TODO Magazine Issue 2

THE SECOND ISSUE The magazine for creative freelancers and small businesses in Brighton & Hove

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BUILD BRIGHTON P4-5

magazine THE SECOND ISSUE The magazine for creative freelancers and small businesses in Brighton & Hove

USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN P6-7

MINECRAFT

DOING A POMODORO

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P14-15

BRIGHTON START-UP...

TOM COX P20-21

YES/NO P22

Brought to you by NLD Accountancy

Welcome

Thank you to everyone who made Issue 1 of TODO so successful,

and for all your feedback. TODO continues to publish articles

GOOD HEALTH GOOD BUSINESS

to help freelancers and small businesses, in Issue 2. We believe that working for yourself demands continuous personal and professional development. Business is faster then ever which

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requires entrepreneurs to be healthy physically and mentally. A big thank you to all who’ve contributed to Issue 2, and for generous sponsorship from FreeAgent.

Thanks to Ocasta Studios, the Brighton-based app company, TODO magazine now has its own iPhone and iPad app. Thank you to our designer Phil Wellington for his great commitment to the magazine. TODO magazine would like to hear from you If you wish to share your experience, knowledge, opinions, and news of events.

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UK VAT ACCOUNTING SCHEMES P8-9

HOW TO... BE A FREELANCE JOURNALIST P10-11

WHAT I WISH SOMEONE HAD TOLD ME...

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WRITE CLUB

Managing Director/Editor Nilden Ozkan todo@nldaccountancy.com

ART DIRECTION, ILLUSTRATION AND DESIGN Phil Wellington info@ilovenewwork.co.uk

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Julia Chanteray, Emily Coltan, Tom Cox, Drinkaware, Simon Elliott, Andy Friend, Siabohan Gibson, Lucy Grewcock, Mathew Keller, Leif Kendal, Amir Khella, Emma O’Sullivan, Henry Ryder, Ben Sauer, John Shann & John Thompson

PUBLISHER NLD Accountancy Limited www.nldaccountancy.com

SPONSORED BY

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SPECIAL THANKS TO TO ADVERTISE

THE BIG PICTURE P23

THE IMPORTANCE OF AUDIO IN MEDIA P24-25

ABOUT NLD ACCOUNTANCY

DEMOCRATISING ACCOUNTING

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Please email Nilden Ozkan todo@nldaccountancy.com

TO SUBMIT AN ARTICLE Please email Nilden Ozkan todo@nldaccountancy.com © 2012 TODO Magazine / NLD Accountancy Limited All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part without permission from the publisher. The views expressed in TODO Magazine are those of retrospective contributors and are not necessarily shared by TODO Magazine / NLD Accountancy Limited.

CONTACT xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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IMAGE BY flickr.com/photos/barnoid/

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BUILD Brighton Build Brighton is a communal workshop and collective of makers, designers, tinkerers, hobbyists, engineers, artists and hackers who love to build stuff.

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e’re part of a global network of hackspaces – places where like-minded people can geek out about electronics, technology, crafts, engineering … even food hacking! The main purpose of the hackspace is to provide a space and tools, so our members can gather, beaver away on their own projects and take part in exciting group projects, in a playful and friendly environment.

What is a Hackspace?

Hackspaces – or hackerspaces – are communityoperated places where people can meet up and work on projects. Often this involves equipping a space with industrial-standard high-tech machinery such as laser cutters, 3D printers and CNC machines.

Despite the name, hackspaces have nothing to do with cyber-crime or malicious computer hacking. Rather, our hackers are the type of people who love taking things apart to find out how they work, and often putting them back together with a few improvements!

What do we do?

On a practical level, Build Brighton gives members access to the tools, space and expertise needed to work on their projects, which have been everything from homemade Tesla coils to personalised anniversary presents. We have equipment for electronics, wood and metal working, but we also have members who are experts in the fields of robotics, engineering, electronics and design, and who love sharing their knowledge with people who are keen to learn.

We love building things together, and often work on group projects. Last year we attempted to post an undamaged cupcake halfway around the world as part of the Global Cupcake Hackathon; and a learning toy for children that a group of our members developed, ended up landing them tickets to San Francisco for the Bay Area Maker Faire.

We promote maker-culture whenever possible, and run workshops at festivals like White Night and the Brighton Science Festival to teach kids what they can do with a bit of electronics and some soldering skills.

Last year we also organised the mega-successful Brighton Mini Maker Faire at the Brighton Dome – an event that will be returning in September bigger and better than ever!

How do I get involved?

Our workshop is located at Shed A, Rodhus Studios, 16–30 Hollingdean Road, Brighton, BN2 4AA. To find out more about what we do, come along to one of our Open Evenings. They’re held every Thursday from 7 p.m., and usually see a turnout of 15–20 people, many of whom will also be visiting us for the first time. We’re a friendly bunch and there will always be someone to show you around and chat to you about what they’re working on!

If you like what we do and want to become a member, it costs just £20 a month (or £10 a month for concessions). Build Brighton members have 24-hour access to our 1,300 sq ft workspace and all the equipment. All membership fees are used to cover the running costs of the space. For a full rundown of membership benefits, and information on how to sign up, visit www.buildbrighton.com/blog/join/ We also hold regular events and workshops that are open to non-members, including a monthly board games night, craft evenings, food hacking afternoons, soldering and Arduino workshops and retro-computing nights. You can check out our upcoming events schedule at www.buildbrighton.com/blog/events/ To find out more about Build Brighton, join the Google Group for email updates (brightonhackerspace@googlegroups.com) or follow us on Twitter: @buildbrighton.

CONTACT Emma O’Sullivan info@buildbrighton.com www.buildbrighton.com

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User Experience

design 6

IMAGE BY flickr.com/photos/vancouverghost/

What if thousands of people were underpaying their tax by accident, and getting fined for it later?

I can’t be the only one.

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aying your tax as a self-employed person is never fun. Some years ago I switched to a stricter accounting regime in order to ensure I was saving the correct amount of tax in advance into a separate account. I submit my UK tax return once a year, which tells me what I should pay at the end.

There’s lots of things about accounting, tax, and the process that I am prone to forget (once a year only!), so there’s an additional burden on this interface to guide me through this complicated task successfully, without having to remember lots of little details.

Clearly I got it wrong this year: I’ve just received a letter informing me that I’ve underpaid my tax by a significant amount. I won’t go into the boring details of tax but the problem is caused at the end of the process:

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hey shock a user by incorrectly asking for a T very large payment that is two tax years added together; no idea why they even show this (see ‘WHAT THE HELL??’ in my screenshot). hey don’t calculate and display the figure you T should pay, even though the numbers needed for calculation are displayed right there. In fact, you’re misled by a different figure. (see ‘OK, will pay right away’ in my screenshot).

Do they have any idea how error-prone this screen turns out to be? Once again, I wonder if this is a page with an initially poor design, that’s resulted in

a lot of expensive, labour-making mistakes. A few questions then:

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Are they unaware?

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hat are the bureaucratic/cultural/cost barriers W to fixing it?

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I s there some technicality that means they can’t show the correct calculation?

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I s it deliberate? Are they profiting from the resulting mistake?

Here’s my guess: there’s a stakeholder somewhere in the chain who believes that it’s the user’s job to know all of the little details about tax, including how to calculate it. But here’s the rub: this screen actively misleads a user, as opposed to just leaving them to calculate on their own.

It would be better to show less, or nothing, forcing a user to check with their accountant, or perhaps reread how to do the calculation. But I’d prefer it if they showed the right number!

CONTACT Ben Sauer ben@redbeard.org.uk www.redbeard.org.uk

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UK VAT accounting schemes

IMAGE BY flickr.com/photos/elwillo/

Emily Coltman, Chief Accountant of the online accounting software firm FreeAgent, explains the different types of VAT accounting.

Choosing the correct scheme could smooth your cash flow.

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f you’re registered for VAT, you’ll either be ‘invoice accounting for VAT’ or ‘cash accounting for VAT’.

What do those terms mean? Invoice accounting – sometimes called standard accounting – means that you have to pay VAT to HM Revenue as you raise invoices. Cash accounting means that you only have to pay VAT to HM Revenue when your customers pay you.

Let’s take an example. Mary is a freelance web designer. On 1st February 2011 she issued an invoice

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to her customer Jack, for £1,000+VAT, so £1,200 in full. She will have to pay £200 to HM Revenue. Mary prepares her VAT returns to 31st March, 30th June, 30th September and 31st December each year. If Jack pays Mary’s invoice on 1st April 2011, the invoice falls into the quarter ended 31st March, while the payment falls into the quarter ended 30th June. If Mary is invoice accounting for VAT, she must include the £200 from this invoice on her March VAT return and pay it over to HM Revenue by 30th April (7th May

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if she is paying online). But if she is cash accounting for VAT, she won’t have to include the £200 from this invoice until her June VAT return, because that was the period in which Jack paid her, so she won’t have to pay it to HM Revenue until 31st July (7th August if she’s paying online).

So cash accounting can be better for your cash flow because you won’t have to pay HM Revenue their VAT until your customers have paid what they owe you. You won’t have to find the money elsewhere.

Does it work the same way for bills from my suppliers?

Yes. If you’re invoice accounting, you can reclaim any input VAT on the return for the period during which your supplier invoices you. If you’re cash accounting, you can’t reclaim any input VAT until you actually pay your supplier. So if you tend to pay your bills promptly, it won’t make a big difference from that point of view whether you’re invoice or cash accounting. But if your customers always pay you immediately, if for example, your business is a retail shop, then you may be well advised to stick to invoice accounting, so that you can reclaim the VAT promptly on bills from your suppliers.

What about when customers don’t pay me?

If you have a bad debt, i.e. your customer doesn’t pay an invoice, then this will be handled differently depending on which method you’re using to account for your VAT. If you’re cash accounting, you wouldn’t have paid the VAT on that invoice to HM Revenue anyway, so there’s no harm done. But if you’re invoice accounting, then you’ll be out of pocket because you’ll have already paid the VAT to HM Revenue but you’re not going to be paid it back by your customer. You can reclaim that VAT back from HM Revenue, which is called ‘bad debt relief’. There are, unsurprisingly, strings attached here. You can, for example, only claim back bad debt relief on debts that are more than six months old, even if you know for certain before that time that your customer won’t pay you, say if they’ve gone into liquidation. HM Revenue have more information.

What if a customer pays me in advance of an invoice?

Even if you’re invoice accounting for VAT, you would be liable to pay the VAT at the point the customer paid you, if the customer pays in advance. This is because a payment from a customer creates a ‘tax point’, at which point VAT becomes payable.

What if I’m also on the flat rate scheme?

This has its own ‘cash-based method’ that you can use. In short, instead of adding up all your sales invoices, you’d add up all the money your customers paid you for that quarter.

Can anyone use the cash accounting scheme?

No, it’s aimed at smaller businesses, so your estimated VAT taxable sales for the next 12 months must be no more than £1.35 million. Once you’ve joined the scheme, you can stay on it until your annual VAT taxable sales level breaks £1.6 million.

You can’t use cash accounting if you’re behind with your VAT returns or payments, or have been convicted of a VAT offence or charged a penalty for VAT evasion in the last year.

Do I have to tell HM Revenue when I start or stop using the cash accounting scheme?

No, you don’t. It could be beneficial to your business to use the cash accounting scheme, but equally it’s not available to everyone. If in doubt, do seek your accountant’s advice.

CONTACT Emily Coltman emily@freeagent.com www.freeagent.com

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IMAGE BY flickr.com/photos/bs/

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HOW TO... get started as a freelance journalist

Be in no doubt about it – freelance journalism is a very tough gig.

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nyone can call themselves a freelance journalist, there are no rules or qualifications for entry, but talent will always prevail and those with the best skills are most likely to succeed. If you’re ready to start out on your own, we’ve set out a few tips.

Start by taking advice from established freelance journalists; contact any you know and ask for their insight and experience, or consider joining an email discussion group: Journalism.co.uk runs a freelance database and freelancejournalism.com group; the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) operates a freelance directory; and there are specialist lists such as Editorial Photographers UK and Media Women UK.

Training courses It is never too late to learn. Journalism.co.uk has a comprehensive list of short training courses; the BBC’s training wing offers discounts to freelancers; and the NUJ ‘Getting started as a freelance’ course is led by well-respected freelancers, Humphrey Evans and Phil Sutcliffe.

Looking for work Get yourself out there! Do not wait for the phone to ring, advises Evans.

Directories like Brad and Benn’s list a range of publications, and you can find potential clients by scanning the job adverts on journalism.co.uk (sign up to our email job alerts or our RSS feed).

When you’ve decided who to write for, pitch ideas that will not cost much and will not date. Tell the editor why their readers will like it and use a clear subject line. Think in Hollywood terms, advises Evans: “you have 25 seconds to pitch a blockbuster.”

Contacts and getting youR name out there It’s an undeniable truth that getting work often depends on who you know. As well as constant networking and communication, Evans suggests setting up your own website, “You can then provide a link to your work so a commissioning editor can get an idea of your capabilities. A firm such as Mr Site can set you up a basic website for around £25 a year.”

Doing deals and making an offer they cannot refuse Freelancer Phil Sutcliffe leads the NUJ session on deal making, and advises doing the initial deal over the telephone and then confirming in writing.

Before negotiating rates, do your research. Find out what the publication pays, be clear about how much time you will spend and what your expenses will be.

Do not be afraid to point out your own expertise and say how much work is involved.

Finances and tax The good news is you have no boss. The bad news is you have no salary; chasing invoices is the bane of a freelancer’s life and, to survive, you must be able to manage your money.

You’ll need to tell the tax office that you are selfemployed using the SA1 form, and get hold of the ‘Thinking of working for yourself’ leaflet (P/S/E/1).

Also check out the Inland Revenue website or call the newly self-employed helpline on 0845 9154515.

Copyright Whatever you write belongs to you, so be clear about how others are allowed to use your work. It is normal to agree the right to use your work in one medium and one territory; anything beyond that, such as online publishing as well as in print, should cost more.

The culture shock Freelance journalism is tough. If you like a regular wage and paid holidays – think again! “Working freelance means learning to live with uncertainty,” advises Evans. It can lead to psychological strain because of the constant deadlines and money worries.

“The worst thing would be to do it because you’re forced into it. You must enjoy it or it will be hell on earth.”

CONTACT John Thompson info@journalism.co.uk www.journalism.co.uk

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mine

CRAFT Escapism, exploration, and experimentation.

Simon Elliott whets the appetite for construction, by giving us an intimate view of the procedural world of Minecraft, a video game in which your environment is literally in your hands.

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ou start knowing nothing, with nothing but horizons and long flowing vistas. The sun is up high but the day is still short and you have a sense of foreboding about the dusk-dwelling creatures. You ramble through long grass with cudchewing cows. The occasional sheep stares at you intently as you skip past their pasture. You climb a great mountain up onto a plateau and a great endless sea emerges beneath you.

Down below in a cove by a beach in the sunset, you break down branches and build a small workbench.

With stone and some cladding, you craft your first axe, and lay your foundation before nightfall arrives.

You spend your first night in your hut by the sea, strange rumblings outside but with nothing to see in the stars in the darkness. You dig down, it’s safer, through earth and through rock till you find a great cavern with damp chilling echoes. As you ponder your course you catch the glint of an eye in the distance. Its too late by then. You wake up in your bed. You did make one, yes?

Minecraft is an open-ended platform. You could build a castle with friends or a functioning computer. Its beauty is in its simplicity. After a few minutes play you no longer see the cubes but ripe settling ground and snowy tree tops. Imagine

being given unlimited LEGOs and unlimited space.

Now all you need is unlimited time.

Join us on our multiplayer server

PURCHASE www.minecraft.net – £17

(run by members of the Skiff) www.groups.google.com/group/skiffcraft/ (Mention this article in your request to join) Minecraft SubReddit www.reddit.com/r/Minecraft

CONTACT Simon Elliott www.groups.google.com /group/skiffcraft/

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pomodOro I’ve noticed something about the way that I work: if I can concentrate on what I’m doing, I can get a whole day’s worth of work done in about an hour.

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IMAGE BY flickr.com/photos/epsos/

doing a

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IMAGE BY flickr.com/photos/lessapathymorecake/

Millions of items (well, three or four) can be ticked off the to do list when I’m in the zone.

But if I’m not focussed, my productivity drops dramatically, and my day disappears.

So I’ve been trying a new time management technique – the pomodoro technique. I’ll explain why I’m going on about Italian tomatoes.

What’s a pomodoro?

This system was invented by an Italian chap, Francesco Cirillo, and it uses a kitchen timer in the shape of a tomato, or a pomodoro, as the Italians more romantically call them.

What you do is decide on what you want to do today, and make your list (just for today, not the big to do list), just the same as in any other time management system. And then when you’ve picked the first thing to do, you set your tomato timer to 25 minutes and work just on that thing for 25 minutes. You only do that thing; you don’t look at Twitter, book your holiday, have a cup of tea or check your email. When the timer goes off, you stop what you’re doing and have a five minute break, preferably involving getting away from the computer and walking around. You do not carry on for another ten minutes; you have to have that break.

The idea is that our brains can only concentrate for a short period of time, then we need to do something else. But in that short period of time, we can accomplish wonders.

So, I do 25 minutes of work, then what?

You do one pomodoro, have a five minute break, and then you do another one. This might be to finish off what you started in the first one, or if you’ve done that, you can start a new task. After you’ve done three or four pomodoros, have a longer break, preferably involving chocolate or other mind improving substances.

Does it work?

It sounds really simple, and I’m only doing the simple version, but it’s not easy. The temptation to do other things is quite extreme. But I’ve been telling myself that I can do those things when the timer goes off, and if they’re serious things to do, like phone a client, I put them on the to do list. It’s rare that something comes up that can’t wait for 25 minutes.

But the more I do it, the more I can get done, and I’m really enjoying the breaks to look at the sunset, or read interesting things online, or go outside, because I feel justified in taking a break.

This article took one pomodoro to write – how many pomodoros are you going to do today?

CONTACT Julia Chanteray julia@thejoyofbusiness.co.uk www.thejoyofbusiness.co.uk

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What I Wish Someone Had Told Me...

...4 years ago

The year is 2007, and I had just left Microsoft to dive into the startup world.

Like many first time entrepreneurs, I was very excited about the adventure.

And like many, I didn’t know where to start.

It wasn’t until I decided to launch my own startup that I realised that nothing I’d read, watched or attended really prepared me for it. And I mean it: absolutely NOTHING. I had forgotten most of what I’d learned, and what I remembered didn’t apply

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much to my situation. I’d been snacking on other people’s experiences and successes and, like junk food, it made me feel bloated and satisfied. Sorry to be a party pooper, but that’s reality.

In the beginning I tried applying the things I’d learned to my situation. That didn’t work. The magic moment really happened when I made peace with the fact that I’d just wasted a good deal of time learning things I didn’t really need, believing there was a magic word someone would utter that would launch me into action. Every event, every conference, and every blog post was just another excuse to postpone action one more day. I made peace with it and moved on with a beginner’s mindset, believing that I will figure out what I need along the way. And that made all the difference.

IMAGE BY flickr.com/photos/hawee/

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o I attended events, meetups, conferences, and mingled with the local startup community in Seattle. When time came to move to the Bay Area, I found even more events, more meetups, and more conferences. The startup ecosystem was so busy and alive, and I found a wealth of knowledge and experience being shared, which I consumed eagerly. There were also blogs, videos, interviews, and books that I ingested with passion. They made great conversation topics during the events, the meetups and the conferences. I even joined a incubator!

Issue #2 / 2012 / There is a part in each one of us that wants to create, deliver, and launch into an entrepreneurial adventure with all the uncertainty and risk that it brings. But there is also the other part, the one that wants to feel certain and confident that we’re making the right decision, and we’re not going to fail and hurt ourselves along the way. And that’s where most of the friction comes from. But these blogs, these events, and these interviews didn’t really remove that friction. For a while, it just gave me some comfort knowing there were enough people doing the same things. Going into entrepreneurship was outside of my comfort zone, and I’d just I moved from one comfort zone into another. And you know what? I was in good company! One day I had my reality check and saw that I was busy doing many things, except working on my product. A couple of months later, I can say with full confidence: the only thing that counted was to actually sit down and do the work. Don’t take me wrong. I think some blogs and conferences are valuable. But unless you’re already working on something that provides the framework for your learning and networking, you’ll be wasting valuable time.

tremendously in getting ideas out of my head and into a format that I can quickly see, interact with, and show to potential customers. That’s why I created it in the first place! Sometimes these small projects can even become profitable.

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I n each step, I came up with a list of questions that would help me move to the next step.

Whether it was getting more traffic, improving the product, or increasing revenue without increasing traffic, I came up with the best questions I could. Then I did research, asked people and put the answers into action immediately. Information not acted on takes too much space in my biological memory stick.

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This is my favourite: I created more fear of not starting than the fear of starting. I realized that every day I waited a customer was not getting my solution, and a competitor was getting closer to it. I even imagined my worst nightmare if I failed to take action: I was Milton from Office Space, tucked in the corner cubicle of Innotech, staring at my red stapler and waiting for my next pay cheque. That was the magic kick-in-thebutt I was looking for. I first got things done, then I got them done right. I learned the hard way that momentum mattered most. If I can’t take action right away on my idea, chances are I never will. Whenever I get an idea nowadays, I do something to pin it to my reality, and to make it tangible. I do it in a quick and ugly way, then figure out how to do it better, and learn only what I need for that.

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I faced reality: nothing was going to happen until I went out of my comfort zone and did it. Many wait, but a few act. I want to leave you with a quote that changed my life: “successful people aren’t necessarily smarter or luckier than others, they just try so many things and fail until something works out.” Don’t be an entrepreneur by association, be an entrepreneur by action and results.

Action steps that helped me overcome “Startup friction syndrome” 1

I stopped reading startup news and blogs for a few weeks, and realized I didn’t miss anything related to my products. It didn’t matter who got funded, who got acquired, or why Internet Explorer was losing market share to Google Chrome. The only WHOs I care about are the customers, and the only WHATs I focus on are their needs and desires, and how to best deliver value to them.

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I stopped going to startup events for a couple of months, and started catching up with friends over coffee or drinks instead. I still go to one or two events each month, but I do it for fun. I no longer confuse going to entrepreneurship events with being an entrepreneur.

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I taught myself through small projects. I broke down ideas into small manageable chunks, and gave myself deadlines to finish each of them. Projects and experiments are amazing teaching devices because you learn as needed and you learn first-hand. Keynotopia has helped

CONTACT Amir Khella amir@khella.com blog.amirkhella.com

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There are no rules at

WRITE

CLUB On the power of making connections

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IMAGE BY flickr.com/photos/hills_alive/

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rom day one I could see that connections were important. I started freelancing with no connections and no clients. I’d been working in a company, unrelated to my freelance profession, and never had a chance to meet potential clients or partners.

So I pushed myself to try networking, because I could see the value of meeting people, rather than just being an invisible person behind a website. And it worked.

Through networking I met all kinds of friends, colleagues and clients (as well as a few desperate salespeople).

But, no matter how many networking events I attended, I never met other copywriters. I knew they were out there, working on similar projects and facing the same challenges, but they were hiding!

Eager to meet other writers, I founded a group just for us. I borrowed (stole) the format and structure from The Farm (a group for Brighton freelancers) and Likemind and started spreading the word. WriteClub is now in its third year, and while we continue to be a modestly-sized group, we’ve achieved great things.

BUILD YOUR OWN MEETUP GROUP Looking for a group that doesn’t exist?

No problem! Just make your own. It’s super-easy and need not cost a penny.

Here’s how:

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Decide your purpose. Who is your group for

and why will you meet?

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Choose a name, venue (meet in cafes or

pubs to cut costs) and meeting time.

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Create a presence. Make a blog

(try wordpress.com), create a Facebook page and start a Twitter account. All are free.

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I nvite people. It can be hard spreading the word to enough people, but remember you can start small and grow (or just stay small!)

Thanks to WriteClub, Brighton has a hub for writers, a meeting point where we can assemble and get to know each other. Freelancers have a place to talk to their peers, get advice and voice concerns. We all have a chance to share our experiences and learn from each other.

The benefits of a group like WriteClub are immense and often intangible, but thanks to WriteClub I’ve met 50 or 60 new people, and now have a solid network of writers that I can call on for advice, support and help with projects. I’ve used WriteClub to find partners for jobs and I’ve had people return the favour too – passing over work they didn’t need. Thanks to WriteClub I’ve made new friends and feel like part of a community.

CONTACT Leif Kendall leif@kendallcopywriting.co.uk www.kendallcopywriting.co.uk

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BRIGHTON START-UP Tom Cox Founder of 15gifts Ltd.

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So what is 15Gifts?

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he idea behind 15gifts is to use intelligence to find fifteen gift ideas from loads of really good stores, to exactly match the person you’re looking for. 15gifts also links up to a customer’s Facebook account, so they can receive reminders with fifteen tailored gift suggestions every time a friend’s birthday comes up.

How did you get started?

I left university with a marketing degree, joined a local internet company which was running out of a spare bedroom in the countryside, a travel company called Twinroom. Later on we launched Skoosh, one of the first hotel review sites in the market. I took full control of the day-to-day running of the company in Brighton which eventually meant managing around fourteen staff. It was very good experience. I left in 2010 to start 15gifts.

15Gifts has been active for just over a year now. Have you had any surprises in that time?

We launched just before last Christmas and, quite unexpectedly, companies started to write and enquire about how they could license the decision engine to engage users and drive recommendations on their own websites. As a result, we developed an intelligent navigation tool that can be plugged into any website in around 25 minutes to offer the same level of service you would expect to find from a brilliant high street shop assistant: engaging you when you need some help with a few targeted questions, before learning from other shoppers to recommend a tailored selection of products. The tool can really be adapted to any market.

What’s your secret to building a successful online business?

The biggest thing I’ve learned is that you need to know that you’re building something people want, before you try and scale it up. It’s very easy to get overexcited about an idea that you have. Don’t wait until it’s perfect or even nearly perfect before you get something out. Get something out and then iterate and change. The thing is, the business you start building is almost never going to be the same business that you end up with. The worst case scenario is that you find that it isn’t quite the right product, but at least you’ve pulled the plug before you’ve spent lots of time and money.

What’s your motivation?

The motivation for working for myself is freedom.

You work harder than anyone, but on your terms.

The freedom really comes from being able to have an idea and actually do it. I always loved the idea of creating a company that I would love to work for. My dad was the director of KPM Music Library and he absolutely loved it. I’d see him happily heading off to work every morning and it made me really focused on having a job which I love. There’s been times that I’ve had money and times when I’ve been completely boot-strapping everything, and I didn’t feel any different inside. I think it’s the success that is the driving force, it’s that confidence it gives you.

Any last words of advice for freelancers and small business owners?

Keep small for as long as possible; a member of staff gives you a lot of responsibility. If you employ someone, employ someone who’s better than you.

CONTACT Tom Cox tom@15gifts.com www.15gifts.com

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yes no?

You have the power of will to decide what you want to do.

If you have determination you have already learned this.

S

imple really. You can only be in one place at one time. Picture if you will; your life is like a light source. You are emitting energy like a candle does.

“The candle that burns twice as bright, burns half as long...”

This line from Blade Runner spoken to the doomed replicant by his creator, clarifies the urgency.

Decide what you want to achieve. Focus your energy on building that future. Choose.

The light can be focused and you can shine your attention and efforts onto one task intensely, or attempt multiple jobs in a diffused way.

You are a being made of energy; your life is a finite resource. Focus your energy. Have an awareness of what can be achieved, what is important, what you want to achieve, then decide to do it! Make that leap. Invest your commitment to making the possibility a reality.

I know personally from designing and illustrating, the clearer you can see it in your mind, the easier it is to make.

Spend a conscious amount of time envisaging your aim. Visualise it. You can choose to direct the laser

22

one way or another, but the more you split the path the weaker the intensity.

As all you geeks know binary works with 0s and 1s.

Binary notation does not code for 0.5. There is really no ‘maybe’. No half decision. Be decisive.

If you are going to do something, do your best to do it. Each time you are too lenient on yourself you damage your resolve by not fulfilling on a commitment.

‘Maybe’ suggests a weakness of will that implies lack of belief in the future, of oneself, an indifference to events, or genuine powerlessness as to an outcome.

‘Maybe’ will only work in situations really out of your control, for example “will it rain?” The difference is you can do something about getting wet. You can choose to incorporate the possibility that it might rain, and plan accordingly. Pack a coat...

CONTACT Henry Ryder hello@henryryder.com www.henryryder.com

IMAGE BY flickr.com/photos/maladjusted/

/ Issue #2 / 2012

“Crowd” – by Mathew Keller Mathew Keller an award winning Graphic Designer, Art Director and Photographer based in Brighton, England. me@mathewkeller.com / www.mathewkeller.com

THE BIG PICTURE

Issue #2 / 2012 /

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/ Issue #2 / 2012

THE IMPORTANCE OF

audio in media

Andy Friend discusses the relevance of sound and music in media, and considers how modern industry sectors can benefit from audio project integration.

E

ver since the beginnings of media and visual art, sound and music has played an important role in the portrayal of interpersonal communication.

Whether a story wrapped in emotion, excitement or suspense, audio in media gives the opportunity to provide a richer view of the intended message. Early cinema would play live music along with silent film, giving the audience an experience beyond just the visual presentation, in the hope that an impression would be left long after attending the theatre. The same can be said for contemporary digital media.

personal fulfilment. These are all very desirable states of mind for your audience when presenting them with your work, be it interactively or passively.

Music is all around us, and is seen in everything from marketing campaigns to video games, and serves to give people an experience beyond simply what they see. If music is not used as an accompanying tool in the means of production, sound alone would be the next logical consideration, as sound can be just as powerful a tool, if used to assist the audience in understanding your message within the media.

This can be done in various ways, such as using carefully placed sound events, which will give certain visual events the feeling of recognition and memory.

People link certain types of sounds to certain types of feelings, like being happy, task engagement, and

It’s surprising that sound and music is not used more in media sectors such as web development and design, as considering the above factors – much can be gained from thoughtful audio integration, and as environments like this are interactive (as they are in video games), there’s lots of scope for prototyping, bespoke solutions, and trend analysis.

These solutions, combined with a strong audio concept can scale and develop over time, giving not only a more effective product, but a product that can be more relevant to your audience.

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The state of mind many people reach from experiencing music in media is clear, in that if a person can relate to the music in some way, or the music can elicit some kind of positive emotional response, the media producer has succeeded in reaching out an individual, in a deeper way than simply informing them about a particular theme.

IMAGE BY flickr.com/photos/aidanwojtas/

Issue #2 / 2012 /

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Andy Friend is the director of Curve Audio, a sound design and music composition studio specialising in audio media for film, games and animation.

CONTACT Andy Friend hello@curveaudio.com www.curveaudio.com

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/ Issue #2 / 2012

good business 26

IMAGE BY flickr.com/photos/jaako/

GOOD HEALTH

Issue #2 / 2012 /

When times are tough (or preferably before), it’s time to get fit and strong.

Following a few simple guidelines and seeing what works best for you, your life can be transformed from getting by to getting better.

KEEPING WELL

A

glass of wine or one or two beers while out with friends isn’t likely to play havoc with your health. If you do choose to drink, the best way to ensure alcohol won’t adversely affect your health in the future is to stick within the government’s daily unit guidelines.

The guidelines advise that women should not regularly exceed 2-3 units (equivalent to a 175ml glass of 13% wine) and men should not regularly exceed 3-4 units daily (equivalent to a pint and a half of 4% beer). Our unit calculator and MyDrinkaware will help you achieve this.

When you listen to your body’s needs and take care of yourself, you’ll find it much easier to enjoy that glass of wine or beer with a clear conscience.

Not regularly drinking to excess is one important way to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Here are a few other easy wins, to get you looking and feeling great.

Waist not, want not Building exercise into your regular routine is good practice, whether you drink or not. It helps with your mental and physical health, gets those feel-good hormones pumping around your body, keeps you trim and can even improve bone density. If you sometimes feel like having a drink to calm your postwork stress, exercise can be a great alternative.

Regular bites Many weight-conscious men and women who like a drink are slipping into the habit of fasting during the day so that they can ‘spend’ the calories on booze.

Drinking alcohol on an empty stomach is not good for your health, It’s far healthier eating three low-fat, healthy meals a day than starving yourself and drinking to excess every evening.

Slow-releasing, complex carbs, such as wholewheat bread, pulses or brown rice, give your body more energy for longer. Combine them with lots of vegetables and some lean protein and you’ll be the life and soul of the party, without feeling the need to turn to alcohol to keep your spirits high.

Take a break Try not to drink alcohol every night to give your liver a chance to rest and recuperate. It was not designed to fight a constant barrage of booze, so if you treat it more kindly and allow it some respite, you’ll help ward off booze-related liver problems and stay in tip-top condition.

Deep breaths Grumpy with colleagues or so shattered from work you slump on the sofa? A certain amount of adrenaline is common for most busy professionals, but too much stress can have a negative effect on the body and play havoc with your personal life.

Sometimes people can turn to booze as they think it helps deal with stress, but it makes it worse.

Instead, try some other stress busting techniques.

Look into taking some kind of meditation or yoga class. You can incorporate small things into your daily routine, such as breathing deeply when you feel yourself getting stressed; or taking regular walks round the block. And take time to enjoy life.

Spending time with friends and family can be a great tonic at the end of a hard day.

CONTACT Drinkaware www.drinkaware.co.uk www.mydrinkaware.co.uk

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/ Issue #2 / 2012

ABOUT nld accountancy

N

LD Accountancy provides full accountancy and taxation services for freelancers and small businesses in Brighton & Hove. Nilden Ozkan heads a team of professionals to deliver services to our clients.

By spending time in the business community in order to understand businesses and the business environment locally, we have developed an understanding relationship with our clients, enabling us to tailor our service to individual needs and make real money savings.

Our aim is to help your business prosper and grow by using a range of accounting techniques and procedures, cash flow being an especially important area for most businesses.

If you think we may be of help, why not call Nilden for your free one-hour consultation: 01273 252 241 or 07960 315119 www.nldaccountancy.com.

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Free WorkshoP with Nilden Ozkan at NLD Accountancy 4pm Wednesday 11th April 2012 The Werks, 45 Church Road, Hove, BN3 2BE

Areas to be covered • • • • • • •

FreeAgent: what is it?

Why use it?

Getting started Reviewing FreeAgent accounting reports Using accounting reports for decision making VAT with FreeAgent Questions & Answers

Existing users and anyone who may be interested in using this accounting software are welcome to come along to the evening. To attend this free workshop, please email info@nldaccountancy.com to secure your place. We look forward to hearing from you.

IMAGE BY flickr.com/photos/23553187@N06/

Issue #2 / 2012 /

Democratising ACCOUNTING

for small businesses

FreeAgent is the brainchild of Ed Molyneux, Olly Headey and Roan Lavery – three former freelancers who had a vision of “democratising accounting” for freelancers and small businesses.

F

reeAgent is the brainchild of Ed Molyneux, Olly Headey and Roan Lavery – three former freelancers who had a vision of “democratising accounting” for freelancers and small businesses.

Frustrated with having to use spreadsheets for managing their own accounts, the trio realised that there was no simple bookkeeping system specifically designed for freelancers and small businesses – and the seeds for FreeAgent were sown.

After six months of solidly developing the system, FreeAgent was launched in 2007. Its mission: to provide an intuitive, easy-to-use system for small companies to use to manage their accounts effectively.

FreeAgent is now used by thousands of freelancers and small businesses across the UK and overseas, who rely on it to feel smart not stupid, about their accounts. The award-winning system allows customers to send invoices, track time and expenses, analyse bank statements, and build real-time accounts – and this is all done simply with no confusing jargon. It even helps forecast tax bills, and helps users make sure they don’t miss HMRC’s deadlines.

With a dedicated team of expert developers and support staff working from its Edinburgh headquarters, FreeAgent is committed to developing the best possible system to put freelancers and small businesses in the driving seat when it comes to their accounts. You can try it for free today at www.freeagent.com.

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To Do

Your personal cut-out-and-keep To Do List for the month!

Daily exercise: Do one of: running, cycling or 10 mins yoga.

Health: Eat salads; drink less alcohol and more water; review ‘Good health, Good Business’ article in TODO magazine, page 26

Accounts: 2011/12 financial year ends 5th April 2012; get books and records ready to send to accountant.

Networking: Go to Brighton Farm next Wednesday night for a bit of networking and socialising with other business people.

App: Check out Clear; amazing new app for list-keeping; unbelievably simple, quick and satisfying to use.

Friends:

Call …............. for a chat rather than send Facebook message.