Phones4U Billionaire John Caudwell knows all about creating massive cut-through by throwing his content daggers at the media from well-positioned, multiple release points.

If it’s just you, or your PA, pitching yourself to a TV booker then that’s all well and good for a one-day story.

But it all becomes very predictable if the same person is pitching stories about the same personality over and over again.

Also, its impossible to cover enough bases.

These days just emailing out press releases into the abyss so often misses. The bespoke, handcrafted calling and leaving messages approach is vital.

Achieving a three-dimensional effect for your persona and real image magnitude like a large landscape painting in the sky, means utilising multiple release points.

You need plants everywhere to send in your daggers.

Eventually, with enough plants, you circle the cowboy with all the Indians positioned from down low and also up on high. Everyone appears to be talking about you.

For his personal PR, which of course mentions his John Caudwell personal brand all the way, he has hired Claire Powell from The CAN Group, who used to represent Katie Price and Peter Andre. So a proper celebrity agent/PR as opposed to a financial or corporate PR specialist.

But then for his just-released autobiography, Love, Pain and Money: The Making of a Billionaire, the press relations will be led by publicists at the publisher, Mirror Books, which is part of Reach Plc, who also own the Daily and Sunday Express, Daily Star and Daily Star Sunday and OK! Magazine. The press unit of Mirror Books would have constructed their own release about John Caudwell’s book and issued it to the media. Technically both The CAN Goup and the publicists at Mirror Books and Reach Plc could have both been pitching the media simultaneously.

There’s been situations where I have represented an individual business person, then the production company of a particular programme they have starred in has been pitching their own press release as well, then the publicist on the TV network the programme has been playing has also been at it.

You can have a rugby scrum of PRs working the same sort of content about one particular individual up into a frenzy.

Caudwell’s charity, Caudwell Children, which receives all the proceeds of the sale of his autobiography, will have it’s own communications team as well – totally separate to the book publisher, separate to The CAN Group. The common element here is of course the personal image of ‘John Caudwell’.

John Caudwell’s image collateral goes through the roof as more and more agencies handle their own communications but with ‘John Caudwell’ at the centre of it all.

When Caudwell owned Phones4U, well before he sold his majority stake for $2.8 Billion in 2011, and then unloaded the remaining 25% for a nifty $272 million, and arguably Phones4U’s competitors conspired to put it out of business, an entirely separate communications team would have handled the press releases but so often quoting John Caudwell.

As well as a PR entourage around your various business interests, there are plenty of other ‘agents’ that can be engaged to further disguise your mechanics.

Freelance journalists are vastly underestimated. They sit somewhat in a grey area between PR and journalism. Because they’re not fully ‘on staff’, they can be more persuaded to ‘come up with a story about you’ and pitch it to a national media outlet as if they have discovered a story.

News and picture agencies also create a perception of impartiality. If they write it up, they will put their story up on an approved news wire which is regarded way up the food chain in terms of its credibility rather than a bog standard press release which smacks of being from a vested interest.

But then you can open up a treasure trove of potential release points if you were to write an article for a Think Tank that has it’s own communications unit. Or a University Alumni with its own communications unit. Or a members club or association with its own communications unit. In these instances, your name might be part of a list of high profile business people, but regardless it’s getting your name out there and creating texture and depth to your persona.

The only thing binding everything together is the news index date which brings all the various communications strands together around an anniversary day, or report release date.

Everyone working on various communications can always slap the same Embargo date on their press releases. That way it aligns everything around a particular date so there are not loads of different campfires being lit.

Having said that there’s always ‘fire bursts’ going off randomly. Depending on the type of media outlet that runs, various media outlets can copycat the story that’s just run, writing their own variations of it.

One thing about the media, nothing is linear.

As long as a story has been reported in a particular media outlet, the same story can be presented as news up to 6 months late.

When Chase Vodka won the World’s Best Vodka award at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in May 2010, I had BBC Breakfast go up to William Chases’ farm in Hereford right away, film as story and put the story on air. Then Fox News did the same three months later. CNN did it 3 months after Fox. All reported ‘Chase wins world’s best vodka’ like it was a breaking story.

Read more:
The assault on the media by throwing multiple daggers is best handled by orchestrating multiple release points – Phones4U Billionaire John Caudwell knows all about this

As we enter a new year, I want to talk about the importance of balance, perspective, support and productivity and I’m here to make the case that family must come first in business. Hear me out.

When we first started building FantasticServices.com, my business partner and I worked ourselves to the bone. It’s a familiar story for new business owners.

We worked incredibly long hours. We didn’t have much sleep. We spent every waking minute channelling ourselves into making the company work and grow.

Like many entrepreneurs, I knew on some level this wasn’t healthy.

But it wasn’t until a family came along that I realised how much I needed the support, balance, and perspective family can provide.

Your family is your most important support system

I hear a lot of people talk about their need to support their families. What most people don’t mention is that this is a two-way street.

I’m lucky enough to work with a business partner who complements my skills and shares my drive to make the business truly fantastic. Yet, I never really imagined before the kind of support system a family can be for you in business.

A family is a sharing of burdens and challenges, a sounding board for ideas, and a place where you talk things through. Whether that’s how things are going at school or what happened today in the office.

Even the simple act of sharing and talking is the kind of support many business owners would find difficult to get elsewhere.

Your health is precious – keep it safe

I’ve found that having a family to care for (and which cares for you) really opens your eyes to how important and precious your health is and how much we need to work to keep it safe.

It’s true for yourself, of course. You start to realise that you’re not doing anyone any good if you eat, sleep, and sweat work every second of every day.

But a family attitude is suitable for your relationships with your team too. Suppose you can provide the same kind of supportive culture for your employees that you would for your family. In that case, you encourage productivity, build a great team spirit, and create an environment where ideas and innovation are more likely to occur.

Plus, you create the kind of office that you actually want to come into every day.

Finding the right balance in life is important

Like many things in life, business is a balance. I’ve found that family can also be the thing that gives you the much-needed perspective that can help you find that balance.

Without family – or with a family that, in your mind, is a burden, something you work to support, not the other way round – you don’t have much of a rudder or anchor for your life.

Not only does a family give you the perspective you need to achieve a better balance in work and life, but I’ve also found that family actually helps you concentrate on the task at hand.

Perhaps because the different parts of your life have such variety now that you’re able to assess the situation with clearer eyes and proceed with greater focus.

If you have time for family, you’ll be more productive

A particular type of businessperson might think this is nonsense. And at one point in my life, I think I would have been impressed with “productivity hackers” who do things like hang hammocks in their office and try to fit twenty-minute naps into their day to maximise their productivity.

As someone who, at the time, was working almost every waking hour, any method that could get me to do more work would probably have seemed smart and desirable.

I’m sure I’m not alone in this. New business owners and entrepreneurs are notoriously crazed about maximising their productivity.

But there’s a definite limit in there. At some point, doing more work hours does not equal more work getting done. “Productivity maximising” activities are often more akin to sick punishment than intelligent practice.

Again, I’ve learned that, as a rule, people who have time for the family are more productive. It’s all about that balance, support, and perspective. People who have time for their family tend to have these vital qualities and know-how to get the most out of their time without a need from some crazy new hack.

Family first, always 

Family can provide the purpose and motivation that some people need to go into the office every day.

It can be a two-way street of support. A resource for your own health – and to remind you of how important it is to do your bit when it comes to creating a caring, healthy environment for everyone around you.

Your family can also provide you with a fresh perspective that can, in turn, lead to a better balance that can make you more productive than any on-trend productivity “hack”.

All in all, it’s clear. Far from being a burden and something you must support, your family gives you a whole lot of support. This is why I say that, in business, family must come first.

Read more:
Why family must come first in business

For your business to truly thrive, it must be built on strong foundations. This does not only mean having a well thought out business plan, but ensuring that you are able to bring your best self to your business every day.

The path of an entrepreneur is not easy, and long, demanding hours can lead to becoming overwhelmed and burnt-out if you lack the mechanisms to deal with the often relentless stresses of running a growing business.

Your own personal wellbeing is inextricably linked to the wellbeing and longevity of your business, so it is vital to ensure you are equipped to handle those demands. Taking time to prioritise your own needs means not only avoiding the dreaded burn-out, but making sure you are at the top of your game when it comes to steering your ship in the right direction.

Set clear boundaries

Especially in the early stages of your business, you can feel like your time and attention is being pulled in a whole slew of directions all at once, leaving you frazzled and running from one task to the next with no clear direction of where you are going.

Setting and sticking to strict boundaries for yourself is instrumental in achieving balance in your work and personal life, and being able to clearly communicate these boundaries to those around you ensures both you and your time are being respected.

One of the most effective ways to do this is by establishing office hours for yourself. Working to this schedule will motivate you to make the best use of this time, and work with increased purpose and focus. Similarly, having a cut-off time when it comes to answering calls and emails can keep those feelings of overwhelm at bay, while giving you valuable time to decompress at the end of your workday.

Learn to say “no”

For many entrepreneurs, the idea of turning down a potential opportunity may sound counter intuitive. However, building a successful business means making the right decisions at the right time, and this means knowing when to say “no”.

Before automatically accepting every opportunity that comes along, take a minute to consider whether it is aligned with your current goals, will help move your business forward, or whether it will simply be a drain on your valuable time and resources.

Delegate and automate

It is not necessary to take on every single task yourself, and doing so can quickly result in overloading yourself with responsibility.

Small, repetitive jobs can become a real drain on time and should be automated, whether it’s marketing emails or staff payroll. This will lighten your own workload, and free up time to work on things that move your business forward.

Likewise, effectively delegating those tasks which are not your speciality will save you additional effort and stress, while increasing your productivity by freeing you up so you can laser-focus in on more important tasks.

Celebrate your achievements

It is easy to be so entrenched in your work that you neglect to celebrate the important milestones you and your business reach along the way.

Each of these achievements – whether it is making your first hire, or completing your first profitable year – took countless hours of hard work and dedication so it is valuable to acknowledge your efforts. This is particularly important in keeping you motivated during hard times, and using this momentum to drive you towards bigger and better things.

Take time to think about what lesson you learned from these successes, and how they can be applied to your next big plans.

Access support

Being a business owner can be a lonely experience that can slowly sap at your motivation, energy and quite often, your health. Having well-developed networks that you can access in times of increased stress is therefore vital in not becoming cut-off from those around you.

Whether you choose to join a business network, or just take time out with your friends and family, it can go a long way in combatting those feelings of isolation. Talking through the challenges you and your business may be facing can help you gain more perspective on them, while allowing you to unload some of the stresses that can result in burn-out.

Support can also be in the form of self-improvement. There are a wealth of resources for growing entrepreneurs to improve and develop skills, and can help you feel more prepared in taking on the challenges of a growing business. Books, podcasts, workshops and especially coaches and mentors can all assist you on your business journey, so take full advantage of the resources that are available to you.

Conclusion

Given the demands of running a business, it is unsurprising so many entrepreneurs succumb to burnout, or simply develop a lack of passion and motivation for their work, which means business inevitably suffers. However you choose to do it, taking the time to invest in yourself and your own long-term wellbeing is also an essential investment in your business.

Read more:
How taking care of yourself will help you take care of your business

As 2021 draws to a close, I thought I would use this column to reflect on another strange year and look ahead to what may happen in the world of data protection during 2022.

But before that, I should revisit last December’s column, where I gave my data protection predictions for 2021. What did I get right, and what did I get wrong? Well, I was right to predict there would be controversy over the use of vaccine passports. These are still making the headlines today, as the Covid Pass is rolled out in England, replicating similar schemes in the other UK nations. My prediction that the UK’s data protection laws would begin to drift apart from those in the EU was also right, although I may have been too optimistic/pessimistic (depending on your viewpoint) when I said “don’t expect to see a significant shakeup, at least in the short term”. And my prediction that a new Information Commissioner would make an impact in 2021 proved wrong, as Elizabeth Denham’s term was extended to the end of November and the new Commissioner, John Edwards, doesn’t take up his post until the new year. Perhaps that’s one to be rolled forward to 2022.

So what else happened in 2021? Alongside the ongoing challenges posed by the pandemic, the year began with a new data protection regime. The end of the Brexit transition period on 1 January meant we said goodbye to the EU’s GDPR and hello to the new UK GDPR. We’ve also seen significant court cases on everything from class action claims to the Duchess of Sussex’s private correspondence, regulatory action by the ICO, and more changes to the rules on international data transfers. As if that weren’t enough, the UK government launched consultations on changes to the UK’s data protection regime and to weaken the privacy protections afforded by the Human Rights Act. It’s been quite a year.

And yet we may look back on 2021 as a period of relative stability in data protection, at least compared with what’s coming down the line. In the absence of any major legislative changes, the courts have taken centre stage. Data protection law can be characterised, not always entirely fairly, as seeking a balance between the rights of individuals and those of the organisations that wish to collect and use (or exploit) their data. The Supreme Court’s decision in the Lloyd v Google case, which has made large-scale class actions for data breaches considerably more difficult, has shifted the balance away from individuals. And other cases in the lower courts have mirrored that trend. To the relief of many businesses, data protection appears to be moving away from a compensation culture.

So to 2022. We’re expecting plenty of changes, with a common theme of shifting that delicate balance away from the individual and towards the organisation. That means eroding fundamental rights or freeing up businesses to innovate, depending on your viewpoint.

We already know the broad outline of the changes to our data protection laws. That’s because the UK government has told us, in a consultation that ended this autumn. The proposed reforms are intended to remove some of the more onerous obligations on organisations, limit some individual rights and encourage innovative uses of data. Whilst some of these changes are undoubtedly welcome and could improve our laws, the removal of other obligations will be controversial. Expect plenty of opposition once the detailed proposals are published, and not just from privacy campaigners. International businesses will want to stay closely aligned to the EU’s GDPR, to avoid any additional compliance burdens.

Meanwhile, as the year draws to a close and the news is dominated by the Omicron variant, the government has published proposals for changes to human rights law. Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights provides a right to private life and correspondence. This right is broader than anything in data protection law and has been central to many of the privacy cases that come before the courts, particularly those involving press intrusion into the private lives of celebrities, where Article 8 must be weighed against the Article 10 right to freedom of expression. The government wishes to rebalance (that word again) the scales so that Article 10 overrides Article 8 in more instances. The press will be delighted. Privacy campaigners significantly less so. That’ll be another battle to watch out for in the coming year.

Elsewhere, familiar arguments will continue to rage in 2022. As well as the ongoing debates around vaccine passports and covid rules, the Online Safety Bill will keep the spotlight on the behaviour of the tech giants and there will be a continued focus on the adtech industry. So no change there.

We already know that there’ll be a new Information Commissioner in the new year. What we don’t yet know is what the policy and legal environment will look like in twelve months’ time. It’s going to be another year of change ahead.

Read more:
Change is the only constant: A year in privacy law

If you take a look at any of my businesses, and you know what my influences in business are, you’ll see how much I’ve taken from the world around me and used it as an inspiration to build.

I still do today. See, we, humans, don’t create anything original; we only build on what’s been built before. We built on ideas and inventions alike. That’s how life works. That’s how the universe works.

So, it’s only fair for me to give back credit to the people and things that have helped me create the things I’ve made. From FantasticServices.com to a diving centre in Mexico — I’ve built them, taking inspiration from everywhere.

Let’s dive a bit deeper.

Inspiration on focus and purpose

When do you come up with your greatest ideas?

Let me answer that for you — it’s usually when you’re doing something that has nothing to do with work or actively thinking about something. That’s why shower thoughts and breakthroughs are so common. Our subconscious mind does the work while the conscious relaxes.

Meditation can do the same thing

But in order to get those breakthroughs, you need to know where to focus your efforts and what your purpose is.

Let’s begin with focus, as it tends to be the predecessor to purpose. Before you achieve anything grand, you have to mindfully focus on it — whether it’s your daily to-do, your career, your relationship, or even a business. You have to make a conscious decision that you’ll be focusing on that particular thing.

A book that played a major role for me as an entrepreneur was “The Pumpkin Plan” by Mike Michalowicz. The book’s message is simple, and it takes a closer look at pumpkin growers and how they grow competition-ready squash.

See, pumpkin growers start every season with a handful of plants. Once they start growing, all smaller vegetables are discarded, and the growers focus all their time, efforts, resources, and skills on the biggest pumpkin.

This is a simple premise but a vital one in the world of business — focus on what works and don’t be afraid to cut off the resource-draining tasks.

Purpose will help you decide exactly where to focus your time and resources. Now, I tend to look at purpose through the prism of success. What success really is?

To me, for a long time, success represented growing as a professional. Nowadays, a different kind of shift is happening where I’m focusing more on my family.

Robert Holden’s book “Success Intelligence” was vital in understanding what success is to my business partners and me. It’s also one of the main reasons why we focused our efforts on the people, planet, and profits, in that particular order.

We built a company that cares for the people and planet, leaving profits as a product of doing great work. That’s called finding a purpose.

On going through hard times

Every business is bound to hit a roadblock or two… or three. It’s only natural because if you don’t, you’re most likely not having an impact on the world. But, hustle culture rarely talks about the hard times of running a business. It’s all sunshine and rainbows, mansions and Lambo’s.

“The Hard Thing About Hard Things” by Ben Horrowitz came as a natural successor to “Success Intelligence”. It taught me that, when in hard times, businesses should think about their employees first, product second, and finally about profits.

It also highlights the fact that if you’re never alone in business. You have your team, but you also have access to an unlimited pool of information on how to deal with any problem.

Then, as I got older in my entrepreneurship life, I came about “Business Nightmares” by Rachel Elnaugh. Rachel argues that success is making it through the hard times and not the good times. I can’t agree more, but it’s also a point for every entrepreneur to experience for themselves.

I used to think my company was successful, but it was only when Covid hit, and we saw first-hand how quickly the whole world stopped to a halt did my business partners and I realise what success really is. It’s not about growth, t’s about sustainability when everything else around you falls apart.

Success and creativity go hand in hand

The business landscape is quickly changing into a world where ‘data’ is worth everything, and invention and innovation are quickly fading into the background.
I get that. After all, people want 100% security in their investment and data kind of gives them that feeling of control, however vague it may be. However, if you take a look at the world of data analysis and market trends and what people are buying, you could easily see products with no particular purpose thrive.

Gary Dahl invented Pet Rocks. It was a rock, sold in a box, marketed as a pet. Funny enough, he walked away with $15 million in profit six months after starting the company. We had fidget spinners a few years ago. No market analyst ever predicted the need for any of those products, yet they were raving success.

That’s because data is only valuable if you know how to use it. Yes, you can improve your product by analysing what customers think about your products. Yes, you can base decisions on expanding business operations, but don’t let data create your products. John Doerr’s “Measure What Matters” taught me that.

And when it comes to invention and innovation, “Steal Like an Artist” by Austin Kleon is by far the best 160 pages you will ever read in your life. The book goes through the real truth that there’s nothing truly original ever created. Everything is an amalgamation of previous human inventions mixed with creativity and the willingness to take, mix, and see what happens.

And if you feel like you’re stealing (ideas, I mean), and it’s below you, I strongly encourage you to watch “Everything’s a Remix“. You might find your favourite author or musician or director is a master in stealing like an artist.

On building for the future

Since antiquity, people have been fascinated by what we now call “memento mori”. Literally translated, it means “remember death”.

Philosophically, it stands for remembering that whatever you do in life will be the only thing that survives after you’re gone. When you look through that prism, your actions start to change, and you really start looking for positive ways to leave an imprint on this world.

“21 Assets” by my friend Daniel Priestley follows the same logic, although not to the extreme of death. The book shares his views on creating in business. Way too often, founders and CEOs focus on creating things that increase revenue. But true growth happens when you’re building assets.

Read more:
The seven books that helped me on my entrepreneurial journey

Throughout my career, I’ve been lucky enough to witness almost everything that could happen to a business throughout my careers.

I worked as a chef. I worked as a marketing director. And I’ve been a CEO and co-founder too. Let me tell you one thing — no matter the industry, at the end of the day, you’re fighting for the customer. You want them to come back again and again and again. That’s how you build a successful business.

But it’s much easier said than done. You know that. I do too. So, when it comes to marketing, getting customers, and growing a business, I believe that I have a few tricks up my sleeve from exploring all types of careers over the past 20+ years.

Let’s dive deeper, shall we?

I truly believe that word of mouth is the most important marketing channel for any business.

Think about it. If you have 10 customers tell five of their friends about how good your services are, you have 50 new potential customers. Now do that same thing with 50, 100, 1000 customers.

At Fantastic Services, we service 50,000 people a month. If we do our job well, there’s a potential for a quarter-million new customers!

But here’s the catch — it’s impossible to always do the job to a level that makes people want to talk about you. Especially if you’re working with people, there’s a lot of room for error, which is completely normal.

Yet, you need processes in place to ensure that you make even unhappy customers at the very least satisfied. I’ve worked hard not to build a “sorry” company.

“Sorry, we couldn’t turn up on time.” “Sorry, we’re not available at that time.” You get the point. The market doesn’t care. They’ll simply go to someone who can get the job done. 

Make it a conscious decision to minimise the number of mess-ups that happen and make sure everyone working in your company preaches the same values.

People want convenience and speed.

Companies that can do both are the ones that thrive. It’s a fact of business.

Take a quick look at Uber and Revolut. Both companies disrupted two very stagnant industries — taxies and banking. And there’s only one reason for their success. Both were more convenient and faster than traditional means.

They just made things quicker.

I’ve implemented the same methods in all the companies I’ve built. For example, we made booking services for the home as easy as possible at my most successful venture.

Whenever you feel like your company doesn’t help move the industry forward, think about what you can change in terms of speed and convenience.

Questions that can help you are:

• What do customers hate about the industry?
• What cliché about your industry do you hate?
• How can you make it better?

It’s really easy to be disruptive in business.

Well, not easy-easy, but it doesn’t take much effort to come up with a disruptive idea. Realise what people truly dislike about the industry you operate in and work towards solving that issue.

It’s easier to find that problem than people think.

When you’re doing anything marketing-related, focus on how you help your customers.

Ask any marketer in a tech startup what makes or breaks a product, and they’ll tell you how important messaging is. Messaging, essentially, is how you communicate your services or products.

It’s the words you use.

See, words are the most powerful tool a founder or a manager, or a brand can possess. Words can inspire and motivate. When used in the wrong way, words can be disheartening too. That’s why you have to be careful.

When you work on your next marketing campaign (be it a digital one, or you distribute leaflets), focus on how your services or products help the customer solve a “pain”.

Simply put, the brand that makes Nurofen doesn’t sell pills, they sell hangover-free Saturday mornings. If you have a farm and grow fruits, you don’t sell fruits. You sell the healthy lifestyle associated with fruits.

You get the point. Your marketing needs to solve customer pains.

Don’t be afraid to admit your failures.

I have a special relationship with failure. Any successful person out there does—even those outside of business.

Michael Jordan has missed more than 12,000 shots throughout his career.

Embracing failures is important for one big reason. To welcome your flops is to admit to yourself you can do better next time. So many founders and companies hide their failures and create these stagnant cultures within their ventures that eventually end up hurting business.

When you mess up, admit it. Then go above and beyond in making it better. Read my first point in this article again. Admitting failure welcomes experimentation and improvement within a business.

Make repeat customers.

There’s this famous talk by Gary Vaynerchuk and Jon Taffer that’s going around the internet where they talk about making customers come back to your restaurant.

When I was a chef back in the early 2000’s we used to do that exact same trick — first-time customers get a red napkin. You go above and beyond in serving them. This increases your chance by 40% of that customer coming back to your restaurant. Do that three times, and now there’s a 90% chance for that customer to come back a fourth time.

That’s how you make repeat customers and increase brand loyalty. Back in 2014, we built a custom CMS that allows us to do that. This was crucial for expanding our customer base and onboarding new franchisees.

Now, that’s no excuse to slack off on your returning customers. Quite the opposite, this is a framework for constant improvement. You’ve already set the expectations quite high. You need to deliver.

To wrap everything up…

Business is a persistence game. Wake up, show up, go above and beyond for your customers, repeat.

Do that every day for two years in a row, and you’ll see business start to grow. That’s what we teach our franchisees as well. Although it doesn’t take them that long to start getting business, two years is a realistic and healthy timeframe for most new companies to start growing and seeing success.

Read more:
Effective marketing tips to make your business stand out from your competition

I wholeheartedly believe that business and shark diving are essentially the same thing. Both are exciting. Both have their fair share of risk. Both require you to be on your A-game all of the time.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. You can’t die in business. Well, I tend to disagree. Yes, you can if you don’t take care of your physical and mental health. Business can be pretty dangerous.

A decade ago I had the wonderful opportunity to go on my first-ever shark dive. I fell in love with it. The euphoria. The adrenaline. I loved it so much that I bought a shark diving business shortly after my first dive.

With that said, I’ve come to feel like shark diving and running a business are the same thing. At least, the same four rules apply to both things. Which is peculiar.

Here’s what shark diving taught me about business.

Always be prepared for the unexpected

In the world of business anything can happen. You can prepare quarterly or yearly plans, but life has a funny thing about completely ignoring what you’ve planned for and throwing you off-course.

That’s when a business plan is boiled down to just words and nothing more. That’s what you have to be prepared for — the unexpected.

It’s the exact same thing when you’re in the cold waters with deadly beasts like sharks. They’re unpredictable, scary, and have a knack for throwing your plans off-course.

So, you have to plan for the things that you least believe can happen. A challenger brand coming in and swooping your customers right under your nose. A massive change in consumer behaviour. A world-wide pandemic. You never know.

Know what you’re dealing with

When you go in the shark-infested waters, you want to know what you’re dealing with. It’s the same with running a business.

Whether you’re launching a new service, expanding your operations in another country or continent, or optimising your day-to-day operations, you have to know what you’re dealing with.

That means doing the dirty work and researching the matter at hand. It also means going the extra mile to find the people you need to talk with to make things happen. It can be really hard, and you’ll have to be prepared to face the challenges; however, there’s very little room for error, unlike running a franchise, where you get a bit more room for failure.

There’s nothing wrong with backing down from a fight

People tend to accept backing down as a failure.

Well, it’s not. In business, you have to be extra smart with the fights you pick. There’s no glory in wasting time and money fighting for things that are not worth fighting for.

Know when to step aside and refocus your efforts into something more productive. It’s the same with shark diving. If the weather isn’t right, or you don’t feel okay proceeding with the dive, just don’t.

Always ask yourself: “What am I getting out of this?”. If the answer is not satisfactory to you, skip the fight.

Keep your eyes peeled

Shark diving requires you to have eyes on your back. You need to be on top of everything that’s going on around you, and that’s near impossible when you’re underwater.

Running a business is kind of the same. It requires you to be everywhere, see everything. And that’s hard.

You have to know the techniques and set in place the right processes that will allow you to monitor the correct data in order to make the right decisions at the right time. Whether you need to pivot a product, double down on performance marketing, or optimise your customer experience, you need to keep your eyes peeled even for the little things.

Final thoughts

I understand that business and shark diving is a slightly strange comparison, but I think you get my point.

It takes a lot to run a business, and it takes even more if you want to run a successful one. You have to go above and beyond while staying aware of your surroundings.

Remember to stay focused and know what you’re after with everything you do. If it feels like something isn’t your cup of tea, don’t feel afraid to back down.

Read more:
What shark diving taught me about business

Running a business is no easy thing.  For the past 18 years, I’ve been on that journey of entrepreneurship. A journey filled with buzzwords like MVPs, scaling, growth, hustle, work-life balance and whatever else fake gurus say on YouTube to sound fancy.

And let me tell you, it’s a tough path to be on. The world really does not care about you, your business, your dreams and what you want. One second you’re on top of the world, and on the very next there’s a global pandemic happening and all of a sudden what you worked so hard and so long for can crumble in front of you.Unless you were running a Big Pharma company, you know what I’m talking about. I’m not a fake guru, I don’t sell courses.

I sell franchises.

For the past decade, my business partner and I have built Fantastic Services from just us two working from a sofa to a business operating on three continents and spanning a franchise network of over 500 partners and 2,000 professionals operating under our brand in the UK, Australia and the US. We dared to be different and to deliver extra value for our customers and that is why we have focused on building a franchise business.

And if there’s one thing that I’ve learned during these 18 years it’s to always stay on top of the latest trends. You don’t have to go all-in on them, but it’s your responsibility as a business owner to understand and explore them.

Trends keep the world moving forward and your business is very much part of that world.

There are two types of businesses in this world. Category creators and everyone else. The difference between the two is that category creators will always be the leaders in terms of market share. Why? Because they create their own markets.

And I’m speaking from experience, Fantastic Services was the first company to launch End of Tenancy cleaning, with one car and one team. It wasn’t a revolutionary service by any means, but it was a convenient service that no other cleaning company offered. Right now it’s the bread and butter of the company.

Furthermore, we were the very first company in the UK to offer real-time booking. A decade later every other property maintenance company offers online requests. But we were the first and our software is the best there is, automating everything, leaving for our clients to simply choose their service, type in their address, personalize the service, and voila, you’ve got it scheduled in less than 3 minutes.

We took this approach of designing our own category in the franchise part of our business as well. Six years since we onboarded our very first franchisee, Fantastic Services has created a model just as revolutionary as McDonald’s was back in the 50s.

We’re riding the wave of sustainability because sooner or later it’ll become a tsunami.

For the past decade, sustainability became somewhat of a buzzword in the business community. But unlike most buzzwords, this one really matters. It does because we owe it to ourselves and our children to build sustainable businesses.

And it’s not just about ecology. Being green is just part of the solution. When we designed the franchise model for Fantastic Services we did so with everyone in mind. Our goal is to provide everyone with the opportunity to run their own business, be happy and satisfied with the work they do in this world.
That’s why we crafted three separate franchise types to suit all.

One for the people who love to do the job themselves, and it’s an affordable entry to the franchise world, whether it’s gardening or cleaning or removals. Another for people who want to run a small enterprise and still have a calm and sustainable business. They don’t necessarily want to do the job themselves so they’re the managers who focus on helping their employees get better at the services they deliver. And finally, we offer an opportunity to people born with that entrepreneurial spirit who want to revolutionize the way people receive services. Our area development and master franchising opportunities offer just that — an equal opportunity to have financial freedom and be on top of your life.

Because business is so much more than just making money.

It’s about giving back to the community and the people around you.

Furthermore, business is about innovating. I’ve always thought that if you don’t innovate and reinvent as a business you’ll eventually die.

Businesses that accept innovation at their core thrive. And you don’t have to be the next Facebook or Amazon to innovate. Thinking this is just an excuse to not try something new and bold. All you need in order to innovate is to improve something around you that’s causing you trouble in your day to day operations.

Let me give you an example: in 2018 we were dealing with London traffic like every other London-based business. It was hell, our professionals had to constantly stress about arriving on time. Well, we can’t control how Londoners commute, but we can adjust how we do it. That’s why we developed our backend system that handles all our bookings to assign the jobs closest to our franchisees and their teams. With the help of AI and real-time GPS, we can also assign the fastest route for each job. This ended up saving us around 30,000 miles travelled in 2019 alone!

To wrap this up, I have to say that innovation should be at the core of any sustainable company.

Business is in essence marketing, innovation and operational work when you really boil it down to the basics. Now, we believe we’ve created a system that gives people the opportunity to focus on the operational, day-to-day stuff, like making sure your customers are happy with the job you do.

However, the real power of a franchise comes when you support these people with what big businesses do — know-how, operations, marketing, and innovation. This really levels the playing field for small business owners. It means that they no longer have to fear if they’ll go out of business because a big-name company has expanded operations to their area.

Innovate. Shamelessly and fearlessly. Make one thing better today. It doesn’t have to be big, you just have to start, the small changes are the ones we make now, and a decade later they naturally grow.

Read more:
Why innovation is the key to sustainable business

As I gazed into my crystal ball a few weeks ago it struck me that vaccine passports were the future.

After I announced my vision to the country, I was knocked back by the outright hostility I attracted from some quarters, especially from the vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi.

Sadly, my efforts to flush out the future didn’t go down well. People derided me and generally poured scorn on my predictions. Some even had the cheek to say ‘Mystic Mullins’ was a fake and could no more see into the future than Uri Geller could bend spoons with his mind.

Government ministers turned fire on me and my powers too, not only claiming that vaccine passports would be discriminatory, but that they would never happen in a free country such as the UK.

Well, the smoke has cleared, and it is happening. And it’s going to allow people to travel abroad, which will provide a massive boost to the airline industry – and that’s just for starters.

The first pass is being developed by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), and will be verified at the borders, which could be June for us Brits, or maybe earlier.

Vinoop Goel, IATA’s regional director of airports, said: ‘We are currently working with a number of airlines worldwide and learning from these pilots. And the plan is to go live in March.’

He says the association ‘expects to have a fully functional working system over the next few weeks.’

This not to mention that the UK Government has awarded grants to at least eight different firms to develop ‘vaccine passports’ despite saying the very idea is ‘discriminatory.’

Ministers still deny vaccine passports will be used inland but if you believe that you might as well believe the moon is made of cheese, lizard people are in charge and Covid was invented by Bill Gates to further his campaign for world domination.

Once the technology is out there what will stop businesses snapping it up and installing it to make their staff and customers safer? Why wouldn’t theatres, concert venues and cinemas use vaccine passport technology to help their businesses operate freely once again?

Ministers would have to make a law against it, which would be utter lunacy and would cause outrage, especially on the back benches.

It’s coming. It cannot be stopped, and the Government would be foolish to try.

Now, as I gaze once again into my crystal ball, I can see vaccine passports in widespread use and happy punters going about their business, enjoying shows, films and music in live environments with other like-minded people.

I’m also getting a strange vision of a red-faced government minister chowing down on a large slice of humble pie – but don’t hold me to that one.

Read more:
Just call me ‘Mystic Mullins’ – vaccine passports ready in weeks as my crystal ball predicted

Who’d have thought putting the health and safety of your people and the public first would create such a fuss!

During an interview with City AM, I discussed my intention to spend an estimated £800,000 on having my 400-strong workforce vaccinated against Covid – once the vaccinations become available to buy privately.

Some responded with claims that such an initiative is coercive and discriminatory.

The mention of a ‘no job, no jab policy’ meant my words were quickly picked up by the likes of The Sun, Evening Standard, Daily Mail, The Guardian, Scotsman and even Construction News – as well as prompting a debate on talkRadio, among others.

I want to stress that while I am in talks with my lawyers about making the vaccine mandatory for all new hires, I would not force anyone to have a jab who is already on the books and no-one would lose their job over it.

Knowing my people as I do, I believe the great majority would be both eager and grateful to have the chance of getting an early shot, at no cost to themselves.

I know the well-rehearsed arguments of the anti-vaxxers and the shocking statements of the persistent band of Covid deniers, partly spread by the storm of misinformation from across the Atlantic.

Never mind all that nonsense. The reality is that this country is fast closing in on 100,000 Covid deaths. This virus has also brought the economy to its knees and is affecting every part of our daily lives – whether it’s running a business, kids going to school, or an ability to visiting your nearest and dearest.

Those businesses still operating have long since introduced strict Covid-safe working procedures and many are already investing in lateral flow tests for their staff to ensure that anyone found to be contagious, ands who might not be showing symptoms, can quickly self-isolate and reduce the risk of infecting anyone else.

Having a jab at the request of your employer is just the next step up.

The truth is that this pandemic has gone on long enough and if I as a business owner can play any part in helping the government stamp out this awful virus, then I’ll do it so we can all get back to some type of normality.

This is not about coercion but persuasion and explaining to people why this is a logical and sensible step. This is about protecting everyone and restoring both our health and our economy.

I suspect those that would refuse a Covid vaccination may well have dodged tuberculosis, measles, mumps in the past thanks to jabs received earlier in their lives.

Pimlico Plumbers provides a critical service and has worked right through the pandemic. Our Covid-secure policies has inspired confidence when our engineers call at customers’ homes, but I know that proof of vaccination would inspire a great deal more.

There are many more enterprises out there that haven’t been so fortunate, having been stopped in their tracks by restrictions and lockdowns. We owe it to them and their employees to get the economy back on track as quickly as possible.

Extensive medical trials have found that the UK-approved vaccines are safe, but a low take-up threatens further coronavirus outbreaks and more lives being placed at risk. We also have to face the fact that we will all require annual vaccinations as the virus continues to mutate.

Some employment lawyers have already warned that attempts by employers to have their staff vaccinated could lead to claims of discrimination.

Unfortunately, the grim reaper doesn’t have such concerns.

Read more:
No jab, no job debate is about public and workforce safety, pure and simple

My final column of 2020 is in two parts. In this first part, I reflect on what a strange year we’ve had – picking out some of the highlights from an information law perspective. In part two, I’ll be looking forward to what 2021 may bring.

The new normal also means new types of data collections. This includes hospitality and retail companies needing to obtain track and trace details, workplace testing for COVID, and even data about family members when an employee is required to self-isolate. Some of this data constitutes information about health, which is a special category. Organisations need to take particular care in this area, thinking about the lawful basis for the data’s collection, appropriate retention periods and updating privacy notices.

In some cases, this has required data protection impact assessments to be carried out at speed. This has been challenging for businesses large and small. The Government has also faced its own challenges. Back in the spring, it pinned its hopes on its contact tracing smartphone app, but data protection and privacy concerns almost derailed the whole project and led to a fundamental change of approach.

Moving away from specific COVID-related data, the summer’s major row over A level and GCSE results led to an important public debate about the use and potential abuse of algorithms, and their role in automated decision-making. Even among data protection practitioners, it’s fair to say the rules around automated decision-making were not widely understood. This row brought them to the forefront of our minds, although the decisions to scrap results by algorithm prevented the ICO or the courts from ruling on their scope. The use of algorithms is only likely to grow in the coming years, so this is one issue that is not going away.

Away from the pandemic, the law continued to develop. While (thankfully) there weren’t any major legislative changes this year, we have had new case law. In April, the Supreme Court issued its judgment in the Morrisons case. The Supreme Court overturned the decisions in the High Court and the Court of Appeal, which had previously held that Morrisons was vicariously liable under the Data Protection Act 1998 for the actions of a disgruntled employee who deliberately leaked payroll data of thousands of employees onto the internet.

Data protection cases rarely reach the Supreme Court, so this decision was significant. Employers were pleased with the result, although the Court did affirm the principle that employers can be vicariously liable under data protection law for the actions of their employees (just not on the facts of this case).

This case provided a timely reminder about training staff to handle data appropriately. In July, the European Court of Justice released its judgment in the much-anticipated Schrems II litigation. The decision invalidated the EU-US Privacy Shield and once again called into question the legitimacy of international data transfers. This is likely to be a big issue in 2021, particularly in light of the Brexit changes ahead – more on this in my next column.

In such a challenging year, day-to-day information governance work took something of a back seat. The ICO made an early and decisive statement that it would be giving organisations impacted by COVID additional leeway, which was very much welcomed and certainly helped to manage some of the initial pressures. But despite the challenges of the pandemic, the regulator’s work hasn’t stopped, and some major cases were resolved.

In October, British Airways and Marriott International finally received their much-delayed GDPR fines. As you may remember, in the summer of 2019 the ICO announced its intention to fine these companies £193m and £88m for serious security breaches. However, the companies made additional representations and so the ICO had to reconsider its approach. The fines issued were massively discounted compared to the original notices of intention, with British Airways receiving a fine of £20m and Marriott £18.4m. These are still huge numbers, but much lower than initially proposed, so in a way, British Airways and Marriott achieved a good outcome. Nevertheless, the era of multi-million-pound data protection fines has truly arrived.

The ICO has also been busy with new guidance. Practitioners have particularly welcomed new subject access requests guidance. The new accountability framework provides much clearer advice on the documents and actions the ICO expects organisations to take to meet their accountability obligations. Elsewhere, regulators have increased the pace of GDPR enforcement, from minimal fines to multi-million euro ones. For instance, the CNIL in France recently fined the Carrefour supermarket chain over €3m for various infringements and Twitter was fined €450,000 by the Irish DPC. There’s an irony in that we’re getting more examples from across Europe at just the moment when these decisions will cease to have an impact in the UK.

With everything that’s happened in 2020, it’s easy to forget that the GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 are still very new laws. All of us – businesses, practitioners, the regulator and the courts – are still working through new situations and new challenges. It has undoubtedly been a challenging year, with data protection issues never far from the headlines. In my next column, I’ll look ahead at what 2021 may bring.

Read more:
WFH, algorithms and multi-million-pound fines: the year in data protection

With the first UK lockdown coming with little advanced warning, furlough and other Government financial support schemes were initiated quickly and not a lot of guidance was readily available on the finer details.

It was several months before the technicalities of holiday pay, and holiday accrual was properly understood, and even now, a great many smaller employers who have become reliant on ‘free’ advice from blogs and forums are still unaware of certain legal obligations and responsibilities.

There is a misconception that regulations and initiatives relating to Covid supersede all other contracts and this is not the case. Employment contracts, as well as Health and Safety responsibilities, remain a legal liability for the employer. This includes ensuring that your employee’s home workspace meets the same risk assessment standards as they would in the office; sending a member of staff to work from home, without a desk or suitable chair could result in legal claims made against them for injuries sustained as a result of unsafe working conditions.

Breach of contract during furlough could be the next legal boom

Claims for Breach of Contract during furlough periods might very well become the new ‘mis sold PPI’ over the coming years, as employers have failed to recognise the requirement to seek written agreement from their furloughed employee that they will be paid 80% of their salary, and not the 100% as agreed in their contract of employment. Failure to demonstrate mutual agreement to this change, exposes the employer to a claim for Breach of Contract with the employee seeking to recover the remaining 20% of their contracted salary.

Speaking to Victoria Hodkinson of TEN Legal Solicitors, she told us that their Employment department has received an unprecedented number of enquiries from employers over the last two months who have realised only now, that they breached their employees contracts as far as back as April and are seeking advice on how to resolve the situation before they are potentially faced with legal claims.

“We have been working on a lot of Compromise Agreements with employers. Historically, these were most frequently used by larger companies who were making multiple redundancies and wanted a ‘belt and braces’ approach to cover themselves if anything had been overlooked. But this year we are seeing more small employers – with only a handful of employees, looking to mitigate their risk of litigation if it was later discovered that they accidentally breached their contracts with their staff.

We have also seen a rise in enquiries where employers have had claims made against them because they have reduced an employees pay without the correct processes followed, as well as mis-handling of maternity and sickness, and a lot of enquiries where employees have not received the expected sum of holiday pay after they were made redundant. While employers can request that their staff take holiday while furloughed, they must top-up their pay to 100% for the days taken as holiday and many employers have failed to do this.

We don’t want to see a burst of claims against employers; running a business in the current climate is already extremely difficult and struggling businesses don’t need the burden of litigation added to their troubles. It would be preferable if those employers who may have left themselves exposed to claims were to seek legal advice sooner rather than later, and resolve the situation for what might cost a few hundred pounds instead of thousands”.

Read more:
Furlough exposes employers to potential breach of contract claims

The deadline for starting an application for a government-backed loan has been extended to January 31st 2021, but lender appetite is diminishing. What should you do and who do you turn to when you need working capital and the bank says no?

UK businesses have used government-backed loan schemes to survive these most gruelling of months. And with the latest lockdown adding to to the pain, the second wave will push those in perilous situations over the edge. If you’re one of the hundreds of thousands of business owners temporarily closed again you’re probably exploring your options.

Government-backed schemes have naturally been the first port of call for business owners. More than £50bn has been approved in Coronavirus Business Interruption Loans (CBILS) and Bounce Back Loans (BBLS), with more than 1.3 million struggling businesses utilising them. But banks are restricting access to them due to fears of fraud and future defaults and more likely to back the larger small businesses now. The National Audit Office has said that up to £26bn of £38bn BBLS loans may not be repaid. And then there is a backlog of applications to process, although with the latest extension that will ease.

So it’s not that you shouldn’t apply. In fact the opposite is true. CBILS is unique in that there are no fees or interest to repay in the first 12 months. In September £15bn on CBILS lending was approved across 70,000 businesses. And as the backlog for processing applications clears, the sooner you do so, the more likely you’ll get funds when you need them most. But you may need to look beyond your bank – alternative lenders such as Funding Circle and iwoca are still active. You don’t have to start repaying the loan for the first 12 months. You are 100% liable for the debt, however.

These schemes do have their limitations. With a cap of £50,000, BBLS are often not high enough to see business owners through a longer period of disruption. High street banks also limited CBILS applications to existing customers only. While it is possible to take out CBILS funding from multiple lenders, having existing credit – even when it’s government-backed – can be a negative factor in the bank’s decision. Ultimately it comes down to affordability and the bank’s discretion.

The need for working capital

Despite difficult trading conditions, we are still seeing plenty of businesses looking to grow. Businesses that are pivoting to take advantage of a seasonal trend or retailers expecting a jump in orders. They are working hard to keep income streams looking healthy – it’ll be crucial for the longevity of the business, which will in turn keep people in jobs and even create new ones.

To hire new staff, buy new stock, or invest in another delivery vehicle, businesses need funds. This is easier said than done of course. The bank may have a few products, but they might not be suitable depending on the type of business you are.

For example, a retail store won’t qualify for an invoice finance facility. That’s one product off the list already. You may also be close to reaching the limit of your overdraft facility and your bank doesn’t offer business credit cards. In other words, your options with your own bank are limited.

It’s easy to get disheartened once you get a ‘no’ from your bank. Why try another lender? If the bank that is supposed to have your back says no, surely, you’ll be disappointed again with another?

Alternative finance options

There is a thriving alternative finance market that lots of businesses like yours simply don’t know about. When you’re busy managing your business and spinning plates it’s not always easy to assess all of the funding options available. Keeping a close eye on your cashflow takes precedence. But try working with someone who can flag potential options while you still have time, such as your accountant.

There is a multitude of short-term finance products that will help businesses like yours maintain a healthy cashflow and give you immediate working capital:

Asset-based lending

The banks have invested a lot in CBILS even with government-guarantees so we expect them to clamp down on new unsecured business loans. Instead, there will be more appetite for traditional asset-based lending, which works in the favour of businesses that have machinery, equipment, vehicles, property or a debtor book. Not only does it give the lender an element of security in a worst-case scenario, it can be just the ticket for businesses to use their assets to restructure.

Merchant Cash Advance

Asset-based lending, and invoice finance facilities in particular, are unsuitable for retailers that are better served with a Merchant Cash Advance. It is not exactly a loan, rather a lump sum advance payment where the ‘lender’ takes a percentage of future PIN transactions until the amount plus interest is paid back. Because it’s pegged to the value of each transaction and there are no fixed monthly repayments, it’s perfect for the retailer who experiences natural peaks and troughs.

Revolving credit facility

This is also known as a line of credit, an established credit amount that business owners can access as and when needed. Unlike a secured or unsecured loan, where interest is paid on the entire sum, business owners only pay interest on the credit used, not the whole line. It’s perfect for cashflow purposes where the amount can be paid off as soon as an invoice is paid. Borrowers can use the line over and over again – until the end of the agreement that is.

“If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail”, the saying goes. The longer you wait – and the more pertinent your finance need becomes – the higher the price in the form of interest rates and repayment terms. And crucially, a product of ‘last resort’ could provide immediate relief but prove so damaging to cashflow that it could spell the end of your business.

In the face of adversity, business owners must keep their eyes open to any threats and opportunities. Only by acting in a timely manner will they be able to not just survive, but thrive.

Read more:
Lender appetite is diminishing – here’s 3 alternatives if your bank says no

Last week the UK Government u-turned on its recommendation for employees to return to the office and the official position is now that employee’s should work from home ‘if they can’.

It is difficult for many employers to justify bringing their staff into the office when they have already demonstrated earlier in the year that their role can be performed adequately at home, and with many employees keen to ditch the commute, it is likely that bosses will have to concede on the matter, whether they would prefer their team in the office or not.

But many organisations, particularly smaller ones, are failing to address the potential breach of GDPR regulations that arise as a direct result of an employee working from home. This could expose them to a data breach claim made against them, which could be costly as compensation paid for breaches can easily run into the thousands.

Andy Chesterman, Compliance Director at Privacy Helper, a company that specialises in helping companies comply with GDPR and data handling requirements told us that he had seen a lot of breaches and challenges for businesses while their teams have been working from home. Sometimes, putting processes in place to be compliant means hiring IT experts, and investing in servers or software and many firms are simply ignoring their obligations because it is expensive.

“Many firms are allowing employees to use their personal laptops at home to carry out their work, as they would normally use a fixed desktop in the office and cost of supplying each person with a new laptop is an expense they would prefer to avoid. Company property tends to have the latest security patches installed – and some company laptops will not allow external USB’s to be used. Consider this if using your own laptop or PC temporarily – does it satisfy your company IT policy?

If personal machines are used “temporarily”, is all personal data (emails, client data, etc) deleted from the personal machine after use, or does it get forgotten about? And if you are remotely dialling into the work server, are you using a VPN to secure your line? In usual circumstances, you’d log into the work server while in the office – a secure environment. Your home WIFI may be less secure, therefore, compromising the security of the data being accessed”.

There are however many other potential breaches that are often overlooked once an employee is in their own personal space. DRM Legal, a law firm handling claims on behalf of those who have had their data breached have seen an uplift in claims for compensations in 2020 as a direct result of lax processes while working from home.

Chris Saltrese, Senior Partner at DRM Legal shared with us some examples of recent enquiries his practice has received, such as an incident where a marriage counsellor was working out of their home office and private paperwork relating to another couple was not safely filed away and confidential details were visible. In this unusual case, the client actually knew the couple whose paperwork they had seen and had mentioned to them in passing conversation that they were using the same marriage counsellor!

Chris told us, “It is vitally important that files and paperwork containing personal data is locked away safely, where other family members and visitors cannot see those details. A number of GP’s, nurses, solicitors and social workers are now working full-time from home and have in their possession very sensitive data relating to someone’s medical or criminal history. It would not be unusual, particularly in small towns and villages, for spouses, teenage children or extended family members who visit the home to personally know the individual whom the file relates to. If that file is casually left on the dining table or out on view this could lead to a very serious data breach, and subsequent claim for compensation”

Read more:
Working from home leaves business owners exposed to data breach claims

Today the chancellor put back the date when the UK will recover from the coronavirus crisis.

His measures are too complicated; too generous and open to fraud, and above all completely unnecessary because we should have had the balls to keep fighting and stick with the original plan of getting this country back to work.

Last week was the official anniversary of the Battle of Britain which is very appropriate since we are again in a dogfight to protect our country and everything, we’ve worked so hard to build as a nation. I’ve got lots to say about Rishi’s latest emergency measures, but mostly I think the real criticism needs to be aimed at our lack of courage at going head to head with the virus, come what may.

The chancellor’s latest package of relief measures is complicated. There will be some businesses that will be saved; while some will manage to struggle on for a few more months before collapsing in seven months, rather than in November when the original furlough ends. But there will also be thousands of businesses who find themselves so messed about by today’s complicated financial ‘rescue’ plan that they too may end up going to the wall.

History tells us that when plagues and disease hit, you must fight on, not hide away. What I have seen today from the chancellor is a ‘relief package’ that is only necessary because his Government didn’t have the stomach to stick to its original plan of getting the country back to work.

In the past when faced with killer diseases people kept going and got through, and by doing so they figured out new ways of living and doing business that worked. What we’re doing is just putting off the moment when we get to grips with the virus and can get on with our lives.

Read more:
Rishi’s latest measures are only necessary because his Government doesn’t have the stomach for a fight!

If you employ salespeople to sell your company’s products and services, it is more than likely that you have a sales commission plan in place.

If you do and you want to test whether or not your sales commission plan is fit for purpose, there are 3 simple questions you should ask yourself.

The answers to these questions will inform you if your sales commission plan is what it should be, if it would benefit from adjustment or if you need to pull it apart and start again. The three questions are,

Question 1: Is your sales commission plan aligned to your organisation’s financial objectives?

We’ll start with something so obvious that it often gets missed. Are you rewarding people for achievements that directly contribute to the financial objectives and targets laid out in your organisation’s business plan?

For example, if achieving your annual gross profit target relies on a balanced mix of products and services being sold, is this reflected in the plan, are there certain products that you want to sell more or less of?

Aligned to the product mix theme, is your plan operating on a flat percentage of sales value (revenue) or does it reward as a proportion of the profitability of the sale. If it is the former, it is literally costing you more (in terms of commission payments vs profit ratio) to sell your less profitable products.

However, the most important thing in aligning your plan to your financial objectives, is to check if it’s possible for you to pay out 100% or more of your commission plan budget without achieving your organisation’s financial targets.

In other words, could you max out your commission plan budget without hitting your profit target? You should check this at an individual, team and overall company level.

Question 2: Does your sales commission plan promote the correct behaviours?

If your business sells high value and/or complex products with a long sales cycle, it’s probable that the accuracy of your sales forecast is important to you. If it is, have you linked the accuracy of sales people’s forecasts to the payment of their commission?

On a similar theme, but extended to a wider scope, you may be an organisation that struggles to get its sales people to manage their Customer Relationship Management (CRM) input to the standard you want them to.

This could include anything from keeping customer contact records up to date, through to ensuring sales opportunities are staged at the correct point in the sales cycle. If this is an issue for you, have you taken steps to link the payment of commission to the quality and accuracy of their CRM input?

A final point on this section is to check if your sales managers are rewarded with exactly the same commission plan as the people in their teams and consider if this is the correct thing to do? Are there points of integrity, such as ensuring the correct product is being sold to the right customer for the right reasons, which mean your sales managers should be rewarded differently?

Question 3: Is your sales commission plan clear, documented and understood by all?

If you do run a sales commission plan (and if you have read this far I’m presuming you either run or are rewarded by one), have you ever received a complaint from a participant of the plan.

The answer to that question was “yes” wasn’t it?

In my experience the majority of complaints (or to more accurately describe them, disputes) about sales commission plans arise from two sources.

The first is when the plan is changed mid-year; when this happens it is nearly always because the points raised in “Question 1” (alignment to financial objectives) were not addressed in the plan’s original design and a panic measure has been put in place to address a budget issue.

The second is when the plan is not supported by a governance document. Moreover, the time and effort has not been taken to ensure that the plan’s rules are clearly documented and understood by everyone participating in it. These rules could include, thresholds, accelerators, bonus triggers (the aforementioned) product mix and the behaviours we covered in Question 2.

Writing a governance document for your sales commission plan, explaining all of its moving parts, the rules and even producing a frequently asked questions (FAQ) section will minimise the instances of future disputes.

More importantly, it will test whether or not the design of your sales commission plan is robust and fit for purpose. If there are gaps in your plan, writing the governance document will find them before you launch it, so it’s worth the effort.

Getting it Right

The premise of running a sales commission plan is that you are employing salespeople within a risk/reward culture.

A good sales commission plan will align to your organisation’s financial targets and objectives, reward not only sales achievement, but also the correct behaviours and be clearly understood by all those participating in it.

So, when you get a chance ask yourself the three simple questions outlined above and hopefully you can answer them in this order,

• It is
• It does
• It is.

If you can that’s brilliant, if you can’t, you’ve got some sales commission plan redesign work to do.

Read more:
Three simple questions to test your business’s sales commission plan

Rishi Sunak’s desperate pleading with company bosses not to lay off their furloughed employees once the scheme ends next month will cut no ice with those who must balance the books in the real world of business.

Many industries have been decimated by the virus and the measures designed to curb it, which means some employers will be forced to make cuts to survive.

Most businesses operate on very small margins and cannot afford to simply swallow employee wage bills, especially if sales are on a knife-edge or have failed to return to anything like pre-lockdown levels, no matter how much the Chancellor begs them to do so.

This is why the Government and employers must do much more to get people back behind their desks. Bums on seats is the only way to drive up productivity, restart the economy, and stop the recession that has already landed becoming the full-blown depression many are predicting.

Unemployment has jumped from 3.9% to 4.1% with more than 700,000 job losses since March, but we are kidding ourselves if we don’t accept worse is coming.

Companies that have closed their eyes and crossed their fingers will get a shock when they discover that work levels have not returned.

Job cuts will be inevitable and anyone who thinks otherwise is a fool. To survive employers must be honest with themselves about what the future brings, and they have a moral duty to share this honesty with workers, giving them the best opportunity to safeguard their own futures.

According to the latest figures, around 11% of the workforce remain on the scheme. Whilst it has been seen as a success for many up until now, it will only prove to be a stay of execution for some of those four million people.

The chancellor is facing mounting calls to extend the scheme but that would be madness. He needs to find a way of weaning the country off of it before it ends, but time is running out.

Young people have already shouldered the burden of the lockdown and the £2bn Kickstart scheme can help alleviate their suffering in the future, but Sunak needs to act quickly to avert the worst of the looming catastrophe.

He must turn a deaf ear to those who would have him extend the furlough scheme into the never, never. Pretending that some areas, such as the high street, haven’t been permanently ravaged is stupid and just creates false hope.

The fact is that Sunak needs to help workers shift to other areas, where growth is predicted or is happening already, because company bosses will have to get real once the scheme ends in October.

Read more:
As furlough ends employers have a duty to be honest with their workers

Podcasting is a fantastic way to share your ideas and enthusiasm for your role with a captive audience. No fewer than a million podcasts exist today with over 60 million episodes whizzing their way to your ears.

I’ve been researching them recently as I’ve been asked to produce my own one for the legendary Business Matters. I’m excited because it’s right up my street – interviewing successful business owners on the reasons, inspirations of why they first started and how they’ve managed to navigate through life’s pitfalls and turn chaos into triumph. All in a mere thirty minutes! In true Cherry Martin fashion I’ve spent hours geeking out on the do’s and don’ts, here are the ones that I’m intending on doing …

Invest in a good microphone and don’t forget the pop filter

Don’t buy cheap, you’ll only pay twice – Rode, Sennheiser and SubZero all do excellent home recording packages ranging from £150 upwards. You’ll need to double check that the corresponding app can handle your recording desires and potentially editing skills too. Chances are that they’re more than adequate.

Make sure you place the pop filter between your mouth and the mic to eliminate ‘popping’ noises when you speak into the microphone. If you use plosive words that begin with a ‘p’ for example, the sudden air pressure will cause the microphone to pop. Test out talking into your mic, experts advise to position it slightly to one side  of your mouth and talk through it as opposed to striaght in front of it, but see what works for you. Then when you’ve found the perfect position for speaking maintain it every time. Use nearby objects as a guide.

Silence around you is podcast gold

Choose your smallest available room, keep the windows shut and record in there. You want the sound to be as pure and undisturbed as possible. By a road? Don’t record at rush hour. Trust me, it’s a bad experience all round.

Settings get you on track

Ever been listening to a podcast and the sound levels aren’t consistent throughout? If you’re not going to shell out for someone to correctly edit your audio then you need to ensure the setup within your recording suite/app shows consistent levels. You want to avoid startling your listeners for all the wrong reasons.

Create an intro and outro to your podcast

Feeling editor savvy? Brill – download a copyright free track and edit your heart out. Not sure how to do this? Panic not, there are tonnes of tutorials online, they are a simple Google search away. Failing that, do what the masters of podcasting at Business Matters Magazine have done invest in someone to create one for you.

Research your guest, a lot

Whether you’ve sourced your guest via their PR team or agent, directly from your own contact, the more research you know about them going into the podcast the better. Why’s this essential? Well it can help shape your questions to ensure you’re getting the most information from their time. Researching their history may show life incidents or quirks that make for great stories to be shared during your session with them. Crucially, if the conversation looks as thought it’s in danger of drying up you can quickly insert a little fact about them, boost their confidence and carry on with your set of questions.

Remember the 80:20 interview rule? Perhaps make it 90:10 …

As much as it’s your podcast, if you’re interviewing someone and the listeners are tuning in for it, remember that they don’t want your voice to dominate. Unless the entire podcast is focussed on you and you alone, don’t forget to let your guest have a good say in the entertainment.

Be certain of your niche, message and aim

It’s the same for any brand of content, you need to know what your overall message needs to be. Is it focusing on a particular sector of the business world or is it news and reviews? Remain consistent and people will tune in for your show and look forward to the next one. Are you deepening discussions in your genre, do you want to attract more clients or are you happy where you are and just want to engage with people?

Keywords to be used in your description

Continuing the train of thought on your brand’s podcast, think carefully about your name for it and ensure that the accompanying description contains as many keywords as possible within it.

Where the podcast magic happens

I always say that collaboration is where the magic happens and it’s no different when podcasting. Don’t be afraid to collaborate with ideas and other people. Yes, some people may try and copy you, but they can never be you. Pairing up and doing a joint podcast means double the marketing and double the listeners.

Which leads perfectly onto the next tip … planning

Imagine your podcast is successful, you’ve got more listeners than you ever dreamt of having and suddenly you run out of ideas. Your blood runs cold, people are tweeting that they can’t wait to hear your next podcast, you’re supposed to be recording tomorrow and you don’t know what to do … Content strategy and proper planning will negate this as ever being a problem. If you plan to your episodes at least three months in advance you can always alter and switch them around but it means that you’re giving your brain enough time to have new ideas and source new people to talk to and work with.

• Source people on social – depending on your genre, choose your platform and get searching by hashtags for beliefs and popular names and accounts. It’s the easiest way to connect directly with people you want to get involved.
• Ask your audience who they’d like to hear from next – it’s great consumer engagement and you’re going straight to the source of who you want to inspire and impress
• Ask your guests after each podcast if there is anyone within their network they’d recommend
• Read more magazines – at Business Matters we profile on average ten incredible business minds every week. That’s a whole lot of inspiration just ready online and in print for you to get stuck into …

Read more:
Ten tips to ensure your podcast preparation is a success

QR code menu allows guests to digitally view the menu items, avoiding them to touch the physical menu!

As restaurants, bars, and cafes in the United Kingdom are starting to welcome customers in the Post-COVID-19 world, a new set of rules and implementations have changed as we move toward the ‘new normal’ society set-up.

To reduce the health risk among diners brought by cardboard menus in which viruses could linger, the use of contact-less menu has skyrocketed among restaurant industries in different parts of the globe, to ensure safety among employees and customers dining in many restaurants and visiting pubs.

QR code menu is the new normal in 2020 and beyond!

The pandemic has caused abrupt changes in the consumers’ behavior.

Customers have become more guarded and self-conscious about where they eat and what they touch.

To adapt to these sudden socio-economic changes, digital advances like a PDF QR code menu is the best in-the-now available solution to address this concern among many customers, while leveraging their dine-in experience!

Moreover, QR code menu is one way to highlight restaurants and bars sanitation practices, while clearly and safely communicating to their customers.

Needless to say, the QR code technology has become a popular, life-saving counterpart during this emergency health crisis!

How to make a QR code menu in a PDF or JPEG?

• Go to a QR Code generator online
• Upload your PDF or JPEG menu in the ‘File’ category
• Click Generate QR code
• Customize your QR code
• Test your QR code menu
• Download your PDF QR code
• Deploy your QR code

How to make a QR code menu in a PDF in 7simple steps!

Step 1:Go to a QR Code generator online.

To generate your QR code menu in a PDF file, you need to use a QR code generator online.

There are a lot of QR code soft wares you can find on the internet, but- it must possess the must-have qualities of a QR code generator.

An ideal QR code generator to use should have good credibility, regularly updating with efficient customer support, allows multiple designing options for your QR code menu, and editable or updateable even in real-time!

Step 2: Upload your PDF menu in the ‘File’ category

PDF QR code is under the file category. Simply upload your PDF file menu in the ‘File’ solution.

Step 3: Click “Generate QR code.”

To start generating your PDF QR code menu for your restaurant and bar, tap “generate QR code” button.

Step 4: Customize your QR code

Make your QR code a part of your restaurant or bar branding!

A well-custom made QR code leaves a lasting impression on your customer! Do some effort and make it fancy and stunning! But that doesn’t mean you need to come up with an over-customized design!

Personalizing it by simply adding your restaurant or bar logo, setting the colors, and adding unique edges and frames will make it stand out than the monochromatic QR code colors!

Make your QR code menu attractively simple, yet noteworthy to remember!

Step 5: Test your QR code menu

Even before downloading your QR code menu, always do a scan test! Make sure it scans and check if you have entered the right menu guide.

If you already have printed your PDF QR code menu and found errors in the list once scanning, there is no need to worry. A PDF QR code is dynamic in nature, which means, you can edit or replace your PDF QR code with the right data even if it has been deployed or printed! This saves you a large portion of your expenses!

Step 6: Download your PDF QR code menu

After finalizing and checking your PDF QR code menu, click on the download button! You can also save your QR code as a template!

Step 7: Deploy your QR code

Print your QR code in your menu materials and get started with your contactless PDF QR code menu!

6 main advantages of why you should use QR code menu instead of a cardboard menu!

It is TOUCHLESS

We all know how reducing close contact and social distancing is necessary to avoid multiplying the disease!

Viruses can spread on many surfaces, and your menus are no exemption!

QR code menus are touch-less! Your customers can access the PDF QR code menu and view it using their smartphones!

The digital menu is accessible using smartphone devices

QR codes are made to be scanned by smartphone users, which makes it easier to deploy. Everyone owns a smartphone in this era, who doesn’t have one, right?

A QR code menu is economical

A QR code menu is cost-efficient, and it can save you a large portion of your budget expenses that goes through printing thousands of menu cardboards which easily get worn out over time! Moreover, it will only cost you hiring a professional designer every now and then!

You can update your menu anytime

Have additional food offers on the list? A PDF QR code menu is a type of dynamic QR code, where you can edit your menu! Just click on the ‘Track Data’ button of the QR code generator and click on the ‘File’ menu to replace your data with a new one!

QR code menus are eco-friendly

Menus, when transformed into a QR code, is digital. That means you are producing fewer paper wastes!

Your guests cannot only view the menu conveniently using their smartphones, but you are also reducing the amount of carbon footprint your restaurant business contributes to the landfill!

Disposable menus are not sustainable and they make no long-term impact!

QR code menu has durability when use

One of the interesting and practical features of a QR code is its ability to withstand the test of time!

The QR code technology has a built-in correction error capacity. Meaning, even if your QR code menu has been slightly worn-out or defaced, they have the ability to restore the information and can still function! That makes them long-lasting than menu cardboards!

Switch to a QR code menu now!

Money is the fuel to keep your business running, but valuing your customers and employees safety during this pandemic matters more!

If you put your customers’ and guests’ safety on top of your priority by implementing safety tools such as a touch-less menu through QR codes, they will more likely to remember your service and appreciate you!

Automate what you can automate if needed!

Affordable tech-devices like QR codes can be used to transform your menus digital while being cost-efficient. The QR code technology is easy to employ, navigate, and you don’t need to be a QR code enthusiast to learn it!  Just head over to a QR code generator online and start generating your PDF menu QR code now!

Prevent COVID With QR Code And Disinfection

COVID-19 has indeed changed different aspects of people’s lives. Even top industries are now thinking of innovative ways to adjust to the new normal. The government has set forth guidelines as to the allowed number of customers to dine at restaurants and proper disinfection of food establishments.

One of the things that you want to do is learn how to disinfect a restaurant. This will save you from any health risks and possible food contamination that may occur. The best way to do this is to make sure that everything in your restaurant is clean and disinfected by using an approved cleaning solution (commercially available disinfectants or chlorine and water solution). Also, ensure that there are no dangerous or potentially hazardous products on the floor that might cause contamination.

In addition to disinfection, it’s important to prevent COVID by reducing the possibility of transferring or spreading the virus via restaurant items, such as traditional hand-held menu booklets. Using PDF QR code is highly recommended to ensure everyone is safe against COVID-19.

Embracing Innovation Is The Key To Thriving In The New Normal

COVID-19 created a huge struggle for traditional businesses to shift into digital technology to cope up with the challenges of the new normal. Many people never thought that the use of artificial intelligence and other digital innovations will be too soon. But, all of a sudden, the use of digital technology reaches its peak.

Using QR codes is now rapidly being implemented to almost any type of business for contactless payments and other business transactions. Restaurant owners are beginning to embrace what was in the past as robotic or futuristic. With PDF QR code generation, a restaurant owner can now accept payments and customers can now order through a digital menu while staying safe from coronavirus.

Read more:
How to make a QR code menu for your restaurant or bar in the Post-COVID-19 lockdown

This week the Government announced that the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme would be extended until October, however from August while workers will continue to receive 80% of their salary, new rules will mean that employers share the cost.

It is yet to be revealed how the financial responsibilities will be proportioned; whether this will be 50/50 or the State shouldering the lion’s share but the amendments to the scheme, but of the key details that have been announced it is clear that workers will be allowed to return to work on a part-time basis.

At present, workers must either return to work without any (furlough) Government subsidy, or remain completely inactive in the organisation. This poses challenges for many business owners both in relation their own Director function and their staff. For many employers, who do not have enough work to fill a full time role, but do need some support from their staff it means choosing to manage without their workers or depriving them of 80% of their full-time pay, in exchange for what may only be 16-20 hours per week (maybe 40-50% pay)

The hidden benefit for Directors

Until now, Directors have been pretty hard done by. With most taking the majority of their pay via dividends – unearned income on paper, and therefore illegible for the Self Employed Grant, and unable to furlough themselves because the requirements of the scheme demand complete commercial inactivity, could this provide the opportunity for directors to claim a portion of their salary and continue working?

While the amendments to the scheme are presumably designed to reduce the burden on the tax payer, the Government may very well have overlooked the potential for new claims from directors, and the potential for fraud, with employers no longer fretting that their staff could be evidenced as working, but asking them to work full-time none the less and Director;  taking a ‘business as usual’ approach, while claiming part of their salary via the scheme.

The devil is in the detail

The details are yet to be announced, but one would assume that the Government have pre-empted a deluge of new claims and therefore one might expect the split to be 50/50 or even a higher responsibility on the employer.

However, it seems likely that this extension has been formulated with leisure and hospitality businesses in mind and with a view that the Government does not want to see a spike in Universal Credit claims. If so, it seems probable that the Government wedge of the bill will reach at least 50%.

With the furlough scheme currently costing the tax payer £100bn up to October, we would hope that it fulfils its brief and successfully prevents many jobs from being lost.

Read more:
Extended furlough – a big win for Directors?

How many times have you heard ‘New Year, New You’?

The New Year is often a time for reflection- what went well? What went wrong? What have you learned? And perhaps most importantly, where do you go now?

You probably listen to your family or friends or colleagues back at work discussing their decisions to do better next year. Whether that’s losing weight, taking up a new hobby, travelling more or saving money.

But I urge people to indeed use this time for self-reflection and use it to set proper, measurable and achievable goals, not to make desperate resolutions on a whim just because it’s the time of year that everyone does.

You’re more likely to achieve goals than stick to resolutions because we see them as long-term commitments, and they’re a reflection of our actual desires and ambitions. They dive deeper than a resolution, so we tend to take a more practical and realistic approach to achieving them.

Your goals should be specific – nothing general like losing weight. Instead, ask yourself how much weight do you want to lose? And when do you see yourself achieving your ideal weight? It’s important to be realistic and give yourself enough time to achieve it. Making SMART goals (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-sensitive) gives you the tools to succeed in all of your goal-setting endeavours.

Tips to Setting SMART Goals

Write your goals down. This helps you to visualise them. How will they look when you have achieved what you’re setting out to achieve? How will they feel? This will also work as a motivator to keep going when things get more difficult, or your life ultimately gets busier. It will remind you that this was once very important for you to achieve. It also demonstrates a commitment in hard copy. How many times have you said something to yourself like ‘I’ll go to the gym tonight’ or ‘I’m going to join my local theatre group next week’ and you don’t do it. Well, you don’t have to. No one else is going to push you to do it, and most of us are notorious for going back on what we’ve said, especially if no one has been around to hear us and hold us accountable.

Stop comparing yourself. Isn’t it easy to look at your friends or even people you went to school with long ago and think about how much more successful they are than you with a better job, a bigger salary, a family, a spouse? It is practically unavoidable too with social media giving us instant, constant updates and multiplying the number of people we’re exposed to. Feeling envious or bitter or down about your own progress is a complete waste of energy and time that you could be putting into your self-improvement. It is vital to remember that whilst we might all have similar goals, we all have different journeys, and that is the beauty of life. Wouldn’t it be boring if we all experienced everything at the exact same time? Life is unexpected and unpredictable, and just because you might accomplish something later in life, it does not make you a failure.

On the subject of failure, it is important to embrace the likelihood of failing. Failure is often necessary for success as we learn and grow as a result of it, improving ourselves each time. Failing at your goals might cause you to readjust them or to gain an insight or idea you might never have had before. Failure also makes us more resilient which is a key skill that is relied upon to bounce back and prosper in the wake of defeat.

Enjoy it. Although we make goals because we want to alter a part of our lives, it doesn’t mean that you should despise where you are right now. Celebrate every part of your journey – from deciding to make that goal in the first place, all the small victories along the way, and eventually achieving it. It does you no good to force yourself into doing something when you’re doing it for the wrong reasons.

To keep things enjoyable, remember that whatever your goals are, they are only aspects of your life. Never put your whole life on hold as you try to pursue something huge in a small period of time. Continue to live your life the way you want to but dedicate a proportion of your resources towards achieving your goals. And remember to take each day as it comes. Celebrate the small steps you’re making to success- whether your jeans fit a bit looser each day or you manage to save 10% of what you’re aiming for. It’s all part of achieving the big one at the end.

If you think you could benefit from some help in clarifying your goals and how to go about achieving them, my Talk to Carole sessions may well be helpful to you. These are online 30-minute confidential coaching sessions where you will receive an objective viewpoint and another perspective.

Happy New Year and good luck with your goals!

Read more:
New Year: Setting Goals, NOT Resolutions

Artificial intelligence continues to be in the news. One area that has hit the headlines recently is the use of AFR – automated facial recognition technology – which is now well established.

In simple terms AFR is able to assess whether two facial images depict the same person.

Live footage from CCTV can be used to extract digital images of faces of members of the public and convert this into related biometric information.  This information can then be compared with that in a watchlist in real time.

CCTV footage can capture a digital photo of a person’s face, which can then be processed using software to extract unique biometric information, such as measurements of facial features.  This data is then compared with facial biometric data from images contained in a database.

The comparison is scored by the software, with a higher number indicating a greater likelihood of the CCTV facial image being a match with one on the database.  Such technology clearly lends itself to use in public places and for public events and is in fact already in use.

For example, between 2017 – 2019 South Wales Police (SWP) used the technology at a number of events including the 2017 UEFA Champions League Final, rugby matches and at an Elvis Presley Festival. Such technology will scan many faces –  21,500 at a rugby international for example.  A person’s image is personal data, so capturing images in this way will be processing personal data as is any comparison against a watchlist of crime suspects or other persons searched against.  Clearly such use could be seen as Big Brother in action.  Equally, it can be justified as a way of preventing crime, detecting criminals and help ensuring public safety.

The use of AFR by South Wales Police was recently challenged in the courts but the outcome was in favour of the police force.  The SWP had taken care in using AFR and had considered the privacy aspects of using AFR at the outset – it was only used for specific and limited purposes.  The CCTV information was deleted unless there was a match, which a human being (not a machine) then assessed. It was found that the force had taken care to comply with the Data Protection Act 2018.

But the use of AFR continues to generate controversy.  Its use by a property developer in the busy King’s Cross area of London has been controversial.  It was uncertain why the property developer had been using AFR and what their legal basis for processing the information was.  The Information Commissioner (ICO) decided to investigate and commented: “Scanning people’s faces as they lawfully go about their daily lives, in order to identify them, is a potential threat to privacy that should concern us all. That is especially the case if it is done without people’s knowledge or understanding.”

Facial recognition technology is a priority area for the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and when necessary, ICO has stated it will not hesitate to use its investigative and enforcement powers to protect people’s legal rights.

In its investigation of the use of AFR in King’s Cross the ICO will require detailed information from the relevant organisations about how the technology is used. They will also inspect the system and its operation on-site to assess whether or not it complies with data protection law.

As the ICO has highlighted any organisations wishing to use facial recognition technology must comply with the law – and they must do so in a fair, transparent and accountable way. They must document how and why they believe their use of the technology is legal, proportionate and justified.

While the ICO supports keeping people safe, it stresses that new technologies and new uses of sensitive personal data must always be balanced against people’s legal rights.

In the USA such technology has also been used in job interviews to assess how candidates respond to questions during the interview.  There is evidence that such techniques can be biased e.g. discriminating against female applicants on the basis that previous hires for the company in question were mainly men.

Regardless of this we can expect to see AFR being used more often.  It is not currently illegal to use it in the UK – but its use must be proportionate, transparent and in line with appropriate regulatory codes as well as the GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018.

This means those using it must give its use careful thought, carry out a privacy impact assessment, avoid the risk of bias and have appropriate policy documents in place to justify its use.

Consulting with the ICO first is also a good idea.  Given that the ICO are actively prioritising this area, businesses can expect further guidance shortly.  But even if lawful, do businesses want the adverse publicity of being perceived as using “Big Brother” tactics?

Read more:
Automated Facial Recognition Technology (AFR): Big Brother in action?

Data is the oil of the digital economy – whether it’s personal data or other sorts of data.

Following the advent of the General Data Protection Regulation in May last year, people are far more aware of their data protection and privacy rights.

As a result, businesses are rightfully taking data protection far more seriously.

The growth of the Internet of Things – connected cars, home devices and sensors, for example – will only drive up data generation and new 5G mobile networks will help facilitate this.

The protection of personal data is increasingly well understood and applied. However, vast amounts of data now being generated isn’t personal. One of the things lawyers are debating more frequently is whether data (whether personal or non-personal) can be “owned” – is it a form of property?

This question has enormous economic importance and is a separate issue from data protection law, which is rooted in protecting certain fundamental human rights concerning data rather than property rights.

All businesses will be generating and processing data.  This data will have considerable value – it may give your business a competitive edge or be a vital business asset. So how do you protect it?

In English law, the legal protection of data is fragmentary and complex. First, it’s generally understood there is no such thing as “property” in information. So, for example, an electronic database of information cannot be said to be property in the way that the IT server on which it sits is property.

The law says that you need to distinguish between the information/data itself (in which there is no right of property), the physical medium where it is recorded (which is tangible property – it can be exclusively “owned” and “possessed”) and the intangible intellectual property rights (copyright, database right and rights in confidential information) that may nevertheless still protect the information.

The EU has been thinking about a new legal right that would protect data – a “data producer’s right” – but such a right is a long way off. Because of the uncertainty surrounding how the law protects data, contracts are often used to deal with the matter even though the legal basis for the protection of the data may be unclear.

Every so often, the courts will explore how data is protected. One recent case decided in May this year concerned rights to horse racing data. Here the data owners tried to rely on a bundle of legal rights they claimed in their data, including:

• Breach of copyright (here the data would need to be an “original” copyright work – a literary work in this case)
• Breach of database right (where there was an investment in creating and maintaining a protected database)
• Breach of confidence (the law of confidence protected the data; the argument was that the data was commercially valuable, and the racecourse owners imposed restrictions on its use, including on those attending the races concerned. It was argued it should be treated as confidential by those who had access to it)

At trial, the claimants or data “owners” failed in all their claims apart from in relation to breach of confidence. Here the court held the pre-race data was commercially valuable, and as the claimants had sought to prevent its distribution off-course they were entitled to protect it – even though the information was potentially publicly available.

What is also interesting is that the court rejected any argument that the relevant data was protected by copyright, deeming it was not “original” enough as an algorithm generated it by “pure routine work”.

They found that compiling the data didn’t involve sufficient skill, labour and judgment to merit copyright protection. As for database right, the use made of the data did not amount to database right infringement.

The case illustrates the challenges that can arise in protecting data. The data “owners” here had to make several arguments only one of which – breach of confidence – succeeded at trial.

However, the case isn’t the last word on the subject – as always cases are fact-dependent, and businesses need to have policies and procedures in place to protect their data.

Obvious areas to focus on are:

• Using the law of confidence where possible by ensuring you have a trade secret policy identifying valuable data you wish to protect and putting steps in place to document it, protect it and keep it confidential. In practice, you can achieve this by limiting access only to those bound by confidentiality restrictions, whether in employment or consultancy contracts or NDAs. Using robust physical and electronic security to keep it confidential is also crucial.
• Ensuring where possible database right and copyright are available through keeping records of how your data and databases are created and maintained. Also, consider reviewing your contracts with creators and database developers to ensure you own the IP rights.
• Where you provide access to your data to others, use appropriately protective contracts to do so and think through whether you can claim rights to what is done with your data.

Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash

Read more:
Betting on a bundle of rights – how the law protects data

Houston, we’ve got a problem – it’s talent scarcity.

You’ve probably heard this a number of times before. But you’re not seeing the whole picture because you’re missing one important piece of the puzzle.

I’ll explain why, but let’s just start by getting the facts straight.

Yes, the UK is suffering from a massive talent shortage. Large companies have the most difficulty filling job vacancies with 50 per cent of employers experiencing talent shortages. While large companies only account for 0.1 per cent of companies in the UK, they employ a staggering 40 per cent of the total workforce. SMEs are suffering too, with 45 per cent struggling to attract the right skills.

Not surprisingly, IT, broadly speaking, is the most in-demand skills set across industries. Software engineers and programmers are in particular high demand, with respondents listing automation, C++, C#, and cyber security as key skills needed.

Across the UK’s major tech hubs, employers in Leeds, Manchester and London are the most pessimistic about their ability to attract talented tech workers.

And the need for IT skills is not getting any smaller. 92 per cent of employers said they will need more employees with technical skills, and 74 per cent said that finding people with the right skills will be harder in the future.

Adding to that, companies fear that the talent shortage problem will only get worse once Brexit is finalised.More than half of UK CIOs said they were unsure if they would be able to find enough staff with the required IT expertise once the UK finalises its divorce from the EU.

Are you getting depressed from reading these stats, or is it just me?

But actually, there’s good reason as to why we shouldn’t worry. 

You’re looking in the wrong place

While there might be a talent shortage in the traditional workforce, the flexible workforce, consisting of freelancers, independent consultants, and contractors, is booming.

Since 2009, the freelance economy in the UK has grown by 25 per cent and generates an estimated £109bn a year. Flexible workers now account for around 15 per cent of the working populationin the UK.

That’s why more companies than ever are now using flexible workers to meet demand.As many as87 per cent of UK employersintend to increase or maintain their use of flexible workers in the next three months.

You might start to think that it’s only a temporary solution until permanent positions can be filled.

But that’s not quite the case.

The speed of technological developments mean that today’s world is far less predictable than yesterday’s, and that companies that have developed greater agility can often outperform competition. The old paradigm of employers focusing on predictable job roles is giving way to project work, which lends itself to hiring flexible workers on a project basis. Increasingly, jobs may become replaced by projects. This is giving rise to the flexible workforce whose members rapidly assemble and reassemble around projects, challenges and goals rather than jobs.

Let’s look at the advantages of flexible talent

According to Accenture, two of the key advantages of employing flexible talent are ‘fast access to relevant and highly skilled talent, and agility in the face of a highly turbulent business environment’.

And in today’s competitive business world, it’s crucial to be adaptable, agile, and nimble. For instance, time-to-market can make the difference between success and failure. By bringing in flexible talent when they’re needed – who can hit the ground running without time-consuming on-boarding and training –  businesses can get ahead of the competition.

They’re also able to quickly adjust to changing demands, scaling staff up and down efficiently to meet changes in demand in various parts of the world.

By using flexible talent, companies can also quickly change the mix of skills available to them, which can help them adapt swiftly to changing customer preferences. Moreover, using a flexible workforce can foster innovation – an essential part of any growth-driven competitive strategy.

Numerous studies have shown that the shift towards using the extended workforce as a strategic asset can help push a company ahead of the competition. For example, one study revealed that the most successful businesses use flexible workers more often and more strategically than low performing businesses.

So, to compete in the future, businesses will need to push recruitment beyond the confines of the enterprise wall to include the new hybrid of flexible workers. By maximising the potential of both an extended workforce and permanent employees, companies can gain critical competitive advantages.

Here’s 4 easy steps to bring your company in front of the pack:

1. Make HR responsible for the entire workforce, comprised of both freelancers and perms – not just perms as is the case in most companies today.
2. Complement your existing recruiter relationships with the use of online freelance marketplaces giving you direct access to thousands of vetted freelancers. This not only saves you costs but also gives you access to a much wider talent-pool.
3. Use a Freelance Management System  (FMS) to manage your entire contingent workforce – pay, rate, ensure compliance (incl. IR35), and share insights about great freelancers with your co-workers
4. Start treating everybody in the company equally – freelancers, contractors and perms – they’re all crucial to your success and should be treated accordingly

The bottom line is, businesses should not be concerned about the type of contract a candidate can be hired on. They should be thinking about who’s best for the job. Put in another way, would you hire a lower qualified perm over a higher qualified freelancer? Why?

So I’m calling the bluff on the talent scarcity crisis. It’s really only prevalent in the traditional workforce, while, as we’ve seen, the flexible workforce is blossoming.

And if you want to future-proof your business, hiring a freelancer for that next project might just be the best thing you’ve done all year.

There’s no talent-shortage in the freelance economy

Read more:
Talent, where are you?

Remember the days of faxes, pagers and instant messaging? It feels like a lifetime ago – but those now archaic forms of communication driven by the desire to improve collaboration and productivity, have led us to today.

Connectivity lies at the heart of collaboration and is central to knowledge, idea and information sharing which are essential for businesses to become more productive and efficient as they make their digital transformation journeys.

There’s no room for isolation in the digital economy. Even on a local level, we need to think about how we maintain communication with peers and colleagues, given that events – from extreme weather conditions to the unpredictable nature of public transport system – conspire to delay us from doing our best work, putting us at a disadvantage to our connected colleagues.

There’s no doubt that the UK economy is still in question, with more uncertainty ahead while it tries to understand it’s future post Brexit. Many companies are responding to the current dynamic by moving toward agile workplaces to cut operational costs, thus moving their staff to smaller, more cost-effective premises while encouraging hot-desking and remote working.

As such, how we define the workspace is changing and today it’s not unusual to see work conducted in environments as wide ranging as huddle spaces to coffee shops; what matters is that the work gets done, rather than where it gets done.

Many companies are increasingly deploying video communications as a way of collaborating, with a view to introducing it to every single meeting room, desk and employee. This isn’t just in response to what’s happening right now, but it’s also in anticipation of future trends, one of which is the rise of millennials in the workplace.

Immersed in tech from day one and tech-savvy, their willingness to embrace technology eclipses that of previous generations who took a perhaps more guarded view of change. In those situations, video facilitates not just the important act of collaboration, but communicating in a way that helps us to build better relationships at work with key stakeholders and fostering personal connections.

Directly connected to customer satisfaction, is how good employees feel at work. It’s imperative therefore to make sure you do everything you can to connect on an emotional level to build productive and lasting professional relationships.

The knock on effects internally have the capacity to bolster and – critically – motivate your entire team. As ever, this initiative needs to be driven from the top. When the C-Level or other members of the leadership team use collaboration tools and have two-way conversations with as many employees as they can, employees are more likely to believe that they are part of a broader team in a business with clear goals and a clear path as to achievement.

The knock-on benefits further motivate staff who, generally, will provide a better and happier service to their customers; at a time when many companies are committed to their digital transformation path, engaging positively with customers is even more imperative.

The main steps businesses can take to do that are to: deploy one end-to-end collaborative platform that updates information in real time and provides full visibility across the full range of key deliverables.

Companies need to avoid using too many applications that can tend to complicate and confuse efforts at communicating more effectively and can, in fact, lead to ‘communication overload’.

All businesses are facing uncertain political and economic times. But success through trying times lies in unity, a scenario that can be embraced and achieved through technology that keeps everyone engaged, connected and collaborating, wherever they are.

Photo by Helloquence on Unsplash

Read more:
Collaboration not ‘application overload’ is the key to business success

10 July 2019, I found myself on a podium proudly sponsoring and presenting the inaugural Published Prize for the Comedy Women In Print Awards (CWIP), brainchild of the absolutely fabulous actress, author and stand-up Helen Lederer.

As I stood before a room packed with beautiful, creative & talented women, all there to support & encourage each other onto greater things I was truly inspired and just a little bit in awe. I heard stories about scripts & books being written, campaigns to bring awareness to female Issues which nobody wants to talk about.

Books, you might say were my first love. As a child growing up in a large, busy and extremely noisy world I was often to be found under my duvet reading a book. Then I discovered boys, business and gin in that order. And my passion for gin, you might say, following the somewhat clichéd rules on ‘the circle of life’ brought me back to my first love books.

The road that led me to CWIP started in the King of Soho Winter Gin Palace. Nestled in a side street in London’s creative heart, Soho, Helen and I were simply catching up over a pink gin and tonic. As she started to tell me about CWIP and her vision to delight, empower and bring recognition to funny women writers my heartfelt reaction was ‘how can I help, what do you need?’.

Having spent the last 7 years building my own business I understand the tenacity, commitment & sacrifices needed to turn ‘that’ creative vision into a reality. And as fate would have it, having achieved some entrepreneurial success of my own, I found myself in the wonderful position where I was able to put pen to paper and sign five cheques for the winning group of very talented female authors.

My business pledged the prize money, oodles of pink gin, love and support. After all as women if we don’t support each other then what’s the point.

Saying that when chatting to me the statistics were in Helen’s favour on this one, apparently 64% of donations are made by women. Studies show that women entrepreneurs are more likely to ‘give back’ than their male counterparts.

Typically, female entrepreneurs have to start businesses with only half as much capital as men, so perhaps the reason for giving back is empathetic because we have to fight so much harder in the first place.

Sometimes it is difficult to focus on the positives in my own industry, skipping past the male bias as a way to downgrade it, in the hope that ‘if you say it often enough, it makes it so’. Only last month I sat in the audience at an industry event and was subjected to an all male discussion panel using the term ‘me too’ completely out of context.

Hey guys, it was really not funny – ‘#MeToo’ is a watershed moment in the ‘women’s movement’ and there was not one woman in the audience who did not cringe.

In recent times we have witnessed a positive societal shift and Helen by successfully bringing CWIP to life is one of the pioneers; she started working on CWIP about five years ago – which is a reminder to all of us that whether it be about change or ventures these things do take time and in the words of Helen she became “compulsive, obsessed, persistent and annoying – so I just cracked on with it”.

A century or so ago my great grandmother, Edith Bailes, was shunned by her own family due to her success in business and even my entrepreneurial mother didn’t talk about it until a couple of years ago; generations later it was still a family taboo. Yes, we have moved on from those times but the reality is that we are not quite there yet………

Outside this warm circle of funny literary and stand-up females the attitude I met was ‘the same old same old’. Credit from media partners and the like, was first and foremost given to ‘the men in grey suits’. I had to fight to be recognised for my contribution as both sponsor of the published prize and as a bonafide female entrepreneur

The errors came in and we fought tooth & nail to correct them, to be heard – Theo Paphitis we love you, but you didn’t sponsor all the prizes! Theo (of Ryman) as another prize sponsor was feted and commended and I was left in the shadows by men and women alike – I had even put a grey dress on for the occasion!

Helen’s motivation in establishing these awards was that comedy prizes ‘tend to go to men simply because they are men’ – the irony here should not be lost. I could have run down Conduit Street naked it wouldn’t have made any difference. Seriously though, this is not the first time I have found myself in this particular situation and it’s no laughing matter……. they do say progress is a long road! But how long?

I would like to think that so long as women like me continue to ‘walk the talk’ by supporting and inspiring all women to follow their dreams then perhaps one day the woman in the grey dress will prevail.

Read more:
The woman in the grey dress

I’m not claiming to be Mystic Meg, but I knew I would be spot on with my prediction when the Supreme Court deemed employment tribunal fees to be illegal in 2017.

I said there would be a flood of claims against businesses, and I have been proven 100 percent correct!

According to stats from the Ministry of Justice, employees brought 9,340 individual claims to tribunals in the year to April 2019, up from 5,520 the previous year.

Most significantly, of the cases brought to tribunal last year only three in ten of all employment tribunal claims that were resolved were successful.  That says to me there are a large number brought by employees that see tribunals as a way of making easy money from a claim that would cost virtually nothing to lodge.

Since the fees were scrapped it’s a no-lose situation for workers and put massive pressure on businesses. Employees are entering the lottery and businesses are having to pay for the ticket.  The Supreme Court made a huge mistake two years ago and now the chickens are coming home to roost.

Of course, there are genuine claims out there and businesses don’t want to be sat opposite their workers in a tribunal, but lots of people now see going to an employment tribunal as a way of making a quick buck.

And I’m not saying that bosses are all angels – that would be stupid, there are always good and bad in any bunch of individuals.  But the no-fee system is a huge incentive to have a go at an employer. Ex-staff would have nothing to lose and half a chance of a few grand in their pocket.

By reopening the floodgates on this the Supreme Court has, in the stroke of a pen, reintroduced the fear of God into employers, over taking on staff to grow their businesses.

The no-fee system is a huge incentive to have a go at an employer and makes businesses think twice about taking a chance on employing someone.  With the fees in place there is more chance for issues to be resolved in-house by HR teams.

When David Cameron brought in the fees it proved that there was no truth in a huge amount of the cases as they dropped by 79% over three years.  But things are going in the opposite direction and something needs to be done before some businesses are brought to their knees by spurious claims.

The Government has to step in and whoever becomes Prime Minister in the coming weeks needs to make sure this is dealt with, and quickly before many more businesses find themselves facing the prospect of defending against malicious claims.

Read more:
The Supreme Court opened the floodgates and now businesses are starting to drown in employment tribunals

Have you ever gone through life where you keep on experiencing the same uneasy feelings, the same set-backs, the same self-doubts, and often reverting back to the same behavioural patterns that don’t seem to benefit you?

I certainly have, no matter how well I am be doing I return to the same self-doubt, no matter how confident I may be at a given time the feeling doesn’t last, when the drive and determination occurs I know a few weeks later the dips and self- sabotage will also occur.

This was until I discovered Mindfulness and Meditation, but what really helped seal the deal was discovering Rapid Transformation Therapy.

What is Rapid Transformation Therapy? Wow where do I begin?!

This therapy which is a hybrid of hypnosis, NLP, CBT and psychoanalysis was created by UK’s best voted therapist Marisa Peer. From childhood we create scripts in our mind based on everything we experience around us. Our interaction with parents, teachers, friends, colleagues, employers and their behaviours, opinions, and thoughts go towards forming our own beliefs about ourself. All of this begins to form our identities and the way we act and portray ourselves.

These beliefs are wired onto our brain, and as we reinforce these though patterns, the wiring becomes stronger. If these opinions are negative then we will perceive ourselves in a negative manner, the self doubt, and lack of self love will influence our present life. A lot of these thoughts are in the subconscious part of the brain and we aren’t even aware of their existence, but they are there, continuing to have an impact on our daily life.

Rapid Transformation Therapy begins by exploring the root cause of where these beliefs have stemmed from; by working deeply on the subconscious level. When you are able to understand where the belief came from we can work to release this, and rewire the brain with positive beliefs instead. The brain is very suggestible to new ideas, so allowing the new positive beliefs to be embedded on the subconscious level can then allow the transformation to begin.

Understanding our beliefs is key to knowing why we behave in certain ways and attract the same friends, ‘luck’, and relationships that may not always prove to be positive. To break this cycle we need to understand the root cause of it, often we would not make a connection between an experience in childhood or even later has been having a direct impact on our life ever since.

Most of my life my mind was trapped in the belief I wasn’t enough. I was always searching for friends to accept me and doing absolutely anything to make them ‘like me’, I would be the one waiting for text messages and taking it super personally when there wasn’t an instant reply. I was the one wishing I had the outgoing personality of my cousins, the intelligence of my partner, the confidence and motivation of my friends.

For me understanding that I was holding onto so many beliefs from childhood and how they were having an impact on my everyday life for the last 20 years was a game changer. Experiencing Rapid Transformation Therapy was incredible, I was able to break free finally, feel the weight lift, and almost feel like a completely new person. The process was deep, very emotional and a huge eye opener, however through it I found my own self worth, self acceptance and self love and that truly set me free.

I began to finally set my own goals, created my own vision for the future, felt like an equal who was able to push past any judgements and soar forward. The results continue to amaze me, my friendships are thriving and continuing to grow, family relationships getting stronger and stronger and my business is flying.

Working on goals is fantastic, working on self development is amazing, but if you are ready to really dig deep and transform to become the person you absolutely deserve to be then rapid transformation therapy is definitely the game changer you’ve been waiting for.

Read more:
Breaking through using Rapid Transformation Therapy

Platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter are fantastic free business tools.

They allow us to promote what we do, share relevant information and engage with customers quickly and effectively, on a more personal level than ever before. Social media marketing, along with the right social media growth tools, is actually one of the most widely adopted business trends for 2019 and businesses becoming more creative on how they can create distinct yet effective social media marketing campaigns.

When we get social media interaction right, the results can be instant and astounding. But used badly, social media may spell disaster for a company’s reputation and future prospects.

The social media content that we post via our business accounts says a huge amount about our brand and its values. But I’m not so much concerned about what we say. More how we say it. Our brand voice, the language that use when posting on social media, directly affects how our business is perceived, shaping customer opinion and interaction (with the potential to turn people on or drive them away.)

So how strong is your brand voice and why does it matter so much?

We’re much more likely to consider brand voice when writing online or printed copy, but we often overlook it when posting on social media. Perhaps these mediums feel more permanent in comparison to the fast-paced environment of sites like Twitter and Instagram, where content turns over at break-neck speed.

Uploading a social media post is quick and simple, so we often dash off these interactions when we have ten seconds to spare, or while we’re juggling other tasks.

How we talk about our brands on social media matters. We spend endless time and money developing a fantastic logo or great looking website for our brand, because we understand the value of a marketing resource that’s instantly recognizable and allows potential customers to instantly understand the values we represent.

A brand voice does the same thing.

When used via social media, a strong and consistently applied brand voice will build enduring relationships with existing followers along with attracting a new audience. People feel comfortable when they know what to expect and can relate to content that’s consistent in its delivery.

A well-developed brand voice does other things too;

• It allows you to streamline your responses and reactions.
• It helps to make your business recognisable and identifiable.
• It helps you to build trust and loyalty by delivering a consistent message.
• It allows your target audience to relate more easily to your brand.
• It allows you to stay in control and shape opinion.
• It helps you to develop a style and personality that’s exclusively yours.
• It helps you to cut out jargon and sale speak, authentically engaging with customers and building relationships that last.
• It provides reassurance to customers but letting them know what they can expect from an interaction with your brand.
• It builds a community around your brand.

If you’re sold on the importance of a strong, unique brand voice, how do you go about developing yours? And how can you apply it to social media once you do?

Developing a brand voice isn’t as difficult as it sound. Follow these tips to locate yours and use it consistently across all social media channels.

Find your voice

A strong brand voice is one based on the core values of a business, so begin by

making a list of the qualities you believe your brand possesses, the values that shape your business decisions and the ethos behind your brand. Are you quirky? Professional? Honest? Fun? Authoritative? Ethical?

Once you have a list of values, you can match your tone to these.

A quirky brand, for instance, might use a humorous, funky, remarkable, surprising or even shocking tone to communicate with customers (avoiding a tone that’s too serious, business like, formal or detached.)

A professional brand may wish to communicate in a tone that’s credible, honest, trustworthy and genuine (and, conversely, shies away from being flippant, hasty, funny or shocking.)

Knowing the tone you need to use in order to convey your message will allow you to select language that positively represents the values of your company and gets to the heart of what make you special.

Decide how you’ll use this voice.

Once you know what tone to take when posting on social media, you can hone your brand voice further, asking questions like;

• Do we use jargon or colloquialism?
• Do we swear?
• Do we speak frankly or take a diplomatic stance?
• Do we wade into debates or stay out of heated conversation?

Even down to the use of emoticons or whether you address customers by name when replying to comment, the more attention you can give to consistency, the more trust and credibility you will build with your following.

If a customer knows that they can expect replies that are honest, professional, timely and with your brand. They may also share this message with others (which is a very good thing.)

Be as one voice.

For many businesses, it’s necessary for a range of users to keep on top of social media updates. If posts don’t come from once source, everyone involved in providing social media updates needs to be familiar with your brand voice and how to use it.

This may involve some training, but a consistent message is vital in ensuring that customers know what to expect from your social media interactions.

Remember, your brand voice isn’t your own voice. When posting on behalf of your business, you should be using a different voice than the one you’d use in your own, personal updates. Every word that you share reflects your business and alters the way in which your audience views you.

A casual comment or joke that might work on your personal account may cause irreparable damage to your business following. Adopting your brand voice before business posting will go a long way to protecting your company’s image and reputation.

At first, it might feel awkward or strange to start using a new voice on social media. Stick with it as the more you use your brand voice, the stronger and more consistent it will become. Writing down some guidelines to refer to when posting is useful, as is reading each post aloud before it goes live. Ask yourself, is this brand trustworthy? Would I do business with these guys? It will soon become second nature to use your brand voice for all social media interaction, it just takes practise.

Tips and hacks

• You may wish to make a list of key words and phrases that summarise your business and insert these into communications in order to strengthen your message (don’t overuse these or you’ll end up sounding like a robot instead of a real person.
• Making a list of language you want to avoid using is also a great idea. How many of us instantly feel angered when we make a complaint, only to have a company parrot phrases like;

‘we value your custom.’

back at us?

Find your own, unique way of saying the things that needs to be said and stick to it.

• Your brand voice on social media might also encompass the fonts, colours and images you choose to use. When practised consistently, all of these different elements work together to make your brand instantly recognizable.

Read more:
The importance of a strong brand voice on social media (and how to develop one)

Are your digital assets secure?

Rarely a week goes by, where I don’t encounter a situation with a small business wishing to upgrade their website with a different developer to the one that carried out the initial work.

It is not uncommon, for businesses to get a very affordable website with a shoestring budget in the early stages of trading with a view to upgrading it further down the line. There are many companies and agencies, who offer ‘all inclusive’ pricing that includes the domain name and hosting for the website, and some also offering ‘Free social media set-up’ as part of the deal.

This can seem really quite appealing; for someone to take the headache out of having to register domains, create pages and learn the differentiation’s between hosting packages. But beware – this could come back to bite you in the ass a year or two down the line!

Who actually owns those digital assets?

You would be right to assume that you do, as you own the business to whom it relates. But how many of you actually have a contract in place to that effect? I suspect not many.

Most reputable agencies and freelancers would not hesitate in ensuring your digital assets were returned to you whenever an agreement was terminated, but all too often I have seen disputes over domain and social page ownership, that have resulted in the business simply having to start all over again from scratch. This is really quite heartbreaking when a website url has built up Domain Authority with Google over time, and are now back to square one.

I have also seen cases where an agency has been paid to set-up and manage a Facebook page, and when the contract has been terminated, the agency have refused to transfer ownership of that page to the business. Sometimes with established audiences and thousands of page likes exposed to risk.

Although Facebook can initiate an Ownership Dispute – this is something of a hassle, requiring legally Notarised Authorisation from a solicitor, proof of ID and a great many other fiddly pieces of information.

How can you protect your digital assets?

Although it may seem far simpler to let a third-party register your assets on your behalf, it is strongly advisable to always do this yourself and then permit access to anyone who needs this to carry out their work.

• Domain Names – these usually cost less than a tenner per year. They are super easy to register using sites such as 123 Reg or 34SP
• Hosting – although this is less of a risk, as you can buy hosting elsewhere if you were denied access, I have seen instances where a client has disputed an invoice from a web agency and the agency have simply pulled their hosting and taken their site offline. Which isn’t funny if you’re an E-commerce business! If your website is a vital tool of your trade, I would recommend retaining control of this yourself with a reputable hosting provider such as 34SP.
• Facebook Pages – you should always set these up yourselves, and if you do have a third-party do this for you, ensure that you have a contract in place that clearly and irrefutably defines ownership of that page. The days of giving agencies login information for your personal Facebook account in order for them to access your page are long gone – if a social media person or agency asks for login information, or says they need you to add them as a friend to gain access, run a mile! They have no idea what they are doing!
• Twitter and other social pages – be careful who you give your passwords to and use your common sense. It is uncommon but not impossible for a dispute to arise, and for that person to change your passwords and lock you out of your own profile!
• Google Ad Accounts – for the less tech savvy amongst us, it is natural to allow an agency to deal with this for you. If you go down this road, be clear at the start, in writing, who owns that Ad Account if the contract is terminated.

Don’t under estimate the value of your digital assets – they are a valuable part of your business. They are often the face of your business, your shop window and sometimes they’re irreplaceable, so take good care of them!

Read more:
What businesses really need to know about their digital assets

I am well-known as a supporter and adviser to small and start-up businesses, and so unsurprisingly I receive a great many incoming enquiries from businesses in this demographic looking for help and advice. 

In most cases the conversation goes the same way. 

They say they have just started a business and need customers – can I help? I then ask for their website address, because I want to get an insight into how they choose to showcase their venture and I am often told “I don’t have a website at the moment” When I ask why, the answer I get nearly always relates to budget. Or lack of. 

When you set off on your start-up journey this way, you are telling the world that you have such little faith in succeeding that you are already mitigating your losses for when you fail. You don’t want to spend too much, so you don’t have to lose too much, just in case.

New business owners tell me they want to invest in social media instead, because it is free. They feel that their time is less valuable than their money, so they don’t mind if that ends up being wasted. And yet, if only they understood that time is the one thing you can’t make more of. 

I say to those people ”What would you do differently if you knew you couldn’t fail?”  

If you want to start a business, and take it seriously there are costs involved and if you are not prepared to meet some of those costs, then it’s not a business but rather an activity that passes the time. It is a common misconception that by choosing an online or service based business, that you can start off with ‘no overheads’ – but this is untrue and misleading to others. At the very least you will need to market your business, pay for subscriptions, software such as Microsoft Office, build a website and a brand. 

If you are going into business thinking you can operate from a Hotmail email address, use a free website template, do your own marketing without any help and have zero business costs to get your business up off the ground, then ask yourself, if you have such little faith in it being a success then why are you starting a business in the first place?  

Read more:
Are you already preparing for failure?

If someone is going through a difficult time in their life, it might help them to talk.

If there is something they are finding difficult to think through, or something that is rather upsetting, then now might be the time for them to confide in a trusted friend.

This is a person that someone may know well and who is able to listen attentively and non-judgementally to what they are saying and not interrupt them with their own opinions or judgements.  It can be difficult to hold back personal opinions but that is exactly what is required at such times from a confidante.

However, a trusted friend who is also a good listener is a rare breed of person.  Of course, you may think that you are a good listener but active listening is an ability to put your own thoughts on hold whilst giving the speaker your full attention. 

Making the time to listen

Active listening takes time and one cannot always stop all else in order to listen attentively. In such an instance, therefore, you would need to sensitively postpone the conversation to another time in the near future without the person concerned feeling rejected.  In an ideal world, we would always be able to make time to listen but very often our busy lives do not give us the opportunity to do this.  

And what about the person who wants to talk?  They may have been feeling anxious and upset for some time but are concerned about approaching you on a personal matter and taking up your time.  They know you are busy and have plenty of other things on your mind.  Nevertheless, one day, they may summon up the courage to ask if you have the time to talk.

The manner in which you respond to them will make all the difference to helping them feel valued and worthwhile.  If that particular moment is inconvenient then it could be really helpful to suggest a firm time later in the day.  The main point is not to be dismissive but to show positive interest and concern where appropriate.

Active listening is a communication technique used in counselling, training and conflict resolution, which requires the listener to feedback what they hear to the speaker, by way of re-stating or paraphrasing what they have heard in their own words, to confirm what has been said and moreover, to confirm the understanding of both parties.

To use the active listening technique to improve interpersonal communication, one puts personal emotions aside during the conversation, asks questions and paraphrases back to the speaker to clarify understanding, and one also tries to overcome all types of environmental distractions. Judging or arguing prematurely is a result of holding onto a strict personal opinion. This hinders the ability to be able to listen closely to what is being said. Eye contact and appropriate body language are seen as important components to active listening. The stress and intonation may also keep them active and away from interruptions.

Being a good listener does not require you to be a counsellor nor does it remove the need for people to seek professional counselling support where appropriate. Professional counsellors are trained to listen and to support people through difficult personal issues and to propose changes in order to better deal with current and/or future problems and challenges. Their remit is to improve the life of the person seeking help and provide a more objective viewpoint with a greater perspective on how to deal with their problems.

Your company may already have an in-house or external counselling service or maybe an Occupational Health department.  If so, trained professionals may be available to give skilled guidance on specific goals and issues that the individual may want to work on, or to learn effective strategies to make their life better and healthier.

In all our lives, there is a place both for an attentive listener and sometimes also for a professional counsellor.  The phrase of ‘a problem halved is a problem solved’ comes to mind and, of course, it doesn’t really matter where the help or support comes from, provided it is helpful to the person who requires it.

Key Points

• Being able to talk through a problem is important
• Try to always be an active listener
• We all need a ‘sounding board’ from time to time

Read more:
Are you a good listener?

Sonya, is a Sales Manager in a Pharmaceutical company, a position that had taken her over 10 years to attain.

She prides herself on her communication skills but at her appraisal meeting, she was told that her formal and blunt emailing style needed to be more ‘friendly’.   She was very surprised and argued that the quantity of email that she had to deal with each day, meant that each one had to be actioned quickly, and with no real time for pleasantries.

Which leaves the question:  could formal and blunt email messages be taken by the recipient as a form of cyber bullying? The answer is, ‘No!’. Cyber-bullying is writing with the intent to humiliate an individual by publishing adverse comment about him or her.

Although Sonya never does this, nevertheless her style of writing which is terse and short could be taken by the recipient as ‘unfriendly’ – which may not be termed ‘bullying’ but will nevertheless not make her addressee feel valued.

Each time someone were to receive an email from her, it would seem like she is giving a directive or a command.  Now, you may say that is what she is doing.

However, I would say to you that there are better ways of getting the most out of others and that is not by making them feel that they are automaton. People like to feel valued and appreciated for not only what they do but who they are.

So where is the line between a direct and blunt, personal management style and bullying behaviour?

Many of us receive over fifty emails per day and our aim is to try to clear our inbox as quickly as possible, but in our haste, we may write in a way that can offend or which can appear as  unnecessarily abrupt.  When emailing, we very often ignore the usual courtesies that we use when writing a letter. Many times emails are received, and written, with no subject header but just the bare message, with the result that the words often appear to be harsh.

Do you remember the days when you would receive a letter by mail with a handwritten signature – instead of one that was scanned electronically?  Unfortunately, such personal correspondence is now a thing of the past.

So what can you do about it?

• Never answer email if you are angry or emotional. If you wish to ‘let off steam’, then do so but put the email into your ‘draft’ box, as you may not wish to send it in the morning!
• When you have written your email, read it as if you were the person receiving it.
• Try and use words or phrases such as ‘I appreciate’, ‘you have done a great job’, ‘many thanks’, ‘you have done really well’, etc.
• Don’t copy in your emails or texts to the whole office when you don’t need to!
• Don’t send out emails late at night and set a poor example for working long hours
• Don’t make your messages ‘high-priority’ unless it is really urgent.
• If you need to be direct with someone – think of the words that you say BEFORE you write them.
• If you have sent an email and are not happy with what you have written, then pick up the phone and tell them, in advance.
• When have finished the email, then read it as if you were the one who is about to receive it. If you are happy with it, then send.  If not, then revisit.

If you manage your emails and texts correctly and give praise at the appropriate time, then when you need to criticise, there will be a balance.

We tend to forget that once an email has been sent, then it is there for all time.  We cannot retract what has been put down on paper but we can use the ‘old fashioned’ means of saying ‘I’m sorry’ if upset has been caused.

Key Points

• Emails & texts show no emotion
• Give appreciation in your emails
• Electronic messaging needs care

Read more:
Think before you press ‘send’!

If you or the company you work for has ever said “We can get an Apprentice/Intern/Junior to do the marketing” then this article is for you.

Now before I upset all the talented, junior marketing employees who might be reading this – let me say that there are some circumstances where a junior is absolutely the right path. If you already have a great marketing department who can teach and nurture them, then a junior can be a valuable addition to your team and a great deal less costly than outsourcing the simpler tasks to a third party.

Junior marketing apprentices and interns are usually tech savvy, have been brought up with the world wide web at their fingertips for as long as they can remember and are tuned in to the latest trends. They can bring energy and innovation that might sometimes get lost in the drudgery of endless brochure design and corporate brand packs.

But more often than not, in my experience with business owners this is not normally the motivating factor for hiring a junior marketer. But rather, because the perceived value of the marketing function within the business is low. It’s that ‘fluffy thing’ that we think is easy, because all it consists of is posting on Facebook and putting together a newsletter and young people are really good at doing that, right?

Marketing is the process designed to prompt people to take actions that are meaningful to your business. It’s the step before the sale. This might be making an enquiry, downloading your brochure or visiting your exhibition stand – the marketing should be driving incoming leads to your business that you can then convert and close into cash sales, and it should be closely measured and analysed to assess which areas of your marketing efforts are generating the best return for your business.

Knowing how to do this, requires a fairly advanced level of commercial awareness that junior staff have not yet had the chance to acquire. They need to understand your margins and whether the cost of acquiring a sale stacks up for you commercially before you let them loose with a budget. Generating a marketing strategy and delivering a workable plan is a skill that takes many years to develop, you cannot expect someone fresh out of high school to take on ownership of this without any experience or guidance. The end result? An employer who is getting miffed that they are spending £600+ a month on wages but not seeing any uplift in sales, and a demoralised Junior who is well out of their depth with nobody to ask for help.

What can you do to support your Junior?

If you already have an apprentice looking after your marketing, invest in their skills. Send them to workshops, events and seminars or bring an expert in for half a day to show them how to commercialise their thinking.

Encourage them to sit on free webinars for a couple of hours a week to learn new skills.

What if you are thinking of hiring a Junior?

While it might seem like a ‘cheap’ option at £600-ish a month, the number of productive hours in the week will be significantly less than from someone with proven experience. For example I can set up an effective Facebook ad campaign in a couple of hours, which would take a junior two days, and I can be certain that the campaign will deliver results from day one. A junior would more than likely be experimenting with your budget for a month before they figure out what works.

If you don’t have the infrastructure in place to nurture an apprentice, I would recommend considering a freelancer instead for what it likely to be close to the same cost as a junior, but instead you’re getting someone whose experience level is worth £50-60k a year.

Okay, the freelancer might not be able to brew up and answer the phone, but what would you rather have? Dozens of qualified leads rolling into your inbox or someone on hand to pop the kettle on?

Read more:
PLEASE Stop handing your marketing to the junior!

If you live or work in a high stress environment, you may well increase your risk of hypertension – high blood pressure.

High blood pressure which can cause negative effects to your overall physical health, can be caused by a number of different factors, but prolonged stress is often a primary cause.

Hypertension occurs when your blood vessels constrict due to a permanent reduction in the cross-sectional area as a result of atheroma deposits or a temporary narrowing due to an increase in hormonal production. When your blood pressure is too high, you may experience headaches or  dizziness but, in many cases, there will be no symptoms.

And that is the danger because high blood pressure over a long period of time can lead to a stroke which will permanently damage your heart. So, before this happens, it is important to figure out ways to either get rid of all the stress factors {stressors} in your everyday life.  Alternatively, you must find ways to cope with the effects of your stress before they cause you cardiac damage that is irreparable.

How to minimise stress

There are usually ways to either avoid or mitigate stress and its effects, but if you already have high blood pressure, then see your doctor to find out what you can do to bring it down either by a change in lifestyle or by medication – or both – to get it under control.

It is important to appreciate that you can help yourself to reduce stress, improve your health and lower your blood pressure in a number of ways. You need to carefully watch your diet to avoid foods that are high in salt.

Make sure you exercise on a regular basis in order to help to get the blood flowing through your body’s arterial system that will also help you to keep to a healthy weight. Finally, you should ensure that in addition to an optimum body weight that your cholesterol is within recommended limits – currently under 5, but even better if under 4.

Other than these physical changes, the most important factor for your health is to manage your stress levels. You must learn not to concern yourself with things that are beyond your control i.e. those issues that are greater than the resources, which are available to you, to effectively combat them.  If you fail to understand this vital point, then you will always suffer from the effects of stress – and those effects can, sometimes, be fatal.

Losing control

Stress indicates that you have lost control over a particular situation, at work or at home. It means that your mind, and inevitably your body, has recognized and accepted that you do not have the means available to you to fight the problem that confronts you. That problem could be physical or mental but will probably be the latter as the former is usually of a short duration. A typical example might be bullying at work by a boss who feels the need to intimidate you every working day and from whom there is no obvious escape or solution other than to change your job.

Financial pressures

Another frequent problem that inevitably causes stress is financial. Your expenditure exceeds your current income and you can find no way to reduce the first or to increase the second.

In other words, your resources available to you are insufficient to meet, or fight, the current challenges. Your body recognizes this issue as a serious challenge to your health, safety or security, and automatically increases the production of cortisol – the so called ‘stress hormone’.

This will increase both your heart rate and your blood pressure in order to meet the perceived challenge but, unfortunately, it can do neither because in most cases the challenge is not physical. Your body is put in a high state of alert to fight an intruder, where there is none, the result is stress. In instances where this happens on a frequent or prolonged basis, then your body will suffer damage as a result.

Key points

Personal resources < those required to meet challenge = stress

Prolonged stress = hypertension = danger to health

Imperative = avoidance or mitigation of known stressors

Read more:
Stress & blood pressure

I’ve been keeping a close eye on how our automotive sector is doing, because anyone with an understanding of business and the economy would appreciate how important the industry is to Britain.

To put it in numbers, in 2016 the industry brought the UK economy £77.5 billion and in 2017 it topped the record, with £82bn.

But the fact is, Brexit has been battering this very industry and today we’re met with even more worrying news.

Figures show Britain’s car industry investment has dropped by half with major car companies choosing not to invest into their UK factories. In the first six months of 2017, companies had invested a total of £647.4m, compared to the £347.3m for the same period this year.

And as dreadful as that drop is, I can’t say I’m surprised. The warnings have been clear to everyone apart from the government, who have done nothing but mishandle Brexit proceedings – which in no uncertain terms is the very heart of the issue.

The automotive industry is one of the UK’s great manufacturing successes and ultimately the survival of large scale manufacturing in the UK will depend solely on our failing Government’s ability to secure friction-free trade benefits.

The automotive industry is a craft heavily reliant on the imports of parts and the exports goods, and Theresa May’s foot-dragging around the Customs Union will leave the industry to crumble under the pressure of trade barriers.

If killing off an industry wasn’t bad enough, the job losses which come with that cannot be ignored.

The Prime Minister’s carelessness could jeopardise approximately 860,000 jobs, which would ruin lives across Britain.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has warned that it is the continued uncertainty and the Government’s lack of a credible plan B that would lead to car makers like Honda, BMW and Nissan literally driving production elsewhere.

And to think it was just in April of this year that the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary Greg Clark was confidently telling the media that the UK car industry would be getting a ‘good Brexit deal’.

Unfortunately Mr Clark, it may be time to eat your words because by the way things are going, there may not even be an industry left by the time a deal is struck.

For months and months, automotive industry leaders have been switching on the hazard lights, in the emergency refuge area that has become the home of the UK motor trade – all to be ignored by the Government.

And so I wonder, will the latest revelations encourage ministers to call for roadside assistance, or leave the automotive sector to splutter to a halt and die like an Austin Allegro.

Read more:
Brexit causing automotive industry to splutter to a halt like an Austin Allegro

Unless you’ve been living in a cave for the last few years, it won’t have escaped your attention that the retail sector is in big trouble.

Just this week we have seen the demise of Henri Lloyd, Poundworld and Fabb Sofa’s with a question mark hanging over Carpetright, House of Fraser and New Look after vastly declining profits trigger store closures.

The attribution of blame towards Amazon and greedy Landlords needs no further commentary from me, but tell me this – why isn’t everyone failing?

As a marketer and advertiser, I probably take more notice of business marketing than people normally do. I play this game when I am led in bed scrolling through my Facebook news feed on my phone – when I come to a sponsored ad, I cover the comments and try and guess how many likes/comments/shares it has had and then see if I am right. (Yes. I know, I need to get out more!)

The content is dull. So dull. “We sell kitchens. Contact us now” and a picture of a kitchen. Yawn.

Businesses need to be honest, authentic and engaging by finding their authorial voice. Publishing bulletin-type updates that simply tell people what products they offer is no longing cutting the mustard – they need to entertain, inform or give some value before getting any back.

JD Sport’s are a brand who are thriving in this challenging climate, with 12 new stores opened in 2017 – their brands can be found on Amazon and they are exposed to the same property tribulations as everyone else. They tapped into the value of influencers and celebrity culture pretty early on, collaborating with Rita Ora and Made in Chelsea’s Lucy Watson, successfully harnessing the power of Instagram by understanding the lifestyle goals of its target audience for that particular opportunity for growth – women’s athletic wear.

If you’re a business, or a marketing manager in charge of creating winning marketing strategies you need to start getting creative. In a world of same-y content and run of the mill copy you need to craft something that grabs attention.

Perception

Don’t just tell your audience, ‘We offer dental implants’ – tap into their perception of self and leverage the longing you know they have, to grin with confidence without feeling insecure. Use your experience to handle objections (cost/pain) and make a compelling offer that is hard to refuse.

You might be thinking, that’s okay for lifestyle products – but how do you make drain unblocking fun, engaging or sexy? If I was your marketing manager, I would stage a funny video – something like a fake body wrapped in a sheet down a well and film an unsuspecting employee lifting the manhole and discovering it. They freak out, everyone laughs, you caption the video with something along the lines of ‘whatever is causing it, we will find it’ and pump it through social media. You don’t need a big budget to be creative.

Fashion retailer

If you’re a fashion retailer and you are struggling with low footfall – give people a reason to come to you. It might be a free make-over or a celebrity appearance. As wedding season approaches, promote how-to videos of the perfect wedding guest outfit and push it out over social media. Use influencers. The slick online retailers are doing it well, but the established names on the high street continue to post mundane content with no call to action.

Video

Video is still widely under-utilised, and yet offers retailers and brands an opportunity to bring their personality alive and become more than just a faceless entity. Let a little light in on the magic inside. Connect with your audience on an emotional level – whether you make them laugh, teach them something new, or simply demonstrate that you are human. In the coming years, businesses who can master the art of authenticity in their marketing and engage on an emotional level with their audience will reap the rewards.

As the saying goes, people may not remember exactly what you did, or what you said, but they will always remember how you made them feel.

Read more:
Businesses need to start getting creative with their marketing

I’m supposed to say I’m disappointed that the Supreme Court has ruled against Pimlico Plumbers, by ruling that plumber, Gary Smith, was a worker, rather than the self-employed contractor we all knew he was when he was carrying out work for my company.

In reality I am disgusted by the approach taken to this case by the highest court in the United Kingdom.

The five judges had the opportunity to drag our outdated employment law into the 21st Century, but instead they bottled the decision, and as a result thousands of companies across the UK, who use contractors in an honest and responsible way, remain exposed to huge potential claims in the future.

This case was never about exploitation of so-called ‘gig economy’ workers, this was about a highly-skilled, self-employed plumber, who was earning a six figure salary, wanting to have his cake and eat it! And to be crystal clear here that means Gary Smith expects companies like mine to pay him twice.

During his time with us he bought his own tools and materials, reclaiming tax on both; he worked when he wanted to, and even employed his wife to perform secretarial tasks, which he offset against his tax bill. This arrangement, it is also important to say, was checked out and approved by HMRC.

There was never any question that Gary was anything other than a self-employed contractor, until he became ill and his circumstances changed, at which point he decided that it would suit him better to be considered an employee, so he could claim more money from Pimlico Plumbers.

For those who think this is a victory for poorly paid workers everywhere, against large corporations who exploit their lack of bargaining power, think again! This was exploitation alright, but that of a highly-paid, highly-skilled man who used a loophole in current employment law to set himself up for a double pay-day.

The shame of all this is that it is generally accepted that current employment law is not fit for purpose, and needs to be changed. But when it’s put to the test in our highest court there isn’t even the slightest suggestion that there is a problem that needs to be addressed.

This was a poor decision that will potentially leave thousands of companies, employing millions of contractors, wondering if one day soon they will get nasty surprise, from a former contractor, demanding more money, despite having been paid in full years ago. It can only lead to a tsunami of claims!

Read more:
Supreme Court missed huge opportunity to drag law into 21st Century with Pimlico Plumbers’ ruling

If the UK is to overcome its skills problem, the Government has to do something about the ‘square peg, round hole’ solution it is persisting with.

And this includes delivering practical solutions to encourage more young people into practical training.

I’ve met former Skills Minister Robert Halfon on numerous occasions, and he’s always shown his dedication to ironing out the deep creases, sullying the apprenticeship programme in the UK.

It’s a shame however, that this is an outlook, not shared by Cabinet members who should be investing in a workable vocational training structure for British youngsters.

This week, Robert, the current chair of the Commons Education Select Committee questioned the Education Secretary Damian Hinds on whether the Conservatives will be delivering on its manifesto commitment to offer travel discounts for apprentices.

And staying true to trend that is sweeping through Cabinet, Hinds couldn’t commit.

The idea behind subsidised travel for those on an apprenticeship, is to ensuring travel costs aren’t a deterrent for youngsters, who can’t afford to burden the cost.

I, of course, have my own view on the situation, announcing earlier in the year, one of my first polices if elected as London Mayor will be to make travel for all registered apprentices under the age of 25 free on the Underground and the bus network.

I know this will not only boost real wages for apprentices, but will act as a real incentive to get youngsters into work, and off the streets.

But what miffs me off is the Government’s habitual failure to protect the youngsters of today and tomorrow, by being incapable of delivering sound policies to give young people real opportunities.

The current Apprenticeship Levy was meant to be a benediction, but it feels more like a ‘Hail Mary’.

The Government has failed by implementing a dud policy, and no one is doing anything about it. We need someone to stand on the threshold of history, and bring down the structural prejudice against young people who don’t want to go to University, by giving them more opportunities to success via an apprenticeship.

And whilst we trusted the Government to make this happen, they devised the Levy. A system susceptible to abuse, with large corporations taking advantage of it and subsequently taking away from the genuine meaning of an Apprenticeship.

Apprenticeships aren’t only the ticket to untold riches for the next generation, but they are also the answer to a nationwide skills shortage, already draining the economy.

There’s always talk of wanting a strong and vibrant economy, but the grey days will continue to reign, if our skills shortage isn’t addressed.

So whilst Skills Minister Anne Milton continues to do nothing, I’m committed to challenging policies like the Levy which will see our nation sink further into the darkness we’re undoubtedly headed for.

Read more:
Get apprenticeships moving, with policy change & free travel for trainees

People frequently say they don’t have time to manage their stress!. “Don’t bother me now. I’ve got a job to do”. Sound familiar?

You may be experiencing stress but judge it unnecessary to tell your boss as it could be seen as a black mark against you and you could be seen as not coping. And as we know, we should be able to cope with everything!
So let us start off with some of the myths and misconceptions about stress.

‘There’s no such thing as stress’

Wrong. Of course stress exists, and the word ‘stress’ itself is often applied incorrectly. Many people will use it when they have a temporary work overload, whereas in fact stress only occurs when a person perceives (over a prolonged period) that they have insufficient personal resources to cope with a given situation.

You can think of stress as a light switch that your body turns on automatically under specific circumstances. What you need to do is learn how to turn the switch off. This skill needs to be taught – as only through teaching can you learn how to manage your body’s natural response to perceived danger.

‘Stress is good for you’

Wrong. It’s often mistakenly thought that stress is good for people, when long-term stress is invariably harmful. Ill-health due to work-related stress, or conditions ascribed to it, is also one of the most common types of work-related ill-health.

While a certain amount of pressure can motivate individuals and therefore be useful, stress is never so. A probable explanation for the myth that people perform well under stress is that in fact they perform well under pressure that is ‘controlled’ (i.e. effectively managed).

Controlled pressure is useful when our body and mind are finely tuned in a way that enables them to achieve optimum results and performance.

‘Stress is a mental illness’

Wrong. Stress is the natural reaction people have to excessive pressure or other types of demands placed on them. Stress itself is not an illness, but it can lead to mental and physical ill-health such as depression, back pain and heart disease.

‘Stressors affect everybody equally’

Wrong. We need to appreciate that not everyone will react in the same way to any given problem, and that which one person perceives as merely pressure, another may perceive as stress.

It is important to be aware of the symptoms of stress and have the skills to defuse or mitigate any issues before they become potentially serious or disruptive. Being able to talk over difficult situations can often help when under excessive pressure.

‘Suffering from stress is a sign of weakness’

Wrong. Anyone can experience stress. Many people think that if they admit to experiencing stress, it’s a sign of failure, weakness or ineptitude. Individuals are often wary of any mention of stress being noted on their work record in case it might prejudice their chances of promotion, and so avoid discussing the problem with colleagues.

This is why it’s so important that the workplace culture embraces the notion that to be stressed occasionally is a normal human condition, and that to admit to it – initially to yourself – is the first step in modifying the situation or meeting the challenge.

‘All you need to do to stop work-related stress is go for counselling’

Wrong. Counselling may help you if you are suffering from work-related stress, but is unlikely to tackle the source of the problem. Research has found that support at work, particularly from managers for their staff, has a protective effect – frontline prevention by the organisation is far better than third party cure.

Read more:
Stress – myths & misconceptions

Bearing in mind that I am a dedicated and passionate business woman and that this is my first column for ‘Business Matters’ it would be odd not to give a nod to a subject matter which has been consistently hitting the headlines – ‘Women’. We certainly seem to be the topic of conversation this year!

Who knew that it would take nearly 100 years after the first batch of votes were handed out in women in the UK for the World to wake up to the fact that we should in the workplace be paid the same amount of respect and money as our male counterparts. I have never seen myself as a flag bearing feminist but who could not feel a deep affinity with the current mood.

Even Piers Morgan sat on Breakfast TV at 7.30 in the morning and declared himself a ‘feminist’.

Last week the headlines were dominated by the debate on equal pay. For 47 years, it has been illegal to pay men and women different rates for the same job. Nevertheless, as the April deadline approached and the final reports on gender pay difference from large firms came in it was clear that pay inequality is still very much there.

But as women we march on and I mean that literally. Women’s marches attract huge crowds. In 2018 we have already seen hundreds of thousands of women taking to the streets for marches across the World both in January and in March (Women’s Day). And the banners and rally cries have definitely been out in force: –

‘Little Girls With Dreams Become Women With Vision’

‘For Most Of History Anonymous Was A Women’ – Virginia Woolf

In the last couple of years, advertising agencies have certainly excelled themselves as big corporations and government have visibly embraced the message that it is OK for girls to challenge the status quo. We have seen many creative campaigns aiming to empower and encourage women: – ‘This Girl Can’, Sport England; #LikeAGirl, Procter & Gamble; “I Will What I Want”, Under Armour; “United by Half”, United Colors of Benetton – launched originally in India the idea behind this campaign is that no gender is greater than the other and that brings me to the story of Edith Bailes.

Recently I was asked what was different about me – “Why are you, Alex Robson, an entrepreneur?”. So, I decided to look back at my own family, my DNA, to find out who were the pioneers hiding amongst our female ranks. That is when I discovered the story of my Great Grandmother Edith Bailes. Way back in the 19^th century she was an equal business partner with my Great Grandfather George. They set-up together and ran together a printing, publishing and book binding business. A company which prospered for well over one hundred years, long after they were no longer with us.

A definite ‘This Girl Can’ / ‘United by Half’ story. On the one hand without George’s liberalism, foresight and support this story would not have been possible. But without Edith where would George have been? Success in business is about the right team. A vice versa situation. But what is really interesting is that until a few weeks ago I had not heard about Edith’s role in the prosperity of our family, so Virginia Woolf was right! “For most of history anonymous was a Women”.

Give and take, vice versa, it’s about the societal / business team. It’s not just about women it is about empowering society as a whole, propelling us all to be a better place. It has to work for everyone.

“Behind every great man is a great woman” is a thing of the past, today we stand side by side.

Read more:
Beside every great woman is a great man

The workplace is meant to be a place where people learn, a pathway to bettering themselves you could say; So someone please tell me why companies have the audacity to exploit our young people with ‘unpaid shifts’.

I agree with the MPs and lawyers who are today calling for a blanket ban on them.  And yes, the Federation of Small Businesses might be right, that they’re an important part of the recruitment process, but if someone does some work, they deserve to be paid for it.

I’m pretty old fashioned when it comes to employing people, there’s a rigorous process before getting the job, but if I ask them to come in and work for me – then I expect to pay them. Anything else is equivalent to slavery!

These exploitative practices are just another way companies are abusing their powers with our, mostly young and eager workers by taking them on with the false promise of a job at the end of the shift, only to leave them high and dry.

It’s not like these employers aren’t aware that when someone works for you, you’re meant to pay them, but there’s grey areas in the law that allow companies to bully those desperate for work, into taking unpaid shifts which is exploitative and fundamentally wrong! The Government need to tidy up the laws and prevent companies from taking advantage of those looking for work.

There is no excuse whatsoever for allowing someone to toil on your behalf and not pay them! All unpaid shifts should be banned, period. No excuses and no exceptions!

The same goes for unpaid Internships. I’ve been harping on about it being a criminal act for years now, and it’s good to hear that the Government are finally launching a crackdown on unpaid internships with enforcement teams targeting companies with warnings – but we need to do more! A warning letter isn’t strong enough to curb the exploitation.

Unpaid internships are not only a road block in the social mobility agenda, with poorer candidates at a disadvantage because they simply cannot afford to work without remuneration, but regardless of wealth – anyone who works a job, should be paid for it!

Unpaid internships and unpaid shifts are by their very nature designed to misuse and ill-treat people, looking to learn work and develop.

It’s not like we’re talking about a week or two work experience for 15-16 year olds, which is part of an education framework, these unpaid shifts and unpaid internships are plain and simply a disgraceful act by companies, looking to capitalise at the expense of others.

Read more:
Unpaid shifts are exploitative & fundamentally wrong!

Yesterday Theresa May once again proved it is she, not various members of her cabinet, who needs to be in another job.

For the second time in her calamitous premiership, the Prime Minister attempted to assert her authority, and for the second time she was slapped down.

And this time Business and young people were the biggest losers, with the disastrous sacrifice of the dedicated and talented Justine Greening from her role as Education Secretary.

Justine was a cabinet minister who was passionate about her brief, and truly believed in the importance of apprentices to the economy, and for the social mobility of young people through the acquisition of a skilled trade.  Her presence in the Government will be sorely missed.

Ahead of yesterday’s reshuffle we were told that the PM was going to ‘freshen up’ her cabinet, and yet all those who for various reasons, including incompetence, failure and outright mutiny, all kept their jobs.  Boris Johnson, Michael Gove, David Davis, Chris Grayling and Jeremy Hunt all retained their portfolios, when the rumour mill, and good sense suggested all or some should have been gone.

Unfortunately for the PM, rather than show her strength yesterday, paradoxically she proved that there are any number of members of her own Government who are stronger, have more authority, and so are better equipped for leadership of the party and the country.

The very fact that the Prime Minister dared not cut out the cancer that is undermining her administration shows that they are stronger than she.

And if Theresa May’s reluctance to bin underperforming and unruly ministers is not evidence enough of her weak position, then surely the embarrassing spectacle of Health Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, staring her down and refusing a demotion is?

In The Godfather trilogy famously when ‘The Boss’ makes you an offer you literally ‘can’t refuse’ for fear of the consequences, and while defying Theresa May was never going to get you a horse’s head in your bed, these days it won’t even get you fired.

I can’t help wondering whether Justine Greening would still be part of the Government this morning if it had been her, not Mr Hunt, who had the first opportunity to draw a line in the sand, and refuse the PM’s offer.

Theresa May needs to realise that she is swimming against the tide, in parliament, in the Conservative Party and crucially with the people.  She is drowning inside Number 10, and it’s about time she realised this.  This is not the first time I have urged her to quit, or for someone to grow a pair and do what’s necessary and take her out, but hopefully this latest debacle will hasten action.

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Theresa May’s sacrificial lamb has left business and young people bloodied!

Phillip Hammond’s Autumn Budget has pledged to make Britain ‘Fit for the Future’ – announcing an increased living wage, tax thresholds and additional funding for new homes and vital systems like the NHS.

Yet, with every budget comes scrutiny. Where some felt Hammond has ‘skulked’ around the issue of Brexit, Corbyn expressed complete discontent, advising that the Government is not fit for office.

Negativity aside, the Budget certainly isn’t all bad, and for the business sector there are actually a number of plus points:

VAT Threshold

Hammond has announced that the small business VAT threshold will remain at £85,000 per annum, understanding the pressures small businesses face in growth and development. According to his calculations, this will result in an overall saving of £2.3bn for some 3 million small businesses across the UK.

Britain actually has one of the highest VAT thresholds worldwide –but instead of a dramatic threshold drop, Hammond has advised that he will review VAT over the next two years, focusing on different ways to incentivize small business growth. This is a great move from the Government, and will play a key role in aiding small business survival as Brexit looms.

£1.7bn Transforming Cities Fund  

Encouraging start-ups, business growth and business development can be difficult, but introducing the Transforming Cities Fund is one way to support this. Location isn’t everything in Business, but it certainly counts for something. When Business Owners look for an office move, Cities are selected on travel links, commercial premises, business development opportunities and more.

This fund will help significantly, with a massive £250m already assigned to Andy Street and the West Midlands region alone.

£30m to Digital Skills Development

Three in four UK businesses have reported a digital skills gap amongst their workforce, which continues to rise as technology advances.

Hammonds £30m investment in digital skills distance learning courses should go a long way to supporting digital skills development, which is not only vital for supporting and protecting business growth, but also for ensuring UK workers have the right skill set to secure future employment positions. 

Millennial Rail card  

Encouraging Millennials to continue their daily commute, Hammond has announced an extension of the ‘Young Persons Rail card’, where the 30% annual discount will apply to those up to the age of 31.

This sounds trivial, but rail fares have risen steadily year on year, with many young people put off by City based job opportunities as a result. By increasing the age threshold, this should encourage more millennials into the City roles, helping businesses secure young talent who can help drive business growth and fill the advancing digital skills gap.

Ultimately, as we head closer and closer to the Brexit deadline, the reality of the situation and its impact on the UK economy will start to come to light.

Although Brexit was not directly addressed in mass detail during the Budget, Hammond’s savings of £3bn to prepare for every eventuality suggests it will certainly won’t be an easy ride. However, in taking steps to support business growth and development, whilst inspiring professionals to advance their digital skillset, Britain will hopefully be in the best position possible to tackle the post-Brexit era, and its resulting challenges.

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The Autumn Budget and business

The Autumn Budget is looming and I can tell you, there’s one thing for sure that I hope to see included, and that’s a boost for apprenticeships!

I’ve been fighting for Apprenticeships for what feels like forever, but now more than ever, our Government needs to go the whole nine yards, and truly commit to boosting Apprenticeships in the UK.

When Hammond stands at the despatch box to deliver his big budget plans, I expect he will be addressing the very real problem of a skills shortages in Britain. Our economy is starved of skilled workers and the demand for more investment in schools and vocational training is prevalent.

As a country, we’ve gone through far too many years of underinvestment in workplace training, and let’s be honest, with the burden of Brexit breathing over businesses, we’re faced with the likely prospect of losing access to migrant labour.

We need to bolster our domestic workforce in the UK, and we need to do it now!

Although it may seem that our friends in Whitehall have put foot to pedal over the issue of Apprenticeships, I don’t see many employers responding or signing up.

The number of apprentices starting in May, June and July were down by 61%, according to figures published by the Department for Education, compared with the same time last year, which to me makes the pledge of 3million new apprentices by 2020 a distant dream.

It’s no surprise that this drop in figures coincided directly with the Apprenticeship Levy rule change, of a mandatory financial contribution from the employer.

But what I’ve been saying for years is that government needs to make changes to the system that will reinforce incentives for employers to recruit young people!

To put it frankly, there is an overriding need for more apprentices, as the decades of the UK’s access to skilled migrant labour looks set to be curtailed by Brexit.

With the cost of living rising – I’m sure many youngsters will be put off with the prospect of spending over £9,000 a year on University – I’m calling for Hammond’s Budget to recognise these youngsters and cater for a generation who either don’t want to go to university or can’t afford to.

Let’s give every youngster a viable choice in life, and let’s see a real push on an Apprenticeships to address the skills shortage in the UK.

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Don’t forget the Apprenticeships in the Budget, they’ll be the backbone of the future workforce

Settling on a ‘no deal’ future as the UK’s relationship with the European Union is completely unthinkable, and there is no way in hell that such an arrangement can ever be allowed to happen.

The simple fact is that half a loaf is always better than starving to death, although personally I think we should be aiming a tad higher than avoiding death.

By which I mean David Davis’ claim that a post-Brexit future can be every bit as economically prosperous for the UK as membership of the EU has been.

The ‘no deal is better than a bad deal’ mantra is complete rubbish, both as a potential outcome, and also as a negotiating ploy.

I’ve done a load of deals over the years and when you say something, there has to be real fear on the other side that if they don’t play ball you’ll carry through with your threat.

The problem for Theresa May is that it’s obvious to both her revolting MPs and Cabinet, and the Europeans, that she is making an idle threat in an effort to try and look strong, but unfortunately all it has done is shown just how weak and desperate she is.

There is only one possible way that Theresa May can fight her way back, and that would be to stop with the hot air and bluster, and go and get us a deal we can all live well with.

UK business has been calling for this for months, even as recently as the Party Conference season when a number of business groups have said their members fear for the future of the economy while no clear plan for our exit is being discussed.

There is no ‘no deal’ future for the UK, and there certainly isn’t a ‘no deal’ future for Mrs May.

If there is any chance of the PM surviving being phased out, sometime soon after the look of Brexit is finalised, she must pull a massive rabbit out of the hat, and that rabbit needs to be able to trade and travel.

The PM has said she can ‘prove the doomsayers wrong’. I hope she can.  I really do.  I also hope that message comes from the businesses she is meeting today, such as GlaxoSmithKline, Vodafone and HSBC to hear what they want from talks on Britain’s relationship with the EU after Brexit.

And if I was there and was going to give her one piece of advice it would be to stop with this ‘no deal’ nonsense and get on with creating a little bit of modern-day political magic!

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No EU Deal is definitely a bad deal & threatens economic stability

Over my career I have taken business courses at Cranfield University, Stanford University and the London Business School (LBS).

In my opinion only one of them truly understood early stage business and the leadership credentials it takes to run one. That was Cranfield. I am not saying that Stanford and LBS were not excellent schools but they were almost entirely run by academics and attended by academic business people too.

Cranfield’s Business Growth Programme was different; it was built from the ground up for entrepreneurs rather than the top down and 100% of the attendees were entrepreneurs. The top down approach tends to use regurgitated MBA material.

So, what can these courses offer entrepreneurs and is it right for you?

Cranfield: Business Growth Program

This is a real “get it done” programme for early stage businesses and entrepreneurs. I would recommend businesses that have more than 20 employees and more than £3m in revenue attend this course.

My time at Cranfield taught me good basic discipline. It taught me the importance of financial control and it taught me to act bold, make difficult decisions and to think big. The course was bi-monthly for two days and three months in duration. The fee was £15,000 and worth every penny.

Stanford University: Executive Program for Growing Businesses

You need a turnover of at least $10m to be accepted on this course. I would personally argue, the entrance criteria should be moved to $25m and is probably best suited to businesses with over 50 staff.

My time at Stanford installed a confidence in me that only Stanford could. In part because of the stature of the University but also because of Silicon Valley itself. No one could spend three weeks in the Valley learning about business and not be inspired to succeed. At the end of the three weeks I cared and understood more about company culture and about working with the right team than ever before.

The fee was £25,000 which was expensive but if you need a confidence boost and fancy an inspirational holiday then I would recommend this course.

London Business School: Executive Master in Business Administration

This course does not discriminate against company size or value but that does mean its focus is wide. The fee was £80,000 and in my opinion probably the right value for the complexity of the course and stature of the University.

My time at LBS (which was only the first term as I quit) taught me that business administrators are not entrepreneurs. The course was too wide in its approach and the school spent a significant part of their time teaching and guiding the attendees on how to get a new or better job once they were qualified. Not ideal if 1. You are the owner of the business or 2. You have sponsored and paid for one of your team to attend the course.

LBS in my opinion let itself down in this area and any business thinking about sponsoring an employee to complete an EMBA should seriously consider this when choosing a school.

The course was complex and the learning material top class. I would not recommend existing entrepreneurs attend this course but have someone with an MBA in their team or as an advisor. This linear approach to business administration installs good discipline in a business at the right time in its growth.

There are obviously other schools that I have not attended that claim a great understanding of entrepreneurship. My advice would be to research well, attend at least 4-5 school briefings and then talk to at least three alumni (ideally not anyone the school recommends!).

Personal development is so important and on my journey, I can honestly say I learnt something from all three experiences. In fact, I am off to LBS again in November for a program in Private Equity Funding. I hope I get a warm welcome after they read this article.

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Business Schools for Entrepreneurs

I am shaking with rage I’m so angry about today’s Supreme Court ruling that says that charging people to bring employment tribunal cases against employers is illegal.

Quite honestly this is the worst thing to happen to British business since the country voted to leave the European Union.  It is a ridiculous, stupid, dangerous and irrational decision!

Before David Cameron brought in fees of between £390 and £1,200 for disgruntled employees to bring cases in an employment tribunal businesses were under siege from malicious cases, which were costing a fortune to defend against, irrespective of there being any truth to the claims being made.

Quite honestly back in 2012 the problem had spiked, with many seeing the potential of making easy money from a claim that would cost virtually nothing to lodge.  Employers on the other hand were faced with defending lengthy and commercially expensive claims.

We always said there was no truth in a huge amount of the cases that were taken to tribunal and this was confirmed when the fees came in and the number of cases dropped by 79% over three years.   

And it’s not just the cost and disruption to businesses that free access to employment tribunals for malicious, disgruntled, or just plain unsuitable, employees that is terrible news.  

I’m not saying that bosses are all angels – that would be stupid, there are always good and bad in any bunch of individuals.  But the old no-fee system was a huge incentive to have a go at an employer. Ex-staff would have nothing to lose and half a chance of a few grand in their pocket.

By reopening the floodgates on this the Supreme Court has, in the stroke of a pen, reintroduced the fear of God into employers, over taking on staff to grow their businesses.

It’s all very well to try to take on the right people, but sometimes you have to take a punt on someone, especially when you’re on a growth surge, and the risk of ending up in a tribunal will leave employers gun shy for fear of landing themselves with an expensive claim.

This is also a negative outcome for potential workers who, after this ruling, are going to find it harder to convince a company to offer them a job.

The fact tribunals fell from more than 7,000 to about 1,000 speaks volumes and if the Supreme Court has today correctly interpreted the law then the Government needs to urgently change it!!   

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Supreme Court has opened the floodgates and employers will drown in tribunals

A year ago this month there was a big match played in the UK; watched by a huge crowd, with the final score probably best-described as an away win: Remain City 48-52 Leave County.

In keeping with any fiercely fought derby encounter passions ran high, and, at the final whistle, there were plenty on both sides calling foul and complaining about various key decisions that went against their side.

In the days afterwards there followed much crowd unrest, even some violence, and the manager of the losing team fell on his sword, along with several high profile members of his coaching staff. The fallout from the match opened old cracks and created new ones.

Families were split apart, old friends stopped talking to each other, and City and County never felt more disconnected.

Since the now-former manager of Remain City was also the national team coach, a new boss was required for the upcoming European Championships, against 27 of our Continental neighbours.  Somewhat surprisingly, and despite much pundit speculation, focusing on the ‘usual suspects’, a manager considered by many to have recently retired, was appointed.

Now, my mate, the comedian and West Ham fan, Micky Flanagan, isn’t everybody’s ‘go to’ reference point when they want to know the meaning of a word, but when it comes to ‘Out’, or the more emphatic ‘Out, Out!’ he is seen in some circles as something of an expert.

In his world this means ‘really’ going out, as in, going out for a ‘hard night’ on the tiles, rather than popping to the corner shop for a pint of milk, or to visit your granny.

In any case, the new national boss immediately adopted a playing style modelled on Micky’s ‘Out, Out!’ philosophy, telling all the other Euro teams that we weren’t going to play with them ever again, and if they didn’t like it, it was their bad luck because we were going to play more important matches with bigger teams like the United States and China!

Despite her bold new approach the new manager felt she didn’t have the dressing room, so decided to ask the fans what they thought of her strategy and tactics.

Unfortunately they weren’t impressed and told her that they quite liked playing with the European sides after all, at least some of the time anyway.

So, to save face, and keep her job (at least for a while), the new manager, changed her playing style back to that of her predecessor, while refusing to admit she had made a mistake and been forced to back down.

The upshot of all the upheaval left the national team pretty much where it had been 12 months earlier.

For their part the fans found themselves feeling extremely tired and fed up, and wondering why the hell they had gone through so much pain and anguish, just to end up back where they started.

So, what’s the moral of this sad little tale? Whatever you do when you feel you’ve lost the dressing room, for god’s sake don’t ask the fans!

And back in the real world, occupied neither by football millionaires nor career politicians, thousands of small business owners are left wringing our hands together and wondering how long it’s going to take to recover the stability and sanity we need in the economy for us to thrive.

Read more:
Football & Comedy – Perfect Analogies for the European Championships of Brexit

I couldn’t agree more that the system by which we tax work is ‘very complicated’, and in many ways represents a code of practice based on 20th Century conditions, attempting to deal with the realities of 21st century social and employment practices. And there is no doubt that it is failing.

Last week I lost a legal battle in the Court of Appeal, brought by one former contractor, who after taking advantage of being self-employed for six years, during which time he earned a large amount of money, and paid a lot of tax to HMRC, albeit at 20% not 40%, as he would have done if he’d been an employee on PAYE.

The problem here is the assumption that businesses like Pimlico Plumbers who pay contractors in this way are short changing HMRC with their tax arrangements, and shafting the contractors because their status denies them employment rights. Now that may be true in some well publicised cases, but certainly not in mine, and I’m certain I’m not alone.

Over the years hundreds of contractors working for my company have paid for their houses in just a few short years, something that would have been impossible working on wages as employees earning £40k a year.

And, while one man decided he wanted employment rights, the hundreds of other contractors, past and present, making a lot of money from Pimlico Plumbers, are not crying ‘exploitation’, but rather are worried that the good times might be coming to an end.

As to the charge that HMRC are being short changed, well, if you do the maths, which they have done I’m sure, you’d find that 20% of the £100,000 that my contractors earn, is far better for the tax man than a marginal 24%, or £9,600, on PAYE that the same tradesman would be paying if they were taking home £40,000 per annum as an employee.

Mr Taylor has also quoted the Chancellor when he said that the rise in the ranks of the self-employed had impacted on the tax take of the Exchequer, which, despite the example above, could possibly be true. But only if the alternative to self-employment was paid work as an employee.

The reality is that self-employment spiked during the recession due to unemployment, and the real counterfactual for the Exchequer was paying an unemployed person a benefit!

So yes, it’s complicated, and looking at his comments and his track record, I’m certain that Matthew Taylor completely gets this point, and is not going to be dragged into the populist and trade union inspired dogma that self-employment is only used by companies intent in screwing those doing the work, and ripping off HMRC.

I think there is a genuine place for the self-employed contractor model in the 21st Century UK economy, and I would very much like to add my input from 40 years in the plumbing industry to Matthew Taylor’s very timely review.

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Matthew Taylor’s timley Employment Review needs to clear up grey areas