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Member in the spotlight James Codling of VentureFounders on investing in disruptive tech companies
Mental health A new campaign aims to support entrepreneurs if their growing business starts taking its toll
T h e
I n f o r m e r Issue 21
November 2018
theclubhouselondon.com
PITCH PERFECT How to get the ‘yes’ you want
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Meet. Work. Grow.
MEMBER STRAPLINE OFFERS
❂ Our ethos at The Clubhouse is to make our members and their businesses more successful. A major part of this is to provide members with exclusive offers and benefits from a range of partners. 5
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No. 1 Lounges 25% off lounge access, plus complimentary Premium Security
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The Stafford London 20% off the best available rate
For details on these offers and many other Member Benefits visit the Members section on theclubhouselondon.com
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INTRODUCTION
ADAM BLASKEY FOUNDER & CEO The Clubhouse
W e l come November is traditionally one of the busiest times of the year for our members. There’s no hiding the fact that Christmas is coming, so if there’s a deal to be done or a contract to be won, time is very much of the essence. Before the Christmas party season kicks in, rest assured that we are here to help you be as productive and successful as possible before the year is out. Whether you need somewhere professional to meet a potential client, a video-conference with a partner on the other side of the world, a quiet space to conduct end-of-year reviews, a final board meeting or a strategy day in The Greenhouse, we have it covered. And if you still haven’t booked some Christmas drinks for your team, we can help with that too – speak to one of our team or email events@theclubhouselondon.com.
Following on from previous months, we have some great events lined up. Hot on the heels of Tim Steiner and Adam Brown, our guest speakers on Tuesday 13 November are Nick and Giles English, co-founders of Bremont, the award-winning watch business that they launched in 2002 and which now has stores in London, New York and Hong Kong – a true British success story. The following morning, on Wednesday 14 November, we will be hosting our annual Members’ Breakfast in partnership with Cogress, the property private equity platform whose investors have helped to fund over 50 development projects around the UK. Joining us for an update on the residential property market will be Nick Barnes, Head of Research at Chestertons. On Tuesday
20 November, we have a second Members’ Breakfast, this time in partnership with Mishcon de Reya, when Emma Woollcott, Head of Reputation Protection, will be joining us to share her insights and advice on your most valuable asset: your reputation and what you can do both proactively and reactively to protect it. Finally, we have two great pieces for you to read: the first is by Nicole Soames of Diadem Performance on how to deliver the perfect pitch (congratulations also to Nicole on the publication of her second book, ‘The Influence Book’) and the second following research carried out by the 100 Stories of Growth campaign which looks at the emotional toll that building a high-growth business can have on company founders.
THE CLUBHOUSE P R O D U C T I V I T Y T I P #21
Overwhelmed by your inbox
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Don’t set unrealistic habits for yourself, such as, ‘I need to reply to my boss more quickly than she replies to me’. Clarify expectations in advance instead of assuming that something has to be done immediately. And don’t feel pressured to respond to emails sent after hours, or even late on Friday afternoon.
DESIGN & ART DIRECTION
Christian Gilliham_christian@cgcreate.co.uk_07951 722265
To partner with The Clubhouse or promote your business in The Informer please email adam@theclubhouselondon.com Copyright. The Clubhouse London Ltd
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PERFORMANCE
H O W T O D E L I V E R T H E P E R F E C T P I T C H Nicole Soames, CEO of Diadem and best-selling author of ‘The Influence Book’, shares her top tips on how to motivate the other person to say “yes”
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hether it’s pitching a business idea to a potential investor, persuading a client to agree to your proposal or asking a colleague to collaborate on a new project, we all try to influence other people a lot of the time. The secret to delivering the perfect pitch is to harness your emotional intelligence so that you can sell your story with impact. As an EQ practitioner and qualified coach with more than 25 years’ experience helping people develop their influencing skills, here is my expert advice on how to communicate effectively so that you make it easy for the other person to say “yes.” Be truly present in the moment Strong influencers understand that the key to delivering an engaging story is to tap into your emotional intelligence to silence those negative thoughts that can undermine your self-belief and limit your performance. Only then will you be able to think live in the moment and communicate with confidence. The other person needs to believe in you and what you are saying if they are to ‘buy’ into your story. By being authentic and natural, you are more likely to build rapport and establish credibility with the other person, for as business author Zig Ziglar said, “If people like you they’ll listen to you, but if they trust you they’ll do business with you.”
Learn to walk the talk Don’t underestimate the importance of thinking about what you are going to wear when you deliver your pitch. You need to be appropriately turned out – so if your meeting is on a Friday, double-check whether the other party follows an end-of-the-week, dress-down policy and choose your outfit accordingly. Remember to stand tall and make strong eye contact – just as it’s hard to say something negative with a smile on your face, so it’s difficult to communicate with confidence if your body language suggests you’re a pushover. Think about where you position yourself in the room to make the maximum impact. In a formal presentation, make sure you can read from your slides and still make eye contact with the other person. Don’t try to wing it In my experience, people spend hours preparing a compelling story or presentation, only to go off script during the influencing conversation itself. Strong influencers
convey the information they have prepared and reiterate their key messages so they land their main points. Use confident language and avoid ‘weak speak’, those vague phrases that undermine your credibility such as, “hopefully we can agree”, “believe me this is a great idea”. Every time you find yourself using one of these phrases, correct yourself by saying, “what I meant to say was….”. This way you will retrain your brain to use confident language that will help you persuade the other party to agree to your proposition. Take the other person on a journey As a rule, the pace of people’s speech generally speeds up when they’re feeling under pressure, so take active steps to slow yourself down. You should be building up to the crux of your story – that pivotal moment when you deliver your recommendation or ask – at this point you need to slow the conversation down, pause and spell out exactly what you are asking for so that the other person can take notes. Remember silence is powerful, it shows you have something important to say and gives the other party time to think. Try to fluctuate your tone and volume as this will help keep the other person engaged in what you have to say. Then dial up your energy and passion, but avoid rushing the end of your story. ●
diademperformance.com
THE SECRET TO DELIVERING THE PERFECT PITCH IS TO HARNESS YOUR EMOTIONAL I N T E L L I G E N C E S O T H A T Y O U C A N S E L L Y O U R S T O RY W I T H I M P A C T
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Meet. Work. Grow.
MEMBER STRAPLINE IN THE SPOTLIGHT
JAMES CODLING CO-FOUNDER & MANAGING DIRECTOR VentureFounders
I n vesti n g i n d i sru p tors Tell us about your company. VentureFounders is a leading UK equity investment platform, providing sophisticated, HNW clients with access to highly-curated and structured investment opportunities, in early stage venture transactions. In the four years since our launch we have built up a portfolio of 27 investments, supporting those companies with over 30 follow-on funding rounds and helping them raise in excess of £100m. We specialise in investing in disruptive B2B and B2B2C technology companies which are past proof of concept and have demonstrable revenue traction.
How has being a member of The Clubhouse contributed to the success of your business? I have been visiting and using The Clubhouse since it started and was introduced by one of its earliest members. As a member, The Clubhouse gives us the flexibility we want for our growing business with locations where we need them. It provides ideal meeting spaces with the professional service and reliability we need for our team and our clients.
What has been your biggest success? We have a high-quality and diverse portfolio which includes some of the UK’s leading tech success stories, such as Hopster, DueDil, Brightpearl and BioSure. I’m proud of all the investments we have made and I’m excited to see what the future holds for them.
venturefounders.co.uk
What project are you most excited about right now? We are currently looking at investing in one of the UK’s most successful peer-topeer lenders. It is an interesting time for this market; seeing if the FinTech hype can live up to expectations as those early trailblazers achieve the scale necessary to compete with the incumbents.
Where can members find you? Usually at The Clubhouse Bank or St. James’s. Get in touch via Twitter @JamesCodling or email james@venturefounders.co.uk
We have a high-quality and diverse portfolio which includes some of the UK’s leading tech success stories, such as Hopster, DueDil, Brightpearl and BioSure. I’m proud of all the investments we have made and I’m excited to see what the future holds for them.
theclubhouselondon.com
QUICK-FIRE ROUND
Favourite place to go in London? Borough market – the sights, the smells and incredible food from all around the world. Who inspires you and why? My grandfather was a natural entrepreneur, patenting the hose connector and setting up Hozelock, and an angel investor in the forerunner of Vodafone. He saw the potential of mobile communication technology. He was ahead of his time – brave, bold and successful. Best bit of advice you’ve been given? The devil’s in the detail. If you were on a desert island, what would you bring? My family, they are very important to me…. but having three very young children, perhaps they could fly in after I’d had a couple of days to relax in the sunshine. Which super power would you like to have? Mindreading – it would make some meetings much easier! What is the worst business ‘faux-pas’ you’ve committed? I was in a shareholder meeting recently when a text message from a friend popped up on my laptop which was running the AV for the big screen! I’ve since changed my settings.
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FUTURE EVENTS
The Clubhouse
The Clubhouse
ST JAMES’S
ST JAMES’S
An evening with Nick and Giles English, co-founders of Bremont
MEMBERS’ BREAKFAST Managing Reputation
TUESDAY 13 NOVEMBER 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm FREE FOR MEMBERS AND THEIR GUESTS/£25 FOR NON-MEMBERS Time began for Bremont in 2002, when Nick and Giles embarked on a journey to make beautifully crafted pilot’s watches of exceptional quality. Inspired by a love of flying historic aircraft, of watches and all things mechanical, their timepieces had to be tested beyond the normal call of duty. With a selection of British partners including Jaguar, Martin-Baker and Ben Saunders, Bremont is fast becoming a household name. Join us to hear how they have grown this English watch brand, taking the challenge to their major Swiss competitors by focusing on the innovation and mastery behind a beautiful mechanical wristwatch.
SA V E T HE D A TE
Nick & Giles English
Emma Woollcott
TUESDAY 20 NOVEMBER 8:00 am - 9:30 am FREE FOR MEMBERS AND THEIR GUESTS Your reputation is your most valuable asset. Whether you are a business or an individual, in the public eye or anonymous, outside scrutiny can bring risks. Digital technology allows publication of sensitive or damaging information, often with little notice. More remote working means more vulnerable data, and the threat of reputational damage due to loss or theft of data is high. This session, led by Mishcon de Reya’s Head of Reputation Protection, Emma Woollcott, will cover: proactive reputation protection strategies; dealing with hostile journalistic enquiries; protecting privacy in the digital age; data protection and the right to be forgotten; tracing anonymous bloggers/reviews.
HOW TO BOOK: VISIT THECLUBHOUSELONDON.COM OR ASK AT THE FRONT DESK
The Clubhouse
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ST JAMES’S
London Property Report with Nick Barnes and Cogress WEDNESDAY 14 NOVEMBER 8:30 am - 10:00 am FREE FOR MEMBERS AND THEIR GUESTS We have partnered with disruptive property investment company Cogress for our annual residential property update. Featuring expert insight from Chesterton’s Head of Research, Nick Barnes, the breakfast promises an engaging look at the future of the London property market. Cogress has a dual remit to provide private equity and mezzanine loans to SME developers, and offer investors who qualify access to property development investment opportunities. Founded in 2014 by Tal Orly, himself a developer with over 20 years’ experience in UK property, Cogress has committed £170m in private equity to 51 UK developments with a combined GDV in excess of £1bn.
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Restaurant
MEMBER REFERRAL OFFER Many of our members join The Clubhouse having been referred by existing members, for which we are always immensely grateful. If you have any friends, clients or other contacts who you think would also benefit from becoming a member of The Clubhouse and accessing our growing network of innovative, design-led, flexible meeting and workspaces, please let us know. In return, if the individual or organisation you refer becomes a member of The Clubhouse, you can choose from either: £500 of FREE meeting room use or a free night’s stay at The Stafford London for two people with breakfast. Furthermore, the person you refer receives £200 of FREE meeting room use.
Meet. Work. Grow.
SABOR, MAYFAIR Founded by Nieves Barragan and José Etura, Sabor (meaning flavour in Spanish) takes you on a journey from the tapas bars of Andalucía through to the asadors of Castile and the seafood restaurants of Galicia. Located on Heddon Street, Sabor has three distinct areas – The Counter and The Bar on the ground floor, and the El Asador on the first floor, each offering a different taste and experience of Spanish cuisine and hospitality. With decorative patterned tiles and a buzzing atmosphere, this is a welcome taste of the Med in Mayfair.
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35-37 HEDDON STREET, W1B 4BR 020 3319 8130
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MENTAL HEALTH
L o s i n g i t f o r s u c c e s s
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nyone who has launched a business knows what hard work it is. Grit, tenacity, determination, self-belief, perseverance, these are all qualities needed to build a company from scratch. The character traits of entrepreneurs are regularly applauded as their achievements are celebrated, but new research has revealed that, for many, their darkest hours have been while growing their businesses. Founders of some of the UK’s top high-growth businesses have revealed the personal toll that building a successful company has had on their mental health. Many have experienced isolation, betrayal, emotional and mental scarring. Others have shared accounts of broken marriages, bankruptcy, mental breakdown and burnout, while they have been growing their company. The candid and honest disclosures form part of an in-depth qualitative and quantitative study by the 100 Stories of Growth campaign, which is gathering data and insights from 100 one-to-one interviews and surveys of more than 250 of the UK’s top entrepreneurs. Often boasting 20% year-onyear staff and turnover increases, founders of SMEs are celebrated as UK growth heroes. However, according to the study, for more than 53% building their business has been one of the toughest times of their lives and more than 45% felt under constant extreme pressure. A staggering 25% of the entrepreneurs questioned revealed that their mental or emotional health has been negatively affected but they’ve “suffered in silence”, while 22% said
A new campaign is highlighting the affect that growing a business can have on mental health they “felt like a burden” to their friends and family. A smaller but not insignificant proportion (8%) have resorted to seeking medical advice due to the notable impact on their mental health. Guy Tolhurst, SME champion and founder of the 100 Stories of Growth campaign, said: “The reality of scaling a business in the UK can be exhilarating yet bleak at the same time. It’s a big dipper of high-octane peaks of self-belief, followed by plummeting drops
to the depths of self-doubt. In the past, the runway to investment was much longer and founders experienced rollercoaster-like highs and lows before they even thought about taking on financial capital, which builds emotional resilience. Today, there’s more money sloshing around than ever before, just waiting to be ploughed into the next big idea, often run by entrepreneurs with little experience of the pressures ahead of them. Investors hand over a wad of cash and urge the founder not to lose it, but they should be advising the same with mental health in mind.” In response, 100 Stories of Growth have launched its ‘Don’t Lose It’ initiative, encouraging all parts of the investment community to have a much-needed and transparent discussion about the pressures of building a high-growth business, and ask the wider investment industry – from angel investors to VC funds – to take responsibility for founder wellbeing and be more ‘mindful investors’. Over the coming months, the campaign will bring together both the investment community and entrepreneurs in a series of workshops to explore the topic from both sides. The ‘Don’t Lose It’ manifesto will comprise a list of actionable points the investment community can adopt to acknowledge their responsibility and make a positive difference to founder wellbeing – something that was mirrored by 26% of founders in the research who would like to see more support from the investment community. ●
For more information, visit 100stories.co.uk
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