Many companies list their values on their websites. That’s great. It gives me a benchmark to measure them by. But when I read these lists I want to know the stories behind the vision and values. Why do things like ‘quality’ and ‘integrity’ and ‘creativity’ matter to you? If you tell me why, I’m more… Read more
How does a city’s brand affect your business? The 2017 Great Debate.
Wherever you base your business – town or country – its reputation will rub off on you in some way. At the University of Brighton’s Great Debate, more than 200 businesses discussed whether the city’s brand of fun helps or hinders its economy. For better or worse, it’s down to the sea. I’m going to… Read more
Change your mind about micro-businesses. They must get more credit.
I like working with people who turn my thinking on its head. And when I heard about this for the first time, I felt like kicking myself. It was so obvious. The idea comes from Darren Fell, Entrepreneur-from-Birth and award-winning CEO of Crunch Accounting. (Centre.) It’s simple. Micro-businesses are small and they make an enormous… Read more
Call the doctor. Your business IS special – but you need a second opinion.
So, tell me again. How is your business better than all the rest? Why should I, as a picky client, choose you over anyone else? You’ve spent hours building your business. You probably think you’re the best person to work out, and explain, why it’s special. You’re well qualified to have an opinion on it…. Read more
When you stop short, I’ve done a good job.
I’m a hunter gatherer. I interview business owners about why they do what they do, finding angles from their story that show why they’re special in the eyes of their clients. I have a secret rule. When I’m interviewing clients, I challenge myself to make them stop talking. It sounds weird and it’s not a… Read more
Avoiding A&E. Sometimes it’s about the timing. (An Untold Story from the Young People’s Centre in Brighton.)
Of the current crop of news items about A&E, these words, from Professor Keith Willett of NHS England, have stayed with me: “We often see a sharp spike in emergency admissions at this time of year.” “We know that the majority of these are elderly people who have stored up a health problem at home… Read more
Wellbeing Stories
They raise awareness. They change behaviour. You feel better for it. As part of Kent County Council’s Six Ways to Wellbeing Campaign I’ve spent the last year recording people’s wellbeing stories. The Six Ways to Wellbeing are often fleeting things that we take for granted. Like saying hello to a colleague (‘connect’), opening the door… Read more
Bookkeeping. It’s better than surfing.
(How I made my peace with numbers, thanks to a two minute story.) The stories told by my interviewees often change my own attitudes. And they do it in a matter of seconds. Sometimes it’s because of what they say; an arresting image or intriguing fact. Sometimes it’s how they say it; the feelings behind… Read more
Stories That Make You See Yourself In A New Light.
(What’s your ‘DOH!’ moment?) For the first quarter of a century of my working life, I saw myself as someone who didn’t take risks. I joined the BBC, intending to be a ‘lifer’. If you’d told me three years ago I’d be running my own business, I’d have laughed. Yes, I was a bit smug…. Read more
