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PLUS OUT OF THIS WORLD – SPACE MEMORABILIA MILLIONAIRE’S PLAYGROUND – SANDBANKS IN STYLE FERRARI – WORLD’S MOST POWERFUL BRAND LUXURY TRAVEL – MALDIVES, DUBAI, ROYAL CRUISE
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MAKE IT • SPEND IT • LIVE IT
HOW TO BE A BILLIONAIRE
IS YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS MIND STOPPING YOU MAKING THE FORTUNE YOU WANT?
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CONTENTS 10
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UPFRONT 8 10
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News in Brief MoneyMaker Book Club
MAKE IT 12 18 20 24 26 30 32 34 38
Dr Jane Cox Oracle Group Gary Turner, Xero UK The Write Way to Success Toby Brand, BR4ND Scott Burton, Tedbets Andy Elliott, personal trainer Chitra Stern Rytis Vitkausas, Yplan
INVEST IT 42
Steve Ruffley, InterTrader
INVEST IT 44 Out of This World 48 Ferrari 52 Sandbanks 56 At the Races 58 Eleanor Cardozo 60 Stephanie Norton-Henson, Direct Line 62 Nigel Evans, Evanridge Properties LLP 64 Entrepreneur Work Visa 66 Cameron Chell, Business Instincts Group 68 Villa Maria
INVEST IT 72
Michael Pritchard, the LIFESAVER
BE BETTER 74 76
Brainwashing the Brilliant Sleep Supplements
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SPEND IT 78 Lexus IS Hybrid 80 Jaguar F-Type 82 Infiniti QX70; Volvo XC60 R-Design 84 Range Rover; Audi S3 Saloon 86 Mercedes-Benz GL 350 AMG Sport; Giant Slayer – GT86 TRD 88 Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG 90 NY International Motor Show 92 Luxury Yacht Charter 94 Sunseeker 80 98 Jetpartner.net 100 Reethi Rah, Maldives 102 Lease not buy 106 Reethi Rah, Maldives 108 Mediterranean Odyssey 112 Åre, Sweden 114 Atlantis The Palm 118 Virgin Galactic 120 Sun Siyam Iru Fushi, Maldives 122 Jura; Tattinger 124 Four London Favourites 126 Margot, Christophe Claret 128 Little Britain 130 The Dollar Shave Club; Jasper Littman 132 Frank Buglioni
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I WEAR THE TROUSERS DO YOU?
IJP DESIGN www.ijpdesign.com
The Poulter Stride. #WeartheTrousers
EDITOR’S LETTER DEAR READER, A warm welcome to Issue 10 of MoneyMaker, the magazine created for those just embarking on their entrepreneurial journey, and also the lucky ones now enjoying living the dream. It’s all change here, as our own company continues to expand. We’ve a new team, and regime, with myself now at the helm as Editor in Chief, and a talented group of contributors, each one an expert in their field. From next month on, in addition to the main magazine, do look out for special reports, an improved website with host of new daily content, plus a new e-mag. Head to www.moneymakermagazine. co.uk and register today, and why not follow us on @ MoneyMakerLisa and @WeAreMoneyMaker on Twitter. We are always keen to feature the latest news on how to make, spend and invest money, and also to showcase the most innovative entrepreneurs and new businesses around, so do get in touch. Best wishes Lisa LISA CURTISS EDITOR IN CHIEF, MONEYMAKER MAGAZINE
MANAGING DIRECTOR Mark Southern DIRECTOR Alex Hammond EDITOR IAL DIRECTOR / EDITOR IN CHIEF Lisa Curtiss ART DIRECTOR Ian Feeney SALES ENQUIRIES TO: Sales@moneymakermagazine. co.uk EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES TO: Lisa@moneymakermagazine. co.uk CONTRIBUTORS: Jason Penny, Tom Fowler, Eve Hartridge, Dr Jane Cox, Stephanie Norton-Henson, Gary Turner, Emily Black, Kamilija Karginaite
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NEWS IN BRIEF WHAT WE’RE TALKING ABOUT RIGHT NOW
CHEVAL THREE QUAYS Opening soon is Cheval Three Quays, a striking new collection of 97 serviced and 62 extended-stay luxurious apartments perfectly situated next to the Tower of London, overlooking the River Thames. This will be the latest desirable address from luxury apartment specialists Cheval Residences, which already offers seven beautiful residences in some of London’s most sought after postcodes. The trend towards serviced apartment stays is one that Cheval has keenly embraced, with Cheval Three Quays offering the same levels of luxury and service as a 5* hotel and the added benefit of flexibility, privacy and spacious surroundings. The spacious and elegant one, two and three-bedroom apartments at Cheval Three Quays feature dramatic floor to ceiling windows allowing guests unobscured views down the River Thames with most boasting private glass and steel balconies with spectacular views of iconic landmarks such as the Tower of London, City Hall and the Shard.
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A dedicated concierge service is on hand to support any guest’s needs, from making personal travel arrangements, taking care of laundry, to booking front row theatre seats at the latest West End show. A decadent welcome hamper also ensures guests have all the basics they need upon arrival, with some luxurious extras for good measure. There is a welcoming grand entrance and each stylish apartment has been designed to make guests feel instantly at home. Every detail has been carefully considered to create the ultimate luxury experience, from the textured chenille, velvet and silk rugs to the avant-garde inspired Gaggenau appliances and Italian Dada kitchens. Discreet cupboards have been installed to allow housekeeping to remove bins and deliver a daily paper with minimal disruption and ensuring maximum safety. This new property will also offer an expansive and stylish riverside restaurant on the ground floor, made even more accessible by the north-side River Walkway, now open for the first time in 20 years. Residing in the
heart of this thriving neighbourhood with the buzz of London’s ever-improving social scene on the doorstep, this postcode will appeal to culture vultures and night owls alike. The architectural design was led by 3DReid whilst the interior design has been carefully crafted by the esteemed firm, Forme Design. Elegant touches, such as hand painted murals in the lobby by artist Barnaby Gorton, reflect the contemporary yet timeless design; whilst a spectacular William Pye water feature will be at the heart of the property.
ONE&ONLY HAYMAN ISLAND OPENING SOON Expected to be one of the most luxurious and stunning places to stay in the world, the One&Only Hayman Island resort opens soon. Located in the beautiful Whitsundays, at the heart of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, surrounded by an amazing natural ecosystem of pristine coral reef formations and diverse marine life, One&Only Hayman Island will present a number of unique guest experiences, enhanced accommodations, new culinary options and signature One&Only service throughout the resort. The introduction of One&Only to Hayman will bring a renewed sense of vitality to the island, underpinned by a strong sense of place through design and ambiance. DBI Design, in partnership with the Kerzner International Development Team, has been engaged for the interior design and landscape architecture of the resort’s rebirth. “I am thrilled to introduce One&Only to Hayman Island. It is the perfect destination for the first One&Only in Australia and I know the resort will be well received by our many loyal One&Only guests, as well as guests that have been enjoying Hayman for years,” said Alan Leibman, CEO, Kerzner International. “My personal commitment is to make One&Only Hayman Island a ‘must stay’ for the well-travelled to explore the wonders of this magnificent destination.” The Pool Wing will be redeveloped to feature new all-suite living spaces offering either one or two bedrooms. New Hayman
rooms and Hayman suites, featuring ocean and lagoon views, will be introduced with reimagined interiors and amenities. The iconic pool will offer renewed life and energy, complete with cabanas and day beds. Some suites will provide direct access to the pool, allowing guests to enjoy the water straight from their private terrace. The exclusive Beach Villas, with secluded second bedroom Retreat rooms, as well as the one, two and three-bedroom Penthouses, including the
PRE-RAPHAELITE ‘PANDORA’ AT AUCTION British & Irish Art Auction at Sothebys, London on 22 May 2014. Following the record-breaking sales of Rossetti’s A Christmas Carol and Proserpine last year, another significant Pre-Raphaelite oil painting has come to light and will be offered for the first time in more than half a century at this Sothebys auction. This stunning painting, titled ‘Pandora’, is a life-sized allegorical portrait of the artist’s beautiful muse Jane Morris, clad in fiery red robes and opening the fated box of torments. It will be the highlight of a sale that includes choice examples by British and Irish artists of the 19th and 20th centuries. www. sothebys.com
Owner’s Penthouse, will continue to offer the ultimate in exclusivity, privacy, personalised service and experience. True to the brand’s heritage, One&Only Hayman Island will offer a variety of worldclass cuisines overseen by internationally acclaimed chefs. The resort will also house an indulgent One&Only Health Spa, incorporating the incredible natural environment by utilising elements that are represented in the surrounding botanical gardens in addition to offering the latest in health and beauty. A new Beauty Salon concept will be introduced adjacent to the Spa. In keeping with the latest fitness advancements, a state-of-the-art fitness centre with expert personal training will be added for a comprehensive health and wellbeing offering. As with all One&Only properties, One&Only Hayman Island will cater to couples and families alike – preserving privacy and serenity for those who seek it, whilst also providing engaging activities for all ages. Innovative offerings for families include the KidsOnly Club and Teens Club, plus a separate family pool and children’s beach area. In addition, a new adult-only pool and chill-out lounge area will be introduced. Guests will be able to enjoy a host of unique sporting facilities to discover the island and the Great Barrier Reef – one of the most complex natural ecosystems in the world with over 33,000 species found off the coastline. Guests will have the opportunity to explore the reef and all the wonders around it through special programmes led by One&Only dive experts and marine biologists, as well as hiking and private island exploration. Private weddings, events and conferences will be catered for in style with ample space for both intimate and larger groups. As part of the on-going development and investment programme, Mulpha Australia will continue a staged rollout of the ultraluxury Hayman Private Residences and Hayman Marina Residences offering private ownership opportunities for select clients and guests.
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BOOK CLUB
ALL THREE BOOKS FEATURED THIS MONTH CAN BE FOUND ON AMAZON.COM
THIS ISSUE MONEYMAKER LOOKS AT SOME OF THE MOST RECENT BOOKS ON HOW TO BE A SUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENEUR
ENTREPRENEUR REVOLUTION: HOW TO DEVELOP YOUR ENTREPRENEURIAL MINDSET AND START A BUSINESS THAT WORKS BY DANIEL PRIESTLEY n We are all entrepreneurs by design, we are not meant to be depressed, functional automatons. Priestley shows you how to come out of your comfort zone and reminds you what it feels like to be creative, connected and living life to the full again, while becoming master of your own global small business.
HOW TO BE AN ENTREPRENEUR: THE SIX SECRETS OF SELF-MADE SUCCESS BY STEVE PARKS n This book has received great reviews from readers who found that it explains, in a straightforward way, the ideas, techniques, attitudes and systems to adopt to become a success.
THE EVENTUAL MILLIONAIRE: HOW ANYONE CAN BE AN ENTREPRENEUR AND SUCCESSFULLY GROW THEIR STARTUP BY DAN MILLER AND JAIME TARDY n Another useful guide to becoming a financial success and enjoying the journey. An interesting and informative read.
“WE ARE ALL ENTREPRENEURS BY DESIGN, WE ARE NOT MEANT TO BE DEPRESSED, FUNCTIONAL AUTOMATONS” 10
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COVER STORY
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IS YOUR SUBCONSCIOUS MIND STOPPING YOU FROM MAKING MILLIONS? One of the country’s top life coaches, Dr Jane Cox, talked to MoneyMaker Magazine about how someone’s subconscious mind could actually be preventing them from being truly prosperous.
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o you think it is possible to make more money than you’re currently making? Do you know other people in your field, maybe with less talent and ability than you, regularly banking more money and living a far better lifestyle than you could possibly hope to afford? While it seems grossly unfair, actually, your own subconscious mind could be working against you, keeping you in the very financial rut you’re so desperate to escape. One of our biggest challenges is our emotional relationship with money. To cut a long story short, for most people, it’s a lousy relationship. We tend to have three main emotions attached to money. By far the biggest one is fear, followed by greed and backed up by guilt. As you can imagine, none of these are good emotions to have attached to your money, but for this article, we’ll concentrate on fear.
Fear of money will never make you money
We all have fear attached to money, and the challenge is that our fear can take many different forms. Some people are scared of having money; others are scared of not having money. Most are scared of not having enough money, or of their source of money drying up. Others may be scared of spending money, or perhaps they fear that money they feel should belong to them will end up belonging to someone else. No matter what form your fear takes one thing is certain, fear of money, does not make you money. Ever. Look at how we react to things we fear. We’re likely to do one of three things: lock up the very thing we fear behind bars so that it can’t hurt us; ignore it and hope the problem goes away; or run like hell in the opposite direction! Bizarre as it may sound, we often do all three of these things with our money. We’ll explore each of these “transgressions” in future
WHAT SETS BILLIONAIRES APART?
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Billionaires have detached emotion from money and see it as a tool for creation. A billionaire is a bit like a sculptor. They mould and manipulate money to create something truly splendid. They have removed their self-limiting beliefs when it comes to their ability to create money. They know that, if someone else has done it somewhere else in the world, there is no reason why they can’t do it too. They are prepared to take risks. Billions seldom come to those who choose to play safe!
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articles, but let’s examine one of the ways our mind takes control of our relationship with our finances. One of the things we do is put a ceiling on the amount of money that we think we’re capable of making. And, just for the record, you’re the only one that is putting that ceiling in place. There is plenty of money to go around, so why does this happen? And where did your sense of financial value come from? Over years of working with people, and delving into their relationship with money, I know for a fact that, if I ask people how much money they’re worth every year, they will have a number. In fact, they have two numbers, their ideal value per year and their real value per year. And, of course, this personal value perception is different for everyone. Right now, you probably have your numbers in your head too. So where do your values come from?
Where did you get your financial value?
Bear with me while I tell you a little story, and maybe it’ll ring some bells. Once upon a time, many years ago, a company had a job vacancy. And, of course, that job vacancy had a value attached to it, which was the salary they were willing to pay for that job to be done each month. Quite coincidentally, you happened to be looking for a job at the same time and you found yourself being interviewed for that position. They decided that they liked what they saw and offered you the job. You grabbed it with both hands, and the deal was sealed. You then went on to do that job, perhaps for several years. You learnt and grew in that job, met interesting people, improved in skills and confidence, until one day, you decided the time had come to move on to another challenge. So you decided to resign. You walked away from the job, but what you forgot to do was to walk away from the value of the job. In fact, you took it with you as a souvenir! It was like wearing a comfortable, well-worn pair of pyjamas.
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They think outside of the box. Billions come from taking the ordinary and then finding a way to make it extraordinary. People who think in straight lines, and emulate rather than create, will find those billions elusive. Billionaires have swung the power to their favour. While most people feel beholden to banks, or bound to the rules of others, billionaires have become kings in their empire. The banks answer to them, rather than the other way round. They create the rules, because they are often the, or at least a, source of income for businesses and individuals, charities and other areas of influence.
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Their levels of confidence are unshakeable. When a billionaire walks into the room, he or she tends to ooze that x-factor that has set them apart in their ability to conquer their world. Most billionaires have not skimped on their education and are incredibly hard workers, often paying the price for their money along the way in broken relationships, neglected personal lives, less fun and recreation. The upside, of course, is that they usually don’t battle to make up for this when the billions are in place.
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Billionaires have worked out how best to make their money work for them, rather than them working for their money. They have learnt the art of leverage – of their time, their money, their knowledge and their influence – as well as learning how to leverage the time, money, knowledge and influence of others. A key difference, common to both millionaires and billionaires, is that they have usually shared wealth on their way up the ladder. They are less likely to be tight-fisted with their income, knowing full well
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that to get the right people around them is going to cost them money. But they know it is worth it. They never stop investing in their business and in their people. Billionaires tend to be comfortable employing real talent in key areas of their business. While many others tend to guard their position carefully by maintaining the illusion of optimum knowledge by partnering or employing others who know slightly less than them, billionaires will employ the best they can find in each area of their businesses.
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THE KEY SIGNIFIERS OF THE BILLIONAIRE CLUB Donald Trump is renowned for thinking outside of the box. For challenging the banks when his business cash flow has been tight, or even been in the negative. He is ballsy enough to back his beliefs with oodles of confidence and an innate knowledge that he can turn the situation around.
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Richard Branson is notorious as a slightly eccentric, fun-loving billionaire but, despite his seemingly casual approach, under this exterior is a man who famously employs the best people he can find to head up his various businesses. He is always thinking ahead of the pack. Hundreds of people have already paid £250k for a chance to be one of the first passengers in his, yet to be completed, supersonic mission to fly us outside of the pull of the earth’s atmosphere! That takes some doing!
Bill Gates, the slightly awkward billionaire geek, gives the vast majority of his earnings to charity, but in a relatively lowkey manner. He has mastered the art of leverage so well that his knowledge, his money, and his business create so much money that he literally gives it away as fast as he makes it, safe in the knowledge that the flow is, incredibly, unlikely to dry up. Money is no longer an emotional crutch to him. It is a tool with which he knows he can change the lives of literally millions of people.
“WE TEND TO HAVE THREE MAIN EMOTIONS ATTACHED TO MONEY. BY FAR THE BIGGEST ONE IS FEAR, FOLLOWED BY GREED, AND BACKED UP BY GUILT.” What you probably did was go back into the job-seeker’s market wearing those comfy pyjamas and, without realising it, you went about looking for work with another company where you could go to work wearing those same pyjamas. Perhaps you were looking for an increase in salary, but usually we only expect a few thousand pounds a year increase at most, so effectively what you’re looking for is enough money to buy some matching bedsocks, but that was it. Without consciously realising it, you were dressing up that same pair of pyjamas, but you were still wearing them! This, of course, is what the problem is for many people. Without consciously realising it, most people wear that same set of pyjamas for the rest of their lives, just attaching a few bells and whistles, but effectively hanging on to their supposed value all through their working life. That value was never yours to own. It was only ever the value that company put on that piece of work. Ask yourself a question. Was that value ever your personal value? No, of course it wasn’t! It was only ever the value that company put on that piece of work that needed to be done all those years ago. Even when you were doing that job, that value never belonged to you. And if it didn’t belong to you then, it certainly doesn’t belong to you now! So do yourself a favour. Put down that value. Give that company back your worn old pair of pyjamas. There is no reason why
your entire financial path should be dictated by a salary you deemed fit to take some time in your past. The thing is, for many people, that salary forms part of a comfort zone. It is easy to keep taking on the type of job that you could do with ease. A job that doesn’t push you too far, or expect too much from you. We even feel comfortable operating within certain income bands. When that income band originally becomes your comfort zone, it’s often enough money to more-or-less muddle through a month. But, as you mature, very often your expense base expands to include things like children, or a bigger home, or more credit cards. For most, their comfort zone is no longer such a comfortable place to be. In fact for many people that comfort zone is now an actively uncomfortable place to be! This is where courage comes into play. Do you have the courage to expand your horizons and look for new, better or more flexible opportunities? Your financial possibilities are much wider than you’ve allowed yourself to imagine, and over the coming months we will explore different ways in which you have held yourself captive, and how you can set about freeing yourself up and attracting more money into your life. Dr Jane Cox, @drjanecox www.newlevels.co.uk
HOW WOULD YOU BEST BECOME A BILLIONAIRE? Have you got knowledge, education, and the sheer tenacity to be able to fail over and over again and yet still persist in your quest? Are you prepared to keep investing vast sums of money in your business, and in the people who can help you to take the ordinary and turn it into the extraordinary? Do you hoard money, or worry about it constantly, allowing your emotions to keep you enslaved, rather than be their master, or do you let it flow freely, creating a raging torrent of cash where first you started with a little stream?
Do you ooze confidence in your ability to change the world, not just in your dreams, but in solid, constant, innovative practical ways? Are you prepared to make your millions, and then risk those millions against the possibility of billions? And have you got the guts to potentially lose it all, and then start again, and never lose sight of your dream? Have you got the ability to inspire others to believe in what you can do, produce or supply? Do you think outside of the box, and keep ahead of the pack in your chosen field? Are you a hard worker?
A doer, rather than a talker? Are you one of those who takes thinking and dreaming, and turns it into doing and creating? For you, is the sky still the limit, or are you prepared to propel yourself into the stratosphere? Dr Jane Cox is an internationally-renowned wealth psychology expert in constant demand as a speaker and presenter on this fascinating subject for both private and corporate clients around the globe. Her workshops are always fully booked and have received universally “rave reviews” from thousands of delegates
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WEALTH CHECK Just how much does it take to make it in 2014?
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n a recent survey by Oracle Group more than half of the respondents believed that a personal fortune of at least £10 million or more is required to be classed as well off in today’s economic climate, with twenty percent opting for the minimum amount being ten times that, at £100 million. In contrast to previous decades when the term ‘millionaire’ indicated significant personal wealth, it is clear that our perceptions of what it means to be wealthy have changed. Factors such as inflation and escalating house prices have driven living costs higher, and a million GBP in assets no longer has the cachet and purchasing power it once did. The results of the survey highlight the impact of the vast personal wealth accrued by many celebrities and other figures in the public eye. Two thirds of respondents believe that the high visibility of wealthy celebrities has skewed our perceptions of wealth, with almost half of all respondents
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attributing this to the earnings of sports stars. Of the other respondents, a fifth felt that remuneration in the media and arts most skewed perceptions of wealth, while 18% chose the salaries and bonuses enjoyed by business executives and financial professionals. 13% of respondents believe that the technology sector has most affected our perceptions of wealth, a reflection of the high profile successes of tech start-ups such as Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter, which generated fortunes for their founders. Yury Gantman, CEO of Oracle Capital Group, commented: “Clearly the idea of wealth is relative, but what is clear is that the word ‘millionaire’ does not necessarily now conjure up the sense of significant wealth that it did until relatively recently; today, it’s more about being a ‘tenmillionaire’. “Many people who own properties in the London area have become millionaires by virtue of the dramatic inflation of house prices, but would not necessarily regard themselves as HNWIs. This is undoubtedly not only a reflection of growing living costs
which, alongside the housing market, have affected food prices, school fees, travel and other household outgoings, but also – as indicated by our survey – because their own personal assets are dwarfed by the immense and highly publicised fortunes of footballers, film stars, hedge fund managers and tech billionaires.” About Oracle Capital Group Oracle Capital Group is a global independent multi-family office and wealth consultancy. Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Luxembourg, Oracle Capital Group provides comprehensive, tailored and confidential services for high-net-worth individuals and their families, including investment advisory (through their offices in Switzerland and the Bahamas), wealth structuring and asset protection, asset financing and insurance, legal case management, property development, and concierge services. Oracle Capital Group has 7 offices (London, Luxembourg, Geneva, Nassau, Moscow, Almaty and Limassol) and employs over 100 staff worldwide. www.orcap.co.uk
“RESPONDENTS BELIEVED A PERSONAL FORTUNE OF AT LEAST £10 MILLION OR MORE IS REQUIRED TO BE CLASSED AS WELL OFF IN TODAY’S ECONOMIC CLIMATE.”
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BETTER PAYMENT TERMS, BETTER CASHFLOW, BETTER BUSINESS Xero UK managing director Gary Turner presents eight top tips to help small businesses reduce the likelihood of outstanding invoices and maintain a healthier cashflow
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ayments owed to SMBs are delivered, on average, 14 days late, according to a study of 12 million invoices filed over Xero’s online accounting platform. In essence, this means that any business wishing to be paid in 30 days should make its payment terms 13 days or less. Sounds strict? In the current climate that’s essential as, for many small businesses, prompt invoicing and clear payment terms could ultimately mean the difference between staying afloat or going under.
Indeed, the Federation of Small Businesses is in no doubt that too many good businesses fail due to cashflow problems. An average two-week payment delay is worth an estimated £127 billion annually to UK SMBs, while the FSB’s own analysis shows that two-thirds of smaller firms have had to write off invoices over the past 12 months, with one in five confirming losses of £5,000 or more. Unfortunately, as many firms know all too well, simply getting invoices out at the end of the month will not guarantee payment. However, introducing a few simple measures to the payment process will reduce the amount of outstanding cash the business needs to chase. The following tips and real-life experiences from UK SMBs could help avoid cashflow becoming critically low.
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“CONFIDENCE IS WHAT DIFFERENTIATES AN ENTREPRENEUR FROM A GRUMBLER. WE CANNOT STAND BY AND WATCH SOMETHING THAT IS INEFFICIENT AND ATTACKING PROBLEMS IN THE WRONG WAY” TIP ONE: DISCUSS PAYMENT TERMS BEFORE YOU GET STARTED Great news – you’ve got the work. However, that’s no guarantee the client will pay up when you want them to. To avoid difficulties or confusion further down the track, it’s important to agree a set fee or payment schedule upfront. For many Brits, talking money is uncomfortable. However, put it off and you may end up in a situation where the customer expects to pay at the end of the project and you think you are being paid at the beginning or in stages. Depending on the industry or business model, this may mean having to shell out for materials and staff before any money from the customer is received, which has a damaging effect on cash flow. From the client’s point of view, it’s also worth bearing in mind that, rather than being off-putting, achieving clarity and agreement on payment terms can be a good thing as it will enable them to budget for the job and avoid any unwelcome surprises when your bill comes in.
TIP TWO: KEEP DETAILED RECORDS OF INVENTORY AND TIME In many industries, materials and time are the main factors in the overall cost of the work. As such, keeping track of them on a daily basis will invariably save a great deal of time when it comes to creating an interim or final invoice. Crucially, it will also help you avoid missing any chargeable expenses. If the project is going over budget, it’s also possible to flag this to the client in advance, rather than risk them getting an unwelcome surprise when you come to invoice.
TIP THREE: MAKE THE INVOICE CLEAR AND EASY TO UNDERSTAND If a client is unclear as to exactly what it is they are being billed for, they have every right to query it to ensure there are no errors. However, this can lead to significant delays to the payment being processed, as everyone involved will want to be satisfied that there has been a fair outcome.
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Listing the details of the job in a way that makes sense to the client is a good way to avoid such queries and subsequent payment lags. Equally, personalising the invoice with a business logo helps inspire further confidence in the professionalism of the work and your business.
TIP FOUR: SET APPROPRIATE PAYMENT TERMS With late payments potentially a make-or-break issue for small businesses, if you need to receive payment within 30 days, our data shows that your payment terms must be set at 13 days or less. Bearing in mind that, on average, debtors pay invoices two weeks after the due date underlines the fact that staying on top of cash flow is critical if the business is to continue trading effectively.
TIP FIVE: ADDRESS THE INVOICE TO THE PERSON PAYING If your work is for a business rather than an individual, it really does pay to know the person who controls the purse strings. Crucially, having this direct point of contact helps ensure the invoice won’t get lost in the wrong person’s inbox. If you’re not sure who the bill payer is, give the client a call to confirm. Meanwhile, from a relationship-building point of view, it can be worth sending an additional message to make sure clients are happy with the work. “We’ve linked Xero into our cloud-based CRM and customer satisfaction platforms,” says Richard Lane, partner at the sales performance firm Durham-Lane. “Every time a client gets sent an invoice, they also receive an email that asks them how well they think we’re doing. This cloud-enabled automation not only saves time but also ensures that important customer feedback doesn’t get missed.”
TIP SIX: INVOICE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE It stands to reason that the sooner a client receives an invoice, the sooner they will make the payment. Equally, it also means the work delivered will still be fresh in their mind. In this area, online accounting can really come into its own. Using a smartphone companion App, users can create, approve and send invoices from a mobile
phone. This is often a huge time-saver, especially for tradespeople and contractors, as it enables them to bill for a job as soon as it’s completed, regardless of whether they’re at home, in the office or on site.
TIP SEVEN: MAKE IT EASY FOR CUSTOMERS TO PAY YOU Online invoices make it much easier for clients to view and settle any outstanding balances, especially compared with paper invoices or PDF attachments sent over email. The invoice is securely presented to the recipient through a web browser, which makes it simpler for the customer to access and pay directly using ‘Pay Now’ functions on the invoice screen. You’ll also get a read receipt updated back to your accounting software that tells you the invoice was received and viewed by the recipient.
TIP EIGHT: KEEP ON TRACK WITH DEBTORS Hopefully, following the above steps will mean far fewer outstanding invoices. Sadly however, late payment remains a fact of life for small businesses, with
some customers giving less priority to smaller firms that have less clout and others who, unless chased, will ‘forget’ to pay at all. To speed things up, as soon as the invoice is overdue, it’s well worth sending a reminder or monthly statement. Alternatively, if it’s faster and likely to get a more favourable response, pick up the phone. The more persistent you are, the more it will remind your client that you’re serious about getting paid. As a business owner or director of a small company, it can also be helpful to take yourself out of the equation when the time comes to collect, as Donna Grant, a self-employed founder and creative director of hair and makeup business Beauty Angels, discovered: “Working in the hair and beauty industry you develop a real rapport with clients; it’s a very personal service,” she explains. “However, sometimes the payment side of things can feel awkward and it’s tempting to compromise on price. For this reason, having my PA managing the admin and reception side of things has been marvellous. “Using Xero has allowed her to invoice clients directly for their appointments, which takes the issue of payment away from me. Clients can either pay upfront or afterwards, but because everything is tracked in Xero
and followed up by my P missed.” www.xero.com
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THE WRITE WAY TO SUCCESS 24
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“WRITING A BOOK MAY SOUND LIKE A DAUNTING
W
ould you want a snooker player to perform brain surgery on you? Probably not, even though they both involve, skill, nerve, strategy and a steady pair of hands. With new internet based ‘experts’ popping up every day, it is becoming increasingly difficult to tell the real experts from those who have just read a book and created a website. Customers want to be confident that they are employing the services of an expert. The 140 characters of Twitter or an infographic on Facebook are not enough anymore to reassure potential clients of your credibility. This means that those who would consider themselves to be expert in their particular area need to think seriously about how to communicate that fact. Writing a book should be high on their list of options. Words Have More Weight When They’re On Paper The idea of “getting something in writing” has become ingrained in modern culture – and with good reason. The written word is much more permanent and, more importantly, verifiable. When an author puts their name to a book, they are not only protecting their work against plagiarism, but are also signalling that they are prepared to stand by the words on the page. In short, they are putting their reputation on the line. Of course, this can be done by writing a blog or producing an ebook, but psychologically actual words on a page do hold more credibility. Verifiability Builds Trust People who are genuinely experts in their field do not need to hide behind the anonymity of the internet or take other measures to conceal their identity. In an age of social media, disposable email addresses and prepaid mobile phone numbers, being able to make a clear and solid connection between a person and their work is hugely reassuring for potential customers. This is another reason why being able to offer paper copies of a book is still preferable to ebook-only publishing. While there are many excellent ebooks and many talented writers who publish them for reasons of affordability, the very fact that it is so cheap to produce an ebook means that there is also a huge volume of low-quality work in the digital world. These days paper books have increasingly become the domain of established fiction writers and non-fiction writers who are acknowledged as experts in their field. By being counted amongst this increasingly select group, you will increase your own credibility. You will also cater to the people who still prefer paper books to their digital counterparts. That is not to say that an ebook does not have merit, but they still only occupy 20% of the market.
PROSPECT BUT YOU HAVE PROBABLY ALREADY WRITTEN MOST OF THE CONTENT.” Books Build Sales One of the best points of writing a book is that, although its main goal may simply be to establish your credentials as an expert in your field, the end result can also be financially rewarding. Many people instinctively understand that, generally speaking, “you get what you pay for” and are prepared to pay for quality content from an expert in preference to anonymous internet “how-to guides”. There is no need to give away quality content for free, unless, of course, there is a compelling reason to do so. For example, you may wish to give away copies of your book to key (potential) customers as an upselling tool. In other words, although they get the book for free, for actual access to the expert, with all that implies, they have to pay. A quality book is an excellent way to show them that you are worth every penny. Getting published Writing a book may sound like a daunting prospect but you have probably already written most of the content. If you regularly write a blog or guest posts for other blogs a great deal of what you want to say is already available to you. The next stage is to put it all together and add to where necessary. A well designed cover is also essential as the old adage about not judging books by their covers does not always apply and your potential readers will almost certainly judge your book by its cover. There are many options for the next step; you may be lucky enough to attract the attention of a mainstream publisher, but in the most part self publishing and print on demand services are the only viable options. It is worth noting that, even if your book is picked up by a traditional publisher, the bulk of marketing will still fall to you. It is also now very rare for publishers to offer publishing advances, you would only be paid a small fraction of the royalties. Setting up your own publishing company to market your books, will give you a professional platform, but be prepared to outsource marketing if this is not something that you are comfortable with. Using a print on demand publisher who offers author support is probably the best option. Whichever way you choose to do it, holding your own book in your hand is a huge buzz and standing your business on the printed word is a valuable marketing tool. Margaret Bloom is Director of Publishing at FCM Publishing and owner of FCM Media (multimedia marketing). FCM Publishing supports authors by providing services that span both traditional publishing and self publishing. Margaret is also an author, journalist and speaker.
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INTERVIEW
MAKING NOISE WITH ROCKSTAR YOUTH Toby Brand, age 23, is a young entrepreneur from Hampshire and a final year student at Northumbria University who has just launched online fashion outlet BR4ND (www.br4nd.co.uk). His fledgling business goes against the grain of mass-produced high street fashion and stocks only fresh, up and coming designer merchandise on a ‘fair-trading’ basis. Toby talks about struggles in the fashion world, the birth of BR4ND, juggling business and study, friends with business benefits, what he thinks makes a good entrepreneur and the challenges he faces now and in the future…
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“WE WANT FASHION ENTHUSIASTS TO GET TO KNOW OUR DESIGNERS AND UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY ARE ALL ABOUT.”
How did you come up with the idea for BR4ND? It just came to me after I witnessed a friend of mine start a fashion label and struggle to get any exposure, despite her obvious talent. She signed a contract with two very well-known fashion houses but as a consequence she ended up with a very bad deal indeed, which cost her a great deal of money. I realised that there was a gap in the market for a secure fair trade platform that gave new designers the opportunity to showcase their work in front of the right audience but still make money and retain their brand identity. Why did you decide to launch this business before leaving University? Once I had the idea I didn’t want to sit on it and wait for someone else to do it before me. I decided that I could combine the two and even get some businessrelated pointers from my course as I went along. How do you juggle your business with your studies? I have to be very strict with my time full stop. If I have assignments, I make sure I take enough time away from the business to get them done and, vice versa, if I have business deadlines and commitments that day, they take priority. Most of the time I find myself working on BR4ND (being a new venture) but I’m also a big believer in work/life balance to maintain a positive and healthy attitude, so I also try to leave some time for a bit of a social life and a visit to the gym in the evening. Do you think young people make better business people? Not necessarily. I’ve learned a lot from experienced business people, like my father for example. But I do think that some young people have that spark, that energy that you need to succeed; there’s still the excitement factor and the raw desire to make something happen. That’s certainly the case for me. Do you think entrepreneurs are born or made? They can be both, but you have to have the right mindset, personality and the ability never to take no as an answer! People with serious drive and desire
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to win can change their lives. Plus, having a guiding influence to point that drive in the right direction helps too. I’ve been very lucky to have my father as my role model. He’s launched four successful businesses so I can see what it takes and I hope some of that is reflected in me. What makes your business idea different to others in your field? We’re putting the ball back in the designers’ court. Our site has been created for designers with the help of our own designers to give customers a real sense of familiarity with new up and coming brands. We want fashion enthusiasts to get to know our designers and understand what they are all about. The designers themselves also get a much fairer deal, with more published detail than other rival fashion outlets provide. What is your designer recruitment strategy and how will you get more on board? We find designers through various sources but we always approach them directly on a one to one basis. Social media sites have been great for tracking down small brands that may not even have a website yet. What are the barriers you face in recruiting new designers currently? We face barriers the same as all start-ups but it’s about pushing forward and breaking those down. If you believe 100% that you have a good idea (and you can back that up), eventually it will catch on. There are some who just won’t entertain the idea simply because we’re a start-up. They feel that because we’re not yet a big established brand we can’t do anything for them. But this narrow-minded reaction means some designers are closing doors that may have given them some unexpected benefits – and certainly another revenue stream for very little risk. What are the challenges for the industry you work in? Fashion is a very tough industry. Certainly for new designers. They struggle to get the recognition they deserve as contributors to this important part of our culture and many very talented designers simply crash out. We want to change that. We just commissioned
and a promise to deliver. But I got there and things are really starting to happen now. How did you achieve the investment/funding for your business? We had low start-up costs because the business is inherently online, the investment will come when we move to central distribution and add the wholesale side of the business. So far we’re self-funded. What advice and tips would you give to others trying to make it in this highly competitive field? Be very strong and don’t take no for an answer – EVER. I understand you have employed a close friend as your ops manager, what is that like? It’s fantastic. Sarah’s very fashion savvy, which helps hugely with what we’re doing! I really enjoy working with her as I know I can trust her and rely on her. She’s very switched on. What mistakes do you think people make when they set up a business for the first time? I know a few people who started businesses and held back because they were nervous or were afraid of failure. I think that’s a terrible shame, you have to hit it head on and if you fail, you dust yourself down and start again. What sort of person do you need to be to make it in the fashion business? Headstrong and not afraid to take a bit of flack. It’s the nature of the industry. an independent survey that found the biggest hurdles faced by designers were: - standing out from the crowd and getting noticed; - getting a foot in the door with retailers in the first instance; - getting their designs in front of the right people. Have you encountered any hurdles since you started up? Getting the first few designers on board before we launched was tricky; I was selling them my own idea
How would you sum up BR4ND, what’s your positioning in the market? Building Reputations 4 New Designers. We’re a fair trade sales platform for new designers trying to break into the fashion market, we are currently positioned towards the younger end of the market but we’re rapidly expanding to cover more demographics and ranges, such as children’s wear and accessories. What is your future ambition for the business?
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A GOOD BET We talked to Scott Burton, co-founder of a revolutionary new peer-to-peer wagering site that’s fast becoming the talk of the town. What is Tedbets, and why should we be interested? Tedbets is a peer-to-peer wagering site that lets friends bet each other on anything. We have a full offering of major sports but we also allow users to create their own unique bets on anything. What makes us interesting, besides our custom bet capabilities, is how we have leveraged existing social networks to share bets and rapidly added users to our network. What we have now is just the beginning. Over the next few months we have some significant additions coming to Tedbets. We have also launched our first powered by Tedbets partner, iProp Games with more partners to come. When did you first have the idea for Tedbets?
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I first had the idea for Tedbets about 2 years ago as I was betting online with sites like Betfair, William Hill, Paddy Power etc. But I was much more active casually betting with friends via text or BBM. I still do bet with the traditional sites but get a different kind of enjoyment and engagement betting with circles of friends. Do you have a history of working in the gambling/gaming sector? I don’t have a history of working in the sector. I spent most of my career in sales, marketing and operations. For many years I ran a large sawmill facility in the US before leaving to get my Certified Management Accounting designation, after which I got exposure to a number of tech start-ups. I really came into the sector from a passion of following sports and being a casual bettor. I think there
“WHAT MAKES US INTERESTING BESIDES OUR CUSTOM BET CAPABILITIES IS HOW WE HAVE LEVERAGED EXISTING SOCIAL NETWORKS TO SHARE BETS AND RAPIDLY ADD USERS TO OUR NETWORK.” are a lot of casual bettors out there but I feel like they do not have a product designed for them. What excited you about the industry? Originally I was excited to be in an industry where I would get to spend more time following sports, stats, etc. I’ve been so busy with Tedbets and iProp Games that I actually don’t get to follow sports nearly as much as I used to. I found quite quickly that the industry is full of great people and the willingness of experienced professionals to give us advice has been great for me. How did you go about funding the project? We took a standard approach; an original group of four seeded the company to get to the point where we had something to show. We then did a successful family and friends round, with the goal of getting licensed and building our MVP. We exceeded expectations by getting licensed and to market with a very small team and small budget. In under a year we are licensed with two revenue-generating products. We are about to close our most recent round of financing, which has had support from existing shareholders, and we’ve been able to add some great strategic investors. How do you think the relationship between investors and entrepreneurs has changed over the years? I am new to the investor/entrepreneur relationship experience but my feeling is that technology investing has changed it significantly. With technology you have a lot of people who have done it before hands on. They take a different approach to the investment decision and also take a different role afterwards. These investors get hands on and use past experience to help entrepreneurs steer their way to success. I know locally we have benefited from this approach with groups like Charlotte Street Capital who have given advice and opened a number of doors that we could not have done alone.
Scott Burton, Ted Bets peer-to-peer wagering site co-founder
What are the biggest hurdles you’ve had to overcome? I am proud to say that to date our team has smashed through every hurdle that has been put in front of us. If I looked at in terms of which hurdles have been the most frustrating I think it is finding good external
partners. This space requires a lot of them and I have been disappointed by the willingness of some of the larger providers of services to help or, in some cases, even speak to us. That being said we have managed to establish great partnerships with category leading providers across the board. How has technology affected the gambling industry? Technology’s ability to bring rapid liquidity to a market was the first game changer, I believe. The fact that you can globally connect people so that no matter where you are in the world (provided it is legal) you can sit at home and get into a poker game, bet on a basketball game in Belarus and now, with Tedbets, bet your friends on anything, is amazing. Where I do see an opportunity is to bring more innovation to sports betting with mobile technology. Betting has gone mobile but I think there is a lot to be done still. What would your advice to budding entrepreneurs be in 2014? 1. Don’t wait until 2015. Things are moving so fast, if you don’t see your idea being done now somebody is working on it. 2. Don’t add anyone to your team unless they are great, we would not have gotten to this point in our business without the team we have. 3. Raising money is hard but be diligent about who you take money from. 4. Finally, make sure you have a supportive partner at home, a smiling baby to keep you sane helps too. What direction do you see the gambling industry moving in over the next five years? Moving towards more regulation, in Europe, the US and the rest of world. There is a lot to figure out and we will benefit from some clarity and consistency. In starting Tedbets I have learnt to shorten my longrange thinking and make fewer predictions. We have an amazing team, with the ability to make decisions and changes daily, so we plan in days and weeks in terms of our product. Technologically I know some amazing features we are bringing in soon, so what can happen in five years is very exciting, but I can’t predict what that will be.
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SUCCESS AND SPORT To new agers, earth mothers and wheatgrass shot-swigging neo-hippies, the body may be a temple. But in the big bad world of work, it can also be your best business asset. We caught up with exclusive personal trainer Andy Elliot to find out why every entrepreneur should factor fitness into their business plans’ Players will know they want football as a career from as young as twelve or thirteen. How important is it to get diet and training right from an early age? It’s absolutely critical. Early habits will improve players’ performances ,as will their concentration on the pitch. Adopting a healthy lifestyle early on is so important for the development of organs and bones up until the age of 18, when young men stop growing. If they can control a good regime of diet and exercise beyond that period then they’re in a prime position to be at peak fitness at 25-years-old, by which point, all being well, they could be playing for an equally healthy pay packet. What are the dangers of overtraining for your career? First off, you’ll have a lack of energy. You’ll also suffer general aches, pains, injuries, and risk damaging joints. You’ll be ratty, depressed, emotional and irritable and this will have a huge impact, not just on your personal life. You’ll notice a massive decrease in the effectiveness of your training. If you’re overstressed through overtraining then you’ll suffer all of the above. But freak incidents, like heart attacks on the pitch, which some might assume are the result of overtraining, would actually happen regardless. How rigidly do you think players stick to their health regimes? Probably only about half of professional players stick to their regimes. A professional footballer was recently caught smoking, which you really shouldn’t be doing when you’re paid such big money. But the top players are very focused. There’s a direct correlation between self discipline and success on the pitch. To what extent is it a breach of players’ contracts to break the rules? Surprisingly, there’s not really anything in players’ contracts to say what they should eat and what they
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should do. There should be a fine system to take better control. Every 0.01 seconds per player on the pitch has the potential to swing a match. Players are a business asset. Which player or team sets the best example of fitness and can this add value to the brand, such as is the case with Barcelona? At the minute, quite a few players. Bayern Munich is working hard on fitness, which is leading to trophies and TV rights – a huge financial boost for a team. Italian league players Paolo Maldini and Alessandro Costacurta will have gained an extra six to seven years worth more salary through sponsorship deals if their fitness remains good. In fact, Italian footballers in general are really good with their diet and fitness. That’s why a lot of them play into their mid to late 30s, when 33 is the average age for a footballer to retire. What can football clubs do to promote better fitness of their fans whilst generating additional income? I actually think they’d do well to improve the quality of food on offer to fans at football matches. I was at Anfield recently and the only food on offer directly outside the stadium was fast food burger vans and Chinese takeouts. Inside the stadium it was all fizzy drinks and sweets. If people could get a good meal at the match then maybe they would buy food there. As it is, they’d have to take food with them. Encouraging the older generation to appreciate the importance of fitness is another thing. Clubs could be doing that and it could also be lucrative. Imagine corporate packages where people get coached by professional players. It would be tough but a great experience. Should Gary Lineker be endorsing crisps? Ha! Probably not, no. But you see a lot of footballers endorsing brands that aren’t considered healthy, like Pepsi and Coca-Cola. Money talks there. Remember Beckham having a Pepsi on pitch? Everything is led
by sponsorship. Most of the time it won’t even be the product they’re endorsing in the bottle; even if it’s supposed to be an energy drink, it’s more likely a protein shake inside those big brand bottles. Some famous, older generation footballers didn’t have much in terms of training guidance, which has worked against them securing lucrative deals in their retirement. Can the right diet and training guidance provide a better standard of life for players? A lot of players, when they finish playing professionally, gain weight. That’s a fact. They’re only taught to play football, not to manage their bodies. So, when they stop they’re still eating as if they’re playing four to five matches a week and running 10k a day. If they could have postcareer guidance on how to manage their weight, they’d fare much better in retirement. With the advance of sports science, will we see more more cases of players playing into their 40s, like Ryan Giggs? Certainly, a lot more players are getting into their late 40s now, unless they have a freak injury. Sports science is playing a vital role in helping to manage overtraining and so reducing or preventing injuries. It is well-documented that footballers and professional sports people can have a relatively short career in comparison to other industries. How does managing their bodies, training and diet set them up well for life after retirement? That’s no great mystery, it’s very simple. Calories in versus calories out needs addressing in retirement. They simply need to manage their weight.
The fitter ex-players will always hold onto their endorsements because brands will choose slim ambassadors over out of condition ambassadors every time, which means managing their weight will have a direct impact on their income. What could retired footballers add to the fitness and leisure industry? They could encourage the younger generation to take part in sport, rather than technology like video games and social media. Sport gives you much better social skills that will set you up well for a career after football. Vinnie Jones is an ex-footballer, now film star. Ramen Vega now has an asset management firm in Mayfair. Good social skills are key to good business and they’re learnt on the pitch, not in front of a video game. Where do you see the football industry in ten years, celebrity fad or scientific fact driven? I’d see a lot more scientific research involved because that’s the way football’s going. But there’s too much research at times. People can get bogged down in it. Unless there’s a direct, practical application then it’s really a total waste of time doing it. Football’s a bit of a poor man’s sport, too. In that respect, it’s always been ten years behind rugby in terms of innovation. Rugby’s evolving fast. Remember when skintight shirts were introduced to stop players grabbing hold of each other in a scrum? The thought’s just not going into football, so it’s fallen behind. It’s a bit of a class thing. Football’s a less academic sport compared to rugby, so it will always be a generation behind.
Professional sportsmen recognise the importance of being in peak condition to secure the best deals
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DREAMCHASER
TRAVELLING TALES From training as an engineer and working for PWC, to founding Martinhal, one of Europe’s most awardwinning luxury resorts, Chitra Stern shares an insight into making her dreams of a new life and business in the sun into reality.
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Villas at Martinhal: voted Europe’s top luxury resort
Could you tell us a little of your background and education prior to founding Martinhal? I qualified as an engineer from University College London and then worked for Price Waterhouse in London for six years – qualifying as a Chartered Accountant and then moving into Management Consulting. I met Roman, my future husband, at Price Waterhouse while on a consulting assignment in Munich. I left Price Waterhouse to pursue an MBA from London Business School in 1998, which was one of the best things I ever did in my life! During the course of the MBA, my husband and I assessed various business opportunities in England and abroad with the objective of doing something entrepreneurial together. Upon completion of my MBA in 2000, we were asked to assess a project in the Algarve, Portugal, by a group of investors who had an option to purchase a piece of land for the development of a touristic resort. The basics looked great: The Algarve was a beautiful and safe tourism destination compared to many other coastal spots in Europe. The Portuguese are lovely people
and very family-centric. Faro airport was doubling its capacity from 4 million to 8 million passengers a year. Major highways were being completed to improve the access for cities west of Albufeira. We actually advised the group to proceed with their investment option but they did not go ahead. In doing all this due diligence, we felt strongly that the Algarve was where our future lay. We bought a small townhouse in September 2011 in Lagos and started our business in its garage, analyzing various projects across western Algarve. In building up our knowledge of the market, we came across several good possibilities, and this is how my husband and I came across Martinhal, three months after we moved to Lagos. What made you choose such a change in career? We both come from entrepreneurial families and we were both keen to do something for ourselves. We actually analyzed various other business plans in other industries, such as IT-enabled services, internet business models, projects in Croatia etc. We “felt right” about the Algarve
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as a place to spend time building up a business as well as a big family. What was (is) your vision for Martinhal? When we arrived at Martinhal there was an old outline planning permission from the 80s that was attached to this project with an old and a small old motel from the 60s. Only some 15 plots had been sold for individual villas between 1988 and 2001 by its owner, a leading Swiss construction company. Our proposal was to give them the sales price they wanted but with a seven year payment schedule, allowing us to finance the purchase price through the sales of houses and using our own cash reserves for project expenses, such as architectural and engineering fees. The landscape that existed in the Algarve at the time was lots of projects with holiday homes, but not enough resorts with a strong tourism concept or with facilities attached. We noticed that there were numerous “stand-alone” villas being built, but not enough resorts with unique concepts that would give the real-estate product strong long-term yields into the future. There were around 35 four and five star hotels either built or already in the approval pipeline back in 2001. We had to envision something completely different for Martinhal if we were to be successful. Our vision was, and remains, for Martinhal to be “Europe’s Finest Luxury Family Resort”. It is where parents and children from well-heeled families around Europe can have a fantastic time either together or individually. Our vision also includes bringing up an underdeveloped region. Apart from the direct jobs that
this project has created, not a few indirect/ knock-on jobs have been created in the local economy. The vision has also been to create a product that we can be proud of, but we have always wanted the Portuguese people and authorities to be proud of what we have been allowed to create in their country. What main challenges did you face (and face now)? We have faced all sorts of changes to the status quo and to our business plan since day one! Any entrepreneur has to be ready for these challenges. We have had the worst banking and economic crises happen during our time here, various shocks to the system thanks to wars and instability in other countries that affected travel. In fact, even 9/11 happened after we made the decision to come here to start a project in the tourism industry. One of the most difficult things was to start up a resort in the Sagres region, which was relatively unknown. The Algarve might be well-known, but getting tour operators to take on a new project in an unknown destination was tough. The travel industry is very difficult to penetrate and is controlled very much by the airlines and the tour operators. The problems in building an independent hotel brand in a new destination cannot be underestimated! People actually discouraged us from the idea of building a five star resort in this corner of Portugal, saying that there would be no demand for heated pools, underfloor heating and so on. There were numerous “nay-sayers”! The business-specific challenges of starting up a labourintensive business in the southwesternmost corner of Europe have also had to be overcome. We faced various other barriers: bureaucracy, changes in government (and therefore having to build new relationships at the local council level as well as central government), changes in tourism law, new financing having to be found after 2008 for various things and so on. I still find being a working mother quite tough. We have had four children in the meantime and, no doubt, all this takes a huge balancing effort. Portugal has been great for this balance as there are good crèches and day care facilities at affordable prices and with loving care. Finding nannies is also easier than in London. Entrepreneurial women out there, don’t give up, executive boards need you! How did you approach raising investment, and what challenges did you encounter? Raising investment, especially in this climate, is tough. You have to be prepared to go through numerous iterations of your business plan and be prepared to pitch again and again. Always assume that it takes longer to raise money than you initially think. The more innovative an idea is, the more unknown the destination is, the harder the sales pitch. The contract we signed with the then owners was structured in a win-win way. The first scheduled payment was due only two years after we started, but if we didn’t make this payment, we would have lost any further right to develop. The five-year payment structure also acted as “financing”.
We put in the money we had from Roman’s first Martinhal is one of Europe’s leading luxury resorts and the winner of numerous tourism industry accolades including “Europe’s Leading Villa Resort” award at the World Travel Awards Europe Ceremony 2012. In a stunning position overlooking Martinhal Beach and set within a protected natural park, Martinhal Beach Resort and Hotel is located close to the historic town of Sagres on the unspoiled western Algarve. Featuring a 37-bedroom, five star hotel and a selection of spacious family houses, the essence of the resort is one of understated luxury and genuine hospitality. www.martinhal.com
projects into the initial architectural drawings, and marketing and sales activities. We had to kick-start by selling real-estate in our first phase of villas and we really only started selling after the first show house was built. We had to seek bank financing to leverage various parts of the construction, but most of all, the large second phase of the resort with the hotel, various village houses and facilities. Overall, we have successfully raised over €60 million in bank financing and we are one of the few projects in Portugal to have repaid principal and interest according to the requirements of the bank. By showing that we were firmly planted here on site to make this work was a big factor in our success of raising financing. Have you plans for expansion or new projects and how do you go about assessing potential risks?
We would love to expand this idea of looking after families into other parts of Portugal. While we will not be starting from scratch with a greenfield project, there are various distressed assets that require a new future – a business concept that can produce strong yields for the owner of the property. Risk assessment and deciding viability in our case has much to do with locating projects with a potential for our target market at the five star end and running proper trading and cashflow projections. It is also about not underestimating the effort in taking over a project; these properties have a lot of bureaucracy and history associated with them. It is all about good business sense!
The inspiration for Martinhal was to design somewhere with families in mind Ideal location in Sagres, on Portugal’s southwest corner
What advice can you offer other entrepreneurs? Double your original estimate of effort or cash for doing anything! Be paranoid but confident at the same time! What personal and professional qualities and skills do you need? Persistence and passion are key to the success of any venture. Be prepared for blood, sweat and tears. I can only speak for myself, but I have found my analytical skills as an engineer invaluable, as is my openness to different industries from my audit and accounting days, and my professional approach from my days of dealing with top-tier companies at Price Waterhouse. My MBA from one of the top business schools in the world is absolutely crucial in my ability to deal with a start-up in a totally new environment, changing from being a real-estate developer into having to think about a hotel business, managing a growing business, financing entrepreneurial ventures, instilling organisational culture, etc.
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THE APP FOR EVENTS MoneyMaker Magazine caught up with entrepreneur Rytis Vitkauskas, co-founder and CEO of revolutionary new app, YPlan.
Y
Plan is tonight’s going out app. With a carefully curated list of up to 15 events available that night and later that week, YPlan inspires Londoners and New Yorkers alike to enjoy their city like never before. The free iOS and Android app allows people to browse upcoming gigs, food tastings, theatre shows and gallery exhibitions, so that they can book tickets to some of the best attractions in just two taps. Whether it’s an invitation-only event, such as one of Sofar Sounds intimate living room gigs, or an eye-opening chessboxing match – one of the London’s best kept secrets – YPlan has it covered. How did you conceive the idea for YPlan? My co-founder Viktoras and I previously worked for Summit Partners and Goldman Sachs respectively and, having spent a number of years managing technology investments and fund derivatives, we decided that we were ready to launch our own business. It was a big
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step, quitting our jobs so we could spend six months travelling round California visiting friends and old co-workers at Google, Skype and Dropbox to begin building an idea that, technically, we hadn’t even had yet. We would construct business model after business model, subject it to an intense process of MVP testing then scrap it and move on to the next one. It was quite intense. We worked through 50 different projects, before finally settling on YPlan as idea 51. When we eventually got back to London we began testing it on a handful of people, with Viktoras and myself running around to make sure people had their tickets on time (we hadn’t finished the e-ticket mechanism by that point). Once we’d ironed out the finer details we launched in November and hit 150,000 downloads within the first three months. How has YPlan grown over the last 12 months? It’s been a really crazy year for us! We’ve reached 350,000 downloads in London, which accounts for roughly 15% of all iPhones in the capital. We’ve
“WE WORKED WITH PHARRELL ON OUR NEW YORK LAUNCH – HIS PERFORMANCE AT THE FINALE CLUB WAS INCREDIBLE, DEFINITELY ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF MY CAREER SO FAR! HE’S SINCE JOINED THE COMPANY AS A SPECIAL ADVISOR.”
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INTERVIEW
launched new versions for iPod Touch, iPad, Android and are now live in New York. A lot of this growth has been driven by our Series A funding round which took place in early June 2013. We managed to secure $12 million worth of investment from American Express, General Catalyst Partners (AirBnB), Wellington Partners (Hailo, Spotify), Octopus Investments (SwiftKey), A-Grade (Ashton Kutcher’s investment company). That’s more than Twitter, Soundcloud and Dropbox achieved combined when they were at a similar stage in their life cycle. The team have all worked immensely hard, and it’s great to see their efforts yielding such strong rewards so early on. How does YPlan generate revenue? We’ve built a two-sided marketplace so a good relationship with both our event partners and consumers is crucial. Working closely with event partners we can give consumers access to sold out events, or events that are in particularly high demand, such as the iTunes Festival. This means YPlan has becomes the go-to place for people looking for the best events in town. Conversely, it benefits our venues by providing them with a platform to sell last minute tickets. Your $12 million Series A round was more than those of Dropbox, Soundcloud and Twitter, what do you think you have that those companies didn’t? In a shorter period of time we were able to prove quite a lot and execute our vision really well. In fairness to those guys, our model is tricky to get right, but it’s easier to scale sooner than someone like Dropbox, who requires large infrastructural work. I definitely wouldn’t claim we have something they don’t, just that we deliver on what we promised to our investors and advisors. Additionally, we’re going after a $50 billion entertainment market globally. Only around 60% of seats are sold on a normal night for theatre, sports and so on and we’ve come in with a completely different, mobile-only discovery approach. Why did you choose to expand in the US before Europe? We wanted to choose a city that we knew would not only be a great cultural fit for YPlan – we know that both Londoners and New Yorkers have a similar spontaneous streak – but would also have the same quality and breadth of events as we’ve found in London. Curation is a big part of what we do. We’ve built close relationships with some of the best event partners out there and, as each event that makes it onto the app has to go through an intense screening process, we wanted to choose a city where we could be 100% sure that there’s a great range of things to do. Not having to worry about language barriers was also definitely an important factor!
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How did Ashton Kutcher get involved with the company? Mila Kunis, his partner, was filming in the city for months for her next movie and he heard about YPlan during a visit. He discovered that people were talking about the app, the high penetration it has and he started using it to go out, which is how it all came together. He’s now an investor in the company which is a really great endorsement for us. Through A-Grade he’s invested in companies such as Airbnb and Foursquare, so we actually talk to him a lot about products and how to evolve in order to continue performing well, tackling
“YPLAN HAS BECOME THE GO-TO PLACE FOR PEOPLE LOOKING FOR THE BEST EVENTS IN TOWN” we partnered with such a high profile artist either, we teamed up with Hot Chip for our London launch and have since brought musician Robert Linney on board as an investor.
YPlan is going after a $50 billion entertainment market globally
You’ve worked with huge partners like the Southbank Centre and the Royal Albert Hall, what did it take to persuade those businesses to come aboard? There’s no magic formula for that. We just work our tails off, explain what we do and deliver results, which has been the most important recipe. That makes for easier conversations, especially now 70% of London’s iPhoneusing eyeballs are on the app. I’m really grateful for the support earlier on from those who understood that our platform is an additive to their marketing. Over 90% of people who buy tickets on YPlan had no intention of going to the event before they discovered it and booked through us, which is a very powerful argument. It’s a terrific way for clients to expose their events to users because we’re bringing in people who would never have shown up.
social, new cities and all the factors involved with things like that. We exchange a lot of knowledge behind the scenes, which isn’t obvious to outsiders. How is Pharrell Williams involved with the company? We worked with Pharrell on our New York launch – his performance at the Finale Club was incredible, definitely one of the highlights of my career so far! He’s since joined the company as a special advisor, giving us guidance on new venues and acts that he thinks would be of interest to us. It’s not the first time that
Who are your biggest competitors? I think that’s one of the most remarkable things about what we do, we’re the only ones doing it! YPlan doesn’t have any direct competitors, there aren’t any other companies out there who offer curation and ticket purchasing on one mobile platform, like we do. Right now we’re concentrating on improving our global reach and will continue to focus on driving greater engagement in the cities that we’re already live in. We want YPlan to become a worldwide phenomenon, so that no matter what city you’re in you can enjoy a spontaneous night out. Talk to us a bit about your plans for the future. We’ve just had our first birthday and 2014 looks set to be just as busy as the past 12 months have been. Though I can’t give away too much at this stage we’ll be launching in another city in a few months, and will continue to get more people downloading YPlan in more cities on both sides of the pond; 15% of all iPhones in London is a great start, but I want to see that
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TRADE IT
2014 CALLS FOR A BALANCED APPROACH TO TRADING INTRADAY Steve Ruffley, Chief Market Strategist at InterTrader With so much uncertainty in the global economy, traders have to understand what will move the markets and, more importantly, how they will move. To an extent the uncertainty comes from the FED being unclear on when they will fully taper QE, while the Bank of England is being unclear about when they will discuss interest rates - despite having linked it to unemployment. This is all fundamental speculation and this helps build market sentiment. The other important factor is looking at how the markets will move. This is generally categorised as technical analysis: the use of charts and studies to predict where an asset class price value should be. The reason I trade so many live events is that fundamental data is the best way to demonstrate how to make money in trading, quickly. Now, I’m not referring to getting rich quick, I am talking about how you can profit from large market movements and volatility created by new information hitting the market. Fundamental data refers to economic data releases, like the jobs repost in the US called Non Farm Payrolls, or comments from key government or central bank policymakers – such as Mark Carney, the Governor of the Bank of England referring to interest rates – basically, anything that could affect people’s view of the markets and the products they trade. I look at the markets with the 80/20 rule. The first part of my rule is the 20% fundamental side. The rest of the time the markets will trade between perceived support and resistance, this is the 80% technical trading part of the rule. The KEY thing to remember is that once you understand how to trade technically – aka how markets move 80% of the time – you can use this knowledge to trade the 20% highly volatile fundamental trades, as they will also adhere to the technical style of trading. Every move, no matter how volatile, looks for support and resistance. What is quite unique about trading is that we all have access to the same information but all use our own interpretation. This leads to conflicts in the market, some people at that time will be right and some people will be wrong. My point is that when ‘new’ information hits the markets, if it is unexpected or a shock, with so many different opinions out there the market then has to move as people get in and out of trades.
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Rule 1 of fundamental trading: The 80/20 rule. The markets move 80% of the time technically and 20% of the time fundamentally. However the 20% fundamentals trade technically with added volatility. Therefore, why would you fade or discount fundamental data? Trade at these events and use them as an opportunity to make money from short term volatility and movement. Rule 1 of technical trading: Having a trading edge isn’t necessarily about knowing what others don’t. For me, it’s knowing exactly what everyone does know, and trading with them when they’re right and against them when they’re wrong. Look at the basic indicators like RSI, Bollinger bands and moving averages; remember the ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’ of technical trading ‘if it looks like a trend, it is a trend.’ Most people will use the same basic tools when putting technical analysis on a chart. This is because they are the easiest to understand and they give the clearest indication of what a market may do, movement wise. Basically, all markets move between areas of support and resistance, people hunting for perceived value. When markets are low, people are attracted to buy and the markets go up. Technical analysis is basically trying to find these ‘value points’. Here is a working example of this thinking in the AUD/USD chart: Look at the indicators that most other traders will use in a trading day. Build your trading strategy around this. 1. Bollinger bands – we have rejected a close below the lower boundary 2. Large H1 pin bar rejecting (blue) the ‘fake move’ down 3. The DeM is rising – positive 4. The RSI is rising – positive 5. The Fibonacci levels 100% (green), 50% (dotted white) are holding as support. Outcome? Buy the AUD against the USD
With added volatility there are a some things that have to be adhered to. Here are my three main views on trading fundamental volatility: 1. Time! Invest time in your preparation and charts before any major fundamental event. There may be huge moves but they can be over in seconds. Levels can be hit and if you are not ready for the opportunity you will either miss out or lose money trying to get into a trade that has gone. Understand your risk reward: what are you actually trying to achieve from this trading opportunity? This is the USD/CHF before and after the US Open: Before
After
Remember that traders will be taking into account all the fundamental data, for example (03/01/14) Non Farm Payroll expected 220k; actual 74k. This could change people’s view of the markets and there is always extra volatility on the Open. We have technically analysed our charts and are focusing on: i. Bollinger bands – closed inside the top boundary, and have tested the mid-point; ii. Key levels – we know 0.90742 (blue) is a good down side level; iii. Fibonacci – we know we are below the key 50% so the 100% and 161.8% are targets; iv. ‘Fake out’ candle – the blue box indicates a rejected push higher, therefore we trade lower In this scenario we wait for the open, and sell the USD against the CHF and make 13 pips profit.
2. Understanding fundamentals and your markets. You can either just trade the flow, or you can actually spend the time understanding what the data means and why it moves your market up or down. It depends on you, but don’t trick yourself into thinking you understand what the data means! If you don’t understand and just want to sell your market because it is going down, that’s fine as long as you have the technical and risk side covered in your preparation. 3. Size. Trade the appropriate size. The rules of trading generally dictate that you should trade 1% of your capital on each trade. I don’t agree with this statement in general and certainly not for fundamental trades. Each trade should be on its own risk merit. You should not be trading 100 times a day so you don’t need a basic general rule. Especially for fundamental trading, where there may be two key events a month, why would you only risk 1%? If you are prepared and have been patient why not 5% or 10%? NEVER RISK MORE THAN YOU CAN AFFORD TO LOSE. To summarise. World markets are complex and full of people with conflicting views. As a trader you have to balance your view with that of the markets and make sure you have a firm grasp of the underlying sentiment that drives them, while balancing this against the technical approach of where support and resistance will be found. Steve Ruffley is the Chief Market Strategist at spread betting and CFD provider InterTrader. Steve used to be the Floor Manager at Schneiders and was Head of Risk at Refco. He has had his own account on some of the biggest trading floors in Europe over the last decade, from investing for high net worth individuals at PriceWaterhouseCoopers to mentoring and risk managing the top city traders at Refco. He now manages the education programme at InterTrader and runs live trading clinics where he trades in real-time with his own money. In 25 live
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SPACE MEMORABILIA
OUT OF THIS
WORLD As the sustained interest in Virgin Galactic and the huge popularity of the film Gravity show, the public’s love of all things space remains strong. If owning some space memorabilia was on your bucket list, this latest auction was a must. Bonhams Space History sale on April 8 featured nearly 300 fascinating artifacts related to decades of international space exploration, including genuine spacesuits, critical flight items from the famed Apollo 11 mission, lunar-flown American flags, rare photographs and astronauts’ personal effects. Two top lots in the sale were from Apollo 11, the first spaceflight to put men on the moon: an emblem flown with the craft into lunar orbit, and signed by the most famous space crew in history (Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Buzz Aldrin) sold for $62,500. Also from Apollo 11, and sold at $68,750, was a checklist sheet with notes made by Buzz Aldrin while on the moon. Both sides of the sheet contain critical data that enabled Armstrong and Aldrin to return to earth. It is one of the most extensive sets of notations ever made on the lunar surface. One of the more iconic pieces in the sale was a spacesuit from the first manned US flight program, Project Mercury (1959–1963), which aimed to put a human being into orbit around the earth. Bonhams offered a beautiful example of a Phase 2 suit, made circa 1960, featuring the iconic silver colouring and an early “widow’s peak” helmet. With a top estimate of $12,000, it actually went for $43,750.
In addition, Bonhams offered a Russian Strizh spacesuit designed to protect cosmonauts from ejection at altitudes up to 30 kilometers and speeds up to Mach 3. This rare example was one of only 27 created for test and training purposes between 1981–1991, the others were damaged or destroyed. But it didn’t sell (est. $15,000-$20,000), neither did a NASA A6L prototype spacesuit (est. $8,000$12,000). Lunar-flown American flags certainly did attract attention. Highlights included a silk American
Own a piece of real history
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SPACE MEMORABILIA
“LUNAR-FLOWN AMERICAN FLAGS CERTAINLY ATTRACTED ATTENTION. HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDED A SILK AMERICAN FLAG CARRIED TO THE MOON BY BUZZ ALDRIN ON THE APOLLO 11 MISSION.”
The space suits were auction highlights
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flag carried to the moon by Buzz Aldrin on the Apollo 11 mission (sold for $47,500), as well as a stars and stripes carried by Fred Haise on the infamous Apollo 13 mission (sold for $15,000). Haise intended to take the flag to the lunar surface, but the landing was scrubbed when an oxygen tank exploded, causing a major electrical outage in the command and service modules. Awe inspiring photographs and important signed portraits were offered throughout the sale. A NASA photograph of the lunar surface signed by all 12 moonwalkers was an extraordinarily rare offering which went for nearly three times the estimate at $35,000. Showing an Earth rise in the distance, the image was taken as the Apollo 16 command module orbited the moon. A Lunar Orbiter V panorama of the crater Copernicus sold for $11,875 (estimate $5,000–$8,000). The 32 large silver gelatin prints are the most comprehensive view of the crater to date. Technology aficionados appreciated the remarkable models and equipment available in the sale. A Mir space station control panel sold for $9,375 and a five foot-tall Vostok space rocket
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model went for $13,750. But a Saturn IB rocket model made by the Marshall Space Flight Center, showing the genius of Wernher von Braun and his team did not go (estimate $10,000–$15,000) and neither did a motion picture ring sight used on the moon during Apollo 15 (estimated at $20,000– $30,000). Astronauts’ personal effects caught the imagination of bidders. Charles Conrad’s stowage strap from Apollo 12 was truly out of this world, having been embedded with lunar dust transferred from astronaut hands while inside the lunar module (sold for $23,750). Equally striking was the Cosmonaut Survival Machete, the same design was carried by all Russian Soyuz flights to assist the cosmonaut crew after a remote unscheduled landing, It sold for $687. Although a cast of Buzz Aldrin’s moon boot, number two of three made by Chicago artist Jo Mead, embodying both the spirit of 1960s Pop Art and the period’s fascination with the cosmos, didn’t achieve its estimate of $20,000– $30,000.
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MONEYMAKER MAGAZINE
WORLD’S MOST POWERFUL BRAND: FERRARI When it comes to naming the world’s most powerful brand, chances are most people would opt for the likes of Apple, Google or Coca-Cola. In reality it’s a niche Italian supercar maker that takes top honours.
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or the second year running, Ferrari has been named the world’s Most Powerful Brand by London-based brand valuation experts, Brand Finance. The study compared the brands of the world’s top 500 companies and the legendary Italian manufacturer was one of only 11 (and the sole car maker) to be awarded an AAA+ brand rating, before going on to claim the highest overall score. Although nowhere near Apple and Samsung in terms of its overall revenue, Ferrari’s combination of profits, revenue per customer, brand affection and loyalty has proved to be an unbeatable formula. Brand Finance Chief Executive David Haigh is in no doubt why it claimed pole position, “In its home country and among its many admirers worldwide, Ferrari inspires more
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CARS
than just brand loyalty, more of a cultish, even quasireligious devotion. Its brand power is indisputable.” It is hard to grasp just how potent the Ferrari brand is. The company is not listed in any stock exchange market and has never spent a penny on advertising. Yet the prancing horse on a yellow badge is instantly recognisable across the globe. According to Luca di Montezemolo, who has chaired the company since 1991, the three key factors that have never changed and that remain essential to the Ferrari brand are “extreme technology, beauty of design, and the emotion of driving”. However, he admits that there is another, equally defining, feature that separates Ferrari from the competition. “In all of our 7,000 cars a year, there doesn’t exist one that is like any other. For me, exclusivity is the strength of the brand. I don’t like to speak of luxury. I like to speak of beauty and taste.” Ferrari is indeed a premium couture brand in every sense of the word. When customers buy an F12 Berlinetta or a 458 Spider, they know they are getting something unique and special. So much so that the company recently revealed that for the first time in its history, every car that rolled
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off its Maranello production line in 2013 did so with a bespoke feature, a statistic that other exclusive car makers can only dream of. Also helping to heighten the mystique of the brand is the comparatively small number of cars that Ferrari produces. Last year, while BMW, Mercedes-Benz and their ilk battled it out to be number one in luxury car sales, with little regard to exclusivity or whether a vehicle might be right for the brand, Ferrari decided on a different approach. In May 2013, Mr Montezemolo announced that Ferrari would limit production to no more than 7,000 cars per year, a reduction of around 5% on 2012. The reasoning behind this strategy was simple: not only would it boost exclusivity but it would also preserve the resale value of current and pre-owned cars, thereby ensuring greater client satisfaction and loyalty. The concept worked, so much so that Ferrari has just announced that, despite a 5% fall in car sales last year, net profits rose by the same amount. The company’s net financial position at the end of 2013 of €1.36 billion is also the highest in its history,
“FOR THE SECOND YEAR RUNNING, FERRARI HAS BEEN NAMED THE WORLD’S MOST POWERFUL BRAND.”
THREE TOP CLASSIC FERRARIS TO INVEST IN The market for classic Ferraris remains buoyant, but you’ll need several million spare, with the most coveted reaching upwards of £20 million. Unsure which to choose? Charter a private jet and head to Maranello, to the Museo Ferrari, located a stone’s throw from the prancing horse factory itself, where you’ll see the whole collection of road and race models in all their glory. From there you can also now take a tour to the Fiorano test track proving grounds and through the vast factory complex. www.museo.ferrari.com 1957 Ferrari Testarossa 250 TR One of these went for an astonishing $12 million a couple of years ago, making this stunningly curvaceous model one of the most expensive classic cars in the world. It’s known as the classic V12 Ferrari and has a genuine racing pedigree, having won Le Mans three times. 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO Vying with the 1957 250 TR is the ’62 250 GTO. Only 39 were made of this three-time FIA world championship winner, making this arguably the rarest and therefore most sought after Ferrari around. British businessman Jon Hunt sold his GTO 250 a year ago for £20.2 million. 1959 Ferrari GT SWB 250 This model was the most famous racing car of its time, and is still considered by many as the most desirable for its looks, speed and fantastic handling. If this GT is a favourite of yours, expect to pay upwards of $7 million.
despite an increase in research and development spending. Despite these impressive figures, Ferrari’s core customer base is a relatively tiny one. It stands to reason that if only a select few know about a brand, its value will be limited. The company however has a unique platform on which to market itself: Formula One. With Scuderia Ferrari the only team to have competed in every F1 season since the sport’s inception in 1950, it retains a special place in the affections of the 500 million or so who follow the sport each year. The genius of Ferrari is that it has managed to connect with two very different target audiences: the millions of motor racing enthusiasts and other fans throughout the world who are in love with the brand, and that exclusive elite who either own, or who aspire to own, an actual Ferrari. Anyone who has seen the hundreds of products bearing the iconic Prancing Horse logo will realise how the brand’s appeal has been harnessed and broadened. Small wonder therefore that its US$1.5 billion licensing and retail division has become the model for sports properties around the world. Over 400,000,000 official Ferrari products have been sold in the last ten years; today, every minute, 95 Prancing Horse branded items are sold. There are now 50 plus Ferrari stores around the world, whilst Maranello’s official on-line shop gets 20,000 visits a day. October 2010 meanwhile saw another first for the company: the opening of Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, the world’s largest indoor theme park. However, it is perhaps in the world of social media that the power of the Ferrari brand is most clearly demonstrated. The Prancing Horse enjoys over 12.5 million fans on Facebook, four million of which were added in the last year alone. However, as David Haigh reveals, it is the profile of these followers that is so interesting,. “55% of them are under 24. It has tremendous power with young people, it is a very aspirational brand.
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PROPERTY
SANDBANKS MILLIONAIRES’ PLAYGROUND A tiny peninsula in Poole, on England’s south coast, Sandbanks is one of the top five most expensive places to live in the whole world, rivalled only by London, Manhattan and Moscow.
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each or harbour front homes – even those in need of serious renovation – can easily cost upwards of £7 million. But that doesn’t deter the wealthy, attracted by its wonderful views, direct access to an award-winning golden sand beach, and easy distance from Bournemouth airport, where some fly in on their private jets. It’s also just a two and a half to three hour drive down from London, and many owners treat these as their weekend homes and drive down in their Ferraris – especially the stunning FF four seater, which means they can bring a couple of friends or family members too. Properties range from classic art deco to rather dated mansions in need of a talented architect’s touch. Some come with swimming pools and private jetties to launch their Sunseekers from. Many have balconies looking out to Studland Bay , the Isle of Wight, and the towering white cliffs of Harry’s Rock beyond. Last year, because of its enviable position and wonderful sea views, a dilapidated home sold for £3.5 million, with plans for it to be demolished to make way for a new home costing £1 million to build on the same spot. The price paid equates to around a hefty £1,700 per square foot. Keith Fensom, Head of Residential in Savills’ Canford Cliffs office said: “Second-home buyers account for a high proportion of the purchasers on Sandbanks. The growing confidence in the economy has resulted in increased demand with strong prices being achieved. Properties with sea or harbour views in particular remain very popular and the prime waterside houses achieve figures that would compete with some of the most exclusive areas of London”.
WHERE TO STAY WHILST HOUSE HUNTING The Captain’s Club Hotel, Christchurch Perfectly located on the waterfront in Christchurch, 15 minutes to the New Forest, and a 30 minute drive from Sandbanks is the highly acclaimed Captain’s Club Hotel. Its contemporary, nautically-inspired, luxurious rooms and suites with pretty panoramic river views, and excellent food make it a frequent haunt for house hunters on the world-famous peninsula. The Captain’s Club Hotel also boasts an award-winning spa with hydrotherapy pool, sauna and a range of luxurious treatments offering famous brand products like Caudalie, Leighton Denny, Fake Bake and Aromatherapy Associates. The hotel also has its own luxury cruiser to take guests direct down to Sandbanks and on tailor made champagne lunch or afternoon tea trips down the picturesque River Stour, or out in the Solent to see the Needles and Isle of Wight. www.captainsclubhotel.com
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PROPERTY
Harbour Watch, Sandbanks – £7.45 million This magnificent property occupies one of the finest water front positions on Sandbanks. Its south westerly aspect allows for sensational, far reaching views across to the National Trust beaches at Shell Bay, the entrance to Poole Harbour through to Brownsea Island and, in the distance, the dramatic Purbeck Hills beyond. Built in 2004, this magnificent contemporary property offers both privacy and security and therefore lends itself to being either a main residence, a second home or a weekend retreat. Enter through electronic gates and Harbour Watch stands elegantly at the end of a smart red brick driveway, which is flanked to the right by an attractive formal garden with mature shrubs and trees. The house has been designed to an exceptional level and boasts a significant number of state of the art features. An AMX Home Entertainment System runs throughout the property, enabling the control of music, television equipment, lighting moods and curtain or blind operation from each of the rooms. The AMX panels also control the property’s security system. All of the principal reception rooms enjoy a spectacular view of Poole Harbour. Solaris, Sandbanks – £6.25 million Solaris occupies one of the finest beachfront positions on the world famous Sandbanks peninsula. The new architect-designed house has superb panoramic views across Poole Bay towards Hengistbury Head and the Isle of Wight, in one direction; and, in the other direction, to Shell Bay and Studland with Old Harry Rocks and the Purbeck Hills beyond. Solaris is unique in that it represents only the second opportunity in over 40 years to acquire a brand new architectdesigned house on the beachfront and sets a new benchmark for architectural quality in Sandbanks.
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THE CAR SANDBANK RESIDENTS OWN The Ferrari FF For pace, grace and space, Ferrari’s stunning Pininfarina-penned FF is a firm favourite of wealthy Sandbanks residents. You’ll spot more than a few on the driveways of the most expensive properties there. Why? Well, apart from the obvious lure of being one of the newest models from the famous prancing horse stable, it has four-wheel drive, and also four proper seats, meaning it can be pushed and thoroughly enjoyed whatever the road and weather conditions, and also carry a couple of friends or family members in serious style. This super GT sports car is actually the most powerful and exclusive four-seater in the world. It has it all, exceptional, class-topping performance and traction, space to carry four in comfort, decent luggage space, is the only V12 around with a seven-speed dual-clutch F1 gearbox and – another world beater – boasts the best weight-power ratio ever achieved. Few cars catch the eye more than a Ferrari, and the FF’s no exception. Sculptural yet streamlined, it has an innovative shooting brake shape, fresh styling cues and third millennium aerodynamic and conceptual solutions to underscore its sporty stance. Inside, no expense has been spared to create a dream cabin. From butter-soft leathers that have been subjected to a unique treatment to enhance their natural beauty to the max, to a range of colours uniquely created for the FF and ,of course, as with all Ferraris, there’s a bewildering choice of colours and treatments to tailor the supercar to your exact needs. Out on the road, the drive down from London to Sandbanks on the south coast is a perfect showcase for the FF’s exceptional driveability and versatility. On the motorways, the Ferrari bowls along seamlessly, its 6,262cc GDI V12, delivering 660 CV at 8,000 rpm and a super-impressive 683Nm at 6,000 rpm of torque – with over 500Nm available right across the entire range it means you’ve instant power and punch whenever you desire. Fuel economy wise, thanks to its light weight and advanced technology, consumption has been cut to just 15.4 litres per 100km, and CO2 emissions to 360 g/km, a 25% reduction on previous Ferrari V12s. On the tight and twisty ‘B’ roads through the New Forest, with its raft of technology, the FF proves super-composed, agile, thrilling and engaging whatever the camber, elevation and surface conditions. This is genuinely a dream car to drive.
Pocketlife / Weberstrasse 21 / 8004 Zurich / Switzerland +41 44 201 22 21 / info@pocketlife.ch
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SPORT
AT THE RACES Each year, the Grand National and Cheltenham Festival spur on many to consider investing in owning a racehorse. Not for the faint-hearted, it can certainly be a tricky business, but one that is, for some, well worth the risk for the sheer adrenalin rush it can give when it goes well.
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ore people than ever before are investing in this ‘sport of kings’, the luxury hobby with a difference, which offers thrill-seekers the ultimate status symbol – ownership of a racehorse. Racehorse investment can be one of the most exciting and easiest ways to generate big money. For example, at this year’s Cheltenham Festival, racehorse Lord Windermere took home more than £327,000 for winning the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Owning a racehorse is also an undeniable adrenalin rush. With the first placed horse getting 60% of the total race purse, it’s a fast-paced, brilliant sport that can make investors rich in a matter of minutes. With the world’s wealthiest people – famous A-listers such as Steven Spielberg and the Queen herself – amongst those with investments in the sport, owning a thoroughbred racehorse is a stylish and supreme status symbol. Trainers such as Luke Dace, a former jump jockey based in Billingshurst, West Sussex, use their expert skills to create a winning formula for owner and horse. It takes world class facilities, elite training skills and commitment.
“RACEHORSE INVESTMENT CAN BE ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING AND EASIEST WAYS TO GENERATE BIG MONEY.”
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After months of preparation, the horses are ready to take on the track. Not only glamorous, racehorse investment has created phenomenal results. After Australian lawyer Colin Madden and his four friends took the leap and invested in a $315,000 thoroughbred seven years ago, the horse went on to become the most successful sprinter in racing history, earning the group more than $7 million in prize money. Not only a winner on the track, the horse landed itself a Vogue cover, a grooming product range and a best selling biography; a complete success story for Madden and his co-investors. Luke Dace, whose world class facilities are committed to repeated success on the track (including three wins in March 2014 alone), commented, “Investing in a racehorse provides a thrill like no other. We train each horse to be as prepared as possible for racing, giving owners the best chance possible for a successful pay off. It’s a unique partnership and it’s brilliant.” www.lucedace.co.uk
WHAT TO CONSIDER BEFORE INVESTING IN A RACEHORSE: 1. Do you like taking risks? Investing in a racehorse can be both exhilarating and fruitful. Successful racehorses can make millions (the prize fund for this year’s Grand National winner was £1 million), although owning a racehorse has a relatively high element of risk attached to it as the horse is never guaranteed to win the race. 2. Should I go it alone? Racehorse ownership falls into either sole, syndicate or co-ownership. There are four categories of co-ownership: company ownership (the horse is owned by a company’s shareholders), joint ownership (the horse is owned by between 2 and 12 individuals), leasing (the horse is leased for one race or for a period of time) and a racing partnership (in which 2 and 20 individuals may own the horse). If you’re not prepared to make a significant investment, co-owning a racehorse or entering a syndicate can optimise maximum return for less up-front cost. 3. Initial cost: The average cost of buying a racehorse for sole ownership is around £20,000 (although good horses can be bought for less), so you’ll need to make sure you have a bulk sum of money to part with up front, either as the sole or co-owner. 4. Time: Racehorse investment doesn’t usually provide a quick return on investment. If you’re buying a yearling horse it will need to be trained to reach its full racing potential, which can sometimes take several years. Persevere and you could land some hefty winnings, but if you need a quick return on your money, perhaps consider investing elsewhere. 5. Continued costs: Racehorses are not cheap to maintain. You’ll need to consider the cost of training, registration fees and insurance. The average annual cost of owning a racehorse is around £20,000. 6. Which type of horse should I buy? You’ll need to decide whether you want a jump or flat horse (one that either runs over jumps or just on flat ground), or a dual purpose horse. Both flat and jump racing can provide a good return on investment, with some high worth prize funds. 7. Where should I buy the horse? Look for yearling or bloodstock sales approved by the British Horseracing Authority, such as Tattersalls at Newmarket or the Doncaster Bloodstock Sales in South Yorkshire. Horses of Irish, British and Arab stock tend to make good runners. 8. Choose a good trainer: Choosing a good racehorse trainer is crucial – look for one with a proven track record of wins. Luke Dace, a successful racehorse trainer based in West Sussex, charges around £35 per horse, per day. 9. Status symbols: Not many people can claim to owning a racehorse, so if you’re looking to impress, owning a racehorse is certainly one way to do so – it’s not called the ‘sport of kings’ for nothing! Attending the races to watch your horse in action is a great way to socialise and you’ll be in good company – celebrities such as Mike Tindall, Judi Dench, Ronan Keating and Michael Owen are all proud racehorse owners that have seen a good return on investment. 10. The rise of gambling: Since the advent and subsequent rise in the popularity of online gambling, the racehorse industry is showing no signs of waning. The online sports betting market, which helps to fund prize money for horseracing, is worth billions of pounds per year.
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SCULPTURE
SHAPING INVESTMENT COLLECTIONS The name of sculptor Eleanor Cardozo has been on the lips of art collectors across Europe and beyond. She is now the face of luxury watch brand BEDAT & Co. We discovered the roots of Cardozo’s passion. What’s your background? I am British, but my father has Spanish origins, hence the Cardozo name and was posted as a military attaché in many different countries. I grew up in Malawi, Malaysia, Germany, Ghana, Cyprus and Gibraltar, which allowed for a very rich and diverse childhood, with so many different languages and cultures. I come from a large family and my parents encouraged all of us to learn music and the creative arts. Most of us now have artistic and entrepreneurial careers. My brother Gilo invents flying machines and was awarded an MBE for his contribution to British engineering. One of my sisters is the designer behind the luxury swimwear brand Lotty B based in Mustique. I am very proud of them. Which artists inspired you to become a sculptor? I was always fascinated by the human form and can remember as a child being in awe of Michelangelo’s ‘David’ and Da Vinci’s ‘Pieta’. The power and grace of their majestic figures inspired my imagination. Later Rodin and Camille Claudel became significant influences, but it was an art master at school who noticed the strong lines and form in my drawing and encouraged me to become a sculptor. I loved the challenge of three dimensions and creating beauty out of clay and raw materials. I never looked back and went on to study classical sculpture at the City and Guilds in London and portraiture in Florence. What’s your inspiration behind your current work? The human being always inspires me, by its beauty, grace and limitless capabilities. It is a source of endless intrigue and the most challenging subject for any artist. Today I am working with a twice world champion gymnast, who now performs with the Cirque du Soleil. She has perfect proportions and a beautiful
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body, so it is wonderful to work with her. It is a private commission for three different sculptures, with her balanced in a suspended hoop, which is technically challenging due to the weight of bronze. Fortunately, I work with top founders and steel workers in Switzerland who always find solutions to complicated castings. How important is it to you for investors to find your work collectable, as well as thought provoking? I don’t see collectors of my work as investors because they buy more for its beauty, but because my editions are very limited they naturally end up as investments. One collector always buys the first of each edition, and today his collection is worth many times what he paid for it. Another in Asia started buying my work 25 years ago, when I was just out of college, and now has the largest private collection of my work. I am always happy for them when this happens as they supported me when I needed it most. However, it is important that my work is thought provoking as it deals with human nature and all its intricacies. Why did you decide to become an ambassador for BEDAT & Co? I was asked to be an ambassador for BEDAT & Co in 2012, just before the Olympic Games. It was a great honour, as they stand alone in the Swiss luxury watch industry as a unique brand, founded by a woman for women. They are the only feminine watch company in the world and create the most exquisite designs. Their style is art deco, like mine, which uses symmetry and perfect proportions. BEDAT & Co were looking for a different kind of ambassador, not a model or a sportswoman but someone who would understand the craftsmanship and artistry in their designs.
“I DON’T SEE COLLECTORS OF MY WORK AS INVESTORS BECAUSE THEY BUY MORE FOR ITS BEAUTY, BUT BECAUSE MY EDITIONS ARE VERY LIMITED THEY NATURALLY END UP AS INVESTMENTS.” I love their ethos of empowering and enhancing women, and they support The Womanity Foundation, which changes the lives of tens of thousands of girls and women across the world. In essence there is a lot of synergy and powerful feminine energy between us. How much focus do you place on commercial concerns when starting new sculpture projects? Most of my work is privately commissioned, like the full bronze sculpture I have just finished for Petra Ecclestone, so the commercial aspect doesn’t come in to it. When I create my own pieces I concentrate on the pose and the lines of the sculpture. They must always be graceful and beautiful from each and every angle. The quality of the bronze casting and final patina is also very important. How entrepreneurial is the world of sculpture? The world of sculpture is very entrepreneurial as every sculptor has their own innovative style and use of materials that shape the art world. My own style uses classical lines with modern materials. I mix steel with bronze and have found a way to keep bronze in its natural, pure golden colour, without it oxidising. In the past all bronze was heated and chemicals applied to turn it a different colour, often to hide imperfections and welding joints. It is a lot of work and expensive to sand and polish a bronze to its pure colour, but I think it is simply most beautiful and gives it a new and modern look. With many architectural designs now using glass instead of walls there is less space to hang paintings, so sculpture is becoming a sought after art form.
Es que pre nonsequ aectore intis et pero oditas pa dios enimil ium eium voluptat utem verum qui aligeni minctem volessi
Which art do you personally collect? I collect art that I find beautiful and love to look at. Surrounding yourself by works of art that inspire you on a day to day basis lifts your spirits. An appreciation for beauty is simply a stirring of the soul. The seat of the deepest emotions, the soul is nurtured by beauty and this is what I look for in the work that I purchase.
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NEVER TO YOUNG TO START INVESTING IN ART Recent research highlights how more and more young people are investing in art. To find out more, we caught up with expert in the field, Stephanie Norton-Henson, appraiser at Direct Line’s SELECT Premier Insurance.
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believe I have the best job in the world. As an appraiser for Direct Line Select, not only do I get to see inside some of the most impressive buildings in the country and meet some of the most interesting people, I also get to see some of the most extensive and well loved collections of art and antiques. No two houses or clients are ever the same and I derive a great deal of satisfaction from helping people protect, care for and assess the value of their most precious
possessions. Britain is a nation of collectors, from the blue and white china collection passed down through the family to the cutting edge modern art collections of London’s commuter belt. Each client has a special affinity with the items that fill their homes. More and more, I am seeing people making informed decisions about the art they are purchasing and the younger market is savvier than ever in this area. Increasingly, they perceive art as an investment, choosing more affordable pieces that they believe will appreciate in value. This trend is supported by our recent research which revealed that a third of 18-34 year olds have purchased affordable art in the past year, adding over £1.9 billion to the coffers of the UK art industry. Art is more accessible than ever, with more places to purchase at affordable prices emerging, such as the many art fairs and markets that are popping up across the country, so it is no wonder that there is a boom in art investment amongst the younger generation. Whether young people are looking to begin and expand their collections, or invest their money in something they can enjoy from day to day while it hopefully gains value, there is something out there for everyone, thanks to the rise of affordable pieces of art. Aesthetics are, and will most likely always remain, a key reason why people choose affordable art, but the value of these pieces as an investment and marker of social status is becoming increasingly important. According to our survey, one in five 18-24 year olds who have purchased affordable art in the last year, did so to impress guests at their home, or as a status symbol. It is never too early to start either. Many of my clients have purchased art for a child’s christening gift. Many specialist dealers
can provide limited edition prints of classic nursery characters, such as Peter Pan or Winnie the Pooh. These works from classic artists can potentially make good future investment pieces. Some consideration should be paid to the potential security concerns that may surround displaying your favourite pieces of art too proudly, particularly if they are visible to passers-by. Be aware that items of art visible externally may serve as an advertisement to opportunistic thieves, who may assume that your entire house is an Aladdin’s cave of art and valuables. No matter how many valuables you have inside your home, it is always advisable to consider the adequacy of your locks and alarm protection. After spending the time and money carefully selecting a piece that speaks to you, that you think is a good investment and would work well in your home, it is essential that you check you have comprehensive insurance in place, to cover your valuables against accidental damage and theft. You may also wish to consider choosing a policy which allows some cover for restoration to your works following a fire or water leak. It is also a good idea to take photographs of all your works in situ and save them to digital storage, these photos will serve as an inventory of your collection should the worst happen, and may even enable your insurance company to recover your precious art work or aid in the restoration process if it is damaged. It is important to remember that the value of your items may change over time, perhaps escalating as an artist becomes more established or even rocketing if the artist was to die. It is important to have your items professionally valued regularly and to check this value against the limits set by your insurer, making sure you are still adequately covered. Remember to keep certificates of authenticity, receipts from purchase and any valuation reports, so that if you ever come to sell your art, or in the unfortunate event that you have to claim on your insurance for any theft or damage, you have the item’s history there in black and white. Whether you intend to cherish it forever or sell it on for a profit, you need to make sure you are taking good care of your artwork. It is always advisable to keep art out of strong sunlight and get pictures and photographs professionally framed and consider installing UV treated glass in your frames. Also, take care to keep your artwork
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PROPERTY IN SWEDEN
BUILDING A SWEDISH PROPERTY PORTFOLIO MoneyMaker Magazine caught up with Nigel Evans of property investment fund, Evanridge Properties LLP, experts in Swedish property investment who have successfully built up a Swedish property portfolio now worth £28 million and delivering steady returns of over 12% per year.
I Sweden is Evanridge’s top property investment choice
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n 2006, Nigel Evans and Bill Ridge, who are both Pembrokeshire dairy farmers, and tax accountant Huw Evans, were considering how best to secure their own financial futures. Their situation was similar to that of many other business owners, in that they wanted to build up their capital and future earning capacity. While many farms and businesses might be valuable assets, this does not always translate into steady cashflow and capital growth, and all three directors were looking to develop additional income streams and asset growth. The three men sat round a kitchen table in west Wales, looking at investment opportunities in a broad range of European countries. They shortlisted several potential investments, flying from Cardiff to various countries, before identifying Sweden as the strongest property hotspot, where market conditions have been consistently favourable in spite of the economic downturn. Nigel explains: “We found that the Swedish market has been much more predictable than other economies. Rents are set by local authorities and being inflationlinked, give our investors year-on-year solid, transparent and reliable returns protected from the ravages of inflation. There is also a huge rental market in Sweden, 65% of the population lives in a rented or communally owned property and there is a significant under supply of rental accommodation.” The Evanridge team set about building up local knowledge and strong relationships with local banks, authorities and property experts on the ground.
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Evanridge now has a full time Swedish property management team in place, managing their growing portfolio of properties and identifying further investment opportunities. Nigel Evans continues: “The majority of our properties are in and around Sweden’s second largest city Gothenburg, including the commuter towns of Trollhättan, Uddevalla, Vargön and Vänersborg. Aside from being very beautiful, Gothenburg has huge potential and a strong infrastructure. The properties are primarily residential buy-to-let, with a small amount of commercial property forming part of the mix.” “We started out investing our own money and over eight years have attracted investors and grown the portfolio to a value of £28 million. Over time, we have developed strong relationships with local banks to access very favourable terms for well-structured property acquisitions.”
Two of the Evanridge directors were over 50 when they started the business, which Nigel describes as one of the best decisions he has ever made. “We would advise anyone looking to do what we have done, to rely on common sense and do their homework. We did a huge amount of research and investigation, before we felt comfortable that we had made the right choices. We strongly believe that people can be their own financial advisers, provided they are prepared to do the groundwork, visit the country, view the properties and talk to other investors. “We were looking for tangible investments, generating strong, consistent cashflows so it made sense to invest in bricks and mortar, in one of the most reliable economies in Europe. We regularly take current and prospective investors over to Sweden so that they can meet the team and literally kick the foundations of the properties they own. “We spend a lot of time talking to our investors, 95% of whom come from ‘word of mouth’. People usually
invest with us for at least seven years and the fund requires a minimum investment of £25,000 so this is a longer term commitment. All three of us place great emphasis on the relationships we have built up with investors and our understanding of what each of them is trying to achieve. Ultimately we are investors ourselves and our aim is to treat everyone as we would wished to be treated, so as well as being honest and straightforward, we are transparent and accessible, and definitely don’t do ‘hard sell’!” In the end, a group of Welsh dairy farmers has bucked the economic trend and delivered consistently impressive returns that compare very favourably with other investment vehicles on offer. Nigel Evans clearly relished the joint challenges of fund managing and farming: “We see our Swedish properties very much like ‘vertical farms’ . It’s essentially the same business model as contract farming.”
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NEW ZEALAND
NEW ZEALAND – INVESTING IN SUCCESS Investing in New Zealand is now easier as the country’s High Commissioner, Sir Lockwood Smith, announces a new Entrepreneur Work Visa to make it much simpler for UK investors to capitalise on New Zealand’s dynamic growth economy.
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s more UK entrepreneurs and investors scan the globe for a safe haven in which to invest their money and business skills, many are now turning their attention to New Zealand. Speaking at an event to launch the new Visa in the UK, Sir Lockwood Smith said: “The New Zealand Government is actively promoting foreign investment with a range of business and migrant-friendly policies. Our stable and internationally competitive economy has one of the best tax and regulatory systems in the world. We wish to welcome those looking for business investment opportunities to our country, along with their families who may be seeking a new lifestyle.” New Zealand Immigration Minister, Michael Woodhouse explained: “The new business visa policy is designed to attract talented, enterprising, well-connected business people to invest and grow businesses in New Zealand. We particularly want to encourage innovative, export focused businesses.” For the savvy investor, New Zealand has it all. The Economist has described the country as “an entrepreneurial powerhouse, leading the world in the creation of small and medium-sized enterprises”. Mark Williams. from law firm Lane Neave, explained the attraction of New Zealand for investors: “New Zealand is a hotbed of talented and skilled people. An entrepreneurial ‘can do’ attitude is very much part of the kiwi business culture. Report after report ranks New Zealand as one of the top places for commerce. It is the most business-friendly environment in the world; has the least corruption globally; the best protection for its investors; and is the easiest place in which to start a business.”
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The application and commitment that is often seen from the All Blacks on the pitch is reflected in the approach taken by some of New Zealand’s most successful companies. Inspired by their landscape, geographic isolation and independent spirit, New Zealanders make things happen. Added to this, New Zealand has a very favourable tax environment and is a perfect launch pad for international trade, particularly into China and the burgeoning ASEAN markets. New Zealand’s topnotch triple AAA credit rating has been confirmed by ratings agency, Moody’s, highlighting a strong economy expected to grow by 3% this year. New Zealand offers clean living, infinite leisure opportunities, moderate climate, low crime rates, excellent education, and quality food and wine. The Social Progress Index (SPI) for 2014 ranks New Zealand 1st in the world, out of 132 countries. The SPI defines social progression as “the capacity of a society to meet the basic human needs of its citizens, establish the building blocks that allow citizens and communities to enhance and sustain the quality of their lives, and create the conditions for all individuals to reach their full potential”. Investment and business opportunities are available in a wide range of sectors. New Zealand excels in traditional industries such as marine, food and wine. The country is currently witnessing the growth of globally-significant, cutting edge technologies, including ICT, the creative industries, and health and life sciences. Furthermore, the Christchurch rebuild is a NZ£40 billion project and has emerged as a particularly attractive investment opportunity for European investors. Sir Lockwood summed up the launch of the new Entrepreneur Work Visa, concluding: “Our economy, culture and governance systems result in
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TECH STARTUPS
TECH STARTUPS – AN ALTERNATIVE AND VIABLE INVESTMENT STRATEGY Startup stories are everywhere. Whether the media are fawning over the latest geeky teen billionaire or the newest smartphone app that’s going to scan for fatal diseases from our shirt pocket, the tech startup world is hot and delivering big stories and even bigger profits to those early investors who are able to spot a wave and catch it early. Cameron Chell, CEO Business Instincts Group
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s is the case with any opportunity promising the potential of high returns there is risk, and when it comes to tech startup investment, that risk is real. With the hottest entrepreneurs gaining rockstar status, building a tech business has never been more alluring and this has led to a swathe of ambitious entrepreneurs looking to raise money and promising the delivery of the latest, the greatest, the most disruptive and the most valuable tech innovations. Startup businesses, however, present a new model and therefore traditional indicators that would generally inform investment decisions often don’t apply. For investors new to the market, picking a winner out of the gates isn’t easy but, the better their understanding of the specific dynamics that exist within tech startups and the mindset of their leaders, the better their chances are of picking the world beaters from the deadbeats. The Rise of The Engineer CEO Among the vast majority of Fortune 500 companies and the top performers across any Stock Exchange, you’ll rarely find a technical CEO at the helm. A traditional CEO will commonly be highly adept at overseeing
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the operations of large-scale organisations but largely hands off from what is being developed internally. Due to their relative size and necessity for agility, the CEO within a tech startup is often a technical founder. These are individuals with the skill sets necessary to spend lengthy periods of time switching between product development and operations. In the engineer driven environment of startups, the education a CEO has received, or the companies they’ve spearheaded in the past, are not necessarily important considerations. What is important for investors to focus on is the core team the startup CEO or Founder has surrounded themselves with, as well as their technical ability. Startup companies, with their smaller teams and limited resources, must find the most efficient way of developing their product or idea and executing on their business plan. For investors, finding a startup management team that is individually skilled, highly driven and consistently looking to stretch their investor dollars, is a very positive sign about the possibilities of future success. The Act Of Disruption The disruption of marketplaces is an ambition for many startups and, for investors to appreciate, requires a fairly major
perspective shift from what they might be used to. Established, investible businesses typically will follow a form of product lifecycle. It begins, gains traction, sees lower priced knock off competitors enter the market, peaks and then begins to fade. The best of these companies understand this lifecycle and innovate the moment the decline begins in order to start the process again. The approach of startup founders however, is to find markets that have stagnated – or that have seen little innovation over the course of the standard product life-cycle – and set about disrupting that marketplace. Startups such as GoPro cameras, carved out a niche that not only grew the entire digital photography marketplace, but also hived away significant market share from existing industry players. This is the essence of disruption. By taking a marketplace with established players and product lines,
startups are able to target specific customers and move quickly to make a new product line available. Traditionally, companies that have success on stock exchanges stick to what is working and what has worked in the past. They don’t innovate on existing ideas because it risks the success of the idea and the market share they currently have. Startup logic flies in the face of this notion and by carving niches in the areas surrounding the more established products, they can successfully disrupt and prosper. The Way We Measure There are several examples of startups that floundered once they made it to the public markets and, while it’s easy to have this lack of initial successes be seen as the fallibility of an immature company, what is often the case is that there exists a fundamental misunderstanding of measurement. It’s a common misconception that public and private companies operate the same way, or require the same measurement systems. That expectation becomes a real hindrance to the success of a startup investment, or an investor’s understanding of their investment when the information
they think they’re looking for isn’t readily available. The startup ecosystem doesn’t operate in quarterly reports and shareholder meetings. They typically aren’t reliant on producing financial statements that investors can analyse for an indication of probable future performance based on the lessons learnt from past experience. Startups are often extremely early stage, and many of the reports and information available are limited and generally rooted in speculation and assumptions. That is a reality for startup investors, the information available and its presentation is tremendously different to what is available from public markets companies. There exists a lack of liquidity in the startup marketplace and so, with little opportunity to move the shares an investor owns, the investment itself tends to become more passive and long term versus the short term nature of the public markets. With startup investments, a more active approach to day to day operations is necessary in understanding the value the company has, and will have going forward. This isn’t to say an investor needs to be involved in day-to-day operations – that’s best left to the founders and their teams –
but having a regularly informed overview as to the startup’s development progress is key. Many people look at the startup ecosystem as a feeder for public market companies, a way to get new blood into the market and bring on some big wins at the same time. Unfortunately, due to the nature of startups themselves, not every investment is going to be a success. The truth is, the failure rate for startups is remarkably high, but when a success comes, it hits hard. Startups can undoubtedly be an exhilarating and intoxicating environment for both entrepreneurs and investors. With fundamental differences in the way they operate and perceive opportunity in businesses, their potential for success can be immensely hard to evaluate in comparison to more traditionally run corporations. Their potential to offer unrivalled returns however, make them hard to ignore and, for investors, by mitigating risks as much as possible through understanding the dynamics specific to startups, great opportunities can be found. Cameron Chell is the co-founder and CEO of Business Instincts Group, a Canadian venture creation firm that finances and builds high-tech startups. He has founded several startups,
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WINE
VILLA MARIA From a One Man Band to a Global Brand in 50 Years
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T
he Villa Maria Estate is 100% New Zealand and family owned. It was founded in 1961 by Sir George Fistonich who, through his dedication to quality, has led Villa Maria to claim the title of ‘New Zealand’s Most Awarded Winery’ for more than 30 years. The story of Villa Maria began in 1935 when Andrjia and his wife, Mandica, Fistonich, recent immigrants from Dalmatia in Croatia, purchased five acres of land next to Mangere Mountain, then part of rural Auckland. The first vines were planted in 1940. While Andrija worked at various labouring jobs, Mandica tended the vines, made the wine, and sold to locals from the nearby Mangere village. Andrjia saw no future in the wine business and saved to send his oldest son, Ivan, to university. As was the Dalmatian tradition, his younger son, George, had to take up a trade and left school early to become a carpenter and joiner. However, the young and headstrong George tended to follow his own ideas. In 1961, at the age of 21, he married Gail and leased the five acres and a small winery building from his parents. George named his new business Villa Maria Wines. Throughout the 1960s Villa Maria was a one man band. George, supported by Gail, was making and bottling the wine as well as travelling the country selling to independent resellers not affiliated to the major brewery companies. At that time, the breweries owned shares in wineries and tried to exclude wines from the growing number of Dalmatian immigrant winemakers. By the 1970s, Villa Maria was enjoying significant award success. The company had grown to be an important player in, what was then, a relatively small domestic New Zealand wine market. The New Zealand wine market continued to grow in the economic boom of the 1980s. Corporate raiders, at the time considered stock market heroes, bought and merged New Zealand wineries. The newly formed corporate companies slashed prices in a bid to gain market share by forcing the independents out of business. In the early 1980s Villa Maria had a significant share of the domestic wine market. Lacking the deep pockets of the corporates, the company was an attractive takeover target. The big merged wineries dominated the market with oversupplied wine sold below cost price and Villa Maria eventually found itself with negative cash flow. Exhausting all avenues, George put the company into voluntary receivership in 1985. In an incredible turn of events, the day of the receivership announcement coincided with news that Villa Maria had won all the major trophies for New Zealand wines at the Australian National Wine Competition. The story featured heavily in New Zealand’s major daily papers.
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WINE
George’s generosity to the local community and reputation with his suppliers generated a tremendous wave of support for the stricken company. Most notably grape growers, friends of Villa Maria and staff pooled together to create a fund to generate nationwide support for Villa Maria. A series of full page advertisements appeared in national newspapers telling the story of the receivership and promoting the quality of the wines. During the receivership process all the business assets were sold. However, by selling personal and family assets and borrowing the rest, George was able to buy back a part of his old company. With new shareholders owning the balance of the business, a restructured and revitalised Villa Maria fought back. Within twelve months of the receivership announcement Villa Maria had repaid all of its creditors. With support from its suppliers and New Zealand wine consumers, a new focus began for Villa Maria, with the company choosing to specialise in premium quality table wines. Although it had received many awards during its time, it was at this point that Villa Maria began its unbeaten record as New Zealand’s most awarded wine company. For the past 33 years, Villa Maria has outperformed all other New Zealand wineries in its annual medal total at national and international wine competitions. Always determined, George realised that full ownership of the company belonged back with his family. Over the next fifteen years, he set about purchasing back the shares held outside family hands and, in 1997, Villa Maria was once again a 100% family owned winery. Since the late 1980s Villa Maria had been sourcing fruit from Marlborough and in 1999 it opened an architect-designed state-of-the-art winery in Blenheim, cementing the company’s presence in this key viticulture region.
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Since 1995 Villa Maria has been an active and accredited member of Sustainable Wine Growing New Zealand (SWNZ) and has undertaken numerous environmental initiatives within its vineyards and wineries. It has always been George’s belief that there is a duty to manage the land and resources with the next generation in mind. In 2003, the Auckland winery and company head office was relocated to an architectural award-winning site just three kilometres from the original winery. Employing the most talented viticulturists and winemakers, Villa Maria has a dedicated team with the energy and enthusiasm to produce the best from vineyards located in key regions throughout New Zealand. Over the last 50 years, George believes he has only been three days without a glass of wine. He still works every day in the business with a passion equal to his early years. Villa Maria’s Board of Directors is now chaired by George’s daughter Karen Fistonich.
“IN AN INCREDIBLE TURN OF EVENTS, THE DAY OF THE RECEIVERSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT COINCIDED WITH NEWS THAT VILLA MARIA HAD WON ALL THE MAJOR TROPHIES FOR NEW ZEALAND WINES AT THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL WINE COMPETITION.”
Second and third generation descendants of Andrjia and Mandica Fistonich can be found working in the wineries and the vineyards. George attributes the company’s success to his team’s absolute commitment and unrelenting passion to create the best wines possible. “Great wine starts with exceptional vineyards and exceptional people. If you have these foundations, you have the best chance of making the best wines.” George is adamant that the company’s total commitment to quality has attracted the best people to work for Villa Maria throughout the years: “Being a family owned business, we are a very tight-knit team. Our winemakers have the opportunity to express their own flair here. We are not restrained by any limitations, unlike a lot of larger wineries around the world.” The company’s focus, still driven by George, is to find the best vineyard sites and manage them expertly. Villa Maria was the first company in New Zealand to employ professional viticulturists, recognising the part viticulture plays in the quality of the wine. Villa Maria sources grapes from company owned vineyards and contract growers in some of the best sites in leading grape growing regions: Marlborough, Waipara
TOP TIPS FOR BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL WINERY: • An unrelenting focus on quality in all facets of the business • Surround yourself with passionate and skilled people • There are many ups and downs in the wine industry and payback might not be immediate. The wine business is a long term investment. • Global success requires a strong distribution network with business partners who are just as passionate
and Canterbury in the South Island; Hawkes Bay, Gisborne and Auckland in the North Island. Fistonich does not believe in change for the sake of it, but is recognised as one of the true innovators of the New Zealand wine industry. When Villa Maria started producing wine with screwcaps from the 2000 vintage, the wine’s superiority was quickly noted. Villa Maria was the first wine company in New Zealand to declare the winery a “cork-free zone”,
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GIVE BACK
INTERVIEW
THE LIFE SAVER MoneyMaker caught up with Michael Pritchard, an entrepreneur inspired to invent a product called the LIFESAVER bottle, after seeing the tragic waste of life and serious problems caused by the lack of safe drinking water in the wake of the December 2004 tsunami and Hurricane Katrina. How did you come to be a socially conscious entrepreneur? I have always had an inventive outlook, and for me, the genesis for LIFESAVER was seeing on TV the appalling suffering and devastation of the Asian Tsunami in 2004 and then again Hurricane Katrina in 2005. I just found myself becoming unbelievable angry by the fact that, despite the incredible advances that had been made in all manner of areas of engineering and medicine during my life time, the seemingly simple problem of providing people access to safe drinking water during a crisis had still not been solved. The result was, I suppose, a less dramatic version of “don’t get mad, get even!” My way of getting even was to discard the orthodoxy that said you had to live with the consequences of drinking contaminated fresh water, and three years later, the result was the LIFESAVER bottle. How did you use your entrepreneurial and invention skill sets to solve real world problems? My background was in sales, but I also had experience of setting up my own businesses. However, I am not sure at this stage that I saw myself particularly as an entrepreneur or an inventor. A slightly more accurate description might be an obsessive. I did not/would not stop building prototypes until I had the answer. However, once I realized that I had a viable solution, that’s where the sales and business experience kicked in, and the start of the business that is now LIFESAVER systems took root. How does your technology solve a real world problem? The technology provides sterile drinking water from any source of fresh water, no matter how
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filthy, and generates fresh, sterile drinking water where and when people need it. In looking at the problem, it was evident that trying to keep fresh drinking water clean in a disaster or survival scenario was, in itself, a real challenge. In fact, it is almost impossible! My light bulb moment was the realisation that you should not be storing water clean at all. If you store it dirty, it doesn’t matter if the circumstances are unsanitary – you cannot make dirty water dirtier! So my approach was to devise a system that provides sterile water on demand, without the need for power, UV light or chemicals. Above all, I looked for an approach which people could have confidence in. What was the moment you realised this was the right path for you? I think I have had a number of moments of confirmation, where I have seen my technology and products making a genuine difference to people’s lives. I have seen it in action in Haiti, protecting people from waterborne diseases, in particular cholera. More recently in October 2013, as part of DFID’s (Department for International Development) Rapid Response Facility, LIFESAVER technology was deployed to the Philippines. My original vision of being able to react quickly and provide people with a product that would give them and their families clean drinking water from the resources around them unfolded before my eyes. I have now witnessed firsthand the tears of joy on mothers’ faces when they realize that they are no longer poisoning their babies with contaminated water in their milk bottles. I have seen LIFESAVER technology provide an immediate safeguard to families from the consequences of flooding, including dysentery in
“MY APPROACH WAS TO DEVISE A SYSTEM THAT PROVIDES STERILE WATER ON DEMAND – WITHOUT THE NEED FOR POWER” young children, and the incapacitation of adults – enabling people and communities to become more productive and self-reliant. Then in Malaysia, not a disaster this time, but a government programme to provide for the drinking and hygiene needs of their most isolated communities by using our 750 litre LIFESAVER C2; the only alternatives would have been the massive investment of billions of $s in a decadeslong series of programmes to serve the needs of these longhouse communities, whereas we made an immediate and permanent difference. How important is it for entrepreneurs and business people to be socially aware? I think that entrepreneurs and business people need to be good business people or else the best inventions will not see the light of day. I think the next most important thing is to have sufficient drive to actually make a difference. Is that socially aware? Probably, but I never saw it as such. For
me, it was to scratch an itch until I found the means to make it stop! What advice would you have for other entrepreneurs who are considering using their ability to solve real world problems? Research, research, research. When I started the LIFESAVER, I had little idea where the journey would take me. I spent ages researching and making prototypes based on different technologies and principles. It was a slow start, but once I hit upon the right approach, I knew enough to instantly recognise it for what it was – the way forward.
There was a desperate need for safe, clean drinking water during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
What is next for you and LIFESAVER? To continue investing in LIFESAVER product R&D and to continue with developing key partnerships with NGOs, charities and governments around the world so that we can eradicate water poverty as quickly as possible.
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BE BETTER
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
BRAINWASHING THE BRILLIANT What do Vidal Sasson, Coco Chanel and Simon Cowell all have in common? There are certainly all global brands, definitely all examples of individual super-success and, most interestingly, all three chose not to attend university.
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hat do Vidal Sasson, Coco Chanel and Simon Cowell all have in common? They’re all global brands, all examples of individual super-success, and, all three are entrepreneurs who chose not to attend university. The culture of higher education has become a phenomenon in itself – once the institution of scholars, now pretty much anyone can attend university to achieve a degree in just about anything. The bad news is that these days it often doesn’t lead directly to a job for those who have been there, done that and got the Harvard hoodie. In the modern work place, aspiring MoneyMakers need to be able to hit the ground running, and technical skills are but a small percentage of what this means. Key performance indicators more usually centre around interpersonal skills, adaptability, gumption and entrepreneurial spirit, and these are skills that are difficult to teach, and those that possess them rarely want to be in a closed linear environment. These individuals already believe that they can achieve great success and they don’t need a piece of paper to tell them so. What budding entrepreneurs often need is some relevant work experience. Vidal Sasson started to experiment with haircuts and colour to anyone who was willing to trust his inexperienced hands.
Coco Chanel started to draw and create fashions that she felt would suit her and other women with some borrowed fabric and scissors. It was through this practical, work based learning that Vidal Sasson created the iconic ‘wedge bob’ and Chanel her signature ‘Little Black Dress’. The rest really is history. For individuals today the options are endless, it’s just a case of finding the right path. For 16-23 year olds who are unsure what career is right for them, a traineeship programme is a great first step in the right direction. A traineeship is a way to gain valuable work experience within a chosen sector, before committing to it full time, either as an apprenticeship or at university. It combines work with study and is often seen as a first step on the career ladder. The scheme is championed by big brands such as Santander Bank and Virgin, and is suited to those who want to take control of their career and keen to take a first bold step into the unknown work place. There has never been a better time to join an apprentice programme. They are open to all ages, and individuals can get paid to learn in industries as diverse as digital media to construction. Importantly, the development of interpersonal skills are fast tracked in the this environment, as well as work place discipline and team work. Practical experience is invaluable and from there individuals are well placed to join another organisation or set up their own empire. There is no glass ceiling, and you even get a piece of paper on completion.To find out more about apprenticeships in the UK visit www. apprenticeships.org.uk.
“WHAT BUDDING ENTREPRENEURS OFTEN NEED IS SOME RELEVANT WORK EXPERIENCE. VIDAL SASSON STARTED TO EXPERIMENT WITH HAIRCUTS AND COLOUR ON ANYONE WHO WAS WILLING TO TRUST HIS INEXPERIENCED HANDS.”
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BE BETTER
HEALTH
SUPPLEMENTS TO HELP YOU SLEEP New research has suggested that as many as 6 in 10 Britons are not getting enough sleep at night and this can leave us susceptible to health problems in the future.
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he average adult needs between seven and eight hours sleep a night, but the increased use of blue lightemitting gadgets is leading to fewer and fewer of us getting anywhere near that much. Apart from downing the tablets, phones and laptops, there are a few adaptations you can make to your diet that can help you get a sweeter slumber. Try Quest Synergistic Magnesium, £4.99 for a month’s supply, to
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help relax the muscles before you head to bed. If you’re feeling tense in the evening, taking a bit more magnesium, it can really help to ease the tension and help you relax into sleep. Available from all good health shops and online at questexcellence.com Higher Nature’s Serotone 5Htp, £30.40 for 90 capsules, helps to maintain a balanced and relaxed outlook by providing a more concentrated dose of tryptophan, the ingredient in turkey and bananas that can help us to feel relaxed. Available online at nutricentre.com
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CAR NEWS
DRIVE TIME MoneyMaker hits the road again to bring you this month’s hottest machines on four wheels
LEXUS IS HYBRID
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exus equals luxury, and the IS Hybrid is no exception, but with the benefit of being a frugal and thoroughly decent performer too. Aimed to take on the might of premium saloons from the likes of Audi and BMW, the IS takes some design inspiration from the stunning LFA supercar, with sharply sculpted lines and other dynamic detailing hinting at the marque’s performance heritage. The cockpit is stylish and neatly presented, with good quality materials
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and finishes and a raft of technology at your fingertips. Comfortable and spacious, four adults can be carried with ease, with ample leg, shoulder and headroom. The boot is also conveniently large. Out on the road, the IS is a pleasure to drive, with well weighted steering, firm suspension and little evidence of body roll even when cornering hard. The IS 250 with its 204bhp, 2.5-litre V6 is smooth and refined, if not the fastest saloon around, but makes up for it with its excellent fuel economy. A stylish, premium look and feel saloon that’s great to run.
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JAGUAR F-TYPE
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aguar’s stunning F-type convertible has been named ‘Best Open Top Car’ at the inaugural UK Car of the Year Awards, chosen over 100 other new cars by a panel of twenty-seven of the most respected motoring journalists in the UK. This is the latest in a long run of accolades notched up around the world for the car’s super looks, handling and performance. UK Car of the Year committee Managing Director John Challen said: “The generations of drivers that missed out on the E-type have a new icon in the F-type, which has succeeded in capturing the best elements of a classic in a modern day package.” On test, it’s easy to see why this model is proving so popular with the experts. It’s a two-seater drop-top delight. Eye-catchingly classy inside and out, technology rich, and drives like a dream. For ultimate thrills opt for the 5.0 litre supercharged 495PS F-Type VS8, which can sprint 0-62mph in a mere 4.2 seconds, but the two 3.0 litres pack a punch too. All engines drive through Jaguar’s
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eight-speed Quickshift transmission, a centrally mounted SportShift selector offering full manual sequential control, as do the steering wheel-mounted paddles. Both the S models have a limited-slip differential – the V6’s is mechanical and the V8’s electronic – to maximise traction and driver reward, plus they have an Active Exhaust system and an optional Configurable Dynamics programme, which allows the driver to tailor a number of the dynamic features to personal taste and includes lap timer and G-meter functionality. Constructed around the fourth generation of Jaguar’s acclaimed lightweight aluminium architecture using industry-first technology, torsional and lateral stiffness have been prioritised to maximise handling agility. Around that rigid aluminium structure, every system – steering, brakes, powertrain – has been optimised for immediacy of response to driver inputs. And all-aluminium double wishbone front and rear suspension systems provide precise body control, with adaptive damping adding a further layer of dynamic capability. One of the classiest convertibles around.
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INFINITI QX70
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tylish, sporty and fully loaded, Infiniti’s QX70 is a powerful and eye-catching luxury crossover between an SUV and coupé that is ideal for active country life. A refreshing alternative to the typical box shaped, large SUVs, this Infiniti is bold, muscular and curvaceous, with ample curb appeal. The cabin is exceptionally well equipped, attractive and with a high end look and feel. Space-wise, you’ll find 410 litres to fill in the boot, which can morph to 1,305 litres with the splitfold rear seats down. The back seats recline for comfort, and there’s plenty of leg and shoulder room. Tailored around performance, the QX70 comes into its own out on the road. The 5.8-litre V8 sprints to 62mph from standing in 5.8
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seconds – less time that most hot hatches – and then on to bowl along motorways with ease. For a large car, it’s pretty agile, grips and corners well, the steering is precise and the ride smooth. The seven-speed auto box gives seamless changes and you can use the paddles to shift if you wish.
In terms of safety, the QX70 has been awarded the top Euro NCAP five stars, thanks to features like lane assist, Intelligent Brake, and a generous quota of airbags. In all, a handsome, powerful and pretty practical car with some real class.
VOLVO XC60 R-DESIGN
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s country house cars go, Volvo’s excellent XC60 and larger XC90 remain the models of choice for many of those wanting versatility, space, reliability and, well, class. The newer R-Design version of the XC60 is proving equally as popular, with its special dynamic design features, excellent chassis, generous helping of usable power and sportier drive. Eye-catchingly stylish and substantial looking, the R-Design XC60 has a new, dynamic, expressive ‘face’ with frameless tech matte black grille with high-gloss black stripes, silk metal diagonal and refined R-Designed emblem, plus DRL lights in the outer corners reinforcing the low, roadhugging impression.
At the rear, the unique diffuser with aero fins is flanked by the round, hightech R-Design tailpipes, all enhancing its solid yet stylish and purposeful appeal. Inside the cockpit, new, supersupportive yet comfortable sports seats come as standard, featuring a blend of black nubuck textile and perforated leather. Full leather is available as an option. As you’d expect from Volvo, the dash is an ergonomic masterpiece, with all controls sensibly laid out, and throughout the cabin there are special R-Design touches, plus a new stainless steel tread plate with a bright blue ‘R’ in the R-Design emblem. Out on the road, despite their size, both the XC60 and XC90 are a pleasure to drive, and bowl along with ease and no evidence of wallow or
roll. The new R-Design XC60 features a supple 3.0 litre, six cylinder T6 petrol turbo with 304 horsepower and a decent 440Nms of torque, plus you can further boost the performance to 329 hp by opting for the Polestar software that charges the specially designed sport accelerator pedal with an extra 25 hp. Acceleration-wise, the XC60 reaches 0-62mph in a spritely 6.9 secs. The chassis has been lowered and stiffened, shock absorber springs and anti-roll bars adjusted and tuned, resulting in much improved control and a sportier, road-hugging drive, and Volvo’s Corner Traction Control, which uses torque vectoring to provide smoother cornering, now comes as standard. The XC60 and XC90 are excellent choices for an active country life.
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CAR NEWS
RANGE ROVER
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he latest Range Rover is, Land Rover claims, the world’s most refined and capable luxury SUV. On test, it’s hard to disagree. The first SUV ever to have a lightweight all-aluminium body, it takes the capabilities of the marque’s flagship to a new level, with even greater luxury and refinement, enhanced performance and handling on all terrains, and significant advances in sustainability. The new Range Rover still preserves the essential, unique character of the vehicle; that special blend of performance, out and out luxury, and unrivalled all-terrain capability. Looks wise, this substantial and classy vehicle’s design has been freshened, rather than radically changed. It looks more streamlined, yet still clean and elegant. Inside, given the level of
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luxury, material quality, and character, it’s unmistakably Range Rover, but with some contemporary twists. The seating is as comfortable as you’d hope, but now there’s more legroom, and you have the option of the desirable new two-seat Executive Class seating package for the ultimate in rear-seat luxury. To enable customers to create their perfect bespoke vehicle, the unique luxury ambience of the new Range Rover can be extensively tailored with an indulgent choice of colours, finishes and special details, from the immaculatelytrimmed colour-themed interiors of the exclusive Autobiography series, to the stylish range of alloy wheels up to 22 inches in diameter. Out on the road, this new model retains Range Rover’s crown as the king of the large SUVs. The most refined and capable launched to date,
with the adoption of the latest body and chassis technologies, the vehicle’s all-terrain performance has moved on to another level, both in the breadth and accessibility of its off-road capability, and its on-road handling and refinement. With its highly acclaimed line-up of torque-rich engines, the new Range Rover delivers swift and effortless performance. Customers have a choice of a petrol 510PS LR-V8 Supercharged engine and two diesel engines (3.0-litre 258PS TDV6 and 4.4-litre 339PS SDV8), all of which are now paired with a smooth and responsive eight-speed automatic transmission. It is swift too. The 510PS LR-V8 Supercharged model can accelerate from 0–62mph in just 5.1 seconds. Unbeatable and class-leading. The Range Rover has to be the ultimate SUV.
S3, Highcliffe Castle
AUDI S3 SALOON
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leek, sculpted and super to drive, Audi’s new S3 charges its way onto our favourite performance saloon list. The stats are pretty impressive – 0-62mph in 4.9 seconds, a combined mpg of 40.9, CO2 at just 159g/km, and 300PS with 380Nms of useable torque – and its handling and looks are equally so. This is no ordinary saloon. One thing that’s not remarkable though is the price, starting at just £33,340 OTR to around the £41k mark for the fully loaded car we tested. An absolute bargain for what it offers. MMM readers, more used to gracing your garages with pricey beauties from the hallowed Italian marques, don’t be put off as this is a cracking car to drive. The all-new 2.0 TFSI engine with turbocharging and direct injection,
S sports suspension and Audi’s acclaimed magnetic ride all come as standard, together with a raft of other performance, safety, handling and ride enhancing technologies, which combine to create a car that’s engaging, dynamic and punchy. Viewed in the metal, this is undoubtedly one of the most stylish saloons around. The S model is distinguished from the new ‘normal’ 3 on the outside by time-honoured S model hallmarks, such as the S-specific single-frame grille and front bumper, aluminium-look exterior mirrors, pronounced side sills and a redesigned rear bumper and cut-outs for the exhaust system’s four oval tailpipes with chrome tips. Inside the ‘S’ features continue with a sports steering wheel embellished with the S3 logo, aluminium-look shift paddles and
aluminium pedals and footrest, plus heated fine Nappa leather upholstered sports seats. The cabin is light, airy and spacious and the quality of materials and finishes is high throughout. Features such as dual-zone electronic climate control, Audi Music Interface iPod connection, DAB digital radio, a Bluetooth phone interface and preparation for SD card-based satellite navigation all come as standard and there are a host of options to choose from, to kit out your S3’s cabin to just the way you want. Out on the road, this is a cracking car to drive. Super agile, with bags of grip, and enough thrust to power you past most things in an instant, it’s engaging and fun. One of the top saloons around.
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MERCEDES-BENZ GL 350 AMG SPORT
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roving it’s just as handy producing top quality SUVs as classy sportsorientated models, the GL 350 AMG Sport from Mercedes-Benz is a worthy rival to better known off-roaders such as the Range Rover and Q7. Spacious to a fault and capable of carrying seven with ease, this is certainly a substantial 4x4, but one that’s pretty versatile for country use, including towing cantankerous thoroughbreds to shows, truculent teens to the rugby and runs to LHR when you decide to escape to your second home in Capri. Powered by a 255bhp 3.0-litre diesel V6, this second generation model manages 38mpg combined – a significantly better fuel consumption than its predecessor – and is already Euro6 compliant. Out on the road,
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the GL bowls along smoothly with little evidence of wallow and roll, and the well appointed and sensibly arranged cabin is a quiet and pleasing place to travel in, front or rear. Kit-wise, expect sat nav, heated seats, hill descent, all-wheel drive, park assist, 21-inch attractive alloys, powered tailgate and more. If you anticipate you might do more serious off-piste work in your GL, then opt for low ratio functionality, locking centre diff and toughened under floor panelling, all available for an extra £2k. In terms of extras, given the vehicle’s size and height, you can also select Merc’s electric Easy-Entry seats and raft
of other options to personalise your GL further. One of the key attractions of the GL is its humongous carrying space, which – at 2,300 litres with the seats flat – is large enough for numerous bales of hay or shavings, enough luggage for a family not used to travelling light, and even the odd fridge. In all a large, versatile and classy SUV,
GIANT SLAYER – GT86 TRD
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otching up more awards than any model of its type, Toyota’s excellent GT86 is one hell of a motor and a real driver’s car. It is also a veritable bargain, starting at just under the £25k mark, but don’t be put off by the measly asking price as this model provides more genuine driving enjoyment than sports cars costing tens of thousands more. The TRD GT86 model tested is a sleek, cracking looking, low-slung 2 plus 2 coupé with a classic sports car style front mounted, normally aspirated, 197bhp, free revving, 2.0-litre ‘boxer’ engine driving the rear wheels. It’s distinguished from the normal GT86 by an eyecatching range of official Toyota Racing Development styling and
performance accessories, giving it an even sharper, more race honed edge. A characterful car rightly
recognised for its fantastic balance between weight and power, pinsharp handling and agility. A driver’s delight.
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MERCEDES-BENZ A45 AMG
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ompact, stylish and super powerful, MercedesBenz’ A45 AMG sets a new benchmark for premium pocket rockets, one that will be pretty much impossible to beat. All of the company’s AMG models are excellent to drive, and this doesn’t disappoint. With the most powerful 4-cyl production engine in the world delivering a hefty 360bhp max power with 450Nms of torque, this A45 AMG sprints from 0-62mph in a mere 4.6 seconds and on to much more with ease. Amazingly it returns a decent 40.9mpg combined and emits just 161g/km of CO2. With its impressive high-tech package and the performance-oriented AMG 4MATIC all-wheel drive, the A 45 AMG is a thoroughbred AMG through and through. This newly developed AMG high performance 2.0-litre turbo engine with a power density of 181 hp even outstrips the most powerful super sports cars around. In the metal, the A45 AMG may be compact, but there’s no mistaking its performance pedigree. Design features include an AMG “twin blade” radiator grille and the cross strut in the front apron, both painted in matt titanium grey. Striking black flics surround the large cooling air intakes at the sides , plus there are AMG light-alloy wheels in twinspoke design and the side sill panels with inserts in matt titanium grey. From the rear you’ll spot the two large square, chrome-plated tailpipes of the AMG sports exhaust. The car looks well planted and purposeful. Slip inside and the Mercedes-Benz premium quality of
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fabrics and finishes are all there as you’d expect. Marking it out as a pedigree AMG model are sports seats with red contrasting top-stitching, a multifunction steering wheel with shift paddles, dashboard trim in carbon-fibre look, which is a perfect match for the five air vents in black/red, the red seat belts and the AMG door sill panels. Numerous individualisation options are available for the A 45 AMG including AMG Aerodynamics, AMG Exterior Carbon-Fibre and AMG Night packages. Out on the road this car is a genuine driver’s delight. Agile and nimble with a firm engaging ride and excellent on-demand power delivery and poke to leave any tiresome tailgaters miles behind in your wake. Stirring stuff.
Terms: PCH price based on 6+47 months. BCH Price based on 6+35 months, 10K mileage per annum. Prices correct at time of print. Subject to terms & conditions available at LeasePlanGo.co.uk
If you like the look of the brand new Range Rover Sport, take our advice... Don’t buy one.
The most dynamic, agile and responsive Land Rover ever, can be yours for as little as £879 for personal contract hire a month. The Range Rover Sport offers the latest technology and the most luxurious spec, including full leather and state of the art in-car ›
entertainment, everything you’d expect from a car of this class. And the personal contract hire price includes all servicing and maintenance, breakdown recovery, road tax, and even tyres. So you don’t need to think about anything. Except driving it.
Personal Contract Hire: £879 p/m
Business Contract Hire: £719 p/m
Inc. Maintenance, tyres, servicing, road tax, AA Breakdown & VAT.
Inc. AA Breakdown. Exc VAT.
0845 408 4047 I LeasePlanGo.co.uk Official fuel economy figures for the new Land Rover Range Rover Sport 3.0SD HSE AU: Fuel consumption (combined value): 37.70mpg / CO2 emissions 199g/km. Prices based on 6+35months, 10k mileage per annum. Prices correct at time of print. Subject to terms & conditions available at LeasePlanGo.co.uk Image for illustration purposes only. Specification may vary.
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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 2014 NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL MOTOR SHOW
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his year a number of exciting models made their debut at this major car show, including the latest offerings from Rolls Royce, Land Rover and Chevrolet amongst others. Land Rover took the award for the most dramatic unveil, partnering the new Discovery Vision Concept
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Car alongside Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo, the world’s first commercial passenger-carrying spacecraft. This latest of the company’s concept cars previews a dynamic new design language and an array of world first technologies. The vehicle uses augmented reality technology to display a ‘see-through’
view of the terrain ahead, making the front of the car ‘virtually’ invisible from inside the cabin. Gesture Control allows you to open the doors, operate the indicators or turn on the headlamps simply by moving your hand, while Laser Referencing projects visible markings, symbols and imagery onto the ground to aid low speed or tricky manoeuvres. Clever stuff.
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YACHTS
CHARTER A LUXURY YACHT TO GET FRONT ROW SEATS AT THE CANNES FILM FESTIVAL
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osting the after party of the season has never been easier. With an 18 metre sun deck on board Apache II, this 44m Baglietto yacht offers far more private space by the water than any beach club, villa or hotel during the Cannes Film Festival. Moored up at the famous Cannes harbour, the full crew is onboard to ensure that any party goes without a hitch and well into the morning. To escape the crowds, the captain can head out at over 29 knots to Sainte-Marguerite for water sports before anchoring off Pampelonne beach for drinks in Club 55 and Nikki Beach or the quieter towns of Juan Les Pins and Antibes.
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Apache II sleeps 12 guests in five cabins with a master suite boasting photosensitive skylights that transform from clear to privacy in seconds. The main saloon and dining areas have balconies that unfold over the sea giving infinity views to port and starboard. The main saloon is also home to a 42 inch home cinema to catch up on films in comfort. HOW: Available to charter throughout Cannes Film Festival, 14-25 May 2014, high season rate of â‚Ź140,000 per week + local VAT. www.edmiston.com
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SUNSEEKER 80
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he stunning Sunseeker 80 luxury cruiser must be one for the bucket list this spring, if you’ve the odd £6.5 million to spare. Few craft, unless you jump up to £10 million plus, will carry you, your friends and family in such style, space and speed. This 80 Sport Yacht shares the same hull and interior layout as the popular
Predator 80 it’s based on, but now has a flybridge that can accommodate up to ten people by forming a comfortable entertaining area. Ideal for heading to Monaco to join in the fun and watch the Grand Prix from. Beautifully appointed throughout, with only the best materials used, the 80 boasts a plethora of state of the art equipment and hand-crafted features. A masterpiece on water.
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DRIVE SAIL FLY
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FLIGHT PATHS TO SUCCESS Jetpartner.net Ground-breaking Online Private Jet Booking Site
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ach month around 135,000 private flights take place around the world, but astonishingly, a third of these are flying empty, as they are en-route to collect passengers, heading back to base or being positioned for their next flight out. cognising the potential this affords, air charter brokerage veterans Patricio Zunino and Antony Rivolta wanted to devise a system where those wanting to book a private flight can access information about every single available empty leg flight, from a single website. Hence jetpartner.net was formed. Although empty leg flights have always been available to purchase, up until now there’s been no single place to go to to find them. Now, customers can head on to the jetpartner. net website to search for hundreds of empty legs to literally thousands of destinations worldwide, from Paris to Cairo, to Rio and more, and get significant savings of up to 50%, making flying privately suddenly accessible to more than those working for major corporates and the privileged and wealthy. The website works exactly like a commercial flight booking website, with a user-friendly, easy to use click and book functionality, and email and text notifications the minute a suitable empty leg becomes available for those searching for a particular route. In addition, the site has an innovative ‘jet partnering’ function, which can create an entirely new discounted flight when two or more customers independently request mutually empty legs. To access the service, simply register at jetpartner.net, where simple instructions will guide you through the process. By following the site on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, they will also be notified of exclusive empty leg deals, which are often linked to key events in the cultural or sporting calendar. Customers can be reassured too, Jet Partner is a member of the National Business Aviation
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Association (NBAA), European Business Aviation Association (EBAA) and also the Baltic Air Charter Association (BACA). Jet Partner clients are able to fly around the word in ultimate luxury on board the latest models, including the ultra high speed, long range Gulfstream G650, and also the majestic, super swift, long-range Bombardier Global 6000. The Ultimate Champagne and Caviar Day Trip with Jet Partners We flew from Farnborough private airport to Vatry, near Chalon, just an hour’s drive from Epernay, in a luxurious Cessna Citation XL, to visit Dom Perignon for a champagne pairing lunch and the stunning home of Moet, the Residence de Trianon. From the quiet and queue-free convenience of Farnborough airport, to entering the aircraft and relaxing back with a glass of Dom Perignon, you can’t help but think that this is definitely the way to travel. We were treated to an on-board tasting of Novikov Selected Caviar, beautifully paired with this fine champagne. An expensive but delicious treat. Customs at tiny Vatry took just a few minutes, before we were excitedly en-route to Epernay, and our exclusive Dom Perignon tasting. Our first champagne was the Dom Perignon
Travel in private, in style
“FLYING PRIVATELY IS SUDDENLY ACCESSIBLE TO MORE THAN THOSE WORKING FOR MAJOR CORPORATES AND THE PRIVILEGED AND WEALTHY.” Oenothèque 1996, masterfully matched with Saint Jacques cresson et caviar, followed by the 1990 magnum, with Poularde demi-deuil et frites, and finally, the much acclaimed 1976, with a passion fruit soufflé. Following this, we enjoyed a tour of the Moet cellars, just across the street, before heading back to Farnborough and a chauffer home. Wonderful. Novikov Selected Caviar Caviar has long been viewed as the delicacy of aristocrats, the ‘food of the Tsars’, so it is only fitting that the Novikov Restaurant, which in 2011 became the first overseas outpost for legendary Russian restaurateur Arkady Novikov, should be home to the finest specimens in London. Such has been the demand from its discerning clientele, that the venue has now decided to make its exceptional caviar available to buy. The first of these is Novikov Selected Caviar from the sturgeon breed Acipenser Gueldenstaedtii. Although commonly referred to as Russian sturgeon, these fish actually come from the Baltic Sea river estuaries, east
of Rostock in Germany. Made especially for the Asian Room and not available anywhere else, it has a very minimal salt content (just 3%). It is matured in large amounts for just 6 weeks, resulting in a light, creamy and delicate flavour. This superb caviar sells at Novikov for £3,200 per kilogram. The new 125g tin will retail for £400 Novikov’s aptly named Hybrid Caviar meanwhile is produced through the crossbreeding of two sturgeons (Huso Dauricus and Acipenser Schrenckii), both found in the Amur River basin that straddles the border between north-eastern China and the Russian far east. The caviar that is produced is fatty, rich and very creamy, with great earth tones. This precious commodity is flown to London where it is closely inspected by the Novikov team. Out of the last shipment of 100kg, only 17kg was deemed to be of perfect enough quality for the restaurant. The Hybrid Caviar currently sells at Novikov for £2,400 per kilogram. The 120g retail pack is priced at £300. Novikov Restaurant & Bar, Berkeley Street. www.novikovrestaurant.co.uk
Jet Partner uses the latest luxury private jets
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SPA TIME
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ONE&ONLY SPA MALDIVES
This month Lisa Curtiss travelled to the stunning One&Only Reethi Rah in the Maldives in search of some serious R&R and to sample the highly acclaimed spa there, a favourite of the many A-listers and royalty that frequent the super-luxurious island.
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reated together with ESPA, this One&Only Spa is a design masterpiece, with dark wood carved high vaulted ceilings in reception, the scent of incense filling the air, and the tinkling of pretty water features throughout. There are luxurious private treatment villas with thatched roofs and spectacular ocean views, which you walk to through gardens with tropical flowers of every kind. Offering a truly holistic experience, the spa features swirling vitality pools, crystal steam rooms, saunas and stimulating ice fountains with lifestyle showers offering refreshing bursts of tropical rain. There are also pretty pavilions with sea views to relax in prior and after your treatments, and a bar offering just about every juice imaginable, and exotic spa cuisine. The therapists are excellent and trained in both ancient healing philosophies and modern-day sciences and go out of their way to ensure your comfort and well-being. The One&Only Spa’s Signature Treatments are a must. The two-hour Unwind treatment with warmed volcanic stones is truly wonderful after a long flight, as is the Restore treatment with invigorating exfoliation and circulation and lymph drainage boosting warm herbal poultices. Elevate is targeted to improve your flexibility and, inspired by traditional Thai massage, is performed on a floor mat, combining pressure point massage, rhythmic
rocking movements and stretching. Finally, the Holistic Body Ritual offers a fusion of treatments tailored to your exact needs. If you have three hours to spare during your stay, do try the Maldivian Journey. A flotation therapy which combines rhythmical and flowing movements, stretches and exfoliation, the treatment takes place in the spa’s lush oceanside watsu pool. And do make time for one of the spa’s incredible facials, which leave your skin glowing and amazingly youthful after even one session. Those feeling romantic can enjoy a range of treatments in a private spa suite, with oceanside bath and steam room. If you like to exercise even when on holiday, there are yoga and pilates classes, boxing, meditation, and a fitness centre equipped with the very latest state of the art kit, and where you can book personal training sessions with top-rate fitness consultants. Many guests love the Clean & Lean personal training system by James Duigan, which even includes some of the programme’s delicious protein shakes. The One&Only Spa at Reethi Rah has a luxury nail salon by celebrity favourite Bastien Gonzalez, and hair salon by Taylor Taylor of London, where supermodels, including Naomi Campbell, go to have their tresses taken excellent care of. In all a truly outstanding spa that MoneyMaker Magazine highly recommends. www.oneandonlyreethirah.com
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DRIVE, SAIL, FLY
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LEASE IS MORE Half of all new cars bought in the UK are purchased by rental and leasing companies, so why do so many people lease instead of buy? We caught up with Simon Carr from LeasePlan Go, leaders in the field, to explore the advantages of leasing
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DRIVE, SAIL, FLY
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t glitzy ceremonies around the world the latest metal is revealed at International Motor Shows and the general rule of thumb is that a car is refreshed, or revamped, every four years, to introduce the latest and best new car innovations and technology. Shortly after, these vehicles hit the showrooms for sale to the public. However, according to the British Vehicle and Rental Leasing Association (BVRLA), half of all new cars in the UK are bought by rental and leasing companies who lease out to personal and business customers. It is a £14 billion industry and comprises 2.75 million vehicles across the UK. So why do so many people lease not buy? Simon Carr, Brand Director of LeasePlan Go, a part of the world’s largest leasing provider for business and personal use, with over 1.3 million vehicles in its global fleet, says there is an answer: “It comes down to two reasons, convenience and risk. Leasing a vehicle is so easy, it comes with the support of an organisation dedicated to keeping you on the road, regardless of what happens. At LeasePlan Go, each vehicle comes with a 24/7, 365 phone number which will be answered by an expert totally dedicated to sorting out your problem. Another aspect of convenience is the payment profile, this can mean the payments are spread evenly across the period of the contract removing the need for big cash layouts. It’s like software as a service, only for cars. The risk factor is the second major reason. Most people are not experts in selling or valuing secondhand cars. The market fluctuates in terms of the value of a vehicle so you may get less back than you thought, that is if you can find a buyer. Most people love the fact that it is not their problem. “The two or three year cycle most common in leasing means you are never far away from an opportunity to drive the most exciting, most luxurious and most technologically-advanced cars on the road today. Leasing a car is about freedom of choice.” Why is it relevant to you? Everybody wants to drive the best car within their own price range and it is no surprise to see the premium saloons, coupés, SUVs and convertibles at the top of most drivers’ wish
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lists. In fact, cars such as the BMW 3 Series, Range Rover Evoque and Mercedes C-Class are so popular they are regulars in the top ten bestsellers list and on favourite leasing car tables. Then there are new entrants which are sure to create enormous demand such as the Tesla Model S. Personal leasing customers are often people who like to change their vehicle regularly; they want competitive rates and those cars to be premium, modern, technologically-advanced cars that match their lifestyle. One of the most common situations is the replacement of a family vehicle. A new vehicle not only means affordable rates but with the peace of mind that you will be supported by an organisation that ensures they look after drivers in the event of an accident, breakdown or just during routine servicing. Companies such as LeasePlan Go are best placed to advise drivers on which vehicles are best for their needs, whether you are after efficiency, practicality or style they have access to vehicles from the world’s best manufacturers. All of their leasing deals are fixed rental price deals, which means the amount of administration and financial planning a driver needs to do is greatly reduced. “Personal leasing cars is different to buying and it’s one of the areas where drivers of premium vehicles may not be aware of the benefits” explains Carr. Car leasing deals are worked out by taking the price of the vehicle from new and the expected value of the car at the end of the term. The
“HALF OF ALL NEW CARS BOUGHT IN THE UK ARE BY RENTAL AND LEASING COMPANIES WHO LEASE OUT TO PERSONAL AND BUSINESS CUSTOMERS.” depreciation is split across the number of months in the agreement, giving you the basis for your monthly payment, plus the cost of finance. Carr says: “We offer much more than just a vehicle to both personal and business customers; we provide a fully comprehensive package which includes a range of outstanding services, from general fair wear and tear maintenance, servicing and tyre packages, roadside assistance and a dedicated customer support team, each specifically designed to make our customers’ motoring experience a premium one. All of these services can be accessed through one dedicated driver line.” “Book a service”, says Carr, “and a lease car customer will feel like they are getting a VIP treatment every time the car is brought in. We like to think of this as a car concierge service.” Personal leasing is available on a huge range
of manufacturers but it really brings benefits when it comes to the higher end of the market. Luxury car makers, including Porsche, Maserati, Tesla and Range Rover can offer lower rates of depreciation and therefore the lease rates can be surprisingly affordable. “With over 30 years in the UK vehicle leasing industry, LeasePlan Go has developed excellent relationships with many of the major car manufacturers and so we are able to negotiate industry leading discounts on the vehicles that we buy for our customers. These savings are passed straight on to you to reduce your monthly payments. It also means that we have 100’s of vehicles in stock at any one time, meaning faster deliveries on popular models,” concludes Carr. It begs the question, in the world of premium cars, why buy when you can lease?
Luxury cars can be surprising affordable due to lower rates of depreciation
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ONE&ONLY REETHI RAH Surely few places on earth are such a visual wonder as the Maldives. With a palette of vibrant colours gifted by nature to inspire even the most pernickety of artistic sorts, the atolls, sky above and turquoise seas surrounding couldn’t be a greater contrast to the dirt greys and taupes of our cities, lifting the spirit from the moment you arrive.
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“ONE&ONLY REETHI RAH IS A TRULY SPECIAL RESORT YOU ARE CERTAIN TO WANT TO RETURN TO, TIME AND TIME AGAIN.”
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A stunning resort that’s the perfect place for luxury R&R
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ne of the most spectacularly stunning atolls is One&Only Reethi Rah, a firm favourite of A-listers and royalty, which, thanks to its unusual shape offers a number of individual, idyllic palm and tropical flower fringed beaches, perfect for strolling along at sunrise and sunset, and taking a dip in the warm crystal clear shallow waters. True to the typical character of One&Only resorts, Reethi Rah is luxurious to a fault. The accommodation comprises air-conditioned, individual, grand and duplex beach villas, delightful and traditionally thatched, with lofty ceilings and marble throughout, and appointed with every mod con, including multimedia entertainment systems, iPod/iPad docking stations, satellite TV, WiFi and more. They each have their own plunge pool, lit at night and wonderful for relaxing in with a glass of champagne, gazing at the stars and listening to the rustling of coral sand being gently washed by waves beyond. Each villa has its own dedicated host, 24 hours a day, a personal golf buggy, sun loungers and a hammock. If you fancy a change from relaxing on the beach during your stay, there are a host of things to do. There are a number of swimming pools – including a much photographed, stunning horizon pool just off the main resort building. The dive centre offers a wide range of PADI diving programmes, and from the water sport and recreation centre you can water-ski, parasail, canoe, snorkel and go on fun banana tube rides. There’s a fitness centre with all the latest technology and instruction on the acclaimed ‘Bodyism’ total health and fitness system. To achieve the perfect golden glow, there’s a tanning hut with specialist who offers consultations on your skin type and tanning history, and can match you with the optimum lotions for you to obtain a lasting tan, naturally and without burning. They’ll even come and frequently apply it for you too. For those who can’t go without shopping whilst away from home, there’s a shop where you can buy designer swim and resort wear and gifts. One&Only also offer art and wine tasting classes, a kids club for the very young, and ClubOne for teenagers. The resort owns a number of modern and traditional sailing craft, including its own luxury cruiser which can take guests big game fishing, out to a private sandbank for champagne at sunset, early morning breakfast sails and, our favourite, to snorkel
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with turtles feeding on local reefs, a truly memorable experience. For those who enjoy spa treatments, Reethi Rah has its own ESPA spa, offering wonderful signature treatment facials, massages and more. Particularly recommend the Unwind Signature Experience, which is simply two hours of pampering, soothing bliss. The spa also has its own excellent hairdressing salon,
by acclaimed Taylor Taylor of London, who’ve looked after the celebrity tresses of the likes of Kylie, Calvin Harris, and Naomi Campbell. Whatever your culinary preferences, this One&Only offers dining to delight including excellent Japanese cuisine at Tapasake, where you enjoy the finest sake and sashimi in traditional décor, looking out over the sea, and enjoy the experience of one of the four open air Teppanyaki pavilions in a wonderful themed garden on the sea front. For barefoot dining, head to the Arabian inspired Fanditha, which doubles as a favourite pre-dinner cocktail spot and morphs into a cool club later in the night, and Reethi restaurant offers an eclectic menu fusing flavours from Asia, India and Italy.
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MEDITERRANEAN ODYSSEY ABOARD THE ROYAL CLIPPER Proving cruising isn’t just for oldies and Americans, Star Clipper’s flagship craft offers a bewitching blend of luxury, relative intimacy and R&R.
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Truly impressive tall ship, the master of the Mediterranean. Stunning inside and out.
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his elegant tall ship is the largest of its kind in the world, and a welcome contrast to the typical gargantuan tourist ferries that frequent the seas of the Caribbean and Med. Guests return to Royal Clipper year after year to enjoy the uniquely special experience of sailing on such a stunning craft, the informal, friendly atmosphere, excellent food and luxury accommodation. Watching the sun set over an uninterrupted horizon, the peace and quiet, spotting dolphins and even whales, as we did, all combine to make this a trip to remember. Whether your preference is for the Caribbean or European waters, depending on the time of year you select, there are a choice of trips. Our top choice for this summer is a wonderful seven night cruise from Rome, stopping off at Palmaralo, Ponza, Sorrento (from where you can visit Capri or Pompeii), Amalfi, Taormina in Sicily, and one of the Aeolian islands, Lipari, before an evening sail by of Stromboli and arriving back in Rome. Although considerably smaller than your usual cruise ship, Royal Clipper feels remarkably spacious, and indeed boasts a higher proportion of deck space for guests to use than most, and since it carries only a couple of hundred passengers at full capacity, it’s easy to find a quiet spot of your own should you wish. With small but adequate swimming pools, a spa, ample open deck space for basking in the sun, plus a host of watersport gear to use when a marina platform is lowered, there’s plenty for guests to enjoy, even if they choose not to disembark at any of the locations on their chosen route, which, depending on the trip, could include delights such as Monte Carlo and Palma, Mallorca. The five masts and forty-two sails aren’t just for show. When conditions are right, they are hoisted
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and furled to their full splendour by an expert crew, to power the craft on in style. An operation of such precision and complexity is a spectacle all guests head up on deck to enjoy. Reaching into the sky almost 200 feet above the waterline, the masts provide one of the top forms of entertainment, as those brave enough can scale the heights to enjoy spectacular views of the ship far below and the sights beyond. On the deck towards the stern is a pleasant bar area, very popular with guests who love to sit and enjoy a G&T and watch a stunning sunset or two. This area also hosts a cocktail hour each day and various sorts of entertainment at night. Below deck, the Royal Clipper is most attractive, with views down to all levels from an atrium with a golden staircase, and the restaurant where delicious lunches and dinners are served. The food is of a genuinely high standard, and it’s a challenge not to pile on the pounds after a week’s indulgence. The atmosphere is friendly and informal, although guests, particularly the ladies, dressed up a little for dinner. Plush carpeted corridors lead to a small gift shop, spa and cabins, which are surprisingly spacious, comfortable, quiet and well appointed. There’s a choice of staterooms to enjoy. The deluxe suite includes a veranda, and each stateroom features a private bathroom, air conditioning, hair dryers, private safe, television, DVD player, telephone and other amenities you would expect from a luxury craft. For those who love to be at sea and enjoy a luxury experience but don’t wish to share the experience with thousands of other passengers, Royal Clipper is a perfect choice. To book and for more information www.starclippers. co.uk
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ÅRE: SUN, SKI, SWEDEN O
ne of the top places to enjoy late season on the slopes is Åre, Sweden, where decent snow usually lasts from late November, right through to the beginning of May. During the summer months it’s a mecca for mountain bikers with its worldclass downhill trails. It’s a place with a cool, hip vibe, laid back and refreshingly unpretentious. Located 220 miles south of the Arctic Circle, not far from the Norwegian border, it attracts skiers and board riders from both countries, and much further afield, and is finally becoming more popular with Brits. Relatively easy to get to from the UK, you can either fly in to Stockholm, or to Trondheim (with direct flights from Gatwick), and then take an internal flight up to Åre Östersund Airport, the heart of the resort being about an hour or so away. Its excellent facilities, off piste perfection, over 100 runs with 46 lifts and numerous other activities to enjoy are luring more and more winter sports lovers who, up until recently, have headed to the Alps. Even if skiing isn’t your thing,
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you can opt for terrifying zip-lining from one of the mountain peaks, dog sledding, ice driving, kite boarding, snowmobiling, ice climbing and even tobogganing at night , dining and staying in an igloo, and visits to meet tame moose. After a day on the slopes, there are excellent restaurants and cool bars with great bands, and high quality accommodation within walking distance of the main ski lifts. The five star Copperhill Mountain Lodge hotel and spa is actually located right on the mountain with ski in, ski out access, as does the popular TOTT Hotell Åre. Ski Safari, www.skisafari.com, are the area experts, and in addition to offering ski breaks in Åre, for next season, you can book a ten-day Arctic Safari adventure with them, that takes you right up into the Arctic Circle, where you can stay in the original and best ice hotel, go ice fishing, dog sledding, heli-skiing, and watch the stunning northern lights in style. This trip can be tailored to your exact requirements, making it a truly once in a lifetime experience.
“LOCATED 220 MILES SOUTH OF THE ARCTIC CIRCLE, NOT FAR FROM THE NORWEGIAN BORDER, IT ATTRACTS SKIERS AND BOARD RIDERS FROM BOTH COUNTRIES, AND MUCH FURTHER AFIELD.”
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ATLANTIS THE PALM Few approaches to a resort are as impressive as Atlantis The Palm. The instantly recognisable, stunningly designed towers and arch dominate the horizon, dwarfing the numerous private villas on the palm fronds below.
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illed as a unique ocean-themed entertainment resort, rather than merely a hotel, Atlantis provides its guests with plenty to see and do. From shopping and making full use of its excellent spa, to dining in numerous restaurants, including Nobu and Ronda Locatelli, catering for just about every cuisine, to visiting its own beautifully presented aquarium and waterpark complete with amazing rides and experiences where you can dive with sharks, feed the stingrays and more. This Aquaventure Waterpark, is actually home to one of the largest open air marine habitats in the world, with over 65,000 marine animals in lagoons and displays including The Lost Chambers Aquarium. For thrill seekers young and old, the park features a host of waterslides, a 2.3 kilometre river ride with tidal waves and pools, water rapids and white water chargers, and provides a welcome relief from Dubai’s scorching temperatures, which reach well over 40 degrees during July and August. Atlantis is almost as impressive inside as it is out, starting with your arrival in a Grand Lobby featuring an astonishing ocean-life inspired, technicolour, ceiling-high glass sculpture, reflection pool and hand painted murals. From the lobby and VIP check in onwards, through wide marble hallways connecting the East and West Towers, shopping and dining areas, aquarium and spa, there’s definitely the feeling of no expense being spared. The suites are extremely well appointed, spacious to a fault and offer stunning views across The Palm to the skyscrapers beyond, the waterpark and beaches or out across the sea. Do choose one of the Imperial Club Executive Suites, which, in addition to being luxurious, have the bonus of access to the Club where drinks, snacks, afternoon tea, breakfast and more are complementary. Guests particularly enjoy the Happy Hour’from 6pm to 8pm, where you can sit out on the balcony with great views, and enjoy your fill of decent sparkling wines and cocktails, with snacks. For those MoneyMaker Magazine readers used to presidential suites, the resort’s Signature Suites are well worth experiencing.
NEPTUNE AND POSEIDON UNDERWATER SUITES The two underwater suites are truly extraordinary with master bedroom floor-to-ceiling window walls looking directly into the Ambassador Lagoon, creating an illusion of being beneath the sea whilst looking directly into the heart of Atlantis. With stunning interiors by Wilson and Associates, the aptly named Neptune Underwater Suite and Poseidon Underwater Suite measure 165 square metres each, stretched over three floors. A sweeping staircase leads from the foyer to the large living and dining area that overlooks the Lagoon and are supported by a butler’s pantry. The master bedroom features a bespoke bed and Frette linens, perfect for lounging in to enjoy the mesmerizing views into the marine habitat. The master bathroom features a pedestal jetted tub to let
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guests watch the marine animals swimming by, as well as a rainfall shower with an additional six body jets.
THE ROYAL BRIDGE SUITE At almost a 1000 square metres, the iconic Royal Bridge Suite is truly palatial. One-of-a-kind, it spans the arch which links the Royal Towers offering un-paralleled 180-degree views of The Palm and the Arabian Sea. Reached by private elevator, guests revel in complete opulence, including a dining room with a gold leaf table that seats 16 and a large lounge area. The décor is exquisite, reflecting the stature of the suite. With three bedrooms, a grand living room and two spacious terraces The Royal Bridge Suite is the perfect haven in which to relax or entertain in private. It also has its own guarded entrance and elevator along with a dedicated team of people, from butlers to chefs, on hand to ensure that your every need is fulfilled.
GRAND ATLANTIS SUITE If al fresco living is your thing the Grand Atlantis Suite offers a spectacular sun terrace which spans three sides of the suite. The entire suite is decorated in elegant gold tones and the lavish living space includes a master bedroom complete with his and hers bathrooms, a guest bedroom with an ensuite bathroom, a living room with a dining table for ten, plus a separate office. Impressive indeed. Outside, the resort has two large and popular pools, plus a long white sand beach to enjoy. The fashionable sets head to hang out at Nasimi Beach (think Nikki
THE SUITES ARE EXTREMELY WELL APPOINTED, SPACIOUS TO A FAULT AND OFFERING STUNNING VIEWS ACROSS THE PALM TO THE SKYSCRAPERS BEYOND is stylish to a fault. Unlike many Chinese restaurants, the desserts here are a total must – works of art and delicious too. Fine dining Ossiano is another we recommend for its amazing view through the resort’s enormous aquarium, where you can watch sharks, rays and thousands of graceful fish swim by, right next to your table. Stunning. For a more traditional dining experience try Levantine, offering a true taste of the region with entertainment to match.
DON’T MISS
Beach but in Dubai). Here they chill enjoying cocktails and sheesha in cabanas and day beds, listening to the latest sounds.
FINE DINING Dining-wise, guests to Atlantis The Palm are genuinely spoilt for choice, from fine dining in the excellent, award-winning Ossiano, through to more casual and family-friendly affairs. Yuan is particularly recommended. Executive Chef Jeff Tan, formerly of Hakkasan Mayfair, takes guests on a gastronomic adventure through China, redefining Cantonese and Szechuan cuisine for Dubai’s ‘it’ crowd. Designed to mirror a Siheyuan, a traditional Chinese house, YUAN
Cownose Ray Feeding. Yes, this may sound a little bizarre, but it’s delightful. Located in the Mesopotamian-styled Ziggurat in Aquaventure, you join a marine biologist in the shallow waters of the Shark Lagoon for a 35-minute hands-on experience. Guests learn about these graceful species while the hungry rays emerge for their tasty treats of prawns. The silky smooth rays are like excited puppies as they scramble around (and up!) your legs for food. Aromatherapy Massage. The resort’s very good ShuiQi Spa, offers a wide variety of treatments in gorgeous surroundings. Opt for an Aromatherapy Associates Inner Strength Massage, 60 minutes of relaxing bliss. Dinner at Ossiano. Expensive, but worth it to marvel at the setting looking straight into the stunning Ambassador Lagoon. Leap of Faith Slide. Definitely not for the fainthearted, this death-defyingly high and incredibly steep slide hurtles those brave enough to use it through the shark lagoon in a see through tube. You can hear the screams from your balcony back at your room. Happy Hour at the Imperial Club in the East Tower. If you’re not lucky enough to have one of the fabulous Signature Suites to enjoy, then it is hard to beat relaxing with unlimited, decent sparkling wine and cocktails out on the balcony 12 floors up, with
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BOLDLY GO WHERE NO MAN HAS GONE BEFORE We explore the trip that will take you to the end of the earth and back – all before bed time. By Emily Black
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pace is Virgin territory” are the words plastered across Richard Branson’s website, and never before have the words been so accurate: since announcing the collaboration with Mojave Space Adventures and aviation genius Burt Rutan, Branson’s vision of a commercial spaceline has slowly cemented into reality. Within the next few years, Virgin Galactic is set to be the ethereal trip of a lifetime. Slowly developing from a futuristic fancy in the back of the transport mogul’s mind, Virgin Galactic was originally registered as a company in March 1999 and remained dormant until July 2002 when an agreement with Rutan was formed. At the time the aeronautical engineer was working with Paul Allen-funded company Scaled Composites to create SpaceShipOne, a sub-orbital spaceplane, for the Ansari X-Prize. Once Virgin caught wind of the project they struck an agreement, that if SpaceShipOne was successful they would license the technology and aim to develop a version of the spaceplane fit for commercial use. In 2004 Rutan’s creation competed for the Ansari X-Prize, flying 100km into the atmosphere and stunning all onlookers. Needless to say, Virgin was on board. The following year it was announced that SpaceShipTwo would have six passenger seats in addition to space for the two pilots, plenty of room for floating around in the zero gravity atmosphere, and large windows to at the edge of the spherical world the passengers have temporarily left behind. Over the next few years Virgin Galactic moved in leaps and bounds to design and build brand new technology to create the world’s first air-launched commercial flight into space. Branson has marked
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this venture as “a new era in the history of mankind... making the affordable exploration of space by human beings a real possibility.” For future non-professional astronauts, as they have been dubbed, the experience will be a long weekend away – and no doubt the furthest they have ever travelled from home. Starting with two days of preparation and training, the passengers have a chance to bond with each other and the crew leading up to the eagerly anticipated launch day. On the long-awaited day they will be kitted up with their space suits (which are more jet-pilot come black ops agent than Neil Armstrong-esque) and patiently take their place on the spacecraft. Still attached to the air-launcher, the Virgin Mother Ship climbs to 50,000 feet where the rocket is released. After a few heart-wrenching seconds of deathly silence, the rocket engine will ignite and continue to climb into the heavens at 3000 mph (four times the speed of sound). As the rocket breaks through the blue skies into blackness it shuts down, leaving the now weightless passengers to
“AFTER A FEW HEARTWRENCHING SECONDS OF DEATHLY SILENCE, THE ROCKET ENGINE WILL IGNITE AND CONTINUE TO CLIMB INTO THE HEAVENS AT 3000 MPH FOUR TIMES THE SPEED OF SOUND.”
float above their seats as they watch the world turning beneath them. The rocket then re-enters the atmosphere and gently returns to earth. A previously exclusive phenomenon, we can only reference films and documentaries to even begin to imagine witnessing such an experience in the flesh. However the feeling of total weightlessness is a feeling which has been available to the public for some years already, through the zero gravity experience. Zero Gravity Corporation’is a space entertainment and tourism company offering a flight which uses special acrobatic manoeuvres to achieve a sense of zero gravity within the aircraft. Based around the science of centrifugal force (the force which causes an object moving in a circular motion to fly away from the centre) the plane temporarily outsmarts gravity. Climbing up towards the horizon at a 45 degree angle the plane reaches 34,000 feet whilst the speed works to create a pull 1.8 times gravity, making the passengers weigh nearly twice their usual weight. As the plane pulls out of the angle it moves in an arc, and the centrifugal force causes the passengers to move away from the ground and cancels out the gravitational force pulling them down. For this brief moment the passengers are weightless, floating around the modified aircraft as though they are lost in space. Lasting for 20-30 seconds at a time, the
manoeuvre is repeated 12-15 times per session. Unlike the meticulous preparation stages for the Galactic journey, the preparation for this flight is considerably shorter, and the entire day lasts around five hours. Before the flight passengers and crew pose outside the seemingly ordinary aeroplane for a team photograph, which they receive later in a Regravitation Celebration, along with a certificate and refreshments, and plenty of time to share their experience with one another. Available in Florida, California and Las Vegas, the zero gravity flight starts at $4,950 per passenger. This is considerably cheaper than the Virgin Galactic venture but does lack the ethereal perks that Branson provides with his revolutionary enterprise. Despite not being ready for take-off until 2016, Virgin have already received 529 deposits – and counting. This doesn’t come cheap, with most deposits requiring the full payment. One seat on the Virgin Mother Ship would set you back $200,000 (roughly £124,000) and to hire the entire six-seater ship comes at a discounted price of $1 million (around $622,000). However, when compared to the millions it costs to launch a NASA rocket ship, the fee to live out the dream of flying into space seems remarkably reasonable. It really is one small step for man, and a giant leap for mankind.
Brace yourself for the journey of a lifetime
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TRAVEL
ROOM WITH A VIEW SUN SIYAM IRU FUSHI, MALDIVES
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Sun Siyam Iru Fushi, an Indian Ocean Paradise.
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e enveloped in an expanse of blue. If your idea of a paradise is a remote private island surrounded by idyllic waters, luscious vegetation and an unparalleled touch of luxury, then Sun Siyam Iru Fushi is the perfect destination for you. A quintessentially Maldivian experience, Sun Siyam Iru Fushi’s (www.sunsiyam.com) spectacular villas offer overwater havens, showcasing the allure of ocean life and allowing you to experience the full force of the Indian Ocean’s stunning beauty. Take in the impressive ocean view from your king sized bed, lounging area or expansive sun terrace. This airy, open-plan accommodation features an open air, overwater shower and luxury spa tub, designed for long soaks with mesmerising panoramas that are yours alone. Spend lazy days lounging on your private sundeck, in between cooling exploratory dips into the clear waters of the lagoon directly below or long walks along the incredible white sand beaches of this paradise island. Personally tailor your villa with pillow and fragrance menus for a home-away-from-home feel or wander down the foot reflexology path to relax and indulge in a traditional Maldivian or Chinese treatment at The Spa. Not only does this paradise offer you relaxation and indulgence but also bespoke gourmet dining experiences set against a stunning tropical backdrop. Destination Dining is the opportunity to enjoy culinary delights, specially prepared by your personal chef, which can be enjoyed anywhere you desire on the island. Relax on one of the beautiful beaches next to the crystal clear waters of the Indian Ocean or choose an intimate dinner on a sunset yacht cruise. Sip a glass of chilled champagne or your favourite cocktail while your private chef takes care of the rest. There are also 11 other outlets offering a range of fare from seafood to traditional Maldivian dishes. Fancy trying something different? The resort’s GIVE philosophy (Get Involved, Visionary Experiences) enables guests to explore the local community and experience its intrinsic relationship to the resort: from
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visiting a local fruit farm to hearing firsthand the origins of a local village grandmother’s recipe used in the restaurants’ kitchens. Use your time on the island to broaden your horizons and experience the local Maldivian culture. 7 nights at the 5* The Sun Syriam Iru Fushi staying on a half-board basis in a Horizon Water Villa costs from £2,069 per person, including flights with Turkish Airlines from London Gatwick and seaplane transfers. Book by 31 June for selected travel dates in September and October 2014 and receive a free upgrade from Water Villa to Horizon Water Villa, saving up to £180 per booking. Visit www.travelbag.co.uk
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FOOD AND DRINK
BRINGING BARISTA QUALITY HOME JURA, a significant innovator in luxury Swiss-made bean-to-cup technology, has raised the bar for standards in performance, aesthetics and perfection, with its Impressa A5 One Touch coffee machine – every coffee lover’s dream. Not cheap at £895, but definitely worth it. Stylish, compact and slim it’s a perfect foodie gadget to grace to any modern kitchen. Whether preparing one or two cups at the same time, this amazing machine can achieve the perfect aroma for the ultimate coffee, tailored to your personal taste for ultimate enjoyment. With super-
fast Aroma+ grinder, the Impressa A5 combines technical perfection with speed, meaning that pure coffee indulgence takes half the preparation time. What’s more, thanks to its simple to use, innovative one-touch function, cappuccinos and latte macchiatos can also be prepared at the touch of a button and, combined with its fine foam technology, the desired drinks are always topped with feather-light milk foam. All JURA machines now feature an Aroma Boost function, providing a natural, refreshing energy boost when
you need it, as well as a Zero-Energy Switch which allows the machine to use up to 40% less energy, ensuring the JURA coffee experience is more eco-friendly. www.jurauk.com
FOOD&DRINK
Tattinger champagnes may not be the most expensive around, but they are well respected and appreciated by those in the know. 2014 is a big year for the acclaimed champagne house as they are a key sponsor of the World Cup.
TAITTINGER – A FAMILY AFFAIR One of the very few champagne houses still owned and actively managed by the family named on the label is Taittinger. The brand is enjoying somewhat of a renaissance as its popularity is increasing globally with this year’s sponsorship of the World Cup and its subtly delicious, chardonnay-rich champagnes being increasingly sought after as the posh tipple of choice for many an elegant occasion. The origins of this much loved brand start as far back as 1734 when the original House was founded by Jacques Fourneaux. The Taittinger link came about in 1931 when Pierre Taittinger was stationed at Château de la Marquetterie during the war, fell in love with the property, vineyards and miles of cellars, and pledged that one day he would return and own them – a dream which came true. Today, Taittinger is headed up by Pierre’s grandson, Pierre-Emmanual, his son Clovis and daughter Vitalie, both of whom are actively involved in the day to day running of this thriving family champagne house.
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The hallmark of Taittinger Champagnes is the high percentage of Chardonnay used in their winemaking which can be anything from 40% in the Brut Réserve Non Vintage to 100% in the prestigious Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs. This Chardonnay
TAITTINGER VINTAGE 2005 This exceptional champagne comprises 50% Pinot Noir and 50% Chardonnay, which creates delicacy, elegance and finesse. The nose combines yeasty, bread aromas with scents of lemon, mandarin and acacia honey. The fruit on the palate is sublimely rich and fresh and the finish is long, generous and complex. RRP £53.00, Stockists: Amps Fine Wines, Majestic, Hedonism Drinks, Ellies Cellar, Woodwinters Wines & Whiskies, Partridges of Sloane Street, Hailsham Cellars, www.winedirect.co.uk
dominance provides for a style of elegance, delicacy and finesse which is recognised worldwide and has earned the House many accolades and awards over the years. Taittinger is now served in over 150 countries worldwide
TAITTINGER PRÉLUDE GRANDS CRUS NV This wine is a Grand Cru blend of 50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Noir. The nose is subtle and fresh with mineral notes, elderflower and spicy cinnamon. Fresh citrus dominates the palate giving way to a full, mellow taste reminiscent of white peaches in syrup. The finish is long, rich and expressive. RRP £49.00, Stockists: Handford Wines, Constantine Stores Limited, Vats Wine Company, The Oxford Wine Company, North & South Wines, Harrods, Fortnum & Mason, Hedonism Drinks, Amps Fine Wines, www. ocado.com, www.winedirect.co.uk, www. champagnedirect.co.uk
TAITTINGER NOCTURNE SEC NV The ‘after dinner’ champagne. This is a sec style comprising 40% Chardonnay. Aged on its lees for 3-4 years before disgorgement, a 20g dosage of pure cane sugar is added, which is the key to Nocturne’s style. The nose is subtle and fresh with notes of white blossom, ripe peach and dried apricot. The palate is soft, fresh and mellow and the finish is long and soft with a subtle sweetness. RRP £47.00, Stockists: John Lewis, Amps Fine Wines, Harrods, Fortnum & Mason, The Whalley Wine Shop, Ann et Vin, Cheers Wine Merchants, Beaconsfield Wine Cellars, www.winedirect.co.uk, www.champagnedirect.co.uk
TAITTINGER FOLIES DE LA MARQUETTERIE NV This single vineyard wine is a blend of 55% Chardonnay and 45% Pinot Noir. It has a highly fruity nose which releases scents of peaches and apricot jam with subtle hints of toasted brioche and vanilla. Full-bodied and fruity on the palate, it has a distinct finish with delicate oaky notes. RRP £55.00, The Vineyard Cellars, Harrods, Handford Wines, North and South Wines, Hailsham Cellars, Tivoli Wines, Fortnum & Mason, www. champagnedirect.co.uk, www.winedirect.co.uk
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LONDON CALLING
STAYING ON TREND There are few global cities with London’s eclectic range of stylish stays. We bring you our favourite four of the moment. THE ATHENAEUM With an enviable position overlooking leafy Green Park, the five star, family-owned Athenaeum Hotel is luxurious and artfully combines contemporary style with traditional comfort and impeccable service. The Park View rooms are spacious, light and airy, and complete with all mod cons, but why not spoil yourself by booking the amazing three bedroom Rooftop Penthouse Suite with a private balcony offering a stunning panoramic views across the city.? The perfect place for pre-dinner cocktails at sunset. During your stay, visit the hotel’s famous Whisky Bar, offering the largest selection of blends in any hotel in London, 300 plus in fact. And before you leave, enjoy a relaxing treatment in the super stylish spa. n www.athenaeumhotel.com
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THE HOXTON, SHOREDITCH Possibly the most on-trend hotel in London, The Hox’s insatiable desire for style is unparalleled, with its urban and urbane moods reflecting the creative buzz of the borough in which it lies. Vibrant and careful design is everything here, with an eclectic mixture of vintage, shabby chic and impossibly current creating a fun luxe experience. What’s more, all furniture, art and lighting are sourced within a three minute walk of the hotel, meaning you’re getting the full taste of Shoreditch.
THE ARCH, MARYLEBONE Amongst a row of grandiose buildings resides one of London’s best kept secrets, combining both cutting edge style with the kind of relaxed classic you’d expect from a luxury experience. There is an Aladdin’s cave of wonders amongst the 82 individually-styled rooms, from opulent four poster beds to bang-on-trend private courtyards, complete with super sharp private artwork, for your eyes only. Meanwhile the hotel’s bar and restaurant, Hunter 486 provides a boutique ambience and outstanding cocktails.
THE MONTCALM, MAYFAIR & CITY OF LONDON Quirky and chic blend seamlessly in a beautifully conceived concept hotel, with sites in both Mayfair and the City. Situated on both Park Lane and The Brewery in the financial district, The Montcalm does that thing that all the best hotels do; it makes the breath you take when you luxuriate in its ambience a thing of beauty. Spacious lobbies and rooms are designed with great care and flair, with classic lines blending with contemporary flourishes, whilst the restaurants deserve the buzz they have received in recent months. A joy.
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WATCHES
MARGOT BY CHRISTOPHE CLARET A charming limited edition watch which answers that time old question as to whether “He loves me… He loves me not.”
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ust unveiled at BaselWorld to an admiring audience, only 20 of each of the four styles of Christophe Claret’s 278,000 Swiss francs Margot ladies watch will be made, each enabling its wearer to ‘pick petals’ on the dial, with the simple press of a button. The story goes that during the Middle Ages the Île Saint-Louis, in the center of Paris, was a meadow lined with willows and poplars. It was an idyllic place for sweethearts to stroll and ‘learn’ the depth of each other’s love by picking petals off a daisy while reciting: “Il m’aime… il ne m’aime pas du tout”. Whilst the English version requires an either/or, the French tradition allows for subtleties in between – and the watch follows the French radition. Such an original technique called for ingenious design. The
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dial exudes romantic femininity. At the whim of its iridescent reflections, the natural mother of pearl dial reveals delicately engraved verses penned by Victor Hugo, one of the standard-bearers of the 19th century French Romantic movement. These excerpts are taken from the writer’s classic poem ‘Unité’, which features in his compendium ‘Les Contemplations’. On the dial, three pear-shaped diamonds at 3 o’clock, 6 o’clock and 9 o’clock poetically punctuate the scene. A pair of gold-tipped, steel hands – each delicately rounded by hand – glides over the 12 white, satin-lacquered titanium petals that tightly embrace the central citrine pistil, its multi-level corolla intensifying the three-dimensionality of the dial’s landscape. Margot features baguette diamonds or snow-set brilliant cut diamonds, depending on the model, with the gem-set lugs featuring different designs that complement the aesthetics of the jewels. Brilliant or baguette cut diamonds also bring a stunning play of light around the bezel. The display back reveals the automatic winding rotor, a delicately carved, flower-shaped carrousel of colours symbolizing sentiments of love, with a central cabochon concealing the rotor’s ball bearings. Each one of the eight resplendent triangular precious stones denote a feeling – hope, passion, tenderness – but which one will line up with the redlacquered heart when the flower halts its waltz? “Tout est mystère dans l’amour,” wrote Jean de La Fontaine (“Love bears a world of mystery”). Without a shadow of a doubt, Margot fully embraces these words of the 17th century French poet.
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OUT OF TOWNERS
LITTLE BRITAIN The bright lights of London’s bustling metropolis tell us that bigger is better, but go outside the M25 and you’ll see that size isn’t everything, and the best things do come in small packages.
L’ORTOLAN - SHINFIELD, BERKSHIRE L’Ortolan is well worth a saunter down the M4 (exit 11) as housed in this former rectory is a charming restaurant run by Alan Murchison. It is no surprise, given Alan’s credentials – Claridges, Nobu and Le Manoir Aux Quat’ Saisons – that this is the only Michelin-starred restaurant in the area. Cuisine is modern French using local ingredients where possible, there are a variety of menus and private dining options to make L’Ortolan the perfect choice for business or pleasure. MoneyMaker Magazine sampled the Gourmand Menu with suggested wines, which offered a variety of dishes each made up of exquisite combinations. The octopus salad with mango was perfectly light and flavoursome, the baked Barkham Blue cheesecake a superb alternative to soufflé and the poached Nashi pear with black current and fennel a crescendo of fresh fruit to leave the diner satisfied without the ache of over indulgence. Sommelier Craig Steven made adventurous pairing suggestions including a Poire Granit by Eric Bordley to accompany dessert, which was divine. The Gourmand Menu is priced from £71.00 per person www.lortolan.com
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THE PIG, HAMPSHIRE Take a trip to Hampshire, and you’ll realise that almost everything about the New Forest is quaint and gentile, and quite noticeably pocket-sized. Whilst the countryside fills the horizon like an expansive and statuesque stage, its players all veer on the smaller side, with delicate trees and bushes smattering the landscape like Mother Nature channeling Jackson Pollock, whilst its famous ponies prance about around your knees. A day cycling around the New Forest is amongst the finest outdoor experiences in the UK, and those seeking a most beautifully personal stay should head to one place only, The Pig, just outside Brockenhurst. This boutique hotel nestles seamlessly into the undulating hillsides, with its olde-world charm fabulously offset by its sharp and modern interiors. As quirky as it is stylish, the hotel must be considered one of the nation’s most stunning undiscovered gems, with a delightfully eccentric collection of curios adorning every corner, and a wonderful welcome, unlike many you’ll experience. One thing that’s not small is the reputation of The Pig’s food offering, and we’re happy to report it is as good as its stellar status suggests it will be. Being close to the south coast its seafood is a particular delight, and only serves to reinforce the hotel’s credentials as being one of the most enjoyable and unusual weekend breaks outside the capital. www.thepig.co.uk
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STYLE & GROOMING
STYLE&GROOMING Where the fun-loving but smart man is acquiring his best-looking face and suit
THE DOLLAR SHAVE CLUB MoneyMaker Magazine caught up with grooming maven Michael Dubin, founder and CEO of a new venture Dollar Shave Club, a super clever concept bringing shaving essentials straight to the busy man’s door. 1. Explain the Dollar Shave Club principle. Men like things easy, and what could be easier than having the things you need every day shipped to you affordably and without you even having to think
about it? Dollar Shave Club wants to help men live smarter, more successful lives through high quality personal care products, content and technology. 2. How did you conceive the idea? When I was living in New York City, buying razors was always a hassle. You had to track down the drugstore clerk to unlock the razor fortress only to pay too much. I knew that the frustration with the razor-buying experience was widespread. It’s something men talk
about a lot. I truly believed the core idea of DSC – great razors, delivered exactly when needed – would resonate. 3. How did you get the funding together? I invested my life’s savings into DSC and launched it out of my apartment. We didn’t approach investors until we needed to scale. We first quietly did proof of concept stuff, selling bulk and by subscription and seeing which was popular. It wasn’t until three months later that we took the business to the venture community. By waiting until we had proof of concept, we were able to attract the right investors. 4. Describe the process of the famous DSC video; what were the thought processes behind it? We didn’t have a lot of money so I asked a friend from my Improv days to direct it. I wrote and acted in it. We also wanted to incorporate humor because I wanted it to be an essential part of the brand. Humor is an important means of communication. 5. How did you maximize this on social media? With our kind of budget we had to find an inexpensive way to market it. Releasing the video on YouTube made the most sense. It turned out to be the right decision. We garnered so much traffic that our servers crashed. I must have called every single programmer to get our servers back up and running. 6. What advice would you have for entrepreneurs seeking to make the most of social media? Start with an idea that resonates. 7. What’s next for you and DSC? We want to own the men’s bathroom and be the easiest, most fun place for guys to buy the things they use every day.
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TAILOR OF THE TAPE #2: JASPER LITTMAN In the latest of our London suit-maker reviews, we check out the bespoke offering from Jasper Littman. LOCATION: As part of the brand’s visiting service, Jasper Littman has premises across London, with their Savile Row rooms at number 9, where a relaxed and classic styling keeps things simple. AMBIENCE: Highly professional and relaxed. Jasper Littman’s brand is about quality, and their tailors create a calm and controlled environment to provide this. SERVICE: Excellent and attentive service, in a classic style. A charming, classic sense of good manners and absolute product knowledge. You’ll always come away knowing that your suit will be taken very seriously indeed.
SUITS ON OFFER: The tailor offers both bespoke and semi-bespoke suits. SIGNATURE STYLE: Classic style from a classic tailor. Clean Savile Row looks, with sharp lines and impeccable tweaks on every suit to get the cut just right. LIKELY TO BE SEEN ON: High flying City execs and senior British politicians. Celebrity clientele are rumoured to include sports stars and movie stars. OVERALL: Many bemoan the loss of the classic look and good old fashioned service on the Row these days, but Jasper Littman incorporates both with a modern edge. As high a quality a service as you can ever hope to expect from the world of bespoke, and a suit that is a thing of beauty at the end. 5/5
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HOW I SPEND IT
FRANK BUGLIONI
Each month a celebrity gives us an insight as to how they would spend an imaginary fortune. This month is the turn of boxer Frank Buglioni Perfect Holiday; Vegas, catching one of the big fights and then experiencing some of the pool parties! Dream Car; Mercedes G-wagon Private Jet or Super Yacht; A super yacht without a doubt. You always have a place to stay wherever you venture. Favourite Luxury Purchase; My wireless Bang and Olufsen speakers, I love music and they produce a very smooth sound. Favourite piece of technology; The iPad, its made keeping track of the business side of my career a lot easier, ticket allocations and such.
Boxer Frank Buglioni
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Spending weakness; I like to spend money, but fortunately most of my time is taken up with training. After fights I enjoy the occasional shopping spree in Selfridges and Harvey Nichols.
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Extravagant Purchase; I’m a bit of a film buff, so it would have to be a private cinema and enjoying the latest films with friends and family on a huge screen. No seats, just a massive sofa. Business Venture; It’s no secret that boxing is a great conditioning exercise, so a state of the art gym, based around professional boxing would be my venture. Money no object; I’d like to think it wouldn’t change me, I’m happiest in the gym, training for fights and then competing. I think I’d be the same, but no doubt in a new pair of gloves and boots every session!
“I LIKE TO SPEND MONEY, BUT FORTUNATELY MOST OF MY TIME IS TAKEN UP WITH TRAINING”
A M E R I C A N FO O T B A L L . E N G L I S H H O S P I TA L I T Y . PITTSBURGH STEELERS
SAN FRANCISCO 49ers
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JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
Wembley Stadium, London Sunday 29 September 2013
Wembley Stadium, London Sunday 27 October 2013
This year’s two NFL International Series games promise to be spectacular. Guarantee your seat for the game(s) by purchasing one of our unique hospitality packages.* And for the ultimate luxury experience, we also have Private Boxes (subject to availability). To book your place, call Ian Sargeant on 020 8795 9524 or email Ian.Sargeant@wembleystadium.com
Sapphire Hospitality Package
Diamond Hospitality Package
£329 inc. VAT
£439 inc. VAT
Bundle for both games £599
Bundle for both games £799
• Three hour pre-game buffet in one of Club Wembley’s private dining facilities – private tables guaranteed for parties of eight or more
• Champagne reception on arrival
• Complimentary bar including wine, beer and soft drinks for three hours before the game, between the second and third Quarters (half-time period) and one hour after the game
• Superb three course pre-match dining experience in the Bobby Moore Room – private tables guaranteed for parties of four or more • Cash bar available during the game
• Premium ticket on the Club Wembley tier with access to all concourse facilities
• Complimentary bar including wine, beer and soft drinks for three hours before the game, between the second and third Quarters (half-time period) and one hour after the game
• Souvenir programme and commemorative VIP pass for each guest
• Premium ticket in the Bobby Moore seating blocks on the halfway line on Level One, either side of the players’ tunnel • Souvenir programme, gift and commemorative VIP pass for each guest
*Hospitality packages are sold on a first come first served basis and are subject to availability.
Superyacht berths from 30m to 150m MEDITERRANEAN | CARIBBEAN | MIDDLE EAST | ASIA
Superyacht berths from 30m to 150m MEDITERRANEAN | CARIBBEAN | MIDDLE EAST | ASIA
To discuss any aspect of superyacht berthing, including berth ownership, please contact: Kurt Fraser | +44 (0)20 3405 3219 | kurt . fraser@cnmarinas.com | www.cnmarinas.com
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Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi
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