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
When you stop speaking, how much will your audience remember?
Even in the age of cyber marketing, doing the occasional event – a presentation, speech, workshop – in front of an audience of real human beings, is a good way to promote you and your work. But it has to be worth all the effort – the thinking time, the rehearsal and the nerves. You… Read more
Which comes first, the dosh or the desire – and why does it matter?
Looking ahead to The Brighton Summit 2016. When I was a happy wage slave at the BBC, I used to think that everyone else on the outside – in the commercial world – was just in it for the money. Headlines about corporate fat cats didn’t help. But when I set up my own business,… Read more
Interviewing Sir David Attenborough. (Obama was my warm up act. No pressure…)
In 2016 I was lucky enough to talk to Sir David about his brother, Lord (Richard) Attenborough, for the University of Sussex. Richard Attenborough was an Oscar-winning director and versatile actor who appeared in more than a hundred films. Perhaps less well known is his long and fond association with the University of Sussex. It… Read more
Why I deserted my (blog) posts for a while. Excuse? I’d defected to another place.
Yes, things went a bit tumble-weedy here in the second half of April. I upped, left and went guest blogging. Both posts are linked to two live events I chaired for the Brighton and Hove Chamber of Commerce. Here are the headlines and links: In ‘Hook that big buyer. Don’t hold back!’, you’ll get tips… Read more
Nail the bedtime story and you know you’re a great communicator.
(Put it another way. If you can grab and keep the attention of a distracted six year old, then everyone else is a breeze.) The excitement. I remember my mum driving me to school and, when an ambulance or fire engine siren went past, she would immediately divert from the school journey to follow it…. Read more
The fourth of July, flip flops and your first time – entrepreneurially speaking.
Remember those exciting, perhaps nerve-racking, entrepreneurial ‘firsts’? Your first pitch? Your first networking event? Your first employee? Remember the thoughts before you embarked on those ‘firsts’? Perhaps they went along the lines of, “How the hell do you do this? How do you do that?” That’s the sort of thing Rob Forkan was saying to… Read more
