I have been interested in the past few months on the increasing publicity around the growing divide in our country between the haves and the have-nots. Well actually the top 1% that…
A truly separate Openreach
The ongoing discussion of Openreach and BT Wholesale combining into one entity seems to be dividing opinion among the industry. My personal view is one that is shared with TalkTalk’s Dido Harding,…
Seeing is believing
Last week saw our new video phones being rolled out across our offices in an attempt to improve collaboration between staff. Because of our adoption of virtual desktops for the whole business,…
Little features make a big difference
Having recently returned for a holiday on the east coast of the US (New York, Orlando, Miami and Key West) I was struck by how useful a small function is within my…
A chance to meet the Queen
Recently my business was a beneficiary in the Queen’s Award for Enterprise, winning the Innovation category for our work on the Service Exchange Platform. This platform looks to help consolidate networks into…
Amazon want to know everything
A great use of mobile technology is the ability to accept credit card payments on any smart device without all the cumbersome hardware usually associated with point of sale terminals. Great for…
Motivate with a challenge
I recently completed the Three Peaks challenge with fifteen of my fellow colleagues from work. We had to climb Ben Nevis, Scafell and Snowdon within 24 hours including the travel between the…
Surely we should have reinvented the train by now?
An interesting article in the Times today on HS2 and the proposed suggestion to cut its top speed by 40 mph from 225 mph to 185 mph reducing the energy it consumes.…
Working lunch or afternoon beer?
For me that five minutes in the day when I get to leave my desk and grab a sandwich is my opportunity to reflect on my day so far and what tasks…
Business guru or celeb
They say the media corrupts and feeding the ego of a ‘successful’ entrepreneur is surely one of the worst examples. Ultimately a business founder has a vested interest in making their company…
A wish and a prayer
At a recent awards dinner Dr Mike Lynch spoke about the difficulties in investing in new businesses and supporting innovative and growing companies. Since his departure from Autonomy he has created a…
Is being an entrepreneur a good thing?
I have always considered what I do, in terms of starting and running a business, as the role of a businessman and not one of an entrepreneur. My view has always been…
Unions out of touch with reality
Having grown up in the eighties the impact of unions and their significance has only reduced as I have grown older and today that has been reinforced as we see situations like…
Payment terms start to slide
I wrote back in October 2008 about larger companies bullying small businesses with ridiculous payment terms and contracts. Well it seems the practice is alive and well with the likes of Marks…
Waitrose work hard to lose customers
I have written before about the power of a brand and the loyalty it can create, but this too can go against the business. Customer care, quality of product and reliability are…