When we set up UKFast I could have only dreamed of a day like today. I am a big dreamer, but this was not something I’d have ever been able to visualise. Sat here on the Necker Belle with my daughters Tegan and Poppy, my wife and business partner Gail, the girl who has stood by my side throughout all the tough times, waiting for my team to arrive. You might at first think that it is easy to get carried away and think we’ve made it, but to the contrary, this trip is intended to help design the vision for the future. There is also a little holidaying thrown in for good measure, but ultimately we have a job to do. The owners of… Read the Rest »
To be truly amazing at something you have to invest huge amounts of time and energy. It requires commitment over and above the call of duty. This applies to all walks of life, athletes, business, musicians etc. You require levels of discipline that exceed the norm and the fruits of your labour are usually directly proportional to the effort and care you put in. This week I was invited to Manchester Town Hall for a civic welcome for Gábor Takács-Nagy. A Hungarian musician who joined the Manchester Camerata this summer as the Orchestra Leader. After a quick introduction, Gabor kindly treated us to a sneak preview of what can only be described as a new Camerata. The same people, the same instruments, but a totally different… Read the Rest »
So you want to be successful? Just how far are you prepared to go? Do you have what it takes? Do you know what it takes? All these questions need answering if you stand a chance of making a difference in your lifetime. The answers you give are all relative to the results that you will arrive at too. The more committed, the more passionate, the more determined, the bigger the outcome. The same philosophy applies to everything in life, sport, parenting, education. It is so simple, if you want to be good at something, you have to get obsessed and practice over and over again until you become an expert. As Tony Robbins says, “Repetition is the mother of skill.” Show me an expert… Read the Rest »
It all started once we’d made the decision to build our own data centre. Until this point we’d leased data centres and filled 3 in Manchester alone with a significant number of racks in Telehouse, London. However the facilities are fine if you just have a few racks and pop down every now and again, however we’d grown to around 300 which requires a large team working around the clock operating in the buildings. The facilities are not conducive to a happy working environment. They are cold, noisy and uncomfortable and as we did not control the building, it proved impossible to raise the standards to those we have in at head office. We had to fight to get a kettle in to the building, then… Read the Rest »
When I saw the line up of an upcoming event that showed Tony Robbins and Sir Richard Branson as the headline speakers, I was immediately taken aback to see Alan Sugar’s name appear a few weeks later. What is it about this man? He keeps on popping up on British TV, yet he lacks the finesse of Branson and the passion of Robbins. He most certainly lacks the humility that you’ll find in abundance in the other two great men. He comes across as a self opinionated man who likes putting people down to make himself feel better. And by surrounding himself with sycophantic people who do not openly challenge him, it is no surprise that he slipped up this week, after telling engineer Glenn… Read the Rest »
Last week was undoubtedly a great week for Manchester. With both Manchester’s Premiership football clubs reminding the rest of the world that top class football is alive and well in the Northwest. Yet in spite of history being made last weekend and the 1st and 3rd places confirmed today, Manchester United and Manchester City were completely outplayed and overshadowed on the Internet with news circulating that a premiership football player put out a super injunction to prevent his name being published in an English Newspaper. The irony is, even though no one is allowed to publish information about the football player, the whole world seems pretty confident of who it is thanks to the Internet. Tonight a Scottish newspaper effectively ended the anonymous court order… Read the Rest »
I have just spent 2 weeks in my homeland at the foothills of the Snowdonia National Park in North Wales. It’s a magical place. It’s the land that time forgot and long may it stay this way. Anyone who knows me, knows just how important my time there is. Considering the hectic duties of our Manchester business UKFast, a place which is aptly named, I can’t remember a moment where we have ever come up for air. Yet, inspite of craving the intensity and fast paced business life, I never tire of the Welsh countryside and there’s not a more beautiful time of year. Time out is so important and the bigger UKFast gets the more I realise I need the complete switch off. I… Read the Rest »
It was not an easy decision. There has to be a degree of emotion attached to a sponsorship deal and if it was left to pure passion and there were no financial penalties to staying, I am sure I’d do everything in my power to stay. That’s certainly how we felt at the end of last season. Each season, we review the effectiveness of the relationship and the benefits of a symbiotic relationship with a sports club. There are a great many things to consider, performance on the field, management, community contribution, hospitality, the list is endless. In spite of a poor 09/10 season and some drastic management restructuring we decided it was the right thing to remain with the club regardless of potentially difficult… Read the Rest »
I was out for dinner at an event this week and I was lucky enough to sit by someone who is a real inspiration. I always ask him about his climbing pursuits. It’s a common interest, but one I confess not to have set aside enough time over the last 20 years to explore properly. My friend on the other hand is a prolific walker and recently climbed Kilamjaro. His next summit is Mont Blanc in the coming months, so I have a great deal to learn from his experiences. Sat talking, he summed up the shortness of time, by describing the decade between the age of 60 and 70 as just “10 summers.” It was a sledgehammer moment. I take time more seriously than… Read the Rest »
This week saw the fashion retailer Henley’s file for administration. It only seems like yesterday when Simon and Ben the 2 owners sat with me at a Sale Sharks match discussing online retail. One of the boys confidently said, “our customers need to touch and try on our garments, we will never do more much than the £10,000 per month we are doing now. The online shop can’t compete with our high street stores” This sounded very much like a challenge. And as someone who hosts hundreds of online retailers, some huge ones too, I knew I couldn’t lose. I bet them £1 I could prove them wrong. Sitting with my web designers and marketing team, we immediately found ways of improving their system. Their… Read the Rest »
