Its been a great start to the year. I am not able to give you profit figures yet as its a little early, however I can confirm that we had another record year in 2011. In the last 5 years we have grown 630%. If we maintained that, we’d hit £100m in the next 5 years. We have our work cut for us if we want to keep up this momentum though as it is technically harder to increase percentage growth year on year whilst growing organically. Its the first thing analysts question, “how do you intend on maintaining this trajectory?” The simple answer is, you don’t, unless each year you increase every area in identical proportion to your turnover. Its very difficult to achieve this… Read the Rest »
Are you a glass half empty or a glass half full person? Are you the victim of pressure or do you thrive under stress? I find it fascinating that people can view the same thing from completely different perspectives and say with absolute certainty that they see total opposites. You can look at a picture and see the most magical inspiration before your eyes, and yet someone else might not give it a second glance. The same applies to everything we do and experience in our lives. What might inspire one person, just doesn’t make sense to another. And so what drives this difference in opinions and views? I heard a great analogy that the brain like a computer, is a processor, however, unlike a… Read the Rest »
I met a very interesting professor from Stamford recently who wrote and spoke about happiness and the importance of it in business. He explained that happiness is something that comes from within. It depends entirely on your internal state and the lens that you look at life through. So if you’re unhappy, you will probably see the bad in everything. If you’re immensely positive and happy, then you’re bound to approach life with a spring in your step and see the good in everything. Lets face it, there is good in everything and everyone. Sometimes you just have to look a little harder. I have met many people who assume that money is the “be all and end all.” But money doesn’t bring happiness. People… Read the Rest »
It was the perfect New Years Eve. It was 1999. I was in Vermont in the US the home of the famous film, A White Christmas. As the clock struck midnight, I walked outside in the snow hand in hand with the new girl in my life. Its a beautiful place and at the start of the Millennium it was a landmark moment that I am able to look back at. We were not well-off, we had very little and if I am honest, I was barely keeping up with my mortgage repayments, but we had our health and dreams to make a better life. UKFast was only months old and we sat down in front of the log fire the next day and wrote out… Read the Rest »
I was asked recently to be on a panel for a great event organised by the 6th formers at William Hulme School, in Manchester. I had not been there since the old days when I used to kick goals through the posts on their front field for Ruthin School. As someone who failed dismally as an academic it was nice to be asked to contribute so I jumped at the chance. The line up consisted of 3 politicians, myself and another business person. One of the big topics concentrated around university fees and whether or not the £9,000 is fair. There seems to have been a massive cultural change over the last 10 or 15 years. Blair popularised the idea that everyone should go to… 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 »
What were you doing? What were you thinking? Where were you when the planes struck that terrible day? It was the first time I saw the immense power of the internet. I sat watching the video playing on a website. We didn’t have a TV at the office. I was at work with 18 people split between 2 businesses. 12 people selling mobile phones and the other 6 working away on the embryonic version of what is now UKFast. I sent people home that day. I have never done that before and I hope I never have to again. There are not many times I have felt defeated, but this was one of them. It was a day to reflect and grieve, not to win business… 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 »
12 years ago I was sat on the side of my bed with my head in my hands struggling to choose a shirt to wear. No amount of reasoning would have helped me rationalise my behaviour. I had started putting on a significant amount of weight, but I was working out in the gym regularly and doing plenty of cardio. It felt like the weight of the world was on my shoulders. I hadn’t known Gail long, but long enough for her to want to help me identify the problem. Doctors were unable to help, they checked for diabetes and thyroid, but there was nothing clinically wrong. Yet I was struggling to function. I was getting unnecessarily stressed and the not knowing what was wrong was compounding… 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 »
