Quick Search

Take two August 29th, 2010

I have just returned from a business trip with my wife and business partner Gail. Its ironic that I have just been half way around the world to Fiji on a business summit, to realise that the answer is inside of me. I went to learn about business and the “next step.” Every year Gail and I go to the place where we spent our honey-moon. Rangalli Island in the Maldives. It is a 3 week break, the first 2 weeks as a family adventure with our 2 daughters, and the last week really having a focus on ourselves and the business. It is a time when we look at the skills we are going to need to bring into the business to continue to… Read the Rest »

Posted in Business advice, Business motivation, Entrepreneurs and Entrepreneurial Spirit, Lawrence Jones, People development, UKFast | 5 Comments »

A really BA Experience Destroys Brand Value February 22nd, 2010

Jim Collins recently sent me his latest book, How The Mighty Fall, which I have not managed to prise off my wife yet. If he’d written a British version of this book, it would have to feature BA. British Airways. How on earth has the greatest British brand fallen out of the skies to such depths of despair? I asked a couple of members of the BA staff, does BA stand for Bloody Awful, after the worst experience I have ever encountered of substandard behaviour by representatives of BA. I was checking in proudly to my first class seats at the BA counter in Manchester, when I met the second rudest woman I have ever had the misfortune to meet. We had telephoned the night… Read the Rest »

Posted in Business motivation, Lawrence Jones, Manchester, People development, UKFast, Uncategorized | 9 Comments »

Diversification or specialisation? November 8th, 2009

I recently blogged on the topic, do you diversify or remain specialised? I forgot a fundamental principal which we now adopt before venturing into the unknown. The 3 circles. You may have come across Jim Collins a lecturer at Stamford University, he is an authority on the study of successful businesses. He predicted and charted the growth of some of Americas biggest businesses and when challenged as a young lecturer by a student not much older than himself on the success of Apple (a then unknown) he decided to put his formula down on paper and test it amongst other great fortune 500 businesses. One of the things he found with his research is that all of the businesses which grew at a faster rate… Read the Rest »

Posted in Business advice, Lawrence Jones, People development, UKFast | No Comments »

Are accolades important? May 29th, 2008

I congratulate the winner of this year’s EN Entrepreneur award, Bruntwood’s Chris Oglesby. In a tough environment I thought this was a very fair result. He is a worthy winner and the rapturous response he received when his name was announced reaffirms that he is a great entrepreneur and has the popular vote amongst the business community. UKFast was a sponsor of the awards this year and I have to say I was pleased with the result. It is difficult to find another organisation that has done as much for Manchester as Bruntwood. There are many awards nowadays and some people think that the sentiment behind the ceremony has been diluted. But personally I like to view them very positively. I am honoured to have… Read the Rest »

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Don’t neglect your online presence May 20th, 2008

In the past week the British government has been criticised over its websites. A report states the websites have barely improved over the last seven years. In this period of time, the internet has grown and changed considerably. There is much more offered by way of interactive and dynamic content now, making internet usage undeniably better than it was back in 2001. When I look back over the years at how the UKFast website has grown, it is barely recognisable as the site of 2001. It wasn’t that it was a poor site back then, just that the internet has moved on so much. The speed and reliability of new internet technology – broadband, quadcore web servers, innovative applications, etc, etc – offers the ability… Read the Rest »

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

The lost art of communication May 8th, 2008

In a world that has gone Google mad it’s great sometimes to step away from your monitor and use that age old communication method – talking. Welcome to the world of human interfacing. Last week I had the immense pleasure of meeting several hundred interesting people at the Internet World exhibition, in London’s Earls Court. And I met them face to face. As truly amazing as technology is in its new styles of communication, there is no substitute for the personal approach of physically meeting people. There’s a buzz at Internet World which is contagious, and despite the aching feet and bodies of the UKFast team, I know every one of them felt exhilarated. It’s exciting to get out of the office and escape from… Read the Rest »

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »