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Member in the Spotlight Mich Turner MBE on how running an award-winning baking business is not a piece of cake
Bright lights, big city The launch of The Clubhouse, Bank was a huge success enjoyed by members and guests
T h e
I n f o r m e r Issue 11
December 2017
theclubhouselondon.com
CULTURE CLUB Why embracing company culture could change the future of your business
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Meet. Work. Grow.
Making Christmas Merrier since 1707
F O RT N U M A N D M A S O N .CO M
INTRODUCTION
ADAM BLASKEY FOUNDER & CEO The Clubhouse
W e l come out on Friday 22 December, because if it’s not done by then it’s unlikely to be done until early in the New Year. This has been a great year for The Clubhouse: our membership has grown strongly and we are honoured to now be home to over 400 amazing businesses; we have arranged over 6,000 meeting room bookings, which will result in a £6,000 donation to the Peter Jones Foundation; we’re also delighted to have won two awards along the way. The Clubhouse, Bank opened in October and last month we had a fantastic launch
THE CLUBHOUSE PRODUCTIVITY TIP #
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Smile on the phone Closing a deal by phone? Don’t forget to smile. Smiling changes the shape of your mouth, which in turn affects the intonation of your voice, making you sound more confident and positive and therefore gives you a greater chance of success.
WINNER Best Business Club
event attended by over 300 members and guests. At the time of writing, we are in negotiations to secure another location for The Clubhouse which we hope to open early in 2018 to continue fulfilling our aim of making our members and their businesses more successful. By the time Christmas finally arrives, I hope you can look back on a successful and productive year, and on behalf of everyone at The Clubhouse, I would like to wish you all the very best for Christmas and for a prosperous 2018.
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It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas and for me - like many of you, I am sure – it’s a time of year I love and hate in equal measure. Love: who doesn’t love the festive season, Christmas parties, being with family, and especially the period between Christmas and New Year when many people are able to get a proper break – work email almost grinds to a halt and expectations around deliverables reduce considerably. Hate: the countdown is firmly on to close the deal, win the pitch or secure a contract before the year is effectively
WINNER Best Meeting Room
DESIGN & ART DIRECTION Christian Gilliham christian@cgcreate.co.uk 07951 722265 To promote your business in The Informer, please email adam@theclubhouselondon.com Copyright. The Clubhouse London Ltd
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COMPANY CULTURE
Do corporate values and company culture really matter? Most business leaders would agree they do, but all too often we let day-to-day management challenges and distractions like staffing issues, fundraising and board reports get in the way!
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hen looking for a new opportunity, often the most talented people aren’t simply searching for the right position, they’re looking for the right company. According to Inc.com, 87 percent of businesses say building a strong company culture to attract and retain the best people is one of their top challenges, yet as little as 13 percent of people actually feel engaged at work or tied to corporate values and culture. The result? Employees who don’t want to come to work, who are disengaged, unproductive, and could look to leave. Taking control of your company’s culture is therefore of paramount importance. With 30% of the workforce made up of millennials*, a strong culture is crucial because they want to work for a company that shares their values. Global entrepreneur and strategist Sujan Patel, who has led the marketing strategy for the likes of Salesforce and LinkedIn, suggests four key reasons why building culture is essential to the success of any organisation: 1. Culture builds brand identity “Culture is what makes your brand unique. It puts your company’s soul on display and tells the world who you are as a brand. When you define culture, you’re defining your company’s values. These will show your employees and the public what is most important to the brand.” In turn, your employees will use these personality traits as their guiding principles to help them through tough work times. 2. Culture increases loyalty among employees “Culture gives employees a goal and a purpose. It connects your leadership team with your employees and binds them with a set of shared beliefs. Your employees then feel they are contributing to something larger than themselves.” Enthusiasm leads to increased productivity and more positive customer/employee interactions.
3. Culture attracts and retains talent “An employee’s skills may get them in the door, but your culture is what will keep them there. Today, just 37% of employees are engaged at work**. Employees who are not engaged do not do their best work and are at risk of leaving. By ensuring each individual you hire fits well with the company culture, you make it more likely they will stay and contribute more to the success of the organisation.” 4. Culture makes advocates out of employees “Start by leveraging those engaged employees already working for you. LinkedIn finds companies can expand their talent pool by 10 times by recruiting through their employees’ networks. Encourage and motivate employees to speak positively on your brand’s behalf.” Bestselling author of ‘Start With Why’ and TED sensation, Simon Sinek, puts the ‘Why’ at the centre of any business. It’s not about WHAT you do, it’s about WHY you do it – and that’s why your team will come in to work every day inspired and engaged by a clear purpose and culture. When considering a potential hire, expose them to your current employees through collaborative hiring. Let them meet and see how they engage. If the candidate becomes a new member of your team, they’ve already started to build necessary relationships with colleagues. Building camaraderie within your workforce is easier than you think. Altering “the person at the desk next to me” to “my friend at work” can happen through creating spaces to mingle and activities to share. LinkedIn offers free yoga, Apple offers employees a shuttle service – what could you offer? Finally, give your employees the freedom to innovate. You are passionate about your business, but to get your employees passionate too, they’ll need some ownership. Give them the chance to own their role, enhance the company culture and they’ll be a walking, talking billboard for your business. ●
“Culture is what makes your brand unique and gives it that special edge”
*according to Pew Research Centre **according to Gallup
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Meet. Work. Grow.
MEMBER STRAPLINE IN THE SPOTLIGHT
MICH TURNER MBE FOUNDER Little Venice Cake Company
A piec e of th e a cti on Tell us about your company and how it started. Little Venice Cake Company is one of London’s most esteemed designer cake companies – creating totally indulgent, bespoke cakes for the most discerning clients for the past 20 years. We have now diversified into teaching, consultancy, franchises, books, china and tools.
bestselling book, Have Your Cake and Eat It – Delicious, Nutritious Recipes for Healthier Everyday Baking. I am an ambassador for Scottish Bakers Association and National Tea Day, and act as a consultant in the bakery industry. We have several projects underway to be revealed in 2018 – oh, and I am receiving my Freedom of the City of London this Christmas!
What has been your biggest success to date? We have made cakes for many high-profile clients, hotels and celebrities, including Pierce Brosnan, Madonna, Sir Paul McCartney, David Beckham, Gordon Ramsay and Her Majesty the Queen. We have worked with many of the five-star London hotels and created hamper cakes for Harrods and Fortnum & Mason. I have written six international bestselling books on cake and have won several prestigious awards, including Harper’s Bazaar and Chanel Entrepreneur of the Year Award. In 2010 I received an MBE for my services to the catering industry.
How has being a member of The Clubhouse contributed to the success of your business? The Clubhouse quite simply gives me complete flexibility without the overheads of a central London office and is ideal as so much of my time is spent travelling overseas and filming.
What project are you most excited about right now? In association with William Edwards Home, we are launching our first collection of fine bone china for tea – featuring mugs, tea for one, cake stands and rectangular plates. The china makes the perfect gift to enjoy tea and cake and accompanies my new,
Where can members find you? I use The Clubhouse, St James’s and especially the ground floor Flexible Meeting Area lvcc.co.uk
QUICK-FIRE ROUND
Favourite place to go in London? Regents Park and Clifton Nurseries Who inspires you and why? Anyone who is super professional and passionate about what they do and is prepared to push themselves to achieve their potential – being respectful to everyone they encounter on the way Best bit of advice you’ve been given? If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got; don’t confuse estimated profit with the real thing; swim your own race; don’t procrastinate If you were on a desert island, what would you bring? iPad and credit card – shallow I know – but I run my life and home this way! My family would probably not notice I wasn’t home! Which super power would you like to have? Multiplicity – to have more of me! There is never enough time in the day to achieve everything on my to-do list!
We have now diversified into teaching, consultancy, franchises, books, china and tools
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What is the worst business ‘faux-pas’ you’ve committed? Taking so long to learn to say NO to all the ‘free cakes’ we have been asked to provide for the purpose of PR
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FUTURE EVENTS
The Clubhouse
Thank you to our inspiring guest speakers of 2017
ST JAMES’S
An Evening with Richard Joseph, co-founder of Joseph Joseph TUESDAY 23 JANUARY 6.30 pm - 8.30 pm FREE FOR MEMBERS £25 FOR NON-MEMBERS In 2003 twin brothers and product designers Richard and Anthony Joseph joined forces and launched Joseph Joseph. The company started life relatively small with only a few products, including a simple glass chopping board. The functional, hygienic nature of the chopping board shifted the brothers’ focus onto designing everyday products with a core problem-solving approach. The business has grown to become an award-winning international houseware brand, sold in over 100 countries across the globe, with offices in London, New York, Paris, Dusseldorf and Tokyo. Please join us to hear from Richard about the company’s phenomenal journey.
SA V E THE DA TE
We’d like to thank all of this year’s guest speakers who gave us entertaining and insightful talks, explaining how they turned an idea into a business, the challenges they’ve overcome and the future they’re planning for. Each one has provided us with inspiration, guidance and many laughs along the way. Martin McCourt, Dyson Peter Roberts, Pure Gym Will Butler-Adams, Brompton Bikes Oliver Tress, Oliver Bonas Iain Duncan Smith, MP Frazer Thompson, Chapel Down Paul Lindley, Ella’s Kitchen Jo Fairley, Green & Blacks
Richard Joseph
HOW TO BOOK: VISIT THECLUBHOUSELONDON.COM OR ASK AT THE FRONT DESK
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Shopping
Art
Review
MONTBLANC
LONDON ART WEEK
RELAIS DE VENISE
With every innovation, Montblanc offers new functionalities and groundbreaking designs imbued with the Maison’s heritage of sophistication and crafted to the highest standards. With its origins deeply rooted in the culture of handwriting, Montblanc continues to assert its cultural commitment around the world with the creation of wide-ranging initiatives to promote arts and culture in many forms, while honouring the modern-day patrons who support the advancement of the arts. Visit the Royal Exchange boutique for the latest collections to treat your loved ones.
The inaugural London Art Week Winter will celebrate an array of exceptional art from across seven millennia, presenting a unique opportunity to come and explore world-class art in the heart of London. Hosted across more than 30 of the city’s most notable galleries, as well as three leading auction houses, with myriad objects on display (from ancient sculptures to Old Master drawings and Impressionist paintings), this winter event offers something for everyone. For full listings of galleries and auction houses taking part and opening times, visit the website.
In 1959, Paul Gineste de Saurs purchased an Italian restaurant called Le Relais de Venise in Paris with the intention of selling the wines produced by his family’s winery near Toulouse. He decided to keep the operation simple: he retained the Venetian décor, added a ‘L’Entrecôte’ sign outside and offered customers a no-choice French menu: a salad starter followed by steakfrites. Visit the Throgmorton Street location for an authentic taste of France –but leave room for the mouthwatering desserts!
10-11 ROYAL EXCHANGE, EC3V 3LL 020 7929 4200
1-8 DECEMBER LONDONARTWEEK.CO.UK
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Meet. Work. Grow.
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15 THROGMORTON STREET, EC2N 2AD 020 7638 6325
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THE CLUBHOUSE, BANK
Welco me to th e C i ty It was great to see so many of our members old and new, partners and their guests at the launch of The Clubhouse, Bank on 22 November.
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INTRODUCING THE NEW HALLMARK OF WELLBEING Welcome to the new private members’ wellness club, where your health and wellbeing are our priority. As a Clubhouse member we would like to extend our Founder Membership offer to any joiners before 31st December 2017. Come and experience our unique club, our team would be delighted to meet you.
3 St James’s Square, London SW1Y 4JU 0203 909 7133 | enquiries@3sjs.club | www.3sjs.club theclubhouselondon.com