me think of a unique value proposition in our business - which was right in front of our eyes, but we had taken it for granted.
Perhaps most critically, however, a mentor isn’t directly involved in the day-to-day running of the business. There are, of course, instances where investors have acted as mentors but much of their efectiveness comes from not being involved at an operational level.
From a mentee’s perspective, it is sometimes difcult to see their business from the outside. This is where an experienced mentor gives you the 30 000-foot view a mentee may be missing. As a mentee, one can take control of their growth in business and beyond by working with a mentor to achieve goals and gain fresh perspectives.
Having someone who can give you that overview can be crucial for entrepreneurs who can get so sucked into the minutiae of keeping a business going that they forget what the big vision is. A mentor can help remind them of what
the wider picture is and that their business decisions should always serve it rather than short-term survival.
Many mentors get involved in mentorship because they wish they’d had someone giving them that kind of overview when they were starting out on their own entrepreneurial journeys. Alternatively, they got a lot of value out of their own mentors and want to pass it on to the next generation of entrepreneurs.
But in order for entrepreneurs to get the most out of their mentor, they need to come in with the right attitude and approach. More specifcally, mentorship requires a mentee to be open, honest, and vulnerable with their mentors. Remember, a mentor can’t help you through a problem if you’re not entirely open about what the problem is.
Here, having a structured framework – in which the mentee details their goals and plans – in place can be useful. This framework helps the mentor understand where they can make an impact. From there, a mentor can help the mentee navigate the waters, guide them through tactical and strategic challenges, and potentially open up their network to allow the mentee to make meaningful connections.
For their part, mentors also need to come into the relationship with an open mindset. In my own experiences as a mentor, I’ve also learned that I’m there to help and facilitate and not to judge and that I need to be able to look beyond what the entrepreneur is sharing with me. Additionally, I’ve come to realise how important it is for me to shed my ego. It’s about the mentee, not me. Occasionally, that means admitting I don’t have the answer and putting the mentee in touch with someone who does.
There is no doubt that a good mentor can have a profound impact on an entrepreneur and their business’ success. This is especially true if the entrepreneur comes into the relationship with the right attitude and approach. But it’s also true that the relationship can be rich and rewarding for mentor and mentee alike. From a business perspective, the best such relationships are irreplaceable.
By Sid Jashnani, Mentorship Chair of Entrepreneurs Organisation London https://www.eolondon.org/
Every new business owner needs to develop a healthy respect for time. We can’t slow it down a bit to enjoy when things are going well, and we can’t fast forward when things are going badly. However, we can do our best to manage it. And sooner or later, every entrepreneur discovers delegation – a business superpower that creates extra time.
And that extra time is valuable. But how do we determine that value?
I once attended a seminar where my fellow attendees and I were asked to write down our hourly rate. The group included a lawyer, and he had no trouble writing down his answer, but for the rest of us, it took a bit of thought. Should we take our annual income and divide it by the number of working hours in a year? Or do we need to know what we would be doing? If we were to help with his tax return, then that might command a premium that clearing out his garage or digging up some potatoes would not. But eventually we each arrived at our own number, which we duly wrote down.
Our host picked up my piece of paper and gave me a look of mild surprise. Had I gone too high? He handed me a separate piece of paper, declaring that he’d written down the exact amount that I valued one hour of my time to be worth. I unfolded the paper: you value your time at £2.50 per hour.
Excuse me?
He asked me to read this out to the rest of the audience, all of whom soon looked as perplexed as I felt.
I was then asked where I did my weekly grocery shopping (Waitrose) and on which day of the week I did this shopping (Saturday) and how long it took me (two and a half hours, give or take).
Returning to his lectern, our host pulled up the home shopping page of my supermarket of choice on the big screen so that everybody could see it. A lady sitting at the front (her name was Susan) was asked to read out how much it would cost for the supermarket to deliver their groceries directly to my front door. Susan revealed that it would cost me a fver.
My shopping options were spelled out: spend half an hour doing an online grocery shop in my pyjamas and pay £5 for someone to deliver it; or save £5 and spend two and a half hours doing the shopping myself, in person. My choice to eschew technology and shop old school had valued my time at £2.50 per hour.
We assume that it’s only the time we allocate to work tasks that has any fnancial value, yet the reality is it doesn’t matter which hour is involved. The question is simply what value we put on them. And, of course, what we do with them. Supermarket shopping is just one example of home tasks that take up our time. How much time do you spend mowing your
lawn, or vacuuming, or doing laundry, or ironing, or cooking? There are gardeners, and cleaners and even personal chefs who are willing and able to take on those tasks for you. That may seem a bit Downton Abbey, but you don’t need to go full Lord Grantham – you could take baby Bonneville steps.
Henry Ford famously said, ‘Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.’ In other words, your fate is determined not by what you do, but by what you believe. If you believe that doing all the shopping, gardening, and cleaning tasks yourself is good because it saves you money, then that’s a view of the world that is right for you, and good luck to you. On the other hand, if you think doing all these chores yourself costs you time that you could otherwise spend doing something better, then that’s an altogether diferent situation – one that now includes some new options and fresh opportunities.
Outsourcing the washing up may gain you an extra hour in bed, and if that is all you want, enjoy. But you could also gain an extra hour helping your kids with homework, or an extra couple of hours with your kids at a cinema, or an extra afternoon with them in the park. You could gain extra hours to read more of your favourite authors’ books, or to see friends more often, or to take up a hobby you’ve always fancied having a go at, or to actually make use of that gym membership. These are the types of things that can enrich your life, and the better your life is outside of work, the more likely you are to be refreshed and raring to go when you return to work.
Of course, outsourcing parts of your life can create extra time for work activities too. You can fnd that you have time for networking events or taking up that client’s ofer of golf/ tennis/drinks. Perhaps you could move to ofces charging a lower rent because you’ve delegated enough time to allow for a longer commute. Or the extra hour you can stay at work cuts your overtime bill. The ways outsourcing can help you are limited only by your imagination.
So, I would urge you to imagine all the things you could be doing if only you had the time and then weigh up the benefts of a little outsourcing so you can start to ft them all in. The clock is ticking, and none of us know how many of those hours we may have left. We should use them wisely.
Ian Child is the author of ‘Your Own Personal Time Machine, a guide to getting your life back’, available exclusively from amazon.co.uk. in paperback and e-book. https://www. amazon.co.uk/dp/B09KW6CRWZ/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_ encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
We know that if a plant isn’t thriving, frstly you consider whether it is in the right environment. Is it being watered too little or too often? Is it in bright sunlight when it prefers shade? Is it potted in the correct soil? You may also need to till that soil, gently breaking it up, to release the nutrients inside, enabling the plant to thrive.
The same is true for teams. Teams need ongoing care and maintenance. Efective teams are greater than the sum of their parts, achieving high levels of trust, agility, and productivity. They can innovate, integrate new ways of working more quickly, challenge openly and produce great outcomes.
In our experience there are four essential elements, underpinned by self-awareness, that need to be in place and working efectively for a team to be able to thrive. As a founder or leader of a growing business, by exploring your team through this model, you can identify perceived issues in any of the facets that could cause dysfunction or inefcient working methods.
I can’t get enough of this model in my own team, whether we are hitting the highs or the lows, invariably I fnd the answers we need working in this way. We examine how we are nurturing our climate, maintaining our focus, building great team processes and encouraging our fow.
Teams where individuals are healthily self-aware of their personality preferences, understand others and adapt and connect to each other, produce the best climate and enjoy higher levels of trust and engagement. Tapping into the diversity of the team, creating a climate of constructive challenge and mutual respect ensures problems and opportunities are approached from a wide variety of perspectives. Creating a team climate where members are encouraged to come at things diferently and feel able to openly express themselves, in whatever way suits their preferences, tend to generate new ideas which beneft the team and the business.
Teams are also most efective when people have a positive perception of the team unit, feel that they add individual value and feel that their contribution is appreciated. Regularly recognising great teamwork and celebrating success creates a powerful efect which can be contagious across the organisation.
Focus
When teams are focused, with a clear vision and goals, they are more able to identify practical steps to move from current to future state and are motivated to take the necessary steps to get there.
At Insights we’ve found that diferent people respond to goals in diferent ways. When we tailor the outcomes to the team, ensure we have purposeful and visionary, yet specifc goals, this can lead to higher performance, when we maintain the focus. A focus on our clearly stated ambition helps to create
clarity and understanding, avoiding a lack of ownership. Additionally, we’ve found a mix of team-centric goals –maximising each person’s contribution to the team – as well as individual goals improves overall efectiveness and performance.
Process
Teams with strong processes thrive because there are clear methods of working. Processes which cover the human or people related aspects of team development, strategic processes which can keep our eyes frmly on the horizon, individual and team measurement and performance processes are all vital components to ensure the team is aligned and understands it unique and specifc function in the organisation. At Insights we also have a value of ‘enjoying the journey’ together. Whilst it may sound silly to have processes around having fun, teams who play together stay together, so ensuring regular routines to ensure human connections are made is essential.
How a team works together – or fows – is an important ingredient in its overall success. Taking the time to listen to colleague’s personal experiences, empathising and responding authentically with each other helps ensure fow.
We have a culture of check-ins and check-outs at Insights which signifcantly helps establish fow. Sharing personal or professional experiences and aspirations for the meeting, or project, at the beginning of team time together encourages teams to be empathetic and respectful of team members. When teams have the shared goals and focus on fow, they work collectively and interact positively – this increases team unity and collaboration and encourages individuals to bring forward new ideas in service of their shared goal.
A team being ‘in fow’ which is hard to pin down, but it is very apparent when it’s not happening. Each member of a team, and particularly the leader of the team, has the responsibility to nourish and till the soil of the team so it can establish fow,
Climate, focus, process and fow are four simple elements when applied to a team are ingredients akin to tilling the soil, hydrating and nourishing a plant, which can help ensure your team grows and thrives. Taking this lesson from nature, what are you doing in your teams to ensure you are maximising your team’s success?
Fiona Logan is Chief Executive of Insights. Fiona came to Insights in 2015 as VP Europe, and soon took on the role of Chief Operating Ofcer. She joined from her post as CEO of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park following an international corporate career with IBM and Unilever. Fiona has attended Henley, Harvard and Macquarie Business Schools and is a previous winner of the UK Public Servant of the Year from the Women in Public Life awards.
Fiona Logan, Chief Executive of Insights https://www.insights.com/
Money, dedication, sleepless nights – maybe even some failure along the way. Starting an ecommerce store can be a daunting task, but nothing matches the feeling once you start to reap the rewards of all that hard work.
But in a world with everything at our fngertips, startups are limiting themselves from the outset if they’re only thinking about their local market. There’s a huge pool of potential customers in other geographies currently going untapped, with more than half of global consumers said they are ready to buy from the UK. So why just think local when you can go global?
It’s only natural to think frst about your closest customers frst. Some of the most popular businesses started of small, catering to local consumers before becoming the ecommerce giants they are now. But once the home market starts to become saturated, it’s probably time to start thinking about expanding internationally. International consumer markets are growing at a rapid pace, with businesses of all sizes and in all locations reaping the rewards of the current ecommerce ‘boom’.
Yet many startups are still being forced to focus on products in their home market with the aim of frst gaining momentum to navigate the traditional obstacles of early-stage businesses. The problem is, if a business focuses too much on just the local market without keeping one eye outside of the country, it likely won’t be able to support itself in the long-term. After all, there are over 7.6 billion people in the world, and only 66 million in the UK.
In an era of globalisation, startups are having to compete with or use the services of the likes of Amazon or eBay. But ofering localised services and products could ofer a signifcant competitive diferentiator.
Businesses that ofer localised products are able to utilise and promote deep market knowledge to attract new customers and increase brand awareness and loyalty. This also rings true in their communication and marketing, as the same taglines and headlines that proved popular within one market could be completely lost on another.
As a startup looking to scale internationally, you can’t aford for messages to get lost in translation. But it’s not just a matter of swapping languages. Scaling globally takes an understanding of other cultures and new audiences – and ultimately how to cater to their needs. When entering new markets, think about the language, design and cultural elements of the website to provide a relevant experience for your new customers.
Consumers need a personal touch
Just 14% of UK businesses currently sell internationally. So, if you’re one of the 86% of businesses that aren’t selling
internationally yet, it’s time to start thinking about it as there’s a lot of opportunity to be had. Because, there are still a lot of barriers for growing internationally, the typical ones of cost, delivery times and language barriers are being removed, allowing online businesses to thrive across borders. Language is an important barrier, and probably the most obvious place to start for businesses entering new geographies.
According to a survey commissioned by Weglot, 61% of UK consumers said shopping on a foreign language website was a signifcant put-of, while 49% said they wouldn’t buy a product online if the website wasn’t in English. The key to expanding is producing a business which is able to personalise and localise their products to cater to specifc geographies, but there are certain aspects to think about frst in order to boost success.
Firstly, it’s important to take it step by step. Rushing into opening several stores across the world takes time, resources and manpower, so you’ve got to be confdent that you have these frst if you’re to meet consumer expectations. Start small by translating your store into one language frst, as it’s better to build up a solid base as you go along rather than trying to expand everywhere and anywhere at the same time. This actually leads me onto the next tip, because the frst one would typically be the most popular language based on where your current web visitors are coming from, as it’s clear there’s a demand for your products. When selecting which new territory to open up in, make sure you check the location and amount of current website visitors. This will tell you where you already have a base of budding customers and give you a good platform to build further success.
Last, but by no means least, ensure you are constantly monitoring web trafc to check on performance, sales and what can be improved. Your website is your best sales tool, so make sure it’s optimised, user friendly and a good representation of the brand. And be patient. Building success in brand new areas can take time, but if you utilise the right tools and put the customer frst, you’ll put yourself in the best possible place.
Scaling a startup internationally doesn’t have to be hard work. The diference between failure and success usually comes down to diligent planning, a global frame of mind and keeping everything customer-centric. This doesn’t mean launching a business in multiple countries at once, but rather a focus on identifying what it is about the business that appeals to global audiences frst and building on success one step at a time.
International expansion takes a lot of patience, but with the right plan and strategy behind you, each and every new market can make your business a global success.
Author: Augustin Prot, CEO and co-founder of Weglot, https://weglot.com
The new generation joining the workforce has grown up in a world of doing homework from Starbucks, booking GPs appointments online at 10pm and where in-person trips to the supermarket are a novelty.
For a long time, work life balance was seen as only of real importance to those with children and complicated nursery pick-ups, but fexible work policies are now competitive benefts and are viewed by millennials as important, if not more so, as money.
Debt repayment programmes, season ticket loans and genuine emphasis on work life balance have real resonance to a generation that is starting its working life in debt and has often witnessed Boomer Burn-Out at frst hand. Millennials are highly unlikely to be homeowners so freedom to travel is a huge priority. An extra £1000 on a salary isn’t going to take them anywhere near a deposit on a home, so it’s easy to see why for young people facing an uncertain fnancial future, freedom is the preferred priority.
Having a positive company culture and a healthy work life balance has always been vital for Ballou. Technology means that personal and work life boundaries are becoming blurred, and lead to an “always on” culture. We became very aware of that at Ballou and took various precautions to ensure that our teams got proper downtime – banning WhatsApp as a way of communicating with each other was one of them. We did our best to encourage people to demarcate clear lines between work and home life, and we tried to foster a culture where we would only contact each other outside core work hours in an emergency.
Defning the lines of fexible working is vital, because unless the lines of demarcation are clear then a working parent can end up feeling guilty when they’re not with their family and guilty about work when they are. That works for noone. Flexible working is defnitely something we encourage at Ballou, but this should not mean “always available”. For example, a potential work issue occurs to you as you’re putting your children to bed. Rather than shelving that for 9am the next morning, making a note of it somewhere so it doesn’t slide of the to-do list, you message a question about it to a colleague or employee. They’re just about to eat their evening meal and then fnd themselves trying to interpret if you want them to fx the issue, simply acknowledge receipt of your message or call you. They message a colleague to fnd
out if the colleague knows more about the issue than they do. Before you know where you are, you’re on a grumpy Zoom meeting at 9.30pm.
Boundaries are key along with a corporate culture that respects that working patterns at home are diferent to in an ofce. It’s ok to be picking up your child up at 3pm so long as you’re making up the time elsewhere. Similarly, we encourage people to take ftness classes when it suits them so long as they aren’t neglecting their work. More fexible working is liberating for everyone, as long as it’s accompanied by trust and respect on both sides.
As an employee, don’t assume that anyone is expecting you to be always available. Set boundaries by being assertive rather than aggressive. Don’t answer messages after hours unless it is really urgent.
As an employer, embed it in your company policy that unless it is absolutely critical no-one should be messaged after hours, to save the above situation happening. Your managers should make it clear that they are not always “on” and don’t expect other people to be either. If someone emails you at 8pm don’t reply (unless it’s urgent) until 9am the following morning. Replying after hours gives the impression that the employee is expected to be working the same hours as you. It’s the responsibility of an employer to respect these boundaries.
We started from a good place in that we had built up very robust cultural values and we live them every day, so anyone joining Ballou knows that they are coming into a company with a commitment to a healthy work life balance.
We have, thankfully, for the sake of our mental health, as a country and an industry, moved away from living to work and towards working to live. Lockdowns and working through the pandemic have been extremely tough but at the same time they have sharpened the focus on our work life balance. In our view, that is a very welcome silver lining.
Author:
Cordy Grifths is CEO of tech agency Ballou. https://balloupr.com/
Leadership plays a crucial role in company performance, and arguably is even more fundamental for startups, where it can make the diference between success or failure.
According to a study published by Harvard Business School, bad management is the prime reason why startups fail, with 82% of startups failing because of bad management and leadership inexperience. With the odds stacked against startups, having the right leaders in place is critical if new businesses are to thrive.
Similarly, success doesn’t just rely on having a great idea or a solid business model. Dedication to building a great team – and one that has the potential to expand globally – is key when embarking on any entrepreneurial venture. But, the reality is that not everyone is instinctively cut out to lead and to run a successful startup. It requires a certain mindset which distinguishes the need to be a boss who precisely directs every aspect of the way the organisation works, from being a leader who clearly articulates its values and inspires colleagues to join them on the journey.
Clearly, most startups are guided by a vision focused around a product or service that the founders believe in, but how many go further to develop their leadership vision with anything like the same energy? Part of the problem can be that among the many priorities facing startup founders, the nuances of efective leadership might not initially be top of mind. To an extent this is understandable, given the focus that is required to build a product or service that is viable, maybe even capable of attracting funding or that can deliver sustained growth.
As a result, the true importance of leadership often only becomes apparent to startup founders as their organisation scales, when they have to manage more than their own time and demonstrate an ability to articulate the company vision so that it enables others to do their job. A boss, for example, can often be characterised by a tendency to micro-manage. This can be especially apparent in relation to their areas of core competence and experience, where the ability to let go and allow others bring their unique capabilities to challenges can be hard to achieve.
Micro-management can also lead to fawed decision making that focuses on narrow criteria. This can often be seen in the leadership styles of people that transition from small to large organisations, where the approaches to leadership can be quite diferent and a management style that is too controlling can build stress and frustration within a team.
Truly efective leadership, on the other hand, benefts hugely
from self-awareness, empathy and a willingness to consider how style and process might afect others. For many people, these are intangible qualities that seem a million miles away from the skills which got their business of the ground in the frst place. They are, however, no less important.
Ultimately, efective leadership is often a question of mindset. Think of it this way: many startups succeed because of a mindset where a willingness to experiment and iterate around their core product or service is valued in full knowledge that failure is a benefcial part of the process that leads to better outcomes.
Adopting a similar approach to leadership is key, and startup founders in particular should be prepared to modify, iterate and evolve their own leadership style until they fnd an approach that optimises the positive impact they can have on the business and the people it employs. In doing so, things are likely to go wrong, but leaders need learning experiences, a willingness to admit mistakes and the ability to turn challenges into positive progress.
Leadership vision is likely to evolve over time, and in some situations pivot entirely according to changing circumstances and new opportunities. The risk here is that organisational culture – the tone of which is set by leaders – can easily blur or be lost entirely if there are too many changes.
Startups that view leadership as part of their DNA on an equal footing with issues such as their IP, funding or customer experience will be more efectively placed to embrace and manage organisational growth. In doing so, there is more scope to create a stronger, more genuine culture that everyone in the organisation can support without compromise, and instead of being directed by a boss, be inspired by a leader.
By Russ Shaw, Founder of Tech London Advocates and Global Tech Advocates, and Nick Adams, Vice President of EMEA at Globalization Partners
Our climate is changing as are our attitudes and the way we purchase. Becoming a sustainable business has a wealth of advantages and is imperative in ensuring your business’ future. Incorporating sustainability into your business is vital in protecting our planet and helping in the fght against climate change.
By becoming a green business, you will reduce to reduce the negative impact created by your operations. SMEs account for 99% of the private sector meaning they collectively have the opportunity to pave the way for a greener future. The value created by sustainability in business is multifaceted; becoming a Net Zero business benefts not only the planet but can also help contribute to the success of your business.
With 80% of UK residents concerned about climate change, it is hardly surprising that there is an increasing demand from consumers for businesses to act responsibly and sustainably. Consumers’ purchasing patterns show that this looks only to increase in the coming years. As more consumers make decisions based on a brand’s eco-credentials, those who have embraced sustainability are set to not just retain their current customers but also attract new ones. Whilst businesses may be tempted to change their operations to grow their reach, they will soon enough fnd out that by streamlining they will also improve their efciency saving them time and money. With many SMEs falsely believe the myth that going sustainable will be too costly, the value it brings, both in the short and long term, emphasises that it is worth every penny.
Many businesses recognise the importance of becoming sustainable however due to a lack of resources and knowledge feel overwhelmed with 78% of businesses stating they don’t know where to start to become more sustainable. Sustainability shouldn’t be complex, it needs to be accessible to everyone, everywhere. You can improve your business sustainability in 5 steps by measuring and managing your emissions, doing behavioural actions and investing in green tech, transitioning to renewable energy, investing in ofsetting and participating in projects which give back to the community.
Understanding your carbon footprint will give you a better idea of the impact your business has on the planet. By knowing your emissions, you can benchmark your business and see how it compares to others in your industry and how you fare against your competitors. Getting to grips with your carbon footprint is essential in pinpointing where you need to make changes within your business to reduce your emissions and will provide a starting point to help you monitor your sustainability progress. Using an online carbon calculator, such as this one Zellar – World’s First Sustainability Platform for Business – Carbon calculator , is a useful tool to help you determine your current carbon footprint.
Step 2: Do Behavioural actions and invest in green tech Making proactive change can be difcult as every business operates diferently however using data specifc to your business will help you monitor your actions, giving you a greater insight into how you can behave more sustainably. Setting actions which you monitor each month such as checking internal lights are switched of out of hours or the thermostat is scheduled for the right timings, will help you to become a more sustainable business.Once you have done behavioural actions you can then decide where to invest to make changes to increase productivity. Investing in green technology is a sustainable way to run your business. Green tech refers to environmentally-friendly technology which doesn’t harm the environment and helps to reduce emissions. Green tech can be anything from smart thermostats to loft insulation, double or triple gazed windows to energy-efcient fridges. Having green tech is a more sustainable option for businesses as it uses less power than other products. Once you’ve installed these products, make sure you incorporate it into your behavioural actions for example is the equipment fully serviced and maintained? If not, it may not be running as efciently as possible wasting energy. By being more efcient it helps businesses to save energy, money and reduce their emissions.
Step
Transitioning to renewable energy helps to lower your business carbon footprint. By using renewable energy sources instead of fossil fuels, your energy consumption doesn’t negatively afect the planet. When choosing an energy provider, you need to be aware of greenwashing as many energy companies ofer green tarifs however these can still consist of a mix of sources including fossil fuels. Businesses looking to become more sustainable need to address where their energy comes from and how to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions they emit.
Carbon ofsetting allows businesses to invest in climate change solutions, from planting trees to protecting mangrove swamps and restoring peat bogs. When you purchase an ofset, you are funding the reduction or removal of carbon emissions. Businesses can only do so much, so fast, within their own operations. Supporting carbon ofset projects is therefore a great way to have a bigger impact and demonstrate your commitment to sustainability. Just remember that climate change won’t be solved through ofsetting alone. Businesses also need to continue making signifcant internal changes that reduce their emissions.
Becoming a sustainable business is about understanding the harmony of sustainability in which you give more than you take. This notion should echo through your actions, in having a business you naturally impact the community
and environment around you, that’s why it’s important to make sure that impact is positive. By involving yourself in local biodiversity or volunteering projects you can help give back and contribute to leaving the planet in a better state than you found it. Corporate volunteering is also a great way to entice talent to your business by helping to align your business values with your employees. A study from Deloitte showed that 89% of employees think businesses that support volunteering activities ofer a better overall working environment. It’s important to share your sustainability progress and how your eforts are contributing to a greener environment. Implementing ESG principles into your business also helps to attract investors to your business. Doing good is good for your employees, your business, your community and your planet – it’s a win-win.
Sustainable businesses don’t just look to the future, they are the future. With increasing emphasis on the importance of sustainability setting ambitious environmental goals is crucial in not just determining the future planet we leave to our children but also the future of our businesses. Going green requires thought and you can’t become a Net Zero business overnight. However, by implementing a sustainability strategy and following the fve stated steps you can start your journey to becoming a sustainable business today.
Author Elsa Papa is the content writer and sustainability ofcer for Zellar, the world’s frst sustainability platform. www.zellar.com
Do you have a vision of where you want to be and what you want to do but it’s just not happening? Are you feeling blocked and frustrated by duty and responsibility? Or maybe you just can’t fnd the way forward? You may have a clear knowing of what you want to do but you cannot achieve it because life keeps getting in the way. You may feel there is a book you need to write, a cause you want to fght for, like Greta Thunberg’s activism for preventing climate change, or you may have an urge to travel and open up your life. Whatever it is, somehow you never quite get to it. So how to do shift the balance and follow your life’s purpose without getting derailed?
Your plan for this lifetime is stored in your unique spiritual essence which we call The Higher Self. At times of stress or emotional turmoil your focus will be on your troubles and not on your spiritual essence. You may become disconnected or not hear clearly, like using a bad telephone line.
Here are a few tips to help you raise your vibrations and lift your spirit to enable a full and clear connection:
Immerse yourself in nature. You can also use walks by the sea, in parks or in the countryside, wild swimming, gardening or any activity that suits you as nature holds the high vibration energies that will raise your spirit.
Listen to or play music or sing
Dance or practise yoga
Be creative e.g. cooking, art or craftwork etc. Meditate
Here is a simple ritual I use every day to consciously connect to my Higher Self: Grip your hands together – this symbolises togetherness. Raise them above your head – this symbolises raising your consciousness. Say out loud “I am fully connected now, right now, right now” – this uses your free will and intent to make the connection.
You may have a sense of being unsettled, restless and needing change but at a loss to know what it is you want to do. Let’s look at how you can fnd your hidden inner passion.
Write down everything you have ever done, including in your childhood, that you have found exciting, exhilarating and that made you feel happy and complete. There will be clues in that list that may trigger an idea for you to take forward. Your mind is often guided by logic and fear, so discover what your heart wants. This simple ritual will help you to connect to your heart:
Put your hands together in front of your chest – to represent
Open them wide three times – to symbolise your intention of opening your heart
Place one hand on your heart centre, in the middle of your chest and focus your attention on your heart centre
Ask your heart what its wish is; the frst thought that comes into your mind is the answer.
Your fears can block your progress
You may be blocked from reaching your goal by fear. This can be a conscious or subconscious fear from past experiences or from imagining the worst outcome. How do you overcome fears? I have found the most efective way is to face them! If there is something you really want, then do it anyway, even if you are scared. Facing fears is empowering and will knock down those invisible boundaries that limit you.
You may be following your life purpose by doing exactly what you are doing!
An important aspect of Life Purpose/destiny is that you may well be fulflling this already!
My belief is that when we are living kind, caring and thoughtful lives that consider the feelings and needs of others – then we are fulflling our role as spiritual human beings.
The hero in the new musical ‘Artaban’, which premiers in Covent Garden this November and is based on the book ‘The Fourth Wise Man’ by Henry van Dyke, faces similar challenges on his life journey.
Artaban spent years waiting for the star that was prophesied to show the arrival of a new king. A new king that would help lead people from the corrupt and greed of life at that time. Once he saw the star, he was desperate to meet his three fellow Zoroastrian priests to follow the star to Bethlehem. There he would give his gifts, of a ruby, a sapphire and a pearl, to the baby Jesus. But Artaban’s quest and heart’s desire was thwarted right from the start as he was approached by a sick man at the side of the road. Artaban was not only a philosopher and astronomer but also a healer and his compassion pulled him to stop and help the man recover. This meant he missed the other three magi and consequently by the time he reached Bethlehem the family had moved on to Egypt.
Artaban spent the next thirty years of his life searching for Jesus and constantly stopping to help those in need. Because he felt he was failing in his mission he felt guilty and a failure (is that familiar to you?) However, eventually he came to Jerusalem where he heard that Jesus was imprisoned awaiting crucifxion. Once again, his urge to help him and give him his last remaining gemstone was thwarted. But, he did learn the
most important lesson of all, that in truth he had fulflled his mission – which was to help others. His acts of kindness on the way to his goal were the reality of his mission on earth.
So as the saying goes, its not the goal but the journey and how you live your life day-to-day that really matters. So, relax about discovering a momentous life purpose, but follow your heart – it won’t fail you. And concentrate on living each day with love and kindness for that is what your heart truly needs and the love and gratitude that returns to you will give you fulflment and happiness.
Author
Anne Jones is a spiritual healer, author of seven books translated into 18 languages, and co-creator of ‘Artaban The Musical’ which is based on the book ‘The Fourth Wise Man’ by Henry van Dyke.
I am passionate about the opportunity franchising ofers people to run their own business and be their own boss but with the support of a national brand and the framework and systems that that brings. We have a saying which sums it up ‘work for yourself but not by yourself’.
So, is it right for you?
If you harbour a desire to run your own show, are a ‘people person’, have good communication skills, entrepreneurial fair and a desire to grow and develop a business then it’s certainly worth looking into franchising.
5 top tips to achieving franchising success
What are you passionate about?
When setting up a management franchise business you will be managing rather than doing – so don’t exclude a franchise opportunity due to lack of experience.
The franchisor will give you all the necessary training and give you all the tools to run the business. Your challenge is to fnd the right franchise for you. Franchising allows you to be your own boss but within the wrapper of an established, proven business model.
With Home Instead, for example, you don’t need to have experience of working in the care sector – you will employ a Care Manager for their expertise. But many of our franchise owners join us having struggled to fnd good quality care for a loved one (so they recognise the gap in the market) or have themselves provided care and support for a family member.
I would suggest that the franchise needs to be a business that is of interest to you. And there are literally hundreds of franchise opportunities out there – from the fast food outlets that we have all heard about to kitchen retailers, oven cleaning and doggy day care. There really is something for everyone.
As would be the case for any new business venture, you need to do your homework – but where’s the best place to start?
I suggest visiting the BFA website. The BFA is the trade association for the British franchising industry. They run seminars (Buy a Franchise is one that runs regularly), there is free online training and information on their members.
You also have the reassurance that they don’t let any franchisor in – their members have to go through an accreditation process so it’s a great place to start your search.
As the world opens up again, you will have the opportunity to attend the franchise shows in person and there are also virtual events you can attend.
Individual franchisors will also run Discovery Days – these ofer you the opportunity to fnd out more about a particular franchise business and are typically ‘by invitation’ following an initial exploratory call.
Franchisors like Home Instead who are keen to promote franchising will always be happy to talk to would-be franchisees about the sector in general or their particular opportunity.
We always encourage people thinking of joining our network to speak to our existing franchisees – who better to give you an honest appraisal of the business you are thinking of stepping into?
The other people to speak to are the banks. Banks such as NatWest, Lloyds and HSBC have specialists who deal with funding for franchise businesses. The good news is that funders look favourably on franchising as a sector. That’s because statistically a franchise business is more likely to succeed than a brand new start up business. And that’s because you aren’t reinventing the wheel.
For Home Instead, the banks will typically fund up to 70 per cent of the funds required which is the franchisee fee plus your working capital. The amount will vary signifcantly depending on the franchise business you are looking at.
Is there a good time to pursue a new franchise business? I would argue that there is no time like the present if you are an aspiring business owner.
With lockdown restrictions lifting and a return to ofces in sight, there are many people who no longer wish to remain employed or part of corporate life and we are seeing a signifcant increase in enquiries as a result.
The franchising sector as a whole is resilient, there are many opportunities to pursue (something for everyone I’d say), the funders are keen to support; so what’s stopping you?
Author Ruth Brown www.homeinstead.co.uk/franchise/
David Kindlon, CEO of Eppione, explains how the business was formed and the best ways to spot a potential entrepreneurial business partner.
I’ve worked in the insurance sector in Ireland for 20+ years, and joined a global network of insurance brokers in 2016, to help with understanding global markets and how other brokers might help my clients who were expanding into diferent countries.
I frst met our UK counterpart Neil Fallon at an employee benefts conference in the UK. He was new to the group, and after he had presented some UK beneft solutions and we shared a beer together, we started talking business. Shortly after, we both met Ernest Legrand at another conference where he was presenting on cyber risk. The three of us hit it of straight away; we were passionate about our own areas of expertise but also on how technology could help us and our clients going forward.
I frst started working with Neil on ideas to help my clients with their operations in the UK. His knowledge and understanding of the UK market and his attention to detail on these clients was second to none. We had a number of business development ideas, and when we started to discuss the opportunity that technology could bring, we shared the same passion.
Bringing Ernest into the mix was a no-brainer. His knowledge and understanding of technology had impressed us, along with his work in the insurance sector. We had often picked his brain on various issues. Working together was easy, we each have diferent personalities, but we get along so well and as a group this is a big positive for us. We have aligned our areas of expertise within the business which allows us to focus on what is important.
Without technology, we could never have developed the business to where it is today. Having three business partners based in three diferent countries across two time zones, it would not have been possible to spend the time we needed together, so remote access technology has defnitely been important for us.
Since the launch of the Eppione platform, we have seen business growing across all areas. New direct clients, new partnerships and, very importantly, our expansion into the Australian market. Now we work in over four ofces and three time zones, along with other remote workers throughout the UK. Technology is so important to us as we started out and ever more so now we are expanding.
Going forward, any business that does not embrace technology is going to fall behind. With the COVID-19 crisis impacting countless businesses across the globe, it is vital that businesses embrace the future of technology and its relationship with the way we work.
5 ways an entrepreneur can spot a potential business partner:
1. Skill set
Having too many people on the team with a similar skill set can have a negative impact on the business.. Entrepreneurs should focus on seeking out a business partner that has diferent skills than their own. If you are naturally a talented sales person, fnd a natural marketing person or a tech expert. The diference it can have on your professionalism and outlook will go a long way.
2. Delivery
Entrepreneurship is no fool’s game. Ideas must be backed by results. If you hit it of with someone creatively, make sure they are result orientated before you embark on your business journey. That way you can easily evaluate whether they are willing to put the work in and bring their ideas to fruition.
Arrange to work with your potential business partner before going into business together. If you have the opportunity, invite them to a client meeting in another country – if you can travel with someone on business and be relaxed in their company the whole journey, this is a good sign that you will both fourish in a business capacity.
Bringing diferent social skills to the table is important. Inviting potential partners to a social situation will help you understand them better. As mentioned, Eppione has three very diferent personalities at the top of thebusiness, but we know when to bring and use the diferent social skills we have.
Look at your shared goals from both a personal perspective, as well as that of the business. Sharing an overall common goal with your business partners will help you focus on the tasks at hand, and inspire you when you need it most.
What’s your brand’s purpose? You’d be surprised how many companies I speak to don’t have an answer to this question. They tell me what their company does, and what makes their product or service better than the competition but that doesn’t really answer the question. A brand’s purpose is in essence the reason it does what it does, other than to simply make money.
Does it matter what this purpose is or whether you have one? I’d argue it does. Not least because consumers these days are increasingly buying based on their beliefs. They don’t simply want to buy that cofee. They want to buy a cofee with a host of other things attached to it; perhaps it has been locally roasted, created by an independent cofee producer, or it’s from somewhere where the producer gets a fair cut of the action or maybe it’s the most eco-friendly brand. I’m not saying people want corporate social responsibility or the environment attached to all their purchasing decisions, but they expect the brands they buy to have a ‘purpose’ which resonates with them.
Research bears this out. The 2019 Edelman Brand Trust study found that that nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of consumers around the world now buy on belief. This is a 13-point increase on 2017. These belief-driven buyers (BDBs) choose, switch, avoid or boycott a brand based on where it stands on the political or social issues they care about.
BDBs are not some niche group. They are now the majority in every market, across all age groups and all income levels. For instance, almost as many consumers that Edelman studied aged 35-to-54 buy on belief as 18-to-34-year-olds, and the most impressive gains come from the older cohort, with an 18-point increase among people aged 55 years or more.
Knowing and communicating your brand’s purpose is vital, almost no matter what you sell, where you sell it, or who you sell it to.
How do you identify your own brand’s purpose? First you need to recognise that it’s not the same as your brand’s promise. Your promise is what consumers can expect from your products and services. Your purpose is much more than this; it’s your reason for being, the stuf which gives your business its ‘passion’; it’s where your product/service and your contribution to society meet.
Let’s look at a real-world example to explain all of this. Consider Timpson, the shop that among other things repairs shoes, watches, jewellery and mobile phones, cuts keys, dry cleans clothes, engraves stuf and prints photos. That’s what it does – but the way it goes about doing this really highlights
its brand purpose.
Timpson believes business should be about making a diference not just making a proft; its way of making a diference involves helping people who society perhaps doesn’t normally prioritise. A tenth of the company’s employees are ex-ofenders and at least seven of the group’s 2,000-plus stores are run by people still serving their sentences, who are able to work under day release schemes. These staf members have been trained at two women’s and fve men’s training academies inside prison facilities, all funded by Timpson. The company spent more than £692,000 on recruiting, retraining, mentoring and other support for exofenders via its charitable foundation last year, with activities including training schemes in prisons to help people prepare for when they get out.
You can see how that sense of purpose fundamentally shapes how Timpson runs its business. However, importantly for marketers, the purpose also informs the services it ofers; for instance, mindful of other groups struggling to fnd work, the company has ofered a free suit cleaning service for the unemployed attending interviews, who can’t aford the service.
Now just because Timpson’s purpose is all about doing good, doesn’t mean every purpose has to be rooted in corporate social responsibility.
Let’s look at another purpose to prove this point – Ikea. Its stated aim is “to create better everyday life for the many people.” This utterly impacts on the products it ofers, the price point it operates at, the location of its stores, their look and feel and so forth.
As already mentioned, having a clear purpose which customers understand, helps with sales. But it also provides an emotional connection between a brand and its customers; this drives greater loyalty and more recommendations. Customers who ‘buy into’ a purpose are much less likely to shop around and much more likely to defend a business when others criticise it. They have some ‘emotional skin in the game.’
Companies with a clear, relatable purpose also fnd it easier to distinguish themselves from competitors and they recruit with greater ease. It also makes the company’s wider decisionmaking much easier. When you know what your purpose is, the things you should do – and shouldn’t, become much more clear-cut. Your marketing becomes more defned. It’s much easier to identify partners you should work with, causes you should support, initiatives you should start and campaigns which will resonate.
Internal communications become clearer too. If staf understand and ‘get’ your purpose, they see more clearly why they’re doing what they’re doing, they get more job satisfaction and they feel they’re part of something that matters. As a result, they’re much more likely to enthuse about you as an employer.
So, I’ve convinced you of the power of purpose, but how do you develop one? Here are some golden rules to help you.
Firstly, remember you can’t just bolt it on. Your purpose cannot be some marketing gimmickry, people will see through that. Your purpose needs to resonate with what you do and how you do it.
It’s also needs to be a long-term commitment, you can’t have one purpose one year, and a diferent one the next. That’s a temporary marketing tactic. If you are fxing on your purpose, be prepared to live with it (and up to it) for the long-term.
Just because you haven’t already written down a purpose doesn’t mean you don’t have one. Even if it wasn’t established and expressed at the outset, you may well fnd that your business has a purpose which has developed over time. You will be able to perhaps see it in the way you do things, the people you work for and so forth. Sit back, think about why you do what you do; what’s the diference your business is trying to make; look beyond the bottom line, explore what excites you!
Let me sign of by sharing our purpose. At Energy PR we provide top quality, big agency-calibre communications services to great challenger businesses which deserve to be better known but can’t aford to go the big agency route.
We do this because we passionately believe these brilliant, challenger businesses are where the future growth of the UK economy will come from. Through promoting them we’re accelerating their business growth, supporting innovators and exporters, increasing employment and driving UK prosperity.
So, if you are such a business, and you want help identifying and communicating your purpose and building your business – get in touch. www.energypr.co.uk Louise@energypr.co.uk T: 01993 823011
Louise Findlay-Wilson is a regular speaker and commentator on PR, digital and social media and owns leading agency, Energy PR. In a PR career spanning over 30 years, Louise has worked with a huge array of B2B and consumer brands. From major names such as the BBC, Lloyds Bank, Capita, Cap Gemini, Schwartz, 20th Century Fox and St Paul’s Cathedral through to exciting, ambitious start-ups and fast-growing SMEs – helping them use PR to drive and accelerate their growth.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has been around for year but I would say the ethos behind it is still as important as ever, if not more so and something that startups should be looking at from their inception. We’re currently living in a low trust world where it seems everyone is just out for themselves and what they can take from life. But the tide is turning.
Before the pandemic started, people were already looking for a diferent approach, wanting a world where business is more than just about making money. They had also started demanding transparency – just saying ‘we do what we can’ was no longer enough; they wanted specifcs about supply chains, fair trade, good working conditions, environmental responsibility and so on. The pandemic hasn’t stopped this, if anything it has crystallised it, with all of us more aware than ever of our impact on the planet and its fragile balance.
So, for entrepreneurs CSR is more important than ever; for the long-term survival of your startup and the future of the planet.
Of course, it’s true that some customers won’t care. They will buy on price or because a brand name is more important to them. However, a growing majority do care and these people, whether they are buying as a business or as a consumer, they are looking for companies that care and are about more than just the money. They want to buy responsibly, and they want details to prove that they are doing so. They don’t want to be fobbed-of with greenwash; they want to know what you are doing as a business, and what that means. And in many cases, they are willing to pay a bit more for it.
What is included in CSR?
CSR can be undertaken in many diferent ways. For example, resource donations (e.g. product, time, staf, etc.), fnancial donations, ofering pro-bono work for charities or the vulnerable in society, co-marketing to promote a charitable cause, and having specifc, clear, publicly announced ethics (e.g. carbon zero, LGBTQ-friendly, vegan, no investment in drugs or weapons etc.) As well as being good for business all these approaches can help build your brand, boost staf morale, make a positive contribution, while also being the right thing to do. And for those customers that don’t care, having good CSR won’t put them of. So, you have nothing to lose. But many customers do care – so why lose their business? By having good CSR you attract more people, you stand out from your competitors, and you show that you care about the long-term future. I believe the expression is ‘winwin’!
Here are some examples of diferent approaches to CSR. Take a look at see what could be applied to your business:
A clear and easy way to practise CSR is to donate a percentage or a given sum to a charity or organisation with
every transaction. For example, at Bidwedge, we are all mad about cats, so we partnered with Born Free. When changing your unwanted foreign currency back into Sterling, you can opt to donate the full amount to Born Free (via the Bidwedge platform) and we’ll donate 100% of our handling fee, or if you’d prefer to keep the cash yourself, we’ll still donate 50% of our handling fee. All the money donated goes directly to support Born Free’s big cat sanctuaries at Shamwari Private Game Reserve in South Africa: https://www.bornfree.org.uk/ shamwari-big-cat-rescue-sanctuary.
Another example is UK insurance broker Club Insure, which announced earlier this year that it aims to raise £75,000 for Prostate Cancer UK by donating £5 for every new or renewed insurance policy.
There are also many organisations which donate something allied to their brand. This can give a fun and / or memorable message for the organisation. For example, Who Gives A Crap’s tagline “toilet paper that builds toilets” tells you what their business is and what their charitable contribution is, while showing itself as a fun brand, with the nudge towards toilet humour. And they do donate a very generous 50% of their profts to help build toilets in developing world countries where access to sanitation is limited.
Green Tomato Cars is another ethical brand, founded to provide an eco-friendly car service in London. They aim to do their bit towards improving air quality in London and were the frst operators in London to use the Toyota Prius. Not only that, they ofset their unavoidable emissions by supporting The Ugandan Improved Cookstoves project. This subsidises the sale of charcoal cookstoves and fuel-efcient biomass and across Uganda which improves cooking conditions and reduces indoor air pollution.
Rather than buy-one-get-one-free, the smart money might well be on give-one-away-for-every-one-bought. It certainly worked for Dashel, who gave away one of their stylish recycled cycle helmets to an NHS keyworker for each one bought online during lockdown. Not only did they give a real beneft to NHS workers choosing to cycle to work, rather than risk public transport, they showed themselves to be a truly ethical company and, in turn, found their helmets very much in demand.
Stand4socks is another brand that donates one product for each sold. They create socks from sustainably sourced yarns, have ethical working conditions and sustainable packaging. But arguably, what really sets them apart is that they recognised that the most requested items from homeless shelters are socks. So, they designed what they believe to be the most suitable socks for homeless people and donate a pair with every sale.
For startups with limited resources volunteering is a great way to contribute. A lot of the big organisations ofer what’s known as Corporate Volunteering Days. Nationwide Building Society, for example, gives their employees two paid days per annum for volunteer activities. Of course, this may be harder for small businesses but even a couple of half days might make a diference and boost morale, while you are building your startup and your contribution.
Alternatively, you may have services that you can provide to a smaller charity. Perhaps you can ofer to set up some social media activity or give an hour each week to advise on fnancial administration or software. Reach Volunteering is a platform connecting businesses with skills they want to ofer with organisations looking for help: https://reachvolunteering.org. uk/
I hope these examples of successful CSR will provide inspiration for your startup and that you’ll introduce your own CSR.
Here are some tips to help you on your way:
1) Choose something that resonates with you and/or your startup
2) Don’t choose something simply because it makes you look good. You clients (and your team) will see through it, and you will fnd it difcult to sustain if your heart’s not really in it.
3) If you have a big staf, consider allowing them to choose what they want to do and how they want to contribute. You’ll
get better buy in that way and they will enjoy it even more!
4) Something is always better than nothing so if necessary, start small. Once you’ve got going you’ll fnd it easier to expand your contribution.
5) And announce it on your social media, on your website, maybe even on your packaging. Just be sure to let people know what you are doing.
There are so many good causes and charities needing help, so there will defnitely be something to suit you. Teaming up with a big name can give the business added kudos; supporting a local charity makes sense if your market is primarily local; getting involved with a smaller charity can work well if you’re looking to make a big diference or would like reciprocal exposure. As discussed, CSR can cover a wide range of activities and diferent types of contribution. Find something manageable that will work for you at your current stage of business growth. Your startup can make a diferent right from the beginning of your journey.
AuthorShon Alam is founder of Bidwedge. Bidwedge makes it easy to change your left-over cash currency back into Sterling –at great rates for even the smallest amounts. Just enter the amount, see the rate you’ll be paid, post the cash and watch the money appear in your bank account. It’s easy to do.
Website – www.bidwedge.com
With years of experience, friends and business partners Gina Brocker and Angie Bonin combined their expertise to create an online photography course. Creating any new business has been a difcult feat due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Brocker and Bonin saw it as no better time. Taking the opportunity to understand each other’s strengths, the photography duo went to work creating a 9 module course to help others invest in themselves, and their future. Now, they’re taking the next step and sharing how they built this course so that others may one day be inspired to do it too.
Creating a course from scratch is not easy, and takes a fair amount of time and efort, but if you have the expertise and have years of experience building a business in a specifc feld, you can absolutely teach other people how to build a successful business in it too. Here are some of the main steps Gina and Angie took to create their online course, Revealing The Narrative for wedding photographers.
When creating your online course be clear on your topics
Determine the most useful information. Gina and Angie spent a lot of time thinking about the most helpful aspects when it comes to photography and also business, and came up with the ultimate list of topics to focus on that will lead students through building their photography business step by step. The information modules are the foundation of a strong course, because if you overlook one piece, people may struggle and not get the results you want for them. Being really thoughtful about what to include was key for this duo, and they also were strategic in determining which one of them was the ideal instructor to prepare the information on each section, based on their personal strengths and who loved talking about that specifc topic most.
Once you’ve outlined the topics and information you need to include, you have to actually create the material. Draft what you want to say for each section, and flm videos talking through it. You’ll also want to develop downloadable or printable material to go along with certain topics, if not all, that people can use to document or work through the specifcs of the information for their own business. It can be helpful to have someone you trust go through the information at this stage, to make sure it all makes sense to an outsider and that you haven’t overlooked anything that is key to understanding the material at any step of the course.
Next, you have to fnd a place to host the course online, and upload all the information to your teaching platform. There are many choices out there and you can use whichever seems to work best for you. You likely also want to create a website to go along with the course, or to build out a page on your existing website to provide information on the course and direct people to sign up!
Don’t forget about creating a plan for marketing the course. You want to make sure to get the course in front of the people who you made it for! If they don’t know about it, they can’t
buy it, and they’ll spend years struggling with the thing that your course could help walk them through in weeks. Create a plan that implements email marketing, partnerships, a strong social media presence that ofers information and support, and a PR campaign to consistently get your expertise and the course itself out there in front of prospective students so that they are able to learn about it and sign up to take it.
A few other tips to keep in mind:
Have fun with it! Think about the experiences you have learned the most from– usually they are enjoyable and even fun to a certain extent, even if you’re learning about something technical or professional.
Think about what you’d want to get out of this type of course. Approach it as a student, not the expert that you are. It can be easy to overlook seemingly small details or bits of info that may seem obvious to you as the expert, but would actually create a huge block in learning for a student who doesn’t yet have the knowledge.
Start telling people about it before it launches! You don’t want to fnish the course and then launch to crickets. Start talking about it before it’s ready and get people excited in advance. Have a way to keep track of email addresses for people who may be interested, and email them as soon as it’s ready.
With these tools and info, you can get started building a business course of your own. Find your passion and share it with the world. Not only can you beneft from starting an online course, but you can inspire so many people in your feld. So, take the next step, gather your expertise, and build the online course you wish you had when you were frst starting in your career.
Authors
Gina Brocker and Angie Bonin are Boston-based wedding photographers and the Co-Founders of Revealing The Narrative, a comprehensive wedding photography course that walks students through creating and building a proftable photography business. They are also the founders of Gina Brocker Photography and Angelina Rose Photography, respectively.
Property investment has a reputation; that it’s only for those with large stores of capital. This is not entirely true.
There here are many ways to enter, and successfully navigate, the jungle that is the property sector. My journey is proof of that. What you do need though is the right mindset, a hunger to learn the industry inside out and a fexible growth strategy.
Here are 5 important steps to help start and grow a property portfolio from scratch with minimal funds.
Have the right mindset
My mindset is infuenced by my sporting background, if you lose, the only option is to try harder and be smarter in order to win. This is pivotal when working in business. When closing deals, I try to remain focused and take a rational, objective approach. I make a specifc efort to separate any emotions I may have about a particular deal from the factual reality. This ambition and focus have garnered me my biggest successes.
Property is a market that rewards clever confdence, but not foolhardy ego. There will always be more successful investors than you are, so my advice is to be smart, not bullish. You also need a rather thick skin, and during a life investing in the property market you will be have your hopes lifted, only to be dropped more times than you will care to count. This process cannot dampen your enthusiasm for a deal. If it does, you may be too slow to act upon genuine opportunities when they arrive.
Know the market
Any successful business or investor needs to be in right place, at the right time, with the right idea. In property, the market can wrong-foot entrepreneurs easily. Therefore, it is crucial to learn the sector inside out and consider how wider market trends could impact your business model.
You need to follow the economy and how it afects the construction market, along with rental and sales patterns. This will help you to time your investments efectively, and timing is extremely important in property. You need to make informed decisions about when to sell, buy, refnance, repurpose and develop.
Understanding the banking system is also crucial; learn about legislation, difering debt products and lending policies.You have to be able to look upon your investment strategy and business from 30,000 feet so you gain a view on how your model is infuenced by wider sector dynamics. Once you start thinking in this way, you decisions will become better.
The insular nature of the property market can prove difcult to infltrate, so it is important to try and raise funding in creative and less-obvious ways.
For example, I developed a business model of fnding development opportunities on favourable terms, or businesses in trouble with tangible assets, who could not continue trading without an equity release. These deals proved extremely proftable whilst giving me the capital to continue the application of my model to bigger opportunities.
When I started out, the pressure from investors was immense. I spent months persuading investors to trust me with their money on deals, and I needed to deliver what I told them I would. Where investor relations are concerned, your aim should always be to manage expectations so that you deliver better returns to them, quicker. Once you have a reputation for delivering results in property, you are on to a winner. Property is an outcome driven environment.
As you grow your experience and capital, you are able to approach deals in a diferent way. Club deals with partners you share a vision and common interest with become more appealing. Of course, you can win and lose together, but more importantly when things go right you share the upside. Doing good business with good people is predominantly what motivates me at this stage of my career.
My frst foray into property came after a chance conversation I had at the Conservative Club in Swindon where my Grandad used to play snooker. I came across a homeowner who was facing repossession and bankruptcy, so after a chat with the owner I decided to buy their house for a fxed price to remove the risk and uncertainty they were facing at auction.
I then formed a blueprint of fnding motivated sellers, and building mutually benefcial relationships with them. I’d move quickly to take out a bridging loan and buy the properties at a good price, then I’d switch them to conventional remortgages, where I was gaining funding based on value, not on purchase price. This consistently left me with cash in my pocket, equity in the property and little to no fnancial input from myself. I became well-versed in the method, undertaking several similar transactions on a monthly basis.
Whilst the pandemic has been a testing time, creating an uncertain atmosphere for many businesses, it has also been a period of prosperity for many investors and businesses that pivoted quickly and changed their tactics. Therefore, it is crucial for entrepreneurs to stay mindful of the opportunities, whilst mitigating risks associated with the challenges they face.
Author Harry Fenner is the CEO of Navana Property Group– a leading and innovative UK property company.
Fast fashion is in decline while premium fashion is on the rise. Customers are becoming more aware of the damaging efects fast, disposable, fashion has on the planet and are opting to spend their money on longer-lasting, premium brands instead. Customers also want products that refect their personalities and say something about who they are. So, if brands get it right, they can capitalise on the growth in premium fashion, creating a strong brand that stands the test of time. Here are some top tips…
A trend across retail, and fashion in particular, is toward longer-lasting products. People are much more aware of sustainability issues and want to contribute to environmental protection through every purchase, if possible.
Consumers are also looking for quality in their purchases. They understand the false economy of buying cheap products that fall apart after a year. If you’re designing for outdoor and activewear, it’s even more important to be hardwearing and repairable.
Design for your market and their needs today, as well as into the future. Strong brands have longevity ‒ if your clothing is falling apart after just a few years, people won’t repurchase and your brand visibility (not to mention sales) will dry up. If you design your clothes to last, however, people will still be wearing them in 10 years’ time and you will grow a brand synonymous with quality and longevity.
Sustainability is also imperative when considering the materials you use to make your clothing. Good quality materials make clothing last longer. Sustainable materials help establish your brand as one that cares about your customers…. and the planet.
There’s also a big move towards natural fbres as people are discovering the damaging efects of synthetics. It was recently reported that polyester had been found in the Antarctic, for example, and traces of synthetic fbres were also found in our drinking water. Worried by these alarming reports, people realise the benefts of natural fbres which don’t break down to such a small size or cause anywhere near the harm of synthetics.
Sustainability is crucial, but the human factor is also very important. Does your company do good for the people involved? Awareness of exploitative sweatshops has been growing for years and tragedies like the Bangladesh factory collapse highlight real ethical issues at the bottom of the supply chain.
There has also been a rise in social enterprises over the past decade. These businesses either have a social mission of their own or support a particular charity. In doing so, they highlight their values and demonstrate how they are taking real, practical, measurable steps to help that charity or cause.
The strongest fashion brands fnd a gap in the market, a need that is unfulflled. However, they also need mass appeal. Research your market to uncover trends and discover areas which are undersaturated ‒ that’s where you’ll fnd the sweet spot between underserved and appealing.
Getting the right products for your market also requires trial and error. We started with a wider range of products at much smaller volumes, testing what worked and cutting what didn’t. This ‘agile’ way of working ‒ failing fast and fnding what works ‒ means you can rapidly tailor your products to real-world market desires, rather than basing your product range solely on research.
In the current political climate, it’s also important to connect with your market’s values. After all, people want clothing that refects their own personality. Start by defning your own values and creating a vision and mission for your brand. The aim is to take people with you on that journey, so you need to base all your branding and marketing decisions around those values.
All the strongest brands have a good story. Perhaps a link to something or someone iconic. For example, we beneft from our connection with Sir Edmund Hillary through his family. And since it’s Sir Edmund’s 100th birthday this year, we also have an event to celebrate.
Of course, not every brand has links to something iconic, but every brand has a story. Why did you create your brand? What did you set out to achieve? What values do you hold or mission did you set out to fulfl? Again, link it back to your values, then tell the story. This will help develop the personality of your brand and provide the conversation starter that modern shoppers are looking for.
Creating a brand can be an exciting and challenging process with lots of decisions to be made. The strongest brands take time to consider every aspect of their business and pay close attention to detail.
By Clare Hall-Taylor
Kagi Maldives Resort & Spa is a heavenly sanctuary of serenity and wellness - a unique and indulgent retreat for those seeking relaxation, rejuvenation, and a deeper connection with nature.
To reach Kagi Maldives Resort & Spa, which is located at the northern tip of the North Male Atoll, you have the option of a pleasant hourlong boat ride, or a 15-minute seaplane hop from Velana International Airport (54km). The beauty of this choice is that you’re less likely to encounter long transfer waits and delays – which means that you can reach your dreamy destination more swiftly.
Even if this is not your frst Maldives stay, you will be instantly captivated by how charmingly pretty this small island is. Tropical vegetation, accented with colourful hibiscus and richly scented frangipani trees
fringe the sandy pathways while, on the beaches, the sand is particularly white and fne and the crystal-clear sea a spectrum of the brightest blues. It’s blissfully peaceful too, with an unpretentious, welcoming yet calm vibe.
As the resort’s name implies, the heart of Kagi Maldives Resort & Spa lies in its wellness oferings and it features an over-water, distinctively designed state-of-the-art spa that is dedicated to promoting physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. Here, inspiration is drawn from ancient wisdom and time-honoured healing traditions, with a wide choice of treatments and therapies to indulge in.
Kagi’s Baani Spa goes above and beyond the usual Maldives spa oferings of massages, facials, scrubs, pedicures and the like, and instead aims to deliver the very foundations of wellness & health through a
dynamic process of self-care and recalibration. The philosophy of Baani Spa is to embrace the fundamentals of nature, sound, nutrition, bodywork, beauty, mindfulness, and movement, and to lean into a holistic healing journey to release stress, restore balance and regain momentum and fow.
During your stay, make time to experience a sound bath, to practise yoga and to indulge in as many treatments as can be comfortably scheduled in with the excellent therapists ,who operate in treatment rooms and relaxation areas, which all have wonderful ocean views.
Both the Yoga Sound Room and Fitness Centre are air conditioned; the latter, equipped with a range of internationally known “Precor” equipment, along with a healthy culinary section ofering fresh juices and a unique raw cuisine concept. You can also enjoy delicious and nourishing meals at the Baani Spa – all in a peaceful, over water setting with a gentle breeze and the sound of the sea.
Kagi Maldives Resort & Spa ofers a collection of 50 villas including 19 Lagoon Pool Villas, 21 Ocean Pool Villas and 10 Beach Pool Villas. All are styled with a distinct, tasteful, and contemporary design, complemented by the original Maldivian element of luxury. Additionally, each features a secluded deck that ofers pure privacy to luxuriate in al fresco rain showers, moonlit dips, or intimate afternoons basking in the sun. Inside, you’ll discover an over-size king bed, veneer foors, air conditioning, overhead fan and a seating area, plus a huge array of amenities for your comfort and enjoyment.
A key highlight for many guests, including us, is having your own generously sized and private infnity pool. Little beats that true Maldives experience of gazing out from the cooling waters of your pool, watching colourful shoals of fsh below, and if you’re lucky, pods of playful dolphin glide by.
The talented chefs across the Kagi Maldives Resort & Spa restaurants go above and beyond to create dishes that are not only delicious but, in keeping with the ethos of the resort, also nourishing, and designed to promote a sense of well-being. From vibrant salads to succulent seafood and favourful vegetarian options, every meal is a multi-sensory experience. The restaurants also happily cater to individual dietary preferences and ofer personalised menus, ensuring that each guest’s culinary experience is in keeping with their tastes and needs.
Noo Faru, with its views over the pool and the Indian Ocean, is the perfect setting for the extensive breakfast and dinner bufet, where guests can experience a variety of international cuisines, skilfully prepared using the fnest ingredients and fresh herbs. Poolside, Ufaa provides everything needed to enjoy a splendid, sunny Maldivian day without venturing far from your lounger: here, you can savour a collection of tasty bites and refreshing drinks to keep you sated and hydrated throughout the day.
As part of your wellness journey at the Baani Spa, with its turquoise ocean setting, you can choose from a range of raw food, greens, light mains and sushi at Spa Corner. Its casual daytime menu and soothing ambience provide the perfect complement to spa treatments and wellness-focused relaxation. Meanwhile, at Ke-Un, diners can feast their eyes on glorious ocean views, while tantalising their tastebuds on Pacifc Ring of Fire fusion cuisine, blending favours from Hawaii to Thailand and from Japan to Peru, all with an emphasis on creative innovation and fresh seasonality.
You may be in a tropical island paradise, but that’s not to say that you won’t have the occasional craving for European food: if this strikes, make your way to the frst level of Noo Faru, where you’ll fnd Nonna. Here, against a backdrop of the Indian Ocean, you can indulge in deliciously crafted Italian food paired with wine from the resort’s very own state of the art wine cellar. This cellar features a vast selection of eminent labels with strong representation from both Old and New World producers, as well as many worldrenowned vintages, all providing a formidable selection of wines to accompany every dining experience and please every palate.
Naturally, you can also enjoy wonderful, leisurely dining in the comfort of your own luxurious villa 24 hours a day - either indoor, or on your private deck alongside your pool, with that unbeatable view over the ocean or lagoon.
With staf teams who are warm, attentive, and genuinely committed to providing you with an exceptional stay, service at Kagi Maldives Resort & Spa is impeccable. From the moment of arrival, you are greeted with broad smiles and a level of personalised attention that far exceeds expectations.
If you wish to enhance your stay further, the Premium All-Inclusive Package ofered by Kagi is certainly worth your consideration, elevating your stay with an assortment of special benefts such as a sunset dolphin cruise, a selection of premium alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, dine around options and more.
Many activities and amenities, designed to elevate the guest experience, are also ofered at Kagi Maldives Resort & Spa. The resort’s location provides easy access to vivid coral reefs, making it an ideal destination for snorkelling and diving enthusiasts. The waters ofer high visibility and are teeming with marine life inhabiting a captivating underwater world that’s magical to witness from behind your mask. For those who prefer to soak up the sun, the resort’s infnity pool and pristine beaches provide the perfect setting for lounging.
Although many come to the Maldives to explore its underwater realms, Kagi is an exceptionally good place to dive, with their Euro-Divers team dedicated to ensuring you have the best experience during your stay, whether you are a beginner or advanced diver. As well as having an intimate knowledge of the reef, whicha
allows them to guide you to the liveliest sections, they also ofer specialist courses like nitrox and fuo night diving for already-certifed divers.
If you prefer to be on, rather than under the sea, a catamaran trip will allow you to feel the breeze on your face, and, with any luck, spot some dolphins frolicking in the turquoise waters. Alternatively, you can use one of the resort’s kayaks or see-through stand-up paddle boards, and explore the surrounding waters of the island from another perspective – while windsurfng, although requiring a little more skill, is a fun way to take to the water as well.
Kagi Maldives Resort & Spa is dedicated to minimizing its environmental impact and has implemented a raft of eco-friendly practices such as energy conservation, waste management, and the use of sustainable materials. These initiatives contribute to the preservation of the natural beauty on and around the island, allowing guests to enjoy a sustainable and responsible luxury experience and to preserve its beauty for future guests.
Kagi Maldives Resort & Spa is a true hidden gem that ofers its guests a seamless combination of wellness, luxury, and natural beauty. From the serene surroundings and the exceptional spa to the broad selection of culinary oferings, attentive service, and host of wellness oferings, every aspect of the resort is designed to create a transformative and unforgettable retreat.
Whether your aim is to switch of, to embark on a wellness journey, or to simply reconnecting with nature, Kagi Maldives Resort & Spa allows you to nourish your mind, body, and soul.
Visit : https://kagimaldives.com/
By Lisa Curtiss
Located in the beautiful Lhaviyani Atoll, Hurawalhi Resort is a private island fringed by pristine white sand beaches and crystal-clear turquoise waters, with an excellent house reef, and lush tropical vegetation. This is a truly impressive resort, for not only its exceptional natural beauty, but the impeccable standards of luxury, privacy and service all guests experience.
To reach Hurawalhi, you take a 40-minute sea plane fight from Velana International Airport – a treat in itself, thanks to the stunning views of the atolls and resorts below. Now the new sea plane terminal is open, you can relax in comfort in a luxury lounge while waiting for your fight – which usually departs within a couple of hours. On arrival you’ll be whisked by buggy of to your villa, through lushly planted, frangipani-scented paths and, depending on where you are staying, over long jetties with baby sharks and needle fsh swimming below. Quite the frst impression!
The accommodation at Hurawalhi Resort really is the epitome of luxury. The resort ofers a range of wonderful villas, including those on the water, and fronting the beach. Each is meticulously designed to provide the utmost comfort and privacy, and all are spacious, elegantly furnished, and equipped with state-of-the-art amenities. The highlight of the overwater villas is the private deck with direct access to the lagoon, where guests can indulge in sunbathing, swimming, or simply marvelling at the vibrant marine life beneath them. Many of the over water villas also have their own large infnity pools, while the beachfront villas ofer a private pool and direct access to the powdery sand, providing a seamless blend of indoor and outdoor living.
Hurawalhi is a relatively small resort, with 90 villas in total, made up of 30 Ocean Pool Villas, 21 Beach Sunset Pool Villas, 9 Beach Pool Villas, 15 Romantic Ocean Villas and 15 Ocean Villas. The beach ones are tucked away from view in verdant tropical gardens, and the Ocean Villas perched along long jetties. We recommend an Ocean Villa with Pool – these are truly wonderful with large wide decks afording plenty of shade, and very generous sized infnity pools looking out to the pretty house reef.
One of the standout features of Hurawalhi Resort is its array of worldclass dining experiences. The resort boasts an impressive selection of restaurants, each ofering a unique culinary journey. The quality of the cuisine, the attention to detail in presentation, and the personalised service from the knowledgeable staf truly elevate each meal to new heights.
Canneli Restaurant is located on the beach and serves ‘all you can eat’ delicious bufet style meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This indoor and al fresco dining experience features a variety of international and Asian cuisines in a traditional open-air dining room with live action cooking stations, with choice and quality both exceptional.
5.8 Undersea Restaurant: Hurawalhi is home to the iconic 5.8 Undersea Restaurant, the world’s largest all-glass underwater restaurant. Located, as the name suggests, 5.8 meters below the surface of the Indian Ocean, this unique dining venue ofers an unparalleled gastronomic experience. Guests can savour a delectable menu of gourmet cuisine, including vegan options, while being surrounded by the vibrant marine life of the Maldives, creating an unforgettable and truly immersive dining experience. In just a few hours we delighted in watching turtles, sharks and shoal after shoal of rainbow-coloured fsh, who were seemingly just as curious to watch us as we were to watchthem!
Kashibo, Taste of Asia: Asian street food is the name of the game at this lively over-water restaurant: pamper your palate with Chinese, Thai, Indonesian and Vietnamese inspired cuisine, including seafood staples, vegetarian dishes and teppanyaki. Kashibo was a frm favourite of ours and we especially appreciated the fact that guests be seated next to each other at the very edge of the jetty facing out to the ocean, allowing them to fully soak the incredible and uninterrupted ocean and sky views.
The newest of the four eateries is JFK (Junk Food Kitchen). Ofering a vegan take on comfort classics such as burgers, nachos and bufalo wings, guests can indulge in the delicious menu poolside, overlooking the shimmering waters of the Indian Ocean. Promising to be a guest favourite, JFK ofers a mouth-watering selection of ethical, guilt-free and vegan options so delicious that they would tempt even the most avid meat eater – the caulifower bufalo wings are a case in point.
You can also enjoy a range of other dining options at Hurawalhi; including a snack menu at the Coco Bar and pool; in-villa dining (24-hour service); Candlelit Beach Dinners, or the beautiful beachside Chef’s Table.
Coco Bar is ideally located on the shoreline with a chic indoor area and beautiful al fresco terrace overlooking the lagoon. Here, you can enjoy your favourite drinks as you watch the beautiful sunset or savour a nightcap alongside evening entertainment. This bar is open 10:00am - 01:00am and provides a space to watch sports events on the big screen, or to play (no less competitive!) board games.
Kashibo also ofers an over-water bar, where you can sample eclectic Asian-inspired beverages - including shochu cocktails - while enjoying the tropical breeze as you gaze out onto the ocean. Kashibo is just as beautiful by evening by day: with a drink in hand, you can enjoy illuminated ocean waters and glimpse the sharks and rays as they glide past.
The Taittinger Champagne Pavilion is undoubtedly one of the most idyllic places to watch the sun go down in the Maldives. Here, on this intimate al fresco terrace, you can raise a glass to your blissful sun-kissed day with Champagne and canapés. Its location, at the end of a long overwater villa jetty with uninterrupted ocean views was a real highlight of our stay, and, being small and intimate, proved very popular with honeymooning couples too. You simply must experience this during your stay.
The resort sommelier is on hand to help you choose from a global selection of wines – and, with more than 355 international wines displayed in an over-water windowed showcase cellar at Kashibo, you’re sure to fnd one that will suit your palate and complement your selected dish.
Service at Hurawalhi Resort is exemplary. The staf members are attentive, professional, and committed to ensuring the comfort and satisfaction of every guest. From the moment of arrival, we were greeted with warm smiles and a genuine sense of hospitality. The staf went above and beyond to cater to our needs and preferences, providing personalised recommendations, as well ensuring that every aspect of our stay was seamless.
The resort’s Duniye Spa is a blissful sanctuary of relaxation and rejuvenation. Nestled amidst lush tropical gardens leading to a string of overwater spa villas, you can here enjoy a wide range of holistic treatments and therapies to restore balance and harmony. The healing energy of the world-class therapists harnesses Asian massage techniques alongside chemical free, pure organic products to create a natural, holistic, and personalised approach to caring for each guest’s health, beauty, and wellbeing.
From sunset dolphin cruises, private luxury sailing to deep sea fshing – where are you to start? Utilising the island’s beautiful white sandy beaches, magnifcent lagoon and an excellent house reef for snorkelling, Hurawalhi ofers a wealth of activities to enjoy - highlights include a sparkling freshwater infnity
swimming pool overlooking the ocean, artifcial turf courts for football (futsal), tennis and badminton, a ftness centre with personal trainer, and a deep-sea sports fshing boat.
For who love to be underwater, Hurawalhi’s Prodivers outpost ofers regular scheduled guided diving and snorkelling trips, equipment and accessory sales, rental and repair, plus a complete PADI 5-star training centre.
Conservation concerns are placed frmly at the resort’s heart. The Maldives has the world’s largest known population of reef manta rays and the Manta Trust is a well-known, UK based, independent non-proft organisation, whose mission is to advance conservation of manta rays and their habitat through science, research, raising awareness, and education. Guests can take part in workshops and trips run by Hurawalhi’s resident marine biologist.
For those who love to be active, Hurawalhi ofers jet skis, parasailing, water skiing, wakeboarding, fun-tubes, sofa rides, windsurfng, kayaks, and catamaran sailing for rental and instruction. There are also group and private speedboat excursions for snorkelling, manta searching and turtle spotting - and of course, to see dolphins.
A wonderful experience on our trip was a morning on Hurawalhi’s very own Dream Island. Surrounded by crystalline water, this is a beautiful sandbank with the unimaginably soft white sand, located just a few minutes’ speedboat ride from the resort. You can be dropped of with a picnic hamper of delicious treats and left to sunbathe, swim, look for shells or just sit and admire the stunning view. It’s ever so romantic too!
A paradise that ofers an array of extraordinary features and oferings for its guests, from luxurious accommodation to unique dining experiences, rejuvenating spa treatments, marine conservation initiatives, romantic experiences, and exciting activities, Hurawalhi caters to the desires of every luxury travel lover. With its stunning natural beauty, warm hospitality, and commitment to excellence, Hurawalhi ensures an unforgettable and indulgent stay in the always-breathtaking Maldives. Out of over 20 top resorts visited in the Maldives, this one is at the very pinnacle of the ones I’d recommend.
Visit: https://www.hurawalhi.com/
By Lisa Curtiss
The Maldives are an easy sell on the one hand and an oddly tricky one on the other. Icing sugar soft sand; those dreamy, watery shades of shifting blues, glorious weather and seamless, smiling hospitality – what’s not to be on the next plane out for?
The tricky part stems from choice. With over 160 resorts in this paradisal cluster of atolls in the Indian Ocean, each blessed with, more or less, those same sands, waters, climates, and level of service, how does the traveller decide where to lay their head?
Avani + Fares have made the decision just that bit simpler, opening a brand-new resort on a private island in the Baa Atoll – an idyllic destination combining, in equal measures, luxury, natural beauty, and warm hospitality.
Make no mistake though – despite the newness of the resort, Avani are no strangers to the high-end hospitality game. Established in 2011, with Sri Lanka’s Bawa-designed Bentota Resort and Spa, the hotel group has since expanded to 35 properties over 15 countries. From the moment you land – either by seaplane or speedboat – you are in no doubt that you’re in expert hands.
Accommodation
Studio? Beach villa? Overwater villa? Pavilion? However it is that you envisage your Maldivian sojourn, Avani can you in a way that’s on a level with the service you’ll receive while in residence. Each one has been designed to provide privacy and comfort, as well as breathtaking views, whether you’re staying in a spacious beachfront villa with direct access to the sand, or an overwater villa perched above turquoise waters. Inside, elegant furnishings and modern amenities abound, while the outdoor areas, which combine the freedom of fresh air with the comfort of seclusion, feature sun decks and often plunge pools, all of which create an ambience at once luxurious and intimate. Oh – and of course, because modern luxury has a few more tech requirements than old school luxury did, each accommodation is fully equipped with state-of-the-art entertainment, free WiFi, Bluetooth speakers and a Nespresso machine.
Dining
At Avani + Fares Resort, there’s a delicious emphasis on contemporary fare blended with custom-led touches – for example, the ‘wana mola,’ a traditional grinding stone which is used to blend fresh spices for use in the resort’s many eateries, where experiences range from a romantic candlelit dinner on the beach or a beachfront barbecue, to a convivial meal, surrounded by other guests, at one of the resort’s specialty restaurants. Lazy pooltime is amply catered for by The SkipJack Bar, with light bites such as woodfred pizza and tapas, while the resort’s main restaurant, The Ocean Terrace, features ocean views and all-day dining including, at lunch and dinner, live cooking stations and fusion favours. For a more formal experience, head to Charcoal, where dry aged steak and sparklingly fresh seafood are on ofer, with a sommelier on hand to recommend the perfect accompanying wine. And if you want your evening to continue in a lively style, then Tribe provides a beachfront party into the early hours, with DJ sets, fre dancing, cocktails and shisha. Missing breakfast the following morning is not only forgivable but expected. That said, service at Avani+ Fares Resort is exemplary to the extent that staf go above and beyond to ensure that every need and desire is met – including bringing breakfast to your accommodation if desired, as well as arranging personalised excursions, or organising special celebrations or surprises. This level of genuine care and professionalism contributes immeasurably to everything that’s exceptional about Avani + Fares Resort.
Spa time
If the mere experience of being in the blissful Maldives – and, more specifcally, in the Avani + Fares Resort – isn’t enough, and a further relaxation boost is needed, then the resort’s spa is a haven of tranquillity. It’s set within lushly planted gardens and ofers a range of indulgent treatments and therapies, all inspired by traditional healing practices. Skilled therapists use natural ingredients and techniques to create a sense of harmony and well-being, whether by way of blissful massage, rejuvenating facial, or pampering body treatment.
If you can bear to peel yourself away from your lounger, Avani + Fares Resort has a huge range of activities and adventures, suitable for a range of interests and experience levels.
Snorkelling and diving enthusiasts can explore resort’s surrounding vibrant coral reefs, which teem with rich marine life. At the water sports centre, there are opportunities for kayaking, paddleboarding, and jet skiing, all of which give guests the opportunity to explore the resorts surroundings from a variety of vantage points – and there are also fshing trips, dolphin cruises, and sunset sailing excursions available. Meanwhile, the ftness centre will help those who want to maintain their regular physical regime to stay on track. Additionally, the resort ofers cultural experiences, such as Maldivian cooking classes and island-hopping excursions, allowing guests to immerse themselves in the local life and traditions.
Those with young ones aren’t overlooked when it comes to keeping busy, either – Avani + Fares welcomes families and ofers a wide range of activities and amenities, aimed at ensuring a memorable and enjoyable stay for guests of all ages. Not only is there a kids’ club where younger guests can enjoy age-appropriate activities, such as games and crafts, under the supervision of trained and watchful staf (time for parents to book in for a spa treatment, perhaps?) but family-friendly accommodation is also available, providing spacious living areas and thoughtful touches with the needs of families in mind.
Sustainability is increasingly a concern for modern travellers, especially for those travelling long distances to fragile environments. Avani + Fares Resort has such concerns deeply rooted in its ethos, and is committed to minimizing its environmental impact, implementing eco-friendly practices such as waste management, energy conservation, and the protection of marine life. These initiatives, among others, contribute to the preservation of the natural beauty of the Maldives and allow guests to enjoy a responsible and sustainable luxury experience.
To sum up
In conclusion, Avani+ Fares Resort in the Maldives ofers a luxurious and enriching experience for guests seeking relaxation, adventure, and heartfelt hospitality – in whatever combination! With its commodious and welcoming accommodations, exceptional and varied dining options, rejuvenating spa treatments, exciting range of on-land and on-water activities for all ages, personalised service, family-friendly amenities, and commitment to sustainability, the resort ensures an ultra-memorable stay in a location which has, let’s face it, always been hard for any visitor to forget.
https://www.avanihotels.com/en/fares-maldives
By Lisa Curtiss
Surrounded by the pristine, shifting blue waters of the Maldives, Kuda Villingili Resort is a haven of luxury and tranquillity, and visitors are sure to have nothing short of an unforgettable escape from the moment they board the speedboat from Male’s international airport for the swift ride to resort. How swift? Well, while others are still waiting for their sea plane transfers, you could be one mocktail down and cooling of in your own private pool. Yes - that swift.
Although Kuda Villingili Resort occupies its own private island, it is, by Maldivian resort standards, fairly large, with a number of villas ranging in size from those housing a solitary king-sized bed to others with capacity for up to twelve adults. Even so, privacy and seclusion are ensured, thanks to generous spacing between accommodations and thick vegetation providing additional screening. Indeed, the resort’s tagline speaks of ‘time and space redefned’ and this, thanks to its thoughtful planning, which seemingly efortlessly strikes a balance between togetherness and seclusion, is exactly what it achieves, allowing guests to connect and disconnect at will.
Even aside from the lush leafness that surrounds each of the resort’s villas, Kuda Villingili Resort has managed to create accommodation that blends seamlessly with the island’s natural surroundings - and indeed, when you’re surrounded by jungled interiors, paradise beaches and those astonishing waters, why on earth would you want jarring or incongruous structures? With a strong recognition of the fact that holidays have, more than ever in the past few years, become precious, the resort is careful to ofer a range of villas for holidaymakers ranging from groups of friends and families to multi-gen vacationers and couples. Attention to the interiors is as meticulous as to the overall resort build, with natural woods, tactile stone, crisp bedlinens and enlivening pops of colour all contributing to that outside-in feeling of absolute comfort and ‘oneness’ with the environment.
In terms of each accommodation’s immediate surroundings, there’s a choice of beachfront villas with direct access to that powder-soft white sand, or overwater villas hovering tantalisingly above the turquoise lagoon. Featuring private pools and outdoor spaces designed for loafng, lounging and snoozing, each of the villas is an individual haven.
‘What do you fancy?’ A simple enough question, but one that might take a while to answer at Kuda Villingili Resort, where every meal choice creates an opportunity for a a culinary journey of favours and textures. How does one choose between street-food style poolside snacks and a restaurant that grills steaks to perfection, recreates classic Asian dishes and presents local seafood with a European twist? Or stop themselves from going, night after night, to the sublime MAR UMI, where Japanese and Peruvian are delicately fused in a setting that takes in the blaze of the evening sunset setting the blue of the lagoon aglow?
Unsurprisingly, the resort’s over-water spa takes the word ‘sanctuary’ to new levels, oferings guests an even deeper experience of relaxation and rejuvenation. Like the accommodations, it is cocooned in thick vegetation and, with eight treatment villas, guests can choose from a range of treatments based on and inspired by traditional healing practices, employing organic, plant-based ingredients. No matter which treatment you choose from the extensive menu, which includes a range of massages and beauty therapies, you’ll be attended to by a skilled therapist, dedicated to reviving both body and mind. Meanwhile, for those who like to tend to their wellbeing independently, or in line with their at-home routines, the wellness centre also contains a ftness facility and yoga pavilion.
With the crystal clear waters of the Maldives surrounding you at every turn, it’s hardly likely that you’ll spend the whole of your holiday on
terra frma, even if that ‘terra’ is the most talcum-powdery sand your feet have ever left prints in. Kuda Villingili Resort has an exceptional choice of water sports and water-based excursions from which to choose, with equipment and instruction available for activities such as kayaking, paddleboarding, and jet skiing. For those wanting to, so to speak, dive right in, to those extraordinary waters, the vibrant coral reefs can be explored by way of a snorkelling or diving adventure, where you’re certain to encounter darting schools of tropical fsh, as well as turtles and rays. Otherwise, whether you’re after a romantic interlude or just something a little less arduous, sunset cruises and dolphin-watching sailing trips can be arranged - while the truly adventurous might like to have a bash at surfng or big game fshing.
Of course, not all of the activities on ofer take place in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean - there’s also the 150m resort pool, surrounded by daybeds and loungers, as well as pitches on which football, volleyball and tennis matches can be played.
One of the pillars on which Kuda Villingili Resort is based is a proud recognition of the rich culture and traditions of the Maldives - which, naturally, goes hand in hand with a focus on sustainability, in an efort to preserve this island idyll. Guests can participate in Maldivian cooking classes employing local ingredients and authentic techniques, as well as in Bodu Beru drumming performances, or traditional crafts workshops. There’s also the opportunity to visit nearby local islands to learn more about the daily life and customs of the Maldivian people.
Intertwined with this is a number of initiatives put in place to protect the delicate marine ecosystem and minimise the resort’s environmental footprint. Responsible waste management, energy conversation and the use of renewable resources are in action, as well as opportunities for guests to learn about these initiatives and participate in activities such as coral planting and marine clean-ups.
In conclusion, Kuda Villingili Resort in the Maldives ofers an unforgettable experience for its guests. With its luxurious accommodations; delicious dining options; a rejuvenating spa and wellness retreat; exciting water sports and excursions; cultural immersion opportunities, and commitment to sustainability, the resort caters to the desires of every traveller. Kuda Villingili Resort epitomises beauty, tranquillity, and indulgence, promising guests an outstanding stay in a part of the world so exceptional that excellence, when you fnd it, is to be celebrated - and, if you’re lucky, visited time and again.
Visit: https://kudavillingili.com/
By Lisa Curtiss
If you’re keen to escape the city, catch some sunshine, and enjoy some much-needed R&R, Gili Lakanfushi is an ideal vacation choice. Rightly famous for being one of the Maldives’ most luxurious resorts, this multi-award-winning tropical paradise ofers the perfect combination of pristine white sand beaches, world class cuisine, eco initiatives and exceptional villas…some of which can only be reached by boat.
Unlike many Maldives resorts which are only accessible by a domestic or weather-dependant sea plane journey, Malé International Airport is just a 20 min speedboat sail away from the Gili. This makes it perfectly positioned for those who want to reach their luxury resort as soon as possible after their long international fight.
From the moment you arrive on this tiny, private coral island resort, you’ll feel the pressures of everyday life slip away. We were met by our very own Mr Friday, our butler for the duration of our stay, who ofered us a cooling spritz of peppermint spray and ferried us by boat to our large, luxury Crusoe Residence, complete with over-water sundeck and rooftop terrace. We spent lazy days basking on our spacious multi-tiered sundeck, dipping in to the crystal clear lagoon or retreating to the air conditioned large living room and bedroom whenever we wanted to escape the heat. These villas are exceptional – and among the largest you’ll fnd in the Maldives and so much thought has been given to their design. Entirely private too – being only accessible by boat, and peaceful, with just the calls of very cute white terns and gentle slosh of the sea to disturb your peace.
When you can tear yourself away from your fabulous villa, you simply call your Mr Friday, who will come to collect you by boat, and in to the island you head to enjoy its many delights.
At breakfast, we feasted on French toast and freshly-squeezed tropical smoothies, chose light lunches of island-grown salads and locally caught fresh fsh and seafood, and treated ourselves in the evening dining across the range of excellent dining options – including our favourite, the excellent Japanese fushion restaurant, By the Sea.
If you’d prefer some privacy, you can also dine in your own villa — but we didn’t get the opportunity as we were too busy exploring the chilled underground wine cellar, where you slip a hot water bottle under your feet as sommeliers guide you through food and wine pairings, followed by the subterranean chocolate and cheese rooms, where you can sample handmade chocolates and artisanal cheeses.
It’s impossible to resist the allure of the clear turquoise waters, so we took advantage of the breathtaking scenery and went snorkelling among black-tipped sharks and turtles. You can also go scuba diving, windsurfng, or learn to surf — the biggest break in the Maldives is just 15 minutes from the resort. If you’d rather go island hopping, board a yacht to take a cruise through remote atolls, or get a taste of authentic Maldivian life when you visit local islands.
There are plenty of other unique experiences on ofer, so it’s easy to make your holiday dreams come true. Whether you want to fnd inner peace in the overwater Meera Spa, where you can try the four-handed massage or experience a Tibetan singing bowl session, or do your bit to protect the environment when you sign up for a data-collecting science dive, you’ll fnd it’s easy to switch of and enjoy a truly luxurious retreat.
Gili Lakanfushi is such a wonderful antidote to the stresses and strains of corporate life. For jaw-dropping incredible natural beauty, super-luxurious accommodation, gourmet cuisine, peace and tranquility we can’t think of anywhere more perfect to relax and recharge. We guarantee you’ll want to return, again… and again…. As their website says it’s all about ‘Luxury your own way, and your own pace’. They believe when it comes to luxury, there’s no such thing as one size fts all and that’s why they give their guests the freedom to design their dream getaway, whether they seek quality time with loved ones, an escape from reality, or a thrilling range of aquatic adventures. From experience, we can testify, they really do go above and beyond to exceed expectations and personalise every encounter, allowing every guest to make the most of their precious time here. A very special resort.
Visit: https://gili-lankanfushi.com/
By Lisa Curtiss
Think Sicily and, all too frequently, the images that spring to mind are hyperbolised nonsense, the stuf of flm scripts. Entertaining in their own way, but not a patch on the dark fatalism, mixed with an odd but utterly charming humour, that characterises the Sicilian way - not to mention the stunning landscapes and irresistible cuisine.
It was, in my memory at least, at the turn of the century, when fate so conspired that a strong pound, a glut of budget airlines, and a UK presence in the EU enabled people to buy overseas property, whether for relocation or rental purposes. Sadly, despite the number of relevant magazines I read and television programmes I watched, the stars did not seem to align thus for me.
So when I arrived in Catania, Sicily, I wanted to fully immerse myself in the destination; to pretend, however childish that may seem, that this was my actual life. I didn’t want a chain hotel with inofensively bland decor: I wanted to be a local, at least for a weekend.
Villatravellers, a Sicilian villa company established in Palermo in 2006, makes this entirely possible, thanks to its founders’ genuine desire to share their passion for the island and its culture, as well as to provide high-quality villa accommodation and exceptional customer service.
And ‘exceptional customer service’ is no exaggeration: unlocking the door to our frst accommodation, the glorious Casale degli Erei Villa, near Ragusa, we found that the kitchen had been fully stocked with all of our dietary requirements in mind, and that we’d been provided with guidance on where to go and what to do, so as to live like a local without having to aimlessly ‘peri peri’ (the Sicilian expression for ‘wandering around’) Within our frst day at the villa, we drank aperitivi in a square populated by garrulous old men and laughing school children, and witnessed, at close range, the UNESCO World Heritage Site Villa Romana del Casale, with its beautifully preserved mosaics dating back to the 4th century. We also, of course, wolfed down a traditional Sicilian dinner, prepared in-house by a chef.
Surrounded by vineyards and countryside, and housing nine bedrooms, Casale degli Erei Villa outdoor pool area is shaded by palms; in the poolhouse nearby, we could choose from a warming jacuzzi or a wine spa, which allowed us to relax in a tub full of warmed wine. The polyphenols of wine are benefcial to skin radiance, but the treatment also has a sustainable edge, making use of end-of-season and surplus product: the owner of Casale degli Erei produces his own wines, and treated us to an informal poolside tasting.
We were determined to be involved, as well as indulged, however, so Villatravellers arranged a private cooking lesson for us, during which we got to spend time in the villa’s spacious kitchen while a local expert taught us how to make a Sicilian meal, complete with pizza and cannoli from scratch.
Despite its relatively small size - Sicily is about one-ffth of the size of England - the island has an incredibly varied terrain, encompassing sparkling beaches and soaring mountains, volcanic landscapes, rows of prickly pears and rolling agricultural land. After spending two nights at Casale degli Erei, we travelled onwards to Sicily’s northern side, a drive that had us glued to our windows for the views, presided over by Mt Etna, which was active as recently as November 2022.
In Cefalù, over which La Rocca Mountain looms, we hiked steep paths for a bird’s eye view of the fshing village, a charming tangle of alleyways and traditional architecture, punctuated by the twin towers of a Norman cathedral. Back at sea level, we rewarded ourselves with a seemingly never-ending lunch at waterside restaurant ITTICO, where platter after platter of fresh seafood appeared on the blue-checked-cloth table in front of us.
Our next Villatravellers property, Il Borgo de Barone, was originally constructed in the 17th century, and now perfectly blends antiquity and modernity. Built over three foors, its original olive press stone is a focal point of the entrance space, and after yet more food - again, thanks to Villatravellers arranging in-house dining - we each retired to one of the
property’s seven bedrooms. It was with a heavy sense of Sicilian fatalism that I fell asleep that night, knowing that tomorrow we would be heading home. ‘Chiù nniuri ri mezzannotte nun pò fari’, I thought to myself, sadly: it can’t get any darker than midnight.
www.villatravellers.com
Casale Degli Erei features 9 bedrooms and sleeps 17 guests, starting from 3,230 EUR per week;(www.villatravellers.com/ ; 0044 (0)20 3608 4505)
www.villatravellers.com/sicily/villas/casale-degli-erei
Il Borgo Del Barone features 7 bedrooms and sleeps 14 guests, available through Villatravellers from 4,400 EUR per week; (www.villatravellers. com/ ; 0044 (0)20 3608 4505)
www.villatravellers.com/sicily/villas/il-borgo-del-barone
Images:
First three : Casale Degli Erei
Furthest three: Il Borgo Del Barone
By Sarah Rodrigues
St Lucia’s renowned Windjammer Landing Villa Beach Resort has debuted a stunning new look following a multi-million pound renovation. The grand lobby area, with high-vaulted ceiling beams and an open-air concept, has unveiled an elegant new interior. Dramatic chandeliers, statement features and a mix of natural materials have enhanced the dynamic space, which has become the heart of the luxurious resort.
The resort itself sits on Labrelotte Bay on the north-west coast of St Lucia, set in over 60 acres of lush hillside landscape, with undisturbed views across the Caribbean Sea. There are over 200 guest rooms and villas that ofer guests a wide-range of accommodation types from beachfront suites with a private jacuzzi, to incredibly spacious estate villas perched further up the hillside, or be one of the frst to stay in the new and incredibly contemporary ocean view residences. The resort’s larger villas feature luxury amenities such as private infnity pools, terraces and full kitchens with the services of a dedicated chef available on request. Needless to say, all guest rooms and villas boast outstanding views of the ocean.
One way to spend your days at Windjammer Landing is to bask in the sun on the peaceful white sand beach, sipping on fresh coconuts or cocktails, tended to by the nearby bar, 96 Degrees. The crystal-clear Caribbean waters of Labrelotte Bay are particularly calm, ideal for a gentle swim or for sunbathing on a sea hammock as pelicans swoop down in the distance. For those more adventurous, just a short stroll along the bay are countless water sport activities, such as paddle boarding, kayaking and snorkelling. For families, the resort welcomes new family-friendly activities. This includes bubblemaker classes, designed to safely introduce children to the underwater world of scuba diving, as well as a chocolate making experience led by a local chocolatier, and a new family day at the spa package.
To explore the island beyond the bay, boats can whisk you away to tour the island by sea. We recommend Knotty Girl Boat Tours for a fun-flled day visiting well-known attractions like Marigot Bay, the mountainous Pitons and even to dip in the mud baths at Sulfur Springs. There are additional experiences ofered at the resort by Windjammer Landing, such as guided painting classes or rum and chocolate tasting on the beach as the sun sets. Every Thursday evening, the resort showcases its very own carnival party on the beach. Friday nights see in the famous St Lucian street party known as the “jump up” in the locality of the resort for up-beat Caribbean music, dancing and authentic street food.
Windjammer Landing’s spa and wellness facilities host an extensive range of services. Facilities include the steam room, relaxation room, gym with optional personal training and drinks bar. The drinks bar utilises local ingredients such as soursop, tamarind and sea moss, all of which are found on the island and are becoming increasingly popular for their many health benefts. This year, the spa also plans to unveil the island’s frst medi-spa featuring treatments at the forefront of anti-aging and rejuvenation. There are speciality wellness classes, one of which is hummingbird yoga that takes place in the setting of the resort’s serene tropical gardens. In addition, the resort has created a unique programme combining wellness with breath-work and diving for the ultimate therapeutic underwater experience. Retreat to the sanctuary of the spa to indulge in one of the many massages or treatments available, or let the spa come to you with an in-villa massage.
Whilst there is the option of a private dining experience or a sunset beach picnic, the resort has a variety of restaurants for guests to choose from, all of which support St Lucia’s local farmers and fshermen. ‘Jammers’ ofers all-day beachside dining and local cuisine, whilst nearby ‘Upper Deck’ is a prestigious seafood and steak restaurant. Set further up the hillside with sweeping views of the bay is Italian restaurant, ‘Papa Don’s’, ideal for families. New to the resort is ‘Masala at Embers’, serving the most delicious, authentic Indian cuisine whilst ‘Embers’ ofers guests an additional laid-back beachfront dining option during the daytime. Windjammer Landing’s signature restaurant, ‘Dragonfy’, is back serving breakfast and dinner having recently undergone an extensive renovation. The restaurant now features a glamorous rooftop bar and lounge known as ‘The Perch by Dragonfy’. The contemporary lounge is an extension of the seascape as the hand-painted mu-
rals invite the ocean into its interior. The hotspot sees locals and tourists alike socialising over innovative cocktails and menu oferings.
With all that Windjammer Landing has to ofer, it is clear to see how the resort has achieved its excellent reputation. Locals and tourists proudly return to the resort year on year, welcomed back by the warm and friendly staf to escape to a home away from home in paradise.
Fact Box
Windjammer Landing Villa Beach Resort (www.windjammer-landing. com) ofers rooms starting at £324/US$399 per night with villas starting at £471/US$581. For more information and reservations, visit www.windjammer-landing.com.
http://www.knottygirlboattours.com
IG and FB: @knottygirlboattours_slu Cost per adult is US$125. STLA website http://www.stlucia.org
By Klaudia Burton
On the Italian side of Mont Blanc (the sunnier side!) is Courmayeur Mont Blanc, an authentic alpine, luxury ski resort. We recently made our way up the snow-capped mountains and checked into the newly-renovated Gran Baita Hotel, ofering one of the best locations and a boutique feel. After settling into our rooms, we took to a cosy snug beside a crackling fre in the atmospheric hotel bar, to cheers over aperol spritz and dive into an accompanying (frst of many) charcuterie board. Floor-to-ceiling windows showcase the spectacular, mountainous scenery, whilst melodic piano music and laughter flls the room - what better way to start a trip?
For our frst evening in Courmayeur, we chose to dine at the hotel’s own restaurant, Brasserie La Sapinière. The sophisticated and historic resort of Courmayeur ofers a range of accommodation for all tastes and styles. For those staying elsewhere in the resort, Brasserie La Sapinière has a separate entrance to welcome visitors to dine in its intimate setting. The hotel’s use of wood is refective of traditional Italian alpine cabins and this interior is carried through into the restaurant. Indulge here in the hearty menu and local wine selection. We highly recommend the mouth- watering fried goats cheese starter with bell pepper jam, followed by a traditional chinois, perfect for sharing and socialising.
Start your mornings in the hotel’s dining room to plan your day over breakfast and an Italian cofee, before heading out onto the freshly-powdered slopes. The hotel ofers a free shuttle to the Dolonne cable car, making for a short and efortless trip up the mountains. Whilst some may travel with their ski equipment, we chose to hire all of our equipment from Ski Solutions ski hire, conveniently positioned near the top of the cable car. Renting with Ski Solutions made our trip even more comfortable. We did not have to carry a thing and felt reassured knowing everything was readily waiting for us. The staf here are very helpful; beginners and families in particular might appreciate this added assistance.
Courmayeur Mont Blanc’s high-end ski ofering includes 100 kilometres of slopes and of piste on two sides of the mountain. The resort welcomes experts and beginners alike, with plenty of variety to accommodate those at diferent levels. In addition, with pistes as high as 2755 meters and snow-making systems, there is always snow. The resort boasts the most incredible peaceful scenery and the famous Mont Blanc as your backdrop. For those looking for adrenaline-fuelled adventure, there is heliskiing, of-piste and cross-country skiing, as well as joy skating, dogsledding, fat biking, hiking, snowshoeing and climbing, ideal for non-skiers too. Those wanting additional guidance can make use of the ski and snowboard schools. It really is the dream destination for any traveller looking to experience adventure out in nature.
The après-ski scene in Courmayeur is sensational. There are plentiful ski-in / ski-out restaurants. We just couldn’t resist pasta and tiramisu lunches out on the slopes at La Chaumière and Chateau Branlant. The restaurants are authentic and characterful, a perfect setting for locals and visitors to socialise over delicious alpine food, drinks and charcuterie boards, all rich in favour. Courmayeur is a renowned gourmet hotspot, hosting an annual culinary month in March, known as Peak of Taste. During this time, culinary events take place across the resort as guests meet and eat at altitude with some of the most prolifc chefs in the region, as well as a selection of world-class Michelin star chefs. Wine tastings and pairings also take place with fresh and local ingredients. After lunch, what better way to unwind than back at Hotel Gran Baita’s incredible wellness spa? The spa ofers guests the most memorable, magical spa experience. Relieve muscle aches in the unique sauna, with foor-to-ceiling windows that make you feel amongst the landscape. Step into the warmth of the pool and swim through sliding pool doors to make your way outside and be surrounded by sweeping mountainous scenery. Swimming under the blue sky, surrounded by bright-white, snow-covered mountains is an unforgettable experience. Additional facilities include a ftness area, relaxation room, steam room, facial / body treatments, manicure / pedicure and beauty services.
The centre of Courmayeur is just a 10-minute walk from the Gran Baita Hotel, here you will fnd a number of stylish boutiques, great bars and restaurants. La Bouche ofers a mixology masterclass, an experience
that is sure to exceed your expectations. Your talented and knowledgable host will invite you behind the bar to guide you in creating your own unique cocktail, artistically using delicate and versatile alpine ingredients. The masterclass is a lot of fun, making for a brilliant evening out before dinner. There are many restaurants to choose from both on and of the mountain. Whilst in the town, we tried Brasserie D’Entreves, sharing delicious gnocchi, raclette and panacotta that melts in the mouth. Enjoy a more formal dinner at La Terrazza, where we highly recommend the steak with a decadent trufe and mushroom cream. Before ending your trip to head back home, you must make a fnal stop to visit Skyway Monte Bianco. This is a once in a lifetime experience that is much more than just a cable car. Be transported 3,466 meters up Europe’s highest peak for breathtaking, 360-degree views of the alps, without having to put in any efort at all. Whilst there is the option to ski down from here, most opt to enjoy the restaurant, cafe, museum, exhibitions and shops before leisurely riding back down the mountain again. Courmayeur is rich in natural beauty throughout the year. In the summer months, you can expect a warmer climate and a wealth of outdoor activities. This year, the resort plans to introduce a new e-bike programme with cycling routes, as well as a ‘Green Weekend’ full of workshops and sports experiences such as yoga and a spectacular outdoor concert.
Fact Box
For more information visit: www.courmayeurmontblanc.it/en, call +39 0165 841612 or email info@courmayeurblanc.it.
7 nights at Gran Baita for two people on a half board basis in December 2023 from £1300 per person including fights and transfers with Ski Solutions.
By Klaudia Burton
A new private retreat in Corfu combines the best of proximity to attractions with blissful seclusion.
With breath-taking views across the Ionian Sea, the peaceful and private Paloubi Estate is located at the highest point of Corfu’s Sinarades area. Launched just last year, this 40-acre area houses three contemporary luxury villas, each with its own private pool and garden. As a former vineyard, the estate is rich with fora and fauna, with large olive trees and vibrant fowers secluding the villas and adding to the magnifcent views.
This family-owned home-away-from-home ofers guests many amenities. Each villa includes two en-suite double bedrooms and an open plan kitchen, diner, and lounge area. Floor-to ceiling windows food the villas with natural light, maximising the stunning scenery, while expansive patio doors extend across the living area and bedrooms for direct access to the private pool and garden, and open up entirely for a seamless indoor-outdoor living space. The pool is large enough for a lazy swim or a quick dip, with steps spanning the length of the pool so that guests can sit, semi-submerged. Other seating areas are spread across the garden, which is dominated by the olive trees around which the villas were built, maintaining the landscape in a thoughtful and sustainable manner. This is refected in the villas’ interior design, where natural materials abound, with statement features such as a custom-built, round dining table, kitchen counters and his-and-hers sinks. Calm neutral tone are contrasted with dark accessories and window frames, further emphasising the magnifcent views.
During our stay, we started each morning with a cofee under the olive trees, moving, throughout the day, from the outdoor lounge area to comfortable beanbags or pool-side sun loungers and ending the day in the outdoor dining area. This sheltered space is strung with lights and ofers a ringside seat for every gorgeous sunset, as well as being equipped with a barbecue and commodious dining table. As well as the fowers in the garden, we encountered fragrant herbs, such as sage, thyme, and oregano, all of which can be foraged as ingredients to add to your own recipes. Gifts from the garden, including tea, are provided to all guests and, for those who enjoy cooking, the well-equipped kitchen can be further stocked by staf. This paid-for service can be arranged in advance of your arrival via the estate manager, who can also assist you with booking transport, hiring a car, or arranging private yoga sessions in your garden.
Although your entire holiday could easily be spent relaxing in the privacy and beauty of the Paloubi Estate, those wanting to explore should make their way down the hill to the seafront, or travel by car to the nearby town of Agios Gordios. Just a 10-minute drive from the estate, the town ofers several locally owned restaurants and shops, plus a golden sandy beach lined with loungers. The clear, refreshing water is backed by the dramatic Corfan landscape and we couldn’t resist lounging under parasols to lunch on gyros and cocktails between dips in the sea. Dinner options were plentiful, but we highly recommend Thalassa, located directly on the beachfront, for authentic Greek cuisine. Neighbouring this is the modern seaside restaurant, Sabbia, which also ofers Greek dishes. From here, you can admire the evening skies, which the setting sun paints with shades of orange, pink and blue. On one of our Corfan nights, we lingered to soak up the atmosphere with an after-dinner drink under the trees at Lemon Tree Bar one night; other evenings saw us head back up to Paloubi.
The island of Corfu has much to ofer so, before heading back to the UK, we made a visit to Corfu Old Town. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it’s a labyrinth of cobbled streets lined with restaurants, cafes, souvenir shops and boutiques, with impressive architecture dating back to the 8th century. Both the old and new fortresses are open for tours but if you wish to travel at your own pace, you can stroll through parks and take in harbour views, as well as those of the turquoise sea meeting the clif, where swimmers enter the sea by ladder.
Oliver Bernard Escapes (www.obprivate.co.uk; 0207 118 0747) ofers a seven-night stay at the Paloubi Estate from £2,520 based on 4 people sharing a two bedroom villa. Fly to Corfu airport.
By Klaudia Burton
Immerse yourself in the mountainous beauty of Tuscany and feel reborn, thanks to this thoughtfully designed resort, which harmonises seamlessly with nature.
An escape from hectic city life could scarcely be better accommodated than at Tuscany’s Oasyhotel, a luxury eco-resort set on 2,500 acres in Italy’s San Marcello Piteglio Mountains. Formerly a hunting estate, the land has since been regenerated and conserved in afliation with the World Wildlife Fund, becoming the Oasi Dynamo nature reserve - and, since opening its doors in April 2022, the Oasyhotel has ofered guests an alternative holiday with retreat overtones. Flying into Florence airport, we took a 90-minute drive to the resort, winding through charmingly authentic Tuscan villages and admiring the surrounding views as we crept further up the mountain.
The views were no less spectacular from the resort itself, which currently comprises 16 nature-immersed wooden lodges. Each one is spacious, comfortable, and calming, with its own veranda from which to feast your eyes. The lodges, main building, restaurant, and lakeside bar all share a minimalistic Scandinavian style, which blends seamlessly with the landscape. Surrounded by woodland at 1,100-meters above sea level, you experience a cooler climate and fresh air: this, plus the peaceful sounds of nature, combine to aid a good night’s sleep, allowing you to disconnect from the busyness of daily life. We woke to the distant sound of a woodpecker and then sipped a morning cofee on our veranda, watching the sun rise and clouds drift almost directly in front of us, before making our way past orchards and meadows to the restaurant for breakfast. Eager to explore all that the nature reserve has to ofer, we followed breakfast by heading down to Lake San Vito. Secluded by pine trees and flled naturally with rainwater, the lake is a striking teal colour with a waterfall at its edge, plus plentiful decking, seating, and loungers, while the lake-side bar provides guests with drinks and picnics. The surrounding woodland, refected on the surface of the still water, adds to the beauty of the scene, which is also a serene place to try paddle boarding or kayaking.
There’s a natural pool alongside the lake, ideal for a gentle swim or for cooling down in the summer months. There are also many sport and wellbeing activities on ofer across the resort, including yoga, a grass tennis court and electric biking. In fact, all guests at the resort are provided with their own e-bikes throughout their stay, allowing leisurely exploration of 28 miles of forest trails for those preferring not to travel on foot. Golf buggies and shuttles are also on hand to transport guests between the lake, lodges, main building, and restaurants.
After a morning of exercise and adventure, we retreated to the tranquil spa, located in the main building, where guests can experience a unique open-air massage using organic products. With a background in sports massage, the in-house masseuse was able to identify and target areas of built-up tension: a personalised treatment, which was wonderfully relaxing. We chose to build on these benefts with a group yoga session the next day – again, focusing on stretching our muscles and relieving tension.
For lunch and dinner, the Oasyhotel has two restaurants, ofering both à la carte and tasting menus. We truly indulged in the food and wine offerings throughout our stay, feasting on a range of high-quality, creative and delicious dishes made with fresh and locally produced ingredients. We had the opportunity to accompany chef Barnabus Ciuti on an early morning forage for herbs and fowers, and our hand-picked ingredients were then used in the preparation of our meals later in the day. With such an abundance of ingredients grown on site, there’s a brilliant offering of plant-based dishes - and, this being Italy, the menus naturally include a pasta course.
For pre-dinner drinks, we headed to the bar in the main building, where we attended a cocktail-making experience, tasting unique concoctions inspired by the locally sourced ingredients. The Oasyhotel is part of the Oasi Dynamo Farm, which has its own vegetable garden, dairy herd and cheese factory, and produces its own dairy products. One activity you can participate in is a cheesemaking workshop - a unique and enjoyable experience, as you learn how to turn fresh milk from Limousin cattle into your own handcrafted cheese wheel. This is then stored until your departure - a taste of Italy to return home with.
Additional activities on ofer include horseback riding, cooking classes and guided bike riding, as well as nature walks and wildlife tours. Accompanied by a geo-guide, you can tour the reserve by day or night as you search for any signs of wildlife, including wolves, many species of deer, wild boar, birds of prey and other smaller animals. Even if you’re not lucky enough to spot any of these, the stunning views on scenic trails through lush forests are an experience in themselves - and the vegetation is beautifully diverse, with the fora varying between the altitudes. With its honest focus on sustainability, operating in a way that does not harm the environment, the Oasyhotel allows guests to slow down and truly reconnect with nature.
Fact box
Oasyhotel is open seasonally from April until October 2023. In low season, stays start from €476 per lodge per night on a bed and breakfast basis. Stays include minibar access, e-bike usage, access to private lake and water sports and valet parking. www.oasyhotel.com
By Klaudia Burton
Opened in 2020, Zafro Palace Andratx is the newest addition to the Zafro Hotel collection and located in one of the UK’s favourite holiday destinations, Mallorca. Just a 35-minute drive from the capital city of Palma, the hotel is set amongst the Tramuntana Mountains, with panoramic views of lush forest and glimmering blue sea. A family-owned business, Zafro hotels feature considerate design and an immaculate attention to detail, ofering guests various packages, including the popular, redefned all-inclusive version. There are several à la carte restaurants to choose from, ranging from Mediterranean fusion to Asian cuisine and a steakhouse, each ofering exceptional contemporary and creative dishes. The personality of each restaurant is refected in the interior design whilst also blending with the modern and natural feel of the rest of the hotel; each also has an outdoor terrace from which to enjoy the picturesque views. In addition, there’s a separate drinks bar serving signature cocktails, a poolside drinks truck, a healthy food truck and a swim-up bar.
All accommodations at Zafro Palace Andratx ofer guests either a private pool or jacuzzi, if not both. Couples and families alike can be housed in the suites, while the private pool is the perfect oasis for all. The hotel staf are endlessly welcoming and amenable to all requests, with guests able to download the Zafro Hotels mobile app, from which room service requests can be placed. Options include a foating breakfast at your private pool: a unique and utterly romantic experience. Several pools are also spread across the grounds, including a large multilayer infnity pool and an adult-only sky pool. Surrounding each pool and throughout many of the outdoor spaces are decadent Balinese day beds; you can even fnd beds submerged in the water or hanging on a swing. This is arguably the most comfortable and indulgent way to soak up the sweeping Mediterranean landscape and peaceful atmosphere at Zafro Palace Andratx.
As if this wasn’t relaxation epitomised, the hotel houses its own spa with sauna; Turkish bath; indoor pool and treatment rooms. The spa treatment menu can be found on the Zafro Hotels app, with facials, massages, and body treatments as well as manicures and pedicures from which to choose. We couldn’t resist indulging in a massage during our stay and felt immediately relaxed by the talented staf and their use of gorgeously scented, high-quality products. Not only was this the perfect way to unwind, but it was clear that the treatment was also focused on benefting the skin, body, and mind.
Golf de Andratx, an 18-hole championship course with the same marvellous views as the hotel, surrounds the premises. A short stroll from here is the golden sandy bay of Camp de Mar, which is positioned between two rocky headlands, which makes it feel particularly private. This tranquil beach has clear, calm, and shallow waters, as well as loungers equipped with safes and a handful of shops and restaurants.
You might not want to tear yourself away from the secluded and exclusive area of Andratx, but those wanting to explore more of the island have plenty of options - and Zafro Palace Andratx is happy to assist with arrangements. During our stay, we headed to the nearby old town of Palma de Mallorca for a tour of the historic Gothic Cathedral, guildhall, and baths, admiring the famous architecture before stopping for an authentic tapas lunch at Colmado Hispania. Palma boasts a range of wonderful shops and restaurants, alongside a mix of local boutiques and luxury brands. From here, you can visit one of Mallorca’s most-loved attractions: the old wooden train to the town of Sóller. The journey is incredibly scenic, passing through the mountains, orange groves and olive trees. We headed deeper into the village to Can Det Olive Oil Press House, where we enjoyed an authentic olive oil tasting experience, learning about the traditional production of olive oil from the 17th generation family-owned business. We also participated in a workshop at the Capvespre Centre, making marmalade from locally grown oranges.
If you wish to venture further inland, be sure to visit the Bodega Son Juliana Winery, which proudly produces high-quality wine with Mallorcan notes from its organic vineyard, sustainably powered by wind and solar energy. It’s clear to see the passion that goes into each bottle of wine as you tour the winery, learning about the production with a generous tasting and charcuterie board – and the setting, backed by the spectacle of the Tramuntana Mountains, is breathtaking.
By Klaudia Burton Fact Box:Nightly rates from €513 per room on an All-Inclusive Redefned® basis B&B and HB options also available Book at www.zafrohotels.com
We marvelled at the Eastern Mediterranean last time Star Clipper style, and now embarked on a new journey to skim the perfect pirate shores of the beautiful Leeward Islands. A collection of verdant lush peaks rising out of the deep, guarded by pods of dolphin and roaming whales, St Barts, St Maarten, Guadeloupe, Antigua, Dominica and Nevis are some of the Caribbean’s most precious jewels and all ports visited on our joyful journey on Star Clipper’s sister ship, Star Flyer.
If you’re yet to be acquainted, Star Flyer is one of three most majestic true clipper ships from Star Clippers. Star Flyer is Star Clipper’s twin, and Royal Clipper its larger and grander cousin. Think towering masts, billowing sails – and in simplistic terms, maybe even Pirates of the Caribbean (in an altogether far less dangerous way!)
Whilst the ships may look at frst glance like something from a swashbuckling maritime period flm, they are modern cruise ships in every way, where the traditions of the past are happily married to the comforts and amenities of the present day.
Created for luxury-appreciating passengers who also love the traditions and romance of the legendary era of sailing ships, Star Flyer is 115 metres long and carries just 166 guests in pampered comfort. Life aboard is blissfully relaxed, much like travelling on a private yacht.
This elegant ship ofers spacious accommodation and expansive teak decks with ample space and two swimming pools. In fact, you’ll fnd Star Flyer and her siblings ofer more outdoor space per passenger than most conventional cruise ships.
Arriving at the port of Philipsburg, St Maarten, and seeing Star Flyer again really is something special. Supremely elegant and majestic, she’s a beautiful sight to behold. Following a smooth embarkation, and warm greeting by the fantastic crew, it was time to explore.
After marvelling at the deck and noting all the perfect places to sunbathe, dolphin watch, and enjoy a cocktail or three at the deck bar, we stepped inside. The decor of Star Flyer is reminiscent of the grand age of sail. Antique prints and paintings of famous sailing ships please your eye, while teak and gleaming mahogany rails are richly remindful of Star Clippers’ proud nautical heritage.
Walking past the inside bar area and cosy lounge with a mini-grand piano, you descend to the delightful light and airy dining room where you take all your meals. All Star Clippers’ ships feature open-seating dining. Here you can choose to dine as a couple or share a table with others – something most people do, and we are so pleased we did as actually we made the acquaintance of two wonderful couples who really made our time on board extra special. We enjoyed onshore excursions with them and evening drinks and kept in touch. They then actually booked this same Leeward Islands trip on Star Flyer as us and it was such fun to enjoy this new adventure with them. In fact, the vast proportion of Star Clippers’ clientele book time and time again… many co-ordinating trips with friends they met on board. It’s one of the key things that make sailing adventures on Star Clipper ships so incredibly special.
Meals are excellent and it’s quite astonishing how the chef and teams produce such a wonderful array of tasty dishes day after day. They really do make dining aboard a delightful culinary adventure with an international menu of foods from the corners of the Earth. From waking up, you can help yourself to a cofee and continental breakfast with Parisian croissants or sweet Danish pastries. Or you can savour a full breakfast with fresh tropical fruit and crisp bacon, grilled sausage and omelettes cooked to order in the dining room. At lunch, a marvellous bufet of seafood, salads and grilled favourites awaits your pleasure, and sometimes you can indulge in an outdoor barbecue on shore. And, in the evening, the pretty dining room becomes the setting for the chef’s fnest culinary presentations, designed to please the eye and the palate, complemented by a selection of fne wines. The service is excellent – friendly and gracious, and most nights there is a diferent theme, so you don’t get bored of the same food night after night.
Each teatime, most guests head on deck to the indoor-outdoor Tropical Bar for cocktails and canapes and a range of tasty snacks, and to enjoy the musical entertainment and catch up on the day’s events. This bar is the place to head after dinner too, for more music, dancing and fun entertainment enjoyed by all.
Cabin wise, there’s a good choice of categories, and all are cleverly designed to maximise every inch of space, and far more comfortable than you might expect on a ship such as this. Some categories even have a whirlpool bath and cabin doors opening right out on to the deck. All have their own bathroom with shower, fat screen TV and most other mod cons you could wish for.
Star Clippers ofers a wide range of exciting itineraries to choose from. Ours was to explore the beautiful Leeward Islands. The Caribbean has long been synonymous with words such as paradise, bliss and heaven-on-earth, and there is a very good reason for this. Each region and island has its own character and appeal – but all are blessed with soft golden or exotic dark volcanic sands, clean turquoise seas and lush green lands – plus a warm climate all year round.
Star Clippers always ofers a super choice of excursions and activities across all its routes – and this one was no exception. Guests could choose from everything from zip-lining, to snorkelling, incredible nature safaris, kayaking, snorkelling with stingrays, rainforest canopy tours, river tubing adventures, waterfall hikes and more. These all proved incredibly popular and every day guests were of and out and about. You can of course just stay on board and sunbathe, make use of the two pools, read and relax, or combine this with a leisurely tender ride to the nearest harbour for a spot of lunch and a harbourside walk. Tenders run to and from the ship frequently each day whilst it is at anchor so you can come and go as you please.
Whilst on board, when the sea is very calm and weather good, the crew often open up the opportunity to climb the mast. Not for those fearful of heights but on our trip many tried this – including one brave gent who celebrated his 80th birthday with a bold climb to the top! Also each day there’s a fascinating maritime talk to enjoy and generally other activities such as yoga to make the most of.
The smallest island in the world shared by two countries, St. Martin/St. Maarten is a mecca for mega yachts, and just as big on shopping. Whether you go Dutch in Philipsburg or prefer Marigot’s chic French style there’s something for everyone. It is quite busy though so if it’s peace and quiet you desire, one of the other islands is probably a good option for you.
For a welcome slower pace and very pretty scenery, Nevis never fails to charm. The island is dotted with old sugar plantations, some of them now turned into quaint inns, many with interesting histories. Dominated by the perilously steep clifs of Mt. Scenery, this small Dutch island didn’t even have a road around it until 1951. It’s known for excellent diving and snorkelling. The Four Seasons resort here is a must, enjoying an enviable position on a spectacular golden sand beach.
Iles des Saintes
This was such a treat, as our Star Flyer home joined her big sister Royal Clipper at sea just South of Iles des Saintes on her journey from the Windward Islands. We had a thrilling race and all passengers were up on deck to see if Royal could beat us and to also take photos of this most majestic beauty gliding by.
Cabrits, Dominica
Dominica (not to be mistaken with the Dominican Republic) is a frm favourite of ours. It’s incredibly pretty with towering mountains covered in wild tropical forest, dropping to a plethora of beautiful beaches, quaint small towns, plantations and secret coves. There’s plenty to see and do here – including gliding through a steamy orchid-festooned rainforest on a fascinating boat ride or hiking to the breath-taking Trafalgar Falls and a bubbling lake. We spent the day at Secret Bay – a stunning, small, super-luxe resort nestled in the hillsides around a pretty cove, with amazing bay views.
Terre-de-Haut, Iles des Saintes
We anchored of shore between this very pretty group of tiny islands lying just of Guadeloupe. Star Flyer guests enjoyed tender trips out to the nearby superb beaches, snorkelling, diving and other watersports on ofer.
Deshaies, Guadeloupe
Such a spectacular island, Guadeloupe looks like a butterfy from the air. Its giant wings are actually two islands, separated by the Rivière Salée, a natural salt water channel. Basse Terre, the southern or leeward part of Guadeloupe, is lush and rugged, dominated by La Soufrière - a stream of boiling water which gushes from the top of the 4,800-ft. mountain, reminding you that this volcano is not dormant, but very much alive.
Falmouth Harbour, Antigua
History rich, this large island is famous for its historic dockyards, marinas, old inns and convivial crowds of sun-tanned yacht crews, and is known as the epicentre of the Caribbean yachting world. Today, every faded pink brick and weather-worn bollard of Nelson’s Dockyard evokes the presence of the greatest naval commander in history – but there are also wonderful beaches, pretty scenery and lively towns to explore. We spent the day at the excellent Royalton Antigua luxury resort which is in an enviable location next to a truly stunning golden sand beach. The resort even has Maldives-esque over water villas with private pools, and guests can enjoy a private cabana with own pool close to the beach and super cocktails and food on tap.
Gustavia, St Barts
World famous as the Winter destination of choice for every A-Lister and billionaire, St Barts is a mecca for the mega-rich and it’s easy to see why. Compact, very pretty with elegant small towns such as the capital Gustavia, it’s blessed with excellent hotels, duty-free shopping in exquisite boutiques, beautiful beaches, excellent dining and more. The harbour was full of many of the world’s most expensive superyachts whilst we visited – quite the spectacle!
Philipsburg, St Maarten
We returned to St Maarten, very sad to be leaving our ship and its wonderful crew and all the new friends we made from across the world. But.. we hope to be back on board soon.
If the thought of being on one of those huge cruise ships with thousands of others leaves you rather cold, a Star Clipper sailing adventure is the perfect alternative. It couldn’t be more diferent – in all the absolute best ways.
As I wrote before, there are holidays you enjoy, and then those you remember for years to come. You know, those extra special ones where the stars aligned and everything was just right – the weather, the people, the ambiance, and the food? For this very reason, guests on Star Clipper ships return time and time again, as they know they will always leave with memories to cherish, friendships renewed, and new connections made.
Fact Box
7 nights Star Flyer Leeward Islands voyage from 25th November 2023 – From circa £2,085 per person 2 sharing depending on chosen route for a Class 2 cabin. Flights/ transfers not included.
Website: https://starclippers.co.uk/
Reservations: 0845 200 6145
Email: Sales@starclippers.co.uk
By Lisa Curtiss
A true hidden gem, Secret Bay in the beautiful Caribbean Island of Dominica is a high luxury sanctuary to soothe mind, body, and soul.
Nestled around tropical forest covered cliftops fringing a pretty cove, the resort is fast becoming the go to place for the world’s most discerning travellers weary of tourist hoards. It features a collection of architecturally stunning secluded and sustainably crafted villas that are immersed in nature and positioned on a breath-taking cliftop overlooking the azure Caribbean Sea.
This six-star, all-villa, Relais & Châteaux rainforest resort and residences is now accepting guest reservations for its new Cliftop Multi-Villa Estates for stays beginning June 2023. Situated on the crest of the promontory’s 200-foot clif with expansive views of the Caribbean Sea and access to three swimmable and secluded beaches, the Cliftop Multi-Villa Estates are architectural masterpieces thoughtfully tucked among the trees and natural landscape, reafrming Secret Bay’s commitment to environmental preservation. Each Cliftop Estate features two villas, thoughtfully sited so that each has expansive views and ultimate privacy and seclusion.
Secret Bay has also announced an array of new amenities, including a hillside funicular, garden-to-fork chef’s table experience, elevated decks, art gallery and a kombucha brewery. The new villas, Cliftop enclave and amenities are being introduced as part of the award-winning resort’s multi-year master plan. This evolution – spread over 40+ acres of coastal land – allows for an array of new amenities, more private villas, and the for-sale residence programme, all while lowering the resort’s overall density and granting guests the utmost in the luxury of time and space.
Perched atop an ultra-private promontory, located more than 200 feet above sea level, the new Cliftop Multi-Villa Estates are enveloped in nature with expansive views of the Caribbean Sea. The frst comprises Secret Bay’s iconic Zabuco Villa and popular Ti-Fèy Villa designs, and collectively features three-bedrooms and four bathrooms. The two villas within the compound can be booked separately for a couple’s getaway or together for family and friends travelling as a group. Meanwhile, designed to be booked together, the renowned Zabuco Honeymoon Villa is accompanied by the newly designed Mapou Cottage, which can be used as an alternative studio or relaxation space, as well as private family or friends’ accommodation.
Each villa within the Villa Estates is appointed with a gourmet kitchen, an in nature private plunge pool, stylish bathrooms with rain showers and soaking tubs, and hand-crafted indoor furnishings.
A beautiful peaceful super-luxe resort you’ll not want to leave.
Standard rates for the new Cliftop Multi-Villa Estates start at US $3,324/night plus taxes for up to six people. The Cliftop Ti-Fèy Villa and Zabuco Villa can be booked separately and start at US $1,213/night plus taxes.
Visit: https://secretbay.dm/villa/multi-villa-estates/
It’s one of the very few resorts outside of the Maldives that ofers over water villas with private pools too. The adults-only Chairman’s Overwater Bungalows ofer the ultimate in tropical luxury, with a world-class butler service, infnity plunge pools and overwater hammocks to bask in picture-perfect sunsets, and in-room extras such as romantic dinners and a private mixology service. Elsewhere, elegantly styled suites open out to stunning views of the bay, complete with signature DreamBed ™ mattresses, rain showers and some even with semi-private swim-out pools.
A wide range of restaurants serve the likes of local Caribbean classics, Italian comfort food, and steakhouse fare, with a reservation-free dining concept. Foodies can also savour a seven-course C/X Culinary Experience with a private chef, with each dish enhanced by musical selections.
Families will love the on-site splash park, non-motorised water sports such as kayaking, snorkelling, and introductory scuba diving lessons, daily and nightly entertainment, and dedicated clubs for both kids and teens. Guests also can bliss out at The Royal Spa or keep ft with the likes of yoga, Zumba, and high-octane boot camp classes.
Couples seeking to rekindle the romance can stroll the pristine beach, cosy up under a palapa for two, or savour a candlelit beach dinner. And for those dreaming of exchanging vows on white-sand shores under an elegant beach gazebo, Royalton Antigua’s dedicated wedding planners can make it happen.
Elevate the experience further with an upgrade to Diamond Club™, which includes a private butler service, an exclusive pool and beach area, preferential restaurant reservations and drinks selections, and the best rooms on property.
We were lucky to visit the resort and enjoyed a wonderful day experiencing one of their super pool-side private cabanas. These are located in the exclusive Diamond Club™ area and featured their own plunge pool and lovely views down to the gorgeous golden sand beach below with crystal clear water perfect for snorkelling and swimming.
The resort’s hospitality was second to none and every efort was made to make us feel welcome. We’d love to return for longer next time!
Stay at Royalton Antigua, An Autograph Collection All-Inclusive Resort & Casino from $360 (approx.£295) per person per night in a Luxury Junior Suite.
Visit: https://all-inclusive.marriott.com/royalton-antigua/
Located in an enviable position fringing a pristine private beach overlooked by the historic Fort Barrington, Royalton Antigua, An Autograph Collection All-Inclusive Resort & Casino, ofers discerning travellers a seamless holiday experience, with fne dining at oceanfront restaurants, stylish architecture, and the island’s only overwater bungalows.
Nevis is one of the most unspoilt and relaxing islands in the Caribbean. Lush and green with amazing beaches, quaint small towns, and a slow pace of life that encourages you to stop and appreciate all the natural beauty around you. It’s a very special place that’s full of charm and the easy-going genuineness of its people and is the perfect destination to fully relax and unwind and reconnect with loved ones and friends.
It’s the smaller of two islands comprising the nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis in the Caribbean famous for stunning sandy beaches, fascinating maritime history and connections with Nelson, and also for its mountainous tropical forest interior and warm hospitality.
It’s just 36 square miles in size and unlike some other Caribbean islands, there are no large cruise-ship ports, no trafc lights, no fast-food restaurants, and even no buildings taller than a coconut tree. It’s on this lovely island you’ll fnd the wonderful Four Seasons Nevis resort, conveniently located just minutes from the cultural hub of downtown Charlestown, yet ofering peace and seclusion, plus a raft of memorable experiences on both land and sea.
A true embodiment of the spirit and soul of the Caribbean, this elegant beachfront oasis is everything you could wish for from a luxury getaway. This fve star luxury resort features frst class accommodation, a range of excellent dining and bar options, golf and a number of very attractively presented swimming pools, some fringed by cabanas to relax in when you want a little shade. It’s located right on a stunning long pristine golden sand beach which is ideal for swimming, sunbathing, paddleboarding and snorkelling – or just for taking a romantic stroll on at sunset.
Everything you’d expect from a highly acclaimed Four Seasons resort, in a most wonderful location.
https://www.fourseasons.com/nevis
As you to turn into the driveway at Bodysgallen Hall, you see your frst glimpse of more than 200 acres of wooded parkland that secludes the historic hotel, and immediately you feel away from it all. Make your way through the heavy-set wooden door at the entrance of the Grade I listed, 17th century country house and enter into one of several, atmospheric lounge areas with a crackling fre at the centre.
Bodysgallen Hall comprises of 31 rooms and suites, 15 of which are in the main house, with a further 16 cottages set amongst the grounds. We stayed in the main house; we were pleasantly surprised by the spaciousness of the room and overjoyed at the sight of a magnifcent view. The view looks out over the award-winning gardens towards Conwy Castle and the picturesque mountains of Snowdonia. The room is charming and characterful, an original stone window makes the perfect frame for the outstanding view.
Once settled into the room, we were eager to explore the historic gardens before sunset. Make your way through beautiful walled gardens containing box hedges, colourful spring fowers and water features. Venture slightly further to fnd a small tower ruin with a spiral staircase that ofers yet another wonderful vantage point. As the fresh country air helps you to work up an appetite, look forward to a traditional 3-course meal in the romantic setting of Bodysgallen Hall’s Dining Room restaurant, awarded 3 AA Rosettes. The fne dining menu is adapted over the seasons and includes organic produce grown in Bodysgallen’s own gardens; we enjoyed the juiciest forest berries alongside our dark chocolate mousse dessert. The dining room welcomes guests back for breakfast, ofering a full Welsh cooked breakfast made with locally sourced ingredients as well as a continental option alongside this.
With a full day ahead to discover all that Bodysgallen Hall has to ofer, you might fnd yourself venturing back out into nature for a woodland walk. We followed the map provided in our room and continued up to the nearby Obelisk. Here, we found breathtaking views of the River Conwy spilling out into the Irish Sea, where the shore wraps around the coast beneath you. We sat here for a moment to take it all in and appreciate the peaceful scenery, before taking the long route back to Bodysgallen Hall, deliberately getting lost in the enchanting woodland to continue to marvel at the never-ending views.
Bodysgallen Hall’s Afternoon Tea has an excellent reputation, guests can indulge in this luxurious treat in either the oak-panelled hall, drawing room or library. We retreated to the intimate library, decorated in rich colours with stain glass features, cosying up on a plush sofa in front of our own log fre. A range of fnger sandwiches, freshly baked plain and fruit scones with clotted cream and jam, as well as cakes, pastries and traditional Welsh bara brith is presented on a 3-tier plate. The selection ofers a very good choice of both savoury and sweet treats, with a thoughtful Welsh touch. It really is the most perfect setting for a memorable afternoon tea experience.
Just a short walk from the hotel, Bodygallen Spa is open daily to both hotel and day guests. We found an evening in the spa to be the perfect way to unwind. The spa houses a large indoor swimming pool as well as a spa bath, sauna, steam room, gymnasium, club room, relaxation room and six treatment rooms where a range of beauty and well-being treatments are also available. For visits during summer months, you can enjoy views of Deganwy Castle from the comfort of the club room and sun terrace or sunbathe in the secluded sun garden next to the pool. There is also a croquet lawn in the grounds and several golf courses in the locality of the hotel.
If you have time to discover the local area, Bodysgallen Hall is only a short drive from the Victorian seaside town of Llandudno, where you can dip your toes in the sea at North Shore Beach and take a walk along the 19th-century Pier. A brilliant afternoon can also be spent at Conwy Castle, where you can walk the walls of the 700-year-old fortress and even spot Bodysgallen Hall nestled into the hillside in the distance before you.
Visit: https://www.bodysgallen.com/
By Klaudia Burton
Just a few miles from York sits beautiful Middlethorpe Hall - the perfect base to enjoy the majestic scenery of Yorkshire and the many fascinating visitor attractions this very special region has to ofer. Looking like something from a Jane Austen novel, Middlethorpe Hall stands in 20 acres of award-winning gardens and was formerly the home of the famous 18th century diarist Lady Mary Wortley Montagu. There are 29 bedrooms, an award-winning restaurant and boutique spa.
On arrival, we were warmly greeted and enjoyed a quick tour by an incredibly helpful porter who knew everything about the Hall’s history and surrounding area too. Each of the bedrooms at Middlethorpe Hall is individually designed and has its own distinct story. Ours was a delight with a cosy adjoining sitting room, with large sash windows afording lovely views out across the lawns. There were lots of thoughtful touches such as a vase of fresh Spring fowers, refreshments tray, sweet treats on arrival and luxury toiletries.
The public rooms at the Hall are stunning. A large sweeping staircase leads to the bedrooms and below are the elegant dining room and large sitting and drawing rooms . Here we were treated to a delectable traditional afternoon tea of warm, fresh-out-of-the-oven scones, artisan pastries and an array of dainty sweet treats, accompanied by a glass of bubbly and wide choice of quality teas. It’s clearly very popular with locals and fellow tourists alike, as the rooms were quickly flled with couples and small groups of friends all thoroughly enjoying afternoon tea in such an elegant yet comfortable setting.
A gentle stroll around the large gardens was needed after and a very enjoyable hour was spent meandering around the walled gardens, wild dafodil and snowdrop fringed parkland and lawns – all with lovely views. Some accommodation is available outside of the main house too – in several pretty courtyard cottages. After relaxing in the room, it was soon time for a cocktail or two before moving in to the classically panelled dining room - the perfect setting to enjoy the chef’s contemporary take on traditional British food. The restaurant has been awarded two AA Rosettes and our meal and accompanying wine fight were excellent, and the service impeccable.
The following morning, we enjoyed a super breakfast, and then made the most of our last few hours at Middlethorpe Hall’s own small spa, which has a pool, sauna, and peaceful upstairs treatment rooms . It’s the perfect place to unwind and recharge with treatments by Aromatherapy Associates. The signature rose facial was wonderful and incredibly relaxing. Middlethorpe Hall is a perfect place to stay for a romantic break, weekend or mid-week escape with family and friends. B&B is priced from £245 – based on a double room with two guests. This also includes use of the spa facilities.
By Lisa Curtiss www.middlethorpe.com www.historichousehotels.com
For a romantic short break or for quality time with family or friends, Hartwell House is an ideal choice ofering elegant accommodation, fne dining, and a spa.
Now National Trust owned, and one of three historic houses where the public can stay, this Grade I listed property stands in over 90 acres of gardens and parkland. It’s easy to reach being just forty miles north west of London, in Buckinghamshire, and less than an hour from Oxford, Blenheim Palace and other key places of interest such as the Chiltern Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Here you can walk along with miles of footpaths winding through beech-wood forests and alongside momentous waterways such as the Thames and Grand Union Canal. You can also visit the nearby Vale of Aylesbury, one of the most beautiful parts of the county.
Hartwell House has an illustrious history. The most famous resident was Louis XVIII, exiled King of France. In 1809, Hartwell was leased to the king and his court, and he remained here until 1814 when the constitutional document confrming his accession to the throne was signed in the library by the King. In 1938 the house and estate were acquired by Ernest Cook, an early hero of the conservation movement.
An elegant and majestic house, Hartwell features both Jacobean and Georgian facades, contains numerous beautiful rooms with rococo ceilings, antique furniture, and paintings, yet ofers every contemporary comfort.
There are a host of elegant bedrooms and suites, each individually designed in a traditional country house style, with antiques and fne paintings. The main dining room has been designed in the style of the eminent early 19th century architect, Sir John Soane.
The restaurant has been awarded two AA Rosettes. Hartwell Spa in the grounds has a mosaic-lined indoor swimming pool, sauna and steam rooms, gym and café. Hartwell Court, originally the eighteenth-century coach house and situated approximately 100 yards from the house, has been restored to provide additional bedrooms.
Arriving at Hartwell is a visual delight, with its sweeping driveway and pretty parkland. After a warm welcome, we were shown to our gorgeous suite, with large bedroom, bathroom, and separate sitting room – all with glorious garden views. One of the frst things we noticed is the very unusual main staircase which is decorated with all sorts of heraldic and chivalric fgurines. You can almost imagine them coming to life after dark!
We enjoyed a deligtful afternoon tea in one of the light, airy and beautifully decorated drawing rooms, followed by an excellent dinner, plus a spa experience and aromatherapy facial and massage on the following day.
There are plenty of other things to enjoy too, including Walk the Tree Guide to explore the many species gracing the 94 acre Hartwell House gardens which were landscaped by a contemporary of Capability Brown. You can also enjoy a game of tennis or croquet, escape to the impressive library and nestle down with a good book by the fre and enjoy a relaxing treatment at the spa.
An elegant, luxurious yet welcoming place to stay – full of history, charm and excellent staf who do their very best to make you feel at home.
www.hartwell-house.com
Hartwell House, Buckinghamshire, HP17 8NR
B&B is priced from £265 at Hartwell House based on a double room with two guests. This also includes use of the spa facilities.
www.historichousehotels.com
By Lisa Curtiss
Set among the picturesque landscape of Ayrshire, Scotland, Glenapp Castle is an enchanting haven combining old-world charm with modern luxury. Surrounded by 110 acres of pretty gardens and nature-rich native woodlands, this magnifcent estate is a welcoming sanctuary of tranquillity and refnement.
From its rich history and luxurious accommodation to its exceptional dining options and an array of local activities, Glenapp delivers an unforgettable experience for guests seeking a Scottish getaway as luxurious as it is unique.
Originally built in 1870, Glenapp has been lovingly restored to preserve its original architectural charm. Stately turrets, a magnifcent oak staircase, and intricate woodwork combine to allow you to feel that you’ve stepped back in time to the grandeur of the Victorian era; however, unlike many other period manors and castles, Glenapp is bright and sunny, warm, and comfortable – and pleasantly draught and creak free.
There’s a selection of opulent accommodation options, which efortlessly blend period elegance with contemporary comforts. Every room and suite is individually designed, showcasing each one’s unique character and providing a luxurious retreat for guests. From the elegantly furnished deluxe rooms to the spacious and lavish suites, each detail has been carefully considered to ensure a restful and indulgent stay. All of the rooms and suites are wonderful, but if your budget permits, gift yourself the experience of the super-luxe Endeavour Suite – recently voted one of the best suites in the world.
Spanning 420 square metres/4,500 square feet and combining traditional baronial style with every conceivable modern luxury, this elegant four bedroom penthouse suite accommodates up to 8 guests. Seclusion abounds: It’s tucked away on its own foor and accessible through its very own private elevator. From The Endeavour Suite, you can watch the sunset and marvel at the stars, while taking in breath taking and iconic views over Ailsa Craig, the Isle of Arran, and the Mull of Kintyre. On clear days, you may even see the hills of Northern Ireland.
The Endeavour Suite also features a sauna, beauty & treatment room, as well as a library & games room, media room, period kitchen and a private dining area for up to 16 guests. A private rooftop terrace ofers guests a 360-degree view of the estate and coastline, while your very own private chef and personal butler make it the perfect space for celebrating and relaxing with family and friends.
If you can persuade yourself to leave your luxurious suite, you’ll have the opportunity to enjoy the sights, sounds, and scents of 110 acres of private estate and local woodland as you stroll the carefully tended lawns and pathways, surrounded by a vast array of exotic plants, collected since Victorian days. A visit to the stunning walled garden is a must – as well as, of course, the Italian garden created by one of the world’s most acclaimed early 20th century garden designers, Gertrude Jekyll. We enjoyed archery tuition in the grounds and, while we can’t claim to be up to Robin Hood standards yet, it was great fun to learn a new skill. Be sure to wander down to the lake, where you’ll fnd perfectly placed seating areas for two, each with wonderful views: the ideal place to relax with a book or have a game of chess.
Glenapp is perfectly situated for guests to explore the beauty and heritage of Ayrshire and its surrounding areas. The hotel ofers a range of activities and experiences catering to diverse interests - nature enthusiasts, for example, can embark on scenic hikes through the nearby Galloway Forest Park or explore the rugged coastline dotted with historic castles and charming villages, while golf enthusiasts are within easy reach of several world-class golf courses. The hotel can also arrange whiskey tastings, private boat trips to nearby islands, and visits to local distilleries and historical sites, ensuring that guests have a truly immersive Scottish experience.
After exploring the grounds and places further afeld, you’ll welcome the opportunity to relax over a sumptuous and beautifully presented afternoon tea, or perhaps a freshly prepared salad or savoury dish in the very pretty and recently restored Azalea Glasshouse Restaurant.
Glenapp Castle is a leading destination for delicious cuisine, with its fne dining and 3 AA Rosettes. Guests can choose between dining in the gorgeous traditional surroundings of the Castle’s elegant dining rooms, or the almost 200-year-old Victorian Mackenzie and Moncur Victorian Glasshouse: both impressive and distinctive venues.
The award-winning restaurants take guests on a gastronomic journey, showcasing the fnest locally sourced ingredients, plus an artful fusion of traditional Scottish favours and contemporary techniques. The talented chefs create seasonal menus that celebrate the best of Scottish produce, ensuring each dish is a work of culinary art. Whether indulging in a sumptuous breakfast, savouring a decadent afternoon tea, or delighting in an exquisite multi-course dinner, guests can expect a truly transportive dining experience.
The hotel’s castle dining room exudes elegance, with its refned decor, captivating views, and impeccable service. Each meal is thoughtfully curated and precisely detailed, from the presentation of the dishes to the knowledgeable wine pairings. The warm and attentive staf further enhance the dining experience, ensuring that guests feel pampered and cared for throughout their culinary journey.
Executive Chef, Joe Gould, and his team have created a truly memorable dining experience, which includes mouth-watering canapés, perfectly brewed cofee, and home-made petits fours. The fne a la carte menu and our seven-course tasting menu were bursting with local produce, with many of the ingredients coming from Glennapp’s very own on-site kitchen consisting of a 150-foot-long glasshouse, walled garden and polytunnels. Championing local produce is a cause the Glennapp team are passionate about, reducing the carbon footprint of each dish while heightening its favoursomeness.
We highly recommend the wonderful 7 course tasting menu with wine fight. Delights include Roasted Salt Aged Duck Breast, Butternut Squash & Chorizo Ecressé, Sage & Onion Cabbage, Goats Curds & Pomegranate; Pan Fried Orkney Bay Scallop, Cep Puree, Honey & Sherry Conft Turnip, Pickled Grapes, Walnut Foam; Roasted Fillet of Scotch Beef, Broccoli, Caramelised Roscof Onion, Trufe Hazelnut, Red Wine Sauce and a delectable Blackberry, Almond & Heather Honey Mousse, Blackberry Gel, Chocolate, Amaretti & Lime Crémeux, with Hazelnut Ice Cream.
Afternoon tea at Glenapp is also a pure delight, featuring a selection of delicate sandwiches, freshly baked scones, and an assortment of sweet treats, all served with a choice of fne teas or champagne. As for breakfast – it is simply one of the very best we’ve ever experienced at any luxury hotel in the UK.
To complement the exceptional cuisine, the restaurant at Glenapp ofers an extensive selection of wines from around the world. The incredibly knowledgable sommelier and team are on hand to guide guests through the cellar’s oferings, helping them choose the perfect pairing for their meal. From crisp whites to robust reds, the wine list is curated to match the diverse favours and textures presented in each dish, enhancing the overall dining experience. The wine paring with the tasting menu was excellent.
From beautifully presented dishes that celebrate the favours of Scotland, to the attentive and knowledgeable staf, every aspect
of the eating here refects the hotel’s commitment to excellence. Whether indulging in a gourmet dinner, savouring an afternoon tea, or experiencing a private dining event, guests at Glenapp are treated to a gastronomic odyssey, which will linger tantalisingly in their memories long after the last mouthful.
Glenapp Casstle is one of the very best luxury places to stay at in the whole of the UK for comfort, location, relaxation, true luxury, exceptional service and dining experience.
https://www.glenappcastle.com/
By Lisa Curtiss
ENDOLIFT® is a type of medical aesthetic treatment that uses a special laser machine called Eufoton® LASEmaR® 1500 to make changes to the skin in a non-invasive way, which means it can be carried out in clinic rather than a hospital.
This treatment can make the skin tighter and reduce wrinkles by stimulating the production of collagen and by targeting water and fat in the skin. It can also reduce the amount of excess fat in some cases. The laser beam used in ENDOLIFT® targets specifc parts of the skin to create these efects:
• the remodelling of both deep and superfcial layers of the skin toning
• the retraction of connective septums
• the stimulation of collagen production
• when necessary, the reduction of excessive fat
What areas can be treated?
Endolift can be used on the face and other parts of the body. Treatment is often used on patients for the neck, jowls, smile lines, lower eyelids, jawline, stomach, buttocks, inner thighs and arms.
What are the benefts?
• The results are instant and continue to improve up to 12 months post-treatment. • Skin is tightened
• Lines in skin are smoothed out
• Small pockets of fat in the skin are removed
• Skin appears to be lifted and rejuvenated
• Collagen is stimulated which promotes elasticity, hydration and frmer skin
• Endolift gives noticeable results both immediately and long-term without the pain and invasiveness of surgery, therefore is often a good replacement for surgery.
• Results can last up to 4 years.
Is it painful or uncomfortable?
Patients report that the Endolift procedure is quite comfortable, due to the fact that the areas to be treated are numbed with a local anesthetic which is administered under the skin using a cannula (a blunt needle).
The only place where you can feel completely relaxed during your facial aesthetic treatments- presenting the Enjoyable Aesthetics Technique ™ by Dr.Safa
As well as its use during our dental treatments, we ofer ‘happy air’ or nitrous oxide sedation for all our medical aesthetic treatments (anti wrinkle toxin treatments, dermal fllers and Endolift skin tightening and fat targeting).
This is a safe odourless gas delivered with oxygen to completely relax you and ensure your complete comfort. It is fast reversible which means you will feel back to normal within a matter of minutes and you do not require someone to come with you to treatments. In addition, Dr. Safa takes you through a guided meditation to ensure you get the most blissful experience that allows you to take your mind of the treatments being carried out.
Complimentary consultations available, prices from £995.
Call us on 0207 112 4919 or email info@serenedental.co.uk
SERENE BY DR. SAFA
56 Knightsbridge SW1X 7JN
Tel: 020 7112 4919
Email: info@serenedental.co.uk
https://www.serenedental.co.uk/
Highly recommended, proven efective and recently showcased on national TV, the BTL Emsella® is available at DrMediSpa. This innovative non-invasive treatment strengthens your pelvic foor muscles to help with associated issues troubling many mums post partum and also those experiencing menopause.
The Emsella® machine is a vibrating chair that essentially does Kegel exercises for you - 20,000 reps in a single 30-minute treatment, to be exact. Emsella® is a non-invasive, FDA-approved treatment that uses electromagnetic energy to engage the pelvic foor muscles by causing them to contract rapidly.
The unique selling point of the Emsella® machine is that it is a non-surgical, painless procedure with zero recovery time. The Emsella® machine also works perfectly in tandem with the EmSculpt machine to ofer a highly efective combined treatment to target numerous areas of concern for men and women alike providing a ‘top to foor’ results.
To boost your confdence even further, EMSculpt Neo® also available at DrMediSpa works perfectly with Emsella®.
This non-invasive treatment works to both burn fat and tone muscle by fusing two advanced technologies into one. You can achieve greater gains with less efort and no surgery, gym sessions or downtime.
It is the most advanced body contouring solution available to ofer both muscle strength and fat loss in a short and efective treatment. It does so by combining electromagnetic energy with radiofrequency stimulation to deplete fat cells and build up muscle mass. Electromagnetic felds trigger thousands of muscle contractions, equivalent to 24,000 crunches, while radiofrequency heat burns through fat to ofer you a more defned, toned and slimmer fgure.
The machine creates energy that contracts the muscle in the targeted area at an intensity which is not achievable through exercise alone. The extreme stress from the machine forces the muscles to adapt, resulting in an increase in both the number and growth of muscle fbres and
cells. This gives you exceptional body-sculpting results without pain, surgery downtime or any physical exertion.
BTL is an award-winning pioneer in medical, aesthetics and physiotherapy equipment. Founded in 1993, BTL has become one of the world’s major manufacturers of medical and aesthetic equipment. They have revolutionised the most advanced, non-invasive solutions for body shaping, skin tightening & other medical aesthetic treatments, including women’s intimate health and wellness. Behind every product stand 300 engineers developing cutting-edge therapies that are safe, comfortable and efcacious day in, day out.
Dr Munir Somji is a cosmetic surgeon, medical director and founder of the DrMediSpa clinic group. He has over a decade of experience in developing and performing advanced surgical, non-surgical, and soft surgery techniques, as well as managing aesthetic complications.
DrMediSpa EMSculpt Neo® is £1000 for an individual session or £3000 for a course of 4. DrMediSpa Emsella® is £2000 for a course of 6 sessions.
To book Emsella®, EMSculpt Neo® or any of the other excellent non-invasive confdence boosting aesthetic treatments ofered, visit www.drmedispa.com, or call 020 8418 0362 or email hello@drmedispa.com
Dr MediSpa London clinics: 59 Chiltern St, London W1U 6NF and 18 Beauchamp Place, Knightsbridge London SW3 1NQ Essex clinic: 8 Forest Road, Loughton, IG10 1DX
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In the heart of London’s prestigious Knightsbridge district lies a hidden gem for those seeking the epitome of luxury dental care. Dr. Safa Al-Naher and her team at Serene Dental have transformed the way people perceive dentistry by creating an award-winning, multi-specialist practice that caters to the needs of even the most nervous patients. With a commitment to providing exceptional care and an array of innovative treatments, Serene Dental has become synonymous with opulence and excellence.
Dr. Safa Al-Naher, renowned for her expertise and gentle demeanour, has earned a remarkable reputation for her exceptional skill in treating nervous patients. Serene Dental is designed to create a soothing and tranquil environment, alleviating any anxiety associated with dental visits. Every aspect of the practice is tailored to cater to the individual needs of each patient, ensuring a comfortable experience from the moment they step through the door.
Recognizing the unique needs of nervous patients, Serene Dental goes above and beyond by ofering complimentary gas and air sedation for both dental and facial aesthetic treatments. This gentle sedation technique helps patients feel relaxed and at ease throughout their procedures, allowing them to receive the care they need without unnecessary stress or discomfort.
Serene Dental is a true haven for those seeking to enhance their smile and overall appearance. Dr. Safa Al-Naher and her team are masters in a wide array of treatments, including cosmetic dentistry, Invisalign, veneers, composite bonding, teeth whitening, endodontics, oral surgery, implants, dentures, orthodontics, and children’s dentistry. This impressive range ensures that patients can achieve their desired results without the need for multiple referrals or consultations.
Beyond traditional dental procedures, Serene Dental also ofers a range of facial aesthetic treatments to complement their patients’ radiant smiles. From anti-wrinkle treatments and dermal fllers to medical-grade skincare transformations, Endolift skin tightening, and fat reduction, Serene Dental combines the expertise of dentistry with cutting-edge non-surgical cosmetic techniques. Furthermore, their skilled practitioners ofer semi-permanent makeup, chemical peels, and medical facials, providing a holistic approach to beauty and self-care.
Serene Dental’s commitment to luxury extends beyond their exceptional treatments. Every detail of the practice has been carefully curated to create an ambiance of sophistication and tranquillity. From the elegant reception area to the state-of-the-art treatment rooms equipped with the latest dental technology, no expense has been spared to ensure that patients feel pampered and relaxed throughout their visit.
Dr. Safa Al-Naher and Serene Dental in Knightsbridge have set the standard for luxury dental care and are truly deserving of their esteemed reputation. With their focus on nervous patients and commitment to providing the highest level of care, they have created a haven where individuals can embark on their journey to a radiant smile and enhanced beauty in an environment that exudes opulence and serenity. Serene Dental’s comprehensive range of treatments, including cosmetic dentistry, facial aesthetics, and advanced skincare solutions, ensures that each patient’s unique needs are met with precision and excellence. For those seeking the very best in luxury dentistry, Serene Dental is an unrivalled destination.
SERENE BY DR. SAFA56 Knightsbridge SW1X 7JN
Tel: 020 7112 4919
Email: info@serenedental.co.uk
https://www.serenedental.co.uk/
Aston Martin, a brand synonymous with elegance and high-performance sports cars, has taken its frst leap into the SUV segment with the Aston Martin DBX. Now, they’ve raised the stakes with the DBX707, a vehicle that’s set to redefne the standards of luxury SUVs. Here we’ll explore the exceptional design, awe-inspiring performance, lavish interior, cutting-edge technology, and overall driving experience that the DBX707 has to ofer.
At frst glance, the DBX707 stands out as a striking and dynamic presence on the road. It successfully combines the iconic design elements of Aston Martin’s sports cars with the functionality of an SUV. The front fascia features a bold, wide grille framed by mesmerizing LED headlights. The sculpted hood and chiselled lines give it an air of athleticism, while the muscular wheel arches house sizable alloy wheels, making a statement of performance.
The choice of materials, the craftsmanship in the bodywork, and the attention to detail are evident throughout. From the fnely fnished body panels to the exquisite paintwork – our model on test was the eye-catching glittery Cosmos Orange - the DBX707 exemplifes the pinnacle of automotive design. The fush door handles and hidden exhaust outlets add a touch of sophistication.
Under the hood lies the heart of the DBX707, a formidable 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine. This powerhouse generates an astounding 707ps and hefty 900Nm of torque. The result is a staggering acceleration of 0 to 62 in just 3.3 seconds, placing it among the fastest SUVs in the world. This impressive powerplant is paired with a seamless 9-speed automatic transmission that ensures power delivery is both smooth and responsive.
The DBX707 also boasts Aston Martin’s all-wheel-drive system, ensuring exceptional traction even in challenging conditions. Whether you’re navigating winding countryside roads or venturing of-road, this SUV handles every situation with ease.
Inside the DBX707, Aston Martin has spared no expense in creating a haven of luxury and comfort. The cabin is lavishly appointed with premium leather, real wood veneers, and carbon fbre accents. Buyers have a range of customization options to choose from, allowing them to personalize their DBX707 to their exact tastes.
The spacious interior accommodates fve passengers comfortably, o
fering ample legroom and headroom in both the front and rear seats. The rear seats can be conveniently folded down to expand the cargo space, making it practical for various needs.
Aston Martin has seamlessly integrated cutting-edge technology into the DBX707. The infotainment system boasts a responsive touchscreen interface, complete with smartphone integration, navigation, and a high-end audio system that delivers a truly immersive listening experience. Advanced driver-assistance features, including adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, and blind-spot monitoring, enhance safety and driving enjoyment.
For an SUV, the DBX707 showcases remarkable agility and precision in handling. The adaptive air suspension system provides multiple driving modes, allowing drivers to adjust ride height and suspension settings based on the driving conditions. Whether you’re cruising on the highway or tackling twisty mountain roads, the DBX707 maintains a comfortable and composed ride.
A Statement of Luxury and Performance
crave exhilarating speed, opulent comfort, or the capability to tackle diverse terrains, the DBX707 efortlessly delivers.
While the DBX707 is undeniably a premium vehicle, it does come with a price tag that refects its exclusivity and performance. However, for those who demand the very best and are willing to invest in a vehicle that epitomizes British engineering and design excellence, the Aston Martin DBX707 is more than just an SUV; it’s an emblem of prestige and sophistication.
In conclusion, the Aston Martin DBX707 sets a new benchmark for luxury SUVs. It’s a testament to the brand’s ability to adapt and innovate while remaining true to its heritage. With its breath-taking design, awesome power, sumptuous interior, cutting-edge technology, and outstanding overall driving experience, the DBX707 stands as a compelling choice for individuals who expect nothing less than excellence from their vehicles.
Visit – www.astonmartin.com
The Aston Martin DBX707 transcends the traditional boundaries of what an SUV can be. It marries the timeless elegance and craftsmanship Aston Martin is known for with the dynamic power and versatility of a high-performance SUV. Whether you
Porsche has rolled out the red carpet for the signifcantly enhanced third-generation Cayenne. Major upgrades have been made across the board, from the powertrain and chassis to the design and features. This ensures an elevated experience, both on and of-road, and brings unparalleled luxury to everyday drives.
The latest Cayenne stands as a testament to Porsche’s dedication to luxury SUVs. Its debut brings a digitized display and control system, state-of-the-art chassis technology, and avant-garde high-tech features. Michael Schätzle, Vice President of the Product Line Cayenne, declares this upgrade as one of Porsche’s most monumental.
Key Highlights:
Lighting: The Cayenne now boasts HD Matrix LED Headlights that adapt to diferent driving conditions. Moreover, an interior air quality system ensures a pollutant-free environment.
Passenger Experience: A frst for Cayenne - an individual infotainment display for front passengers, enhancing their journey.
Design and Power: With a revamped design and potent engine variants,
the Cayenne solidifes its reputation as the segment’s sportiest vehicle.
Prioritizing the driver’s comfort, Porsche has integrated a new display and control system in the Cayenne. This concept, previously seen in the Porsche Taycan, centralizes functions around the driver. A blend of digital and analogue elements ensures that controls are intuitive and within arm’s reach.
Inside the Cayenne: A Digital Realm
Porsche introduces a ground-breaking interior design for the Cayenne. A redesigned cockpit now features a 12.6-inch digital instrument cluster with variable display options. For connectivity, native apps like Spotify® and Apple Music® come integrated. The front passenger gets a unique experience with a 10.9-inch display, enhancing their journey.
The Cayenne’s refreshed aesthetic is undeniably striking. Its front is more pronounced, emphasizing the vehicle’s broad stance. At the back, a clean design is complemented by 3D tail lights. With new colours and
wheel options, personalizing the Cayenne is a breeze.
The innovative Matrix LED Headlights come standard, with HD Matrix LED as an optional enhancement. Their brightness can be adjusted in over 1,000 steps, ensuring optimum visibility.
From an air quality system to a suite of enhanced driver assistance tools, the Cayenne is more in tune with its driver than ever. Features such as the active speed limiter, swerve assist, and improved Porsche InnoDrive make driving seamless and safe.
Factory-equipped with a steel spring suspension and Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), the Cayenne promises optimal performance. New shock absorbers guarantee improved comfort, handling, and stability. Three distinct driving modes cater to varying driving conditions.
In Europe, the Cayenne comes with three engine variants. The revamped four-litre V8 biturbo engine supersedes the previous V6, ensuring more power and torque. There’s also an optimized three-litre V6 turbo engine for a balanced drive. The hybrid model boasts an improved electric motor and a larger battery, ofering an electric range of up to 90 kilometres.
Outside the EU, the Turbo GT designed for maximum on-road performance is still the top model in the Cayenne range in most Porsche markets. It is available exclusively as a coupé and benefts from all the optimisations and innovations of the model series. In addition, the output of the four-litre V8 biturbo engine of the Turbo GT has been increased by 14 kW (19 PS) to 485 kW (659 PS). The Cayenne Turbo GT accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 3.3 seconds, with a top speed of 305 km/h.
Visit: www.porsche.com/international/
In a bold departure from its traditional design ethos, Lexus introduces the all-new LBX, an urban-friendly crossover that redefnes what it means to bear the Lexus badge. This revolutionary self-charging hybrid electric model, the most compact in the Lexus line up, boasts a unique style that sets it apart from its larger counterparts and aims to captivate a fresh audience of brand enthusiasts.
For those seeking a touch of surprise, the LBX embraces an SUV-inspired “planted” appearance, drawing inspiration from the shape of traditional Japanese kagami-mochi rice cakes. This intriguing blend of heritage aesthetics and contemporary design exemplifes Lexus’s commitment to innovation.
The team behind the LBX embarked on a mission to infuse fresh perspectives into the Lexus Next Chapter design principles, which have guided recent NX, RX, and RZ models. Their objective was clear: to craft a visually appealing vehicle tailored for the younger, urban-savvy European demographic that values premium quality with a more relaxed and modern vibe.
The LBX embodies the essence of a Lexus that efortlessly complements
your jeans and sneakers attire, all while preserving the brand’s hallmark luxury craftsmanship and premium quality.
Perhaps the most conspicuous departure from convention is found in the LBX’s front-end design, where a new Lexus “face” is unveiled. The iconic spindle grille, a Lexus signature for over a decade, has been reimagined as a smaller, unifed, and frameless unit that seamlessly integrates with the bodywork. With the compact hybrid engine, the front hood’s edge has been lowered, creating a “Resolute Look” reminiscent of Lexus models from the early 2000s. Innovative touches include the integration of daytime running lights and turn indicators into a single unit, featuring the recognizable Lexus “L” motif reversed to indicate the direction of the turn.
Despite its compact size, the LBX projects a commanding presence and a sense of power, consistent with the traditional SUV aesthetic. From the side view, classic elements come into focus: short overhangs for agile performance and prominently fared front and rear fenders. Achieving the muscular surfacing around the rear doors presented a notable challenge, but it remains a crucial aspect of the car’s road presence.
The LBX’s visual appeal is further heightened by its large-diameter tires and wheels, exuding stability thanks to its low center of gravity. This design sends a clear message that the LBX is a car you can confdently drive through city streets, explore country roads, or cruise on the highway.
Surprisingly, the inspiration for the LBX’s powerful proportions came from traditional Japanese kagami-mochi rice cakes, a religious ofering during New Year celebrations. These rice cakes comprise two discs, with a smaller one atop a larger one. When viewing the LBX from the rear, this balance of shapes is refected in the car’s compact cabin positioned above a robust underbody, signaling a low center of gravity and stable handling.
Shifting the license plate to the rear bumper allows for a clean, uncluttered rear door surface that highlights the “LEXUS” name. In keeping with other Lexus SUVs, the LBX features a rear light bar with a distinctive design that extends beyond the rear door, emphasizing the car’s width and grounded appearance.
The design isn’t just about aesthetics; meticulous attention to detail has been paid throughout to optimize aerodynamic performance, enhancing stability and fuel efciency. The roof, gate-type spoiler, and rear combination lights have been shaped to streamline airfow over and around the car. Flush belt-line moldings and fns on the lower edge of the side sills contribute to aerodynamic efciency, alongside precise styling of the front bumper corners and rear bumper sides.
To showcase the LBX’s distinctive lines, Lexus ofers a range of exterior paint fnishes, including vibrant shades of red, yellow, and blue, as well as the option of a striking bi-tone style with a contrasting black roof and pillars.
Pre-sales for the LBX are now open to UK customers, with formal orders commencing in October. The frst deliveries are expected in March 2024. For more information, visit www.lexus.co.uk/new-cars/lbx-world-premiere.
Have you ever wanted to embrace your romantic heroine alter ego and wake up in a majestic National Trust property, stroll through expansive grounds and take lunch in a beautiful historic dining room? This is actually possible at the three Historic House Hotels, all of which were donated to the National TrustMiddlethorpe Hall, Hartwell House and Bodysgallen Hall, and all are featured here in this issue.
What’s more, each stay, meal, and spa experience support the National Trust. Under the agreement, all annual profts generated from the three hotel operations directly support the Trust’s ongoing work. The hotels operate as a self-sufcient commercial hotel operation under the existing management of Historic House Hotels. So, you’re not only able to enjoy a wonderful experience, but are helping preserve some of our most treasured historic buildings too.
We thought a road trip would be the perfect way to explore two of these wonderful properties – Hartwell House and Middlethorpe Hall, and in terms of choosing the perfect vehicle for this adventure, it had to be the majestic new Range Rover Ingenium 3.0 litre 6-cylinder 510HP Turbocharged Petrol PHEV (Automatic) All Wheel Drive. A perfect match in not only its majesty but patriotic and eco-credentials too.
Eye-catchingly awesome, the Range Rover came in stunning SV guise in a unique Sunrise Copper satin fnish, set of beautifully with Gloss Black features such as its
roof, wheels and brake calipers. The SV Intrepid interior was a masterclass in elegant ergonomics, in classic Light Cloud and Cinder Grey, complemented by Satin Black ceramic controls. It’s rare to fnd an interior as tasteful and high quality as this. Of course, being a Range Rover, it came with a host of state-ofthe-art tech, safety, performance and entertainment features, highlights being SV metal plated elements, Terrain Response 2, an amazingly clear 3D surround camera, Wireless Apple CarPlay®, 13.1” Touchscreen, heated steering wheel, sliding panoramic roof, and even illuminated seat belt buckles.
Practical and eco-conscious at heart, this all-new Range Rover provides electrifed performance with a choice of new Extended Range PHEV Powertrains. Using the “Always Be Charged” (ABC) Principle ensures it’s possible to experience the best of PHEV features such as Predictive Energy Optimisation, great fuel economy as well as highlighting the USP’s such as driving in low range in EV.
In simple terms, this means you can complete around 75% of your journey using hushed electric-only power, and for longer journeys, beneft from a total driving range of 740km (460 miles) in real-world conditions using the PHEV features. This is in stark contrast to the often highly limiting sub-300 miles range of many others.
High tech to the max, you can make the most of the plug-in hybrid using the connectivity options delivered by the comprehensive Land Rover Remote app. These include Cabin Pre-Conditioning, which can be activated while the car is plugged in and charging, enabling you to pre-warm or pre-cool you Range Rover ahead of journeys, all via the convenience of a smartphone.
You can also manage a suite of PHEV-related Timed Charging functions, including Immediate Charging – which commences battery charging immediately, Low-Cost Hours Only – when plugged in, priority is given to charging during a specifc time period (for instance, when energy costs are at their lowest) and Smart Charging –the car’s intelligent charging system will charge as efciently as possible based on the planned departure time set by the driver. In conjunction with the pre-conditioning function, it will begin charging at the most cost-efective time.
Something important to us on our historic house road trip taking us from the Hampshire coast right up to Northumberland, was ease of charging when away from home. We needn’t have feared as we discovered Land Rover PHEV uses a Combined Charging System (CCS) making it compatible with a good variety of charging points of varying speed. The Range Rover came with its own AC charging cable too.
Our journey in the Range Rover was smooth, seamless and we arrived after a 5-hour stretch remarkably refreshed still. It really is the perfect vehicle for long journeys – afording command position excellent visibility, supreme cabin comfort, efortless performance, and of course ample space for luggage of any kind.
Our frst stop was Hartwell House in Buckinghamshire, with fascinating royal connections, and continuing on to Middlethorpe Hall, close to the fne city of York, before heading to our northernmost point, spectacular Bamburgh Castle – which fans of The Last Kingdom will know. They have an exhibition on now of some of the costumes and props used in The Last Kingdom, and for the new Seven Kings Must Die flm.
For luxury, comfort, driver and passenger enjoyment, the Range Rover exceeded expectations and proved without doubt, it’s the perfect car for countryside escapes.
For further information on the all-new Range Rover visit: https://www.landrover.co.uk/vehicles/new-range-rover/index.html
Middlethorpe Hall -
https://www.middlethorpe.com/ Hartwell House
https://www.hartwell-house.com/ Bamburgh Castle
https://www.bamburghcastle.com/
