30 June, 2006
Trying to cheer up an old business acquaintance recently whose company is holding on for better times, I said ‘Hey, look on the bright side – we have just survived a downturn as bad as the 1930s’. He wasn’t convinced, and argued that there was no comparison between now and then.
Who is right? We will probably never know, nor will anyone know for certain. I would agree that the current situation is not having such a dramatic impact – no soup-lines, no destitution, no wandering bands looking for work –- and that can only be a good thing, but the short, sharp pain has been avoided at a cost, one that I believe will be as high or higher. Here’s why.
In a recent Citywire article, Brooks Newmark (a conservative MP and no friend of the government) calculates that the true extent of public debt (money borrowed by the government on our behalf) could be as high as £85,000 per household – think of this as a mortgage that you didn’t know you had but still have to repay. Even if Newmark is only half right, this is a tremendous burden that is likely to weigh us down for very many years.
October 4, 2009
I have been an investor, or gambler depending on how you look at it, for many years. A while back, tired of the life of a designer, I decided to take a different path and try my hand at trading the markets for a living and I have to say that I found out more about myself, my psychological make up, during that short period than I had done in all the preceding years.
I think I am a thorough person and take my research seriously and this adventure was no exception, I really got under the hood of trading the financial markets, finding out what makes the industry tick and who makes the money and how – I gave it my best shot.
I still trade, but nothing like full-time. Believe me, being in front of a screen all day plays havoc with your back, makes your vision blurred, kills your ability to communicate with other human beings and doesn’t do a great deal for the stress levels.
What you really want to know is did I make money? Well yes, but not in the way you think, and once my broker found out that I had marketing skills they didn’t want me wasting time gambling. They had me helping with the advertising, making TV commercials, running the seminars and writing the ‘how to trade’ stuff. You see I’m not proud and take the opportunities as they occur.
30 September, 2009
I have learnt what might be obvious to most people; that creative talent like any other aptitude benefits hugely from being sensitively managed and mentored in a sympathetic environment. We waste a huge amount of talent in this country, and I have seen great ideas fail to come to fruition for the sake of some extra effort and a few quid invested. We have a few world-class creatively-led businesses, but nothing like what we need to compete with the US giants that now appear to dominate more and more areas of our life.
My involvement with start-ups is not passive; and it is because I am a synaesthetic creative thinker that I can make connections between seemingly unconnected ideas to develop new opportunities and hence valuable propositions. It is often this insight that is missing from a new venture and it is something I can contribute.
The way I have set up this venture demonstrates my synaesthetic thinking; I have brought together lessons from three other highly creative innovators. Firstly Muhammad Yunus with his Grameen Bank; Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook; and Marc Andreessen, Netscape founder and investor. The lessons are - from Muhammad Yunus - be sensible and invest with emotion; Mark Zukerberg - find out early if it will fly; and from Mac Andreesen, that with the amazing new tools that are available you don’t have to spend big bucks to set up a venture.
I currently have as many ventures as I can cope with in development and plan to publish case studies at a future date.
30 September, 2009
Who’s got those missing billions?
When the news reports $bn. losses due to some financial crisis or other, people are right to be intrigued as to where the money has gone and they reason that money can’t 'simply just disappear'. Well, it can. It can disappear as mysteriously as it appears, but that question – ‘where did all this money come from’ – is less often asked.
It helps to think of money as ‘value’ or buying-power if you like. Take a look at a recent news story that has its origins in the dot-com boom. A while back AOL merged with Time-Warner and had a market value of $240bn. Imagine you had just a few of those shares in your account, worth say $100,000. You are thinking of buying a new car for $20,000. A lot of money but hey, you can afford it and have $80,000 left over.
Time-Warner now plans to sell AOL, valuing it at $3.5bn. Your share account is now worth just $1,500 – no new car, and I bet you feel a whole lot poorer and would probably agree that an awful lot of money has ‘disappeared’ from your account.
Source: Inspired by an FT/alphaville entry posted by Gwen Robinson.
October 4, 2009
Actions speak louder than words
Helping people start their own venture or business is a very rewarding experience for me.
March 17, 2001
Why no bush fires so far in this downturn?
This year has seen some of the worst bush and forest fires in a hundred years. Some experts believe that too strict a control of fires over the past few years has prevented nature taking its course and periodically clearing the forest floor. The build-up of debris allows a wholly different and far more destructive type of firestorm to take hold.
Is there a valuable lesson to be learnt here and one that the business world could use?
October 4, 2009
Who’s got those missing billions?
Have you ever asked yourself what happens to the missing $billions? Surely someone must have them, right?
October 4, 2009
You should certainly be informed and in a position to make up your own mind about the current economic climate.
October 4, 2009
No one will argue with the fact that Britain is a great place for creative talent or that we let others exploit our talent and reap the rewards.
October 4, 2009
There is nothing like the real thing and I avoid talking about aspects of business I have not experienced first hand.
This particular experience you might find interesting, as it demonstrates a point I often make about where to find profit.
October 4, 2009
Investing, trading or gambling – what’s the difference?
If you fancy trying your hand at trading the financial markets, there are a few things you should think about.
October 4, 2009
The most important thing I have learnt as a practitioner is that the creative process can be much more effective and productive if it is well managed. I asked myself if this experience could be put to use to help others, and the answer has been most emphatically yes.
My experience tells me that in the right environment, managed sensitively, creatives can achieve amazing things but managed poorly they can be a disaster.
Those commissioning work also need help to interact in the right way with their creative partners.
January 8, 2009
Behind these short articles in the library there exists in-depth research. The articles have been written over a period of time and some have been updated off-line. The following selection serves to show the breadth of subjects I have enjoyed researching.
October 4, 2009
Each Case History is a précis of projects undertaken by Town Group and marketing managers will find the scenarios familiar. If you have a particular situation which requires some outside help, or would like to know more about a particular project then please contact me for further information.
November 28, 2006
Improving the return on creative resource investment.
Click on the title to find out more or on ‘Presentation’ to see a short slide show.
November 28, 2006
Providing synesthetic solutions to new challenges.
Click on the title to find out more or on ‘Presentation’ to see a short slide show..
November 28, 2006
Getting better results through better communication.
Click on the title to find out more or on ‘Presentation’ to see a short slide show.
November 28, 2006
Improving the return on creative resource investment.
Click on the title to find out more or on ‘Presentation’ to see a short slide show.