Clever Gecko

Cash Flow

2012-03-05T14:15:00.000Z

Traditionally businesses have always had the 30 day invoice,but WHY?

Do we get 30 days to pay our Tesco’s grocery bill, or 30days to pay for the 50 litres of petrol we just put in our tank at the fillingstation?

So if as individuals we are expected to pay “on the nail” whyare businesses still living in the world of 30 day invoices and then delayingto pay that invoice for 60, sometimes 90 days?

With the current economic climate isn’t it time we did awaywith the invoices?

If a company can’t pay for the goods on the day then canthey really afford to pay the invoice in 30 days? What difference is the 30days going to make to their ability to pay?

Cash Flow is one of the biggest causes of business failure.We propose that it is done away with, in an aim to assist with everyone’s cashflow problems by eliminating it!

We’ve had the Pay Promptly campaign, which hasn’t reallyworked.

The government also said as small businesses “we are allentitled to charge 5% interest on overdue accounts”; that didn’t work either,mainly because it was unenforceable.

Maybe we need the “Want it – Pay for it” or “Now Not Later”.

Whatever it is let’s do away with 30 day invoices and payfor things when we order them, everyone else outside the business world does.

Gems of Wisdom No. 50

2012-02-24T10:54:00.000Z

Use normal to engage the enemy, the extraordinary to win

Engaging the enemy is what most people do in their day to day life. Winning is what the entrepreneur does.

How do they do this? Simple, they see things differently; they tackle things from a different angle. They don’t give up at the first obstacle. They keep persevering.

There is no limit to their determination to succeed and their energies unbounded.

“Find a way, or make a way”

Hannibal.

Gems of Wisdom No. 49

2012-02-22T09:00:00.000Z

Do the right thing

All of us have a conscience.

We all know what is right and what is wrong.

We all have a choice in life with everything we do.

Listen to your conscience and then follow it.

Doing the right thing is always right.

Doing the right thing will protect your image and good name.

If you always do the right thing you will succeed in the end.

It may take a little longer but the results will be sustainable.

Gems of Wisdom No. 48

2012-02-21T15:04:00.002Z

Try new things

A business has to move with the times.

A typewriter ribbon retailer has to move into the word processor market or risk going out of business. You have to embrace new ideas, new concepts, new innovations, and new markets. A great example of trying new things is Honda. Mr Honda started off adding petrol engines to bicycles and the first Honda motorcycle was born. The company then went into the car business, followed by Trucks, All Terrain Vehicles, Honda-Jet, Generators, Lawnmowers, Tillers, Trimmers, Multi-purpose Utility Vehicle, Outboard Motors, Personal Watercraft, Pumps, Scooters, F1 engines for motor racing and even snow-blowers. Honda is not finished yet; they have been working on record-breaking solar cars for many years.

The only clause I would add here is that it is always a good idea to remain within your area of expertise, in Honda's case products that have engines. Although Richard Branson has done very well from planes, trains, records and banks!

They say that “the only constant in a successful business is the rate of change!”

Gems of Wisdom No. 47

2012-02-17T10:04:00.002Z

If something is wrong - fix it

As we said yesterday, problems don’t go away by themselves.

If you know it’s wrong then FIX-IT!

Problems usually get worse and have a knock-on effect that just escalates, sometimes beyond belief.

Gems of Wisdom No. 46

2012-02-16T08:59:00.000Z

Confront problems, they won’t go away

We all have difficulties, problems that we would rather not have to deal with.

The thing is these problems and issues will not resolve themselves. If you leave problems they usually get worse!

My trick is to place that problem on my desk and then make sure that I won’t deal with anything else in my day until I have dealt with the problem.

Gems of wisdom No. 45

2012-02-15T11:21:00.002Z

Don’t lead sheep, herd cats

The team you surround yourself with in business is everything.

You cannot be an expert in everything and need to employ key people who fill the gaps in your own expertise. You want people who are self-motivated, dedicated and have a clear understanding of your game plan for the business.

You need to let them loose into the market knowing that they will pounce on every possible opportunity they find while stalking. What you don’t want is a group of sheep who sit huddled in the corner of a field waiting for you to come out with your faithful dog to get them moving in the direction you want.

Gems of wisdom No. 44

2012-02-14T09:30:00.000Z

Always consider the implications of your actions

The world of business has predominately been about survival in a harsh world.

But I believe it doesn’t have to be like that.

Businesses usually didn’t care about whom they hurt or what they harmed as long as they made a sale, obtained a client or damaged a competitor.

I never operate like this. My philosophy is if you “upset” people on the way up then you will only meet them again on the way down! And on the way down you may need them.

Always look at the wider picture, think long term and think about the decision you are just about to make and how that will affect people.

And I will leave you with this thought:

"before making an important decision, project yourself 20 years into the future and ask yourself, was that a good decision?" Costa Yiannakis

Gems of Wisdom No. 43

2012-02-13T08:50:00.002Z

Do the right thing for your brand image

As I am sure you have realised by now, image is everything.

When I say do the right thing for your brand image I mean don’t do anything that is likely to undervalue your image.

For example:

· If you run a website for school children don’t allow beer companies or gambling venues to advertise on your site.

· If you are a prestigious hotel chain only advertise in magazines that are bought by the high vale clients you are looking to target.

All the time you are looking to match your image with everything you do. If your company sells young surfer clothing then you should dress in your clothing when you meet clients/distributors; not wear a suite that may make you seem detached from the market you are in.

Who you align with in business should add image value to your business not take it away.

Gems of Wisdom No. 42

2012-02-10T11:20:00.000Z

Aim high

When I am called in to look at a failing business, one of the most common problems is that they have a lack of confidence and have aim too low.

They are then surprised why they have not achieved anything.

I always like to stretch myself in business, always put the bar a little higher, and step out of the comfort zone.

It is only by doing this that you push yourself to an area beyond your current position.

If you have no ambitions for your business then it will not achieve any.

If you aim low, it will stay low.

Always try to go to the highest you can, you will be amazed on where you end up.

Aiming low is defeatist; you are putting yourself down and down is where you will stay.

Gems of Wisdom No. 41

2012-02-09T12:34:00.000Z

Make every second count

I remember an old geography teacher of mine who used to grumble about how long it took us to sit down and get our books out at the start of the lesson.

“You have just wasted 2 minutes of your life” he’d say, “those two minutes have gone, you will never get them back again!”

He was right and his words, his philosophy have stayed with me always.

I try not to waste a moment and for that reason I tend to get more done than most people, much to their amazement.

Gems of Wisdom No. 40

2012-02-08T10:07:00.000Z

Pick the right people and reward the talent

A few years ago I was approached by a rival company with an offer to buy one of my companies.

The rival was a huge company and had a lot of weight behind it, which I have to say it used to throw about in the market with common regularity.

We had managed to stand our own against this rival for many years and no matter what they had thrown at us we had refused to roll over and we had a very loyal client base.

It was this client base that was the focus of their attention as it was worth somewhere in the region of £1.2 million pounds in the first year in increased sales from my client base.

There sole aim was to buy the company, get their hands on the clients, then run my business into the grown and then close it down as a non-profitable concern - job done.

At the first meeting I had with them I raised the question of job security for my employees. JOB SECURITY? You should have seen the look on their faces, it was like I was speaking a foreign language and to their idea of loyalty I probably was.

They made it clear that my workforce, they had assessed, were “surplus to requirements”. Some of my employees had been with the company since it started and had been extremely loyal to me so I wasn’t about to exchange their livelihoods for 30 pieces of silver.

I walked away from table and the deal and they never got the client base.

You have to reward the people that work for you, whether it’s in wages, bonuses, or by simply standing up for them in a fight.

They are the ones that got you to the place you are now. They have made your company worth something to a rival.

They are as much a part of your company as you are.

Gems of Wisdom No. 39

2012-02-07T08:37:00.000Z

Keep your good name

In business, word of mouth is one of your biggest marketing tools.

People recommend your company to friends, family, associates and suppliers; they promote the good name you have for quality, service, price, or delivery….... whatever it is that they see as being commendable.

A good name has to be cultivated from the first day of your business.

It then needs to be nurtured and maintained every single day.

Once you have lost it, its gone forever.

One of my businesses’ never advertised once, all its new clients came from referrals, and that is the best advertisement you can get.

We were known for value and honesty although I saw it as containing a lot more.

One of the most important things I try to get across to my clients is IMAGE and a huge part of image is your good name.

Work hard at it, it pays dividends.

Gems of Wisdom No. 38

2012-02-06T08:45:00.000Z

Be polite and respectful

During my day I meet lots of so called leaders in business and I always astounded how many of them are just downright rude.

You will be surprised at how many people don’t acknowledge a letter or return a call.

When I meet another company on their premises I always write a letter to say thank you for their time. It costs the price of a sheet of paper, an envelope and a stamp but it pays dividends.

I receive quite a few emails from companies trying to sell me things, the kind of emails that most people would consider spam; I could easily send the email to the recycling bin but instead I always send a polite e-mail telling them that I do not require their at this time.

You never know when in fact you might need their services.

Any idiot can be rude.

Gems of Wisdom No. 37

2012-02-03T08:54:00.000Z

Big victories are made up of small ones

As I have said already, Business is a Chess Game and you will never win a game of chess by one move (it can be done in 4 according to experts!)

I try to maintain this philosophy in all aspects of business.

People always laugh when I say “Pennies Make Pounds” but they do.

The pennies are the small victories.

Your business may be small and it may have an earning potential that is never going to make you a millionaire but it may be the business that is the stepping stone to your next business that does.

If I only have a few minutes to spend on something then I still give it that time; I know I will get something done.

Gems of Wisdom No. 36

2012-02-02T09:40:00.000Z

Take a long term view

I am never impressed by a company that is out to make a quick buck, since this is usually at the expense of someone else.

I have always tried to look to making money in the long term, not the short term.

When I was Branch Manager at Farming & Engineering Services in Malawi I had inherited an ailing business. It was close to closure if profits could not be turned around. I realised that I had to create a good name amongst the farmers, improve the image of the branch if I was to bring business in.

I am sad to say that previously the local Malawian farmers had not been valued and the richer Greek farmers in the area were seen as the golden geese.

I had to change this so I started to visit every single one of the local Malawian farmers within my region, just to introduce myself, chat to them.

I also loaded my vehicle up with farming consumables, things like fan belts, oil filters, bearings etc and did sell quite a bit of stock on my rounds.

My aim was to be an approachable person. I wanted the local farmers to feel comfortable that I was going to value their business and it worked.

Within weeks I had the local farmers coming into the branch…a result.

Since most local farmers were small-holders they had not got a great deal of money to spend. Where the Greek farmers would bring in their trailers for welding repairs, the local farmers would bring their broken bicycle frame to be welded which I was happy to do.

The General Manager at Head Office soon heard about the bicycles being welded and was quickly on the phone none too pleased. I explained that I was in fact charging the farmer for the welding at the going rate and secondly that he may only have a bicycle today but when he had a good year and had money to spend on a tractor where would he go to buy it?

I was thinking long term.

By the end of the third year the branch was profitable and the General Manager didn’t want me to leave!

Think for tomorrow, not just for today.

Gems of Wisdom No. 35

2012-02-01T08:46:00.000Z

Find another way

You are going to come up against obstacles when you are trying to set-up or run a business, that’s life. My philosophy is that there is ALWAYS a way, you just have to keep looking.

Don't be discouraged by negativity, closed doors or "things that don't do what you want".

We have a saying in the office when we have to find another way. We say it needs to be "Geckorized"!

Gems of Wisdom No. 34

2012-01-31T08:30:00.000Z

Play the hand you have been dealt

Often people are quick to moan about their lot in life, a bad childhood or lack of education.

Moaning is not going to give you a second chance at life, or wealthier parents, or a re-run of your schooling career.

You have your lot and that’s it.

What’s important is what you are going to do about it. We all have the power to change our lives for the better; some of us just choose to sit and complain while others get up and change it.

I am often told by clients that they have this illness or that affliction. If I had a pound for every time a client said “I suffer from Dyslexia so I can’t do this and I can’t do that!”

We all have our cross to bear and excuses are not things I want to hear.

Some of our greatest names suffered from Dyslexia to a greater or lesser degree; people like Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Michael Faraday and Pierre Curie all managed to overcome Dyslexia.

So have Richard Branson, Henry Ford, William Hewlett (Co-Founder of Hewlett-Packard), Ingvar Kamprad (founder of IKEA) and even F.W. Woolworth.

Gems of Wisdom No. 33

2012-01-30T09:02:00.000Z

To win you have to break the rules

Rules are there generally to make sure that no one does anything unexpected, to control people and maintain the status quo.

It is easy for people to consult a rule book when questions are raised and that is why we have rule books.

To succeed in business you sometimes have to break the rules.

I am not suggesting that you drive up the motorway at 100 mph because you are late for an important meeting with a new supplier.

What I am saying is that people will try to hamper your development because the things you are suggesting are not covered in their handy pocket sized book of "rules for a new business".

Every time an inventor develops a new idea they are breaking the rules of what has gone before.

You have to do the same with your business.

Gems of Wisdom No. 32

2012-01-27T09:16:00.000Z

Think what you can do to help

Helping others or doing good is not just about writing a cheque to ease our conscience.

Sure by giving a percentage of our profits to charity we are simply “writing a cheque” but that is only one small way we try to help.

Almost every year I return to Africa to do research for my snake books. I could simply do the tourist thing, arrive at the airport, hire a car, book into a hotel and live in my own small bubble and stay out of touch with the local people but I don’t.

I buy footballs, note-books, pens and pencils here in the UK and distribute them to the local school in the area where I am searching for snake specimens.

I feel good that I am making some children happy and the children benefit by having a great game of football!

Everyone is a winner.

Gems of Wisdom No. 31

2012-01-26T10:50:00.000Z

Do no harm

In today’s world we are all more aware of just how fragile our planet is.

I believe we have done horrendous damage to the rainforest and the oceans; and I don’t think we have come to see just what the extent of that damage is or the implications to our future generations.

The dodo became extinct around 1681; isn’t it a shame that over 300 years later we are still debating the issue of the planet verses profit.

A business has a duty to act responsibly, ethically and environmentally.

Companies are now being judged on these issues and orders being placed accordingly.

I have always tried to “do no harm” for our planet but also for the people of the planet.

Again it all comes back to image, values, integrity and name.

If you can’t sleep at night, change what you are doing.

Gems of Wisdom No. 30

2012-01-25T08:30:00.000Z

Change the world even in small way

Great minds have been debating our purpose in life for centuries.

I believe that our purpose here is to change the world for the better, even if it is a small step at a time.

By giving 5% of its profits to charity, Clever Gecko helps a tiny bit through its nominated charities.

By giving our time for free to schools to work with their 6^th Form Business Studies courses we help young, budding entrepreneurs on the first steps to starting their own business.

In fact the original ethos behind Clever Gecko was to give something back; to pass on lessons learnt to new, up and coming businesses.

In your business see how you can change the world, even in a small way.

Gems of Wisdom No. 29

2012-01-24T09:29:00.000Z

Do it now

They say that almost every person on the planet has a book they are going to write…one day.

For most, that day never comes.

They are forever putting it off, finding excuses and the book never gets written.

Just like the book, most people have a business idea in them that they think about starting...one day.

Make that day today.

Just do it!

Gems of Wisdom No. 28

2012-01-23T08:29:00.000Z

Speed is the ultimate weapon

People tend to dither in business.

There is always too much of “I have this good idea, but I will look at it next week” or “I must call that guy about placing that order”.

Even with large companies and organisations I meet I am always flabbergasted by how slow everything moves.

You want my opinion; honestly? I think that too many people like to drag things out over time so it looks like they are doing some work. They always take a month to make a decision that would take me an afternoon. Usually by the time they have got around to saying yes, the question has changed!

Having said all that, you can work this incompetence to your advantage. Act fast while other companies are sleeping, having board meetings to decide which biscuits they should have at the next meeting to discuss the same topic and whether to have milk or cream with the coffee.

There is the saying "you snooze, you lose!"

Gems of Wisdom No. 27

2012-01-20T08:50:00.000Z

Everything is negotiable

This is one of the most important lessons I ever learnt.

When a business starts up it feels just grateful that suppliers are willing to do business with it.

It never shops around for the best deal, never negotiates and never haggles.

Most of the time new businesses pay over the odds.

Remember your money is as good as anyone else's.

Any savings you make can be put back into your business.

Gems of Wisdom No. 26

2012-01-19T08:31:00.001Z

Nothing ventured, nothing gained

If you stand in one place and never take a step forward you will never leave the spot you are standing on, no matter where your imagination takes you.

You have to try new ideas and new things, even if those things have never been tried before.

If you think you have a great business idea - try it!

Don't be sitting there someday and see an advert on the TV and say "hey, I had that idea!"

You will have lost your opportunity.

Gems of Wisdom No. 25

2012-01-18T12:26:00.000Z

Be loyal

Be loyal to your company, your product, your staff and your customers.

Nobody likes being "sold down the river".

Buy (where possible) your own products. If you wouldn't buy them then why should anyone else.

Remember Gerald Ratner?

No? Well he will unfortunately go down in history (he was then Chairman-Chief Executive of Ratners Group, the world's largest jewellery retail company which included H Samuel and Ernest Jones), when at a corporate speaking engagement in 1991 at the Albert Hall for the Institute of Directors, he described a sherry decanter (one of their products), as total cr*p!

This statement was a sign of total lack of loyalty to his products and was the downfall of the company.

Gems of Wisdom No. 24

2012-01-17T10:55:00.000Z

Stand on your own feet

I am always surprised by new companies who seek security by getting things done by outside sources that they could do themselves.

Where possible and where it is financially viable try to have all your resources "in-house".

As a clause to this I would always advise having a back-up supplier for all your resources should disaster strike.

Gems of Wisdom No. 23

2012-01-16T09:13:00.000Z

Make a difference

Businesses are usually just out for themselves, and it is usually a dog eat dog world.

With all the businesses I have started I have always tried to make a difference, either by:

charging a fair price - where others charge through the roof
paying a fair wage - when others have paid the minimum
helping others by my good fortune - when others have been greedy and kept everything to themselves

Always try to make a difference everyday.

Gems of Wisdom No. 22

2012-01-13T08:48:00.000Z

Challenge yourself

Most people live within their comfort zone, a place where they feel safe and secure; where everything is familiar and controlled.

The people that live within this zone are the people who usually don’t start their own business.

It’s the people who step out of their comfort zone that go on to achieve greatness. People who leave the security of the comfort zone, face the unexpected and are not afraid of a challenge stretch themselves and their business into areas that others said were impossible.

I remember buying my first house, the bank had told me what they were prepared to lend so I went out and looked for houses over this budget. I then went back to the Bank and told them that I had found the house I wanted and they ended up lending me 30% over my budget.

If you don’t stretch yourself you will not achieve anything.

Gems of Wisdom No. 21

2012-01-12T08:25:00.000Z

Think YES, not NO

Again it is having a positive mind.

There will be enough people saying NO to you, you have to just keep saying YES.

If you believe it can be done, just keep saying YES every time someone says no.

Gecko launches it's YouTube Channel

2012-01-11T13:08:00.000Z

It's true!

We have finally taken the plunge into the pool which is YouTube.

The delay has really come about because we had to find a reason to have videos; what I mean is they had to be relevant to our business (having funny videos of the Boss's dog would have just been silly - oh it was suggested!)

Then someone said what about having a video based on extracts from our business guide called "45 things to consider before starting your business".....

....and that was it, we had our reason.

The first video went live today "Business Idea".

Over the next few months all forty five videos will be posted and we are sure they will be useful to anyone on the edge of starting their own business.

Visit our channel for the first video!

Gems of Wisdom No. 20

2012-01-11T08:44:00.002Z

Keep your word

Never promise or offer something you can’t deliver.

In business I have never agreed to do anything I felt I couldn’t deliver. There are companies out there who will promise the earth, knowing that they won’t be able to deliver but hope that it wont cause the client too much hardship. This is not how I think business should be done. There have been many times when I have said no to a client because I was unable to deliver on the goods, services or time scale they were imposing. Better to walk away to live another day than look stupid when the wheel comes off because you have under achieved.

You will maintain your good name and that of your company.

Gems of Wisdom No. 19

2012-01-10T08:41:00.000Z

Have no regrets

A person never died regretting the things they had done; only the things they had not.

I am going to make no apologies for the shortness of this gem, that's how important it is!

Gems of Wisdom No. 18

2012-01-09T09:12:00.000Z

Chase your dreams

Chase your dreams doesn’t mean live in a fantasy.

When I say dreams I mean aspirations, goals and ideals.

You must still have a sensible business head on your shoulders and never make foolish decisions.

Gems of Wisdom No. 17

2012-01-05T08:45:00.000Z

Believe in yourself

Only you know your own abilities.

When other people tell you why you shouldn’t start a business, what they are really telling you is all the reasons why they can’t start their own business.

Be single minded and believe in yourself.

Address your strengths and capitalise on them.

Address your weaknesses and fill the gaps by delegating and bring in “experts” to strengthen your weaknesses.

But always believe that you can do it, always.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

2012-01-04T13:53:00.000Z

Well I trust that you all had a good Christmas and so far 2012 has been good to you.
Today was our first day back and we are just easing into the pace again.
The Gems of Wisdom will commence again tomorrow after the festive break.... as will our weekly newsletters.
Once again may I wish you all a prosperous 2012!

Gems of Wisdom No. 16

2011-12-23T08:59:00.000Z

Be honest and truthful

Rival companies will take your clients, discredit your product or run down your service but one thing they can never damage is your honesty.

Your honesty is who you are, it is something deep within you and is untouchable by anyone else. The only person who can cause you to lose this is you.

It must be your sacred quality. When all else has gone you will be remembered for being an honest person and that may be the only quality you need for people to put their faith in you.

Gems of wisdom No. 15

2011-12-22T10:06:00.000Z

Calculate the risks and take them

Would you gamble on the flip of a coin?

Sure you think it’s a 50:50 chance of winning, not bad odds. Think again.

People often misunderstand the notion of independent events. This is a probability term meaning that past events have no influence on future outcomes. For example, when flipping a coin four consecutive times, the probability of getting four heads is 1/16.

However, many people misunderstand that the first three flips somehow influence the fourth flip, but they do not. The probability is still the same, as if the first three flips had never occurred.

In plain English you could bet on heads but it could keep landing tails all day. You have no influence on the outcome and cannot predict the next outcome. For that reason I would not bet on a flip of a coin.

Always calculate the risks, evaluate the outcome, if you can influence it, then take the risk.

Gems of wisdom No. 14

2011-12-21T13:26:00.000Z

When you don’t enjoy it, move on

My philosophy is when I’m not enjoying it I move on.

You should enjoy the business you are in. There are enough stresses and hard times without you being unhappy.

You may not enjoy something because the chase has gone. Maybe you have set up a successful business and it is so well managed that it basically runs itself and you are bored; then its time to move on.

Find something else to take your energies, possibly a new business or a new client.

Gems of wisdom No. 13

2011-12-20T14:13:00.000Z

Have a positive outlook on life

Again this brings us back to the I can’t, I can’t.

How many times do you meet a negative person and within minutes of being in their company your mood takes a dive and you can feel your lust for life being drained out of you.

If a negative person can do this for you then why can’t a positive person have an effect also? The answer is that they can.

A positive outlook is like a circle. It creates a positive feeling within you that’s helps bring positive things and positive people into your life. These positive events and people then fuel that positive outlook in you even more and before you know it you are elevated to a higher level than when you started.

Positive thoughts attract positive events and circumstances.

Gems of wisdom No. 12

2011-12-19T09:22:00.000Z

Don’t waste time

In today’s world we all seem to complain about a lack of time in our day. When you are running a business it is therefore important not to waste what little time you do have in a day.

If you work from home, it is far too easy to roll out of bed at 9.30am, make a cup of coffee and turn the TV on. That my friend is fatal.

You have to be dedicated and run your business to a clock.

Your customers and clients will be in their office at 9am, in some cases 8.30am, and you should be too.

Gems of wisdom No. 11

2011-12-16T09:38:00.000Z

Work hard

There is no substitute for hard work, genuine hard work.

It is a fact that when you run your own business you put in twice as much time as you would if you worked for someone else; and why wouldn't you.

I always say..

.."work for someone else and get £12k a year. Work for yourself and get £12k a month, the choice is yours"

I earned more in my first day of running my own business than I was paid in a month being employed!

But it all comes down to hard work.

Put in 100% and you will ...... eventually......get 100% out.

Gems of wisdom No. 10

2011-12-15T10:45:00.000Z

Help each other

Gone are the days when a company could keep its business close to its chest and work alone.

I have seen a trend recently for businesses to try and work within a group of like-minded companies for a combined cause – their very survival.

Clever Gecko certainly supports this change and our Approved Partners scheme is certainly evidence of this.

Passing on referrals and leads that you cannot handle or deal with to other businesses is now how the modern business should operate.

In these hard economic times we need to work in cooperation with companies that align with ours.

Gems of Wisdom No. 9

2011-12-14T08:37:00.000Z

Try & try again

There are going to be failures - That’s all part of business.

Not every idea I try works or makes money, some of them may lose money, but the one that is successful makes up ten fold for all the loss the others made.

Again it is about not giving up, about not taking no for an answer, finding another way around the obstacle.

Never give up!

Gems of wisdom No. 8

2011-12-13T08:48:00.000Z

Have faith in yourself

When you tell people about your business idea, there are going to be the none-believers.

People will say "you must be crazy", "it will never work" and "don't give up your day job".

The first group of market research is usually to friends and family, which sometimes is not the best idea. They can be very protective of you and understandably think they have your best interests at heart.

One of the biggest problems in asking people what they think about your business idea is that they usually answer for themselves. By this I mean they think to themselves "could I start my own business".

They think of all the reasons why THEY couldn't work for themselves.

All this can wrongly affect your decision to start your own business.

If you have assessed all the risks and still feel that your business idea will work, then you MUST shut all the negative influences out.

You need to almost be single minded.

When your business is a success the doubters will then say "I wish I had started my own business!"

Gems of wisdom No. 7

2011-12-12T09:40:00.000Z

Play Chess

When you run a business it is like playing a game of chess.

You make a move now that will affect the game six or seven moves in the future. Most people just make the first move and hope for the best, waiting to see how their opponent counter moves before they decide on the next isolated move. This is a short term view of the game.

A skillful business owner, however, is able to anticipate the consequences of their first move even before they make it; having a long term view of the game.

Richard Branson started is empire with a student magazine. It didn’t make him £2,600 million (his worth according to the Sunday Times Rich List), but starting the magazine was his first move that enabled him to get where he is today and amass the wealth he has.

It is important to remember that instant results are usually over in an instant and a long term strategy must be the plan if you are to succeed. In this way you may not win the match in your first single move but you will finally win the game by a series of well-planned and calculated moves.

Gems of wisdom No. 6

2011-12-09T08:49:00.000Z

Prepare well

As I said before, chance favours the prepared mind.

Prepare for bad weather by taking an umbrella and you will not get a soaking when it rains.

People will see you sheltering under your umbrella and say “Lucky you brought your umbrella!”

Its not luck, it’s planned. You planned for the possibility of rain and brought an umbrella.

In the army they say Preparation Prevent Poor Performance. And it does.

Prepare for a meeting – do your homework.

Prepare for an interview – do your research.

Prepare for a seller – do your costing.

Prepare well and success will follow easier.

Chance favours the prepared mind.

Gems of Wisdom No. 5

2011-12-08T09:18:00.000Z

Enjoy life

Your business is not the be all and end all. The reason you started your business was to enable you to do things. This could either be to create more money for you to have a better lifestyle or to enable you to do some good.

If all you do is work, then you’re not fulfilling the reason you started your business in the first place.

Always take time out from your business to reward yourself for all the hard work you have put into it.

A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between he does what he wants to do. Anonymous

Gems of wisdom No. 4

2011-12-07T08:36:00.000Z

Never give up

In business you are going to get knock backs just as you do in life. It is how you deal with these knock backs that is the important thing.

I always think of it like a dog that’s being kicked. The dog can either cower in a corner with its tail between its legs taking the kicking, or it can come out fighting and biting.

If we all gave up at the first rejection then we would not achieve anything. It’s the people who are prepared to carry on that excel where others fail, they have created their own luck!

“Never, never, never give up!” Winston Churchill.

Gems of wisdom No. 3

2011-12-06T09:29:00.000Z

Have goals

You must have started your business with a goal? You wanted to be a millionaire before you were thirty years old, you wanted to retire at fifty, you wanted to buy a Ferrari, you want to make enough money to build a school in Africa or you wanted to help the community. What ever it was, it was a goal.

Write it down in big letters on a piece of paper and stick it on the fridge. Every time you go to the fridge you will see the piece of paper and it will remind you of why you are doing this.

Are goals that important? Does an athlete enter the 100m in the Olympics thinking “I don’t care if I reach the finish line or not”? No, the finish line is their destination and their goal is getting there before everyone else in the race, getting that gold medal, being number one in the world. They have trained for this event and put months if not years of training into this one race. It’s important to them.

Your business is your Olympics. You are not here just to finish the race, or come third; you are there to win, that is your goal. Focus on it, remember it always. The goal may change as your business grows and develops, that’s fine but you must always have a goal.

Your goal will stretch you, fuel you, get you up in a morning, push you to your limit and beyond.

Your goal must be written in your business plan or Mission Statement.

Gems of wisdom No. 2

2011-12-05T09:40:00.000Z

Believe it can be done

The mind is the most powerful tool that we possess. It costs us nothing and because of that we don’t seem to value it enough.

In your mind you must create self belief. Self belief is everything. I always try to visualise the end result in my mind, be it the deal being signed with the potential client, a good conclusion to a meeting or a major purchase taking place. Sure they don’t always work out but nine times out of ten they do and it’s the nine that matter. I never lose self belief.

Nothing is impossible; you just have not tried hard enough.

"You create your own universe as you go along"

Winston Churchill

Gems of wisdom No1.

2011-12-02T09:11:00.000Z

Never can’t, always can

I become really frustrated when a client says
“I can’t do that, I can’t write letters, I can’t ask them, I can’t do maths, I can’t, I can’t I can’t……

When someone says “I can’t” I hear “I won’t. I won’t even try, I won’t even give the idea a go, I won’t even make the effort”.
Can’t is a self defeatist attitude to your business and to your life. It’s giving up without even trying, throwing in the towel before even stepping into ring or not buying a lottery ticket then complaining because you never win.
Every year you want to go on holiday abroad. Do you sit at home thinking “I want to go to Malaga but I can’t afford a plane and I can’t pilot an aircraft so I’ll stay at home”? No of course you don’t; you find an airline that has a plane and a pilot to fly it. You then buy a ticket to sit as a passenger on that plane and you go to Malaga. The final result was the destination, in this Malaga; the only thing that changed was how you got there. You just changed can’t for can and you didn’t even realise it. If you look at your daily lives you subconsciously do this without even thinking about it. But when it comes to business, people tend to throw this concept out of the window.
If your car breaks down you don’t say “I can’t fix it, so I will abandon the car and buy a new one”. You spend a little bit of effort finding a reliable, reasonably priced mechanic.
If you are unable reconcile the business accounts you don’t say “Sorry Mr Inland Revenue, I can’t do this”. No, you find someone who can, you find an accountant. It’s the same in every area of your business. I always say “I don’t know the answer to that but I know a man who does”. I don’t say “I’m sorry, I can’t answer that question”. I delegate.
Surround yourself with people who can get things done that you can’t, never sit there crying “I can’t do this”.
If you believe you can then you are halfway there to winning. People often tell me “you can’t do that; you won’t manage to do this or achieve that”. My response is always “Just you watch me!”It’s like a red rag to a bull, the more they say you can’t the more I say I can.
You have to have a positive attitude with your business, because there are going to be enough people trying to pull you down and see you fail, usually competitors, without you batting for their team.

Remember:

"Whether you think you can or cant, either way you are right."

Henry Ford

Gems of wisdom

2011-12-01T10:00:00.000Z

I too was disturbed by the BBC2 programme that Frank mentioned. Its really sad to see so many people simply investing money (that some just don't have) in pursuit of a magical fix!
I have therefore decided to share some pearls of wisdom with you over the next few weeks that have helped me along the way.
But before I do let me just give you a brief introduction to business:

Your business is like the development of a butterfly. It starts off at the eggs stage, just an idea, a dream. You may have just scribbled an idea down on the back of a beer mat, a napkin idea I call it; and for most people that’s as far as the business gets. A few people continue to develop the napkin idea into a caterpillar business; it runs, it makes them some money but not the amounts that they dreamed of so they close it and go back to working for someone else. Then there are the chrysalis businesses; the ones that live up to the dream and reach the goal, they make money and the person is happy.
For a very small few there is the butterfly business; this is a business that surpass the dream, exceed the goal, make more money than the owner could ever imagine and the person is ecstatically happy. A butterfly business is admired by everyone else, especially by the people who had an egg, a caterpillar or a chrysalis. Those people look at the butterfly and say “Oh you were just lucky!” or “you had a chance we didn’t!”
I say there is luck but that you create it yourself. As for chance, someone said that “chance favours the prepared mind.”

Money

2011-11-30T09:39:00.001Z

Not sure how many of you watched the "money" programme last night on BBC at 9pm but in a way I found it rather sad and up-setting.
People were getting themselves into serious debt in the hope of getting out of debt - seems an odd situation.
The levels that some people had gone to in search of the wealth dream varied from £2k to £50k. Wouldn't they have been better off investing that money in a small business that actually generated them money?
I found myself screaming at the people on the TV "no, stop, give Gecko a call and let us help you start your own business - PLEASE!"
As a company we are strong believers in self-belief, and the power of positive thinking but we have a real problem with paying some guy a few thousand pounds to feel positive.
Many years ago I went along to an Amway convention to listen to a successful member from the US who was there to fire up the audience.
At one point he asked everyone to pull their Amway mouth freshener out of their pockets (sadly everyone had one...except me of course).
"hold it in the air and press the nozzle" he yelled, and in an instant the room filled with mouth freshener.
"you have just increased your sales" he screamed jubilantly.

No I thought, you have just wasted a product you have paid for!
It's easy to get caught up in these Quick Fixes" for success but we have to remain grounded.

You will never be successful if you throw your money away!

Who wants to be a millionaire?

2011-11-29T08:55:00.000Z

There is a documentary being shown on BBC 2 tonight at 21.00 about people who pay to attend "wealth creation seminars" in the hope that they will unlock the key to becoming rich.
Some of the individuals have spent nearly £50k on these "courses" and are convinced that they will be multi-millionaires within 10 years!
As I sat here reading the preview the only thought that was going through my head was "what a gem of an idea, getting people to pay for this stuff."
While a small minority, and I really mean a small minority may go on to have a successful business that makes them a million pounds, the only real winners are the seminar organisers!
These masterminds have seen how desperate people are to get themselves out of their current financial dilemma and have capitalized on it.
We all came into this world with nothing, not a skill or talent or a penny, yet we have all become successful in one way or another.
If you have three great children then you have become a successful parent.
If you have nursed a sick parent through a long term illness you have become a successful carer. If you have learned to play a musical instrument you have become a successful musician.
Success must never be only measured in financial wealth. We can be wealthy in other areas of our lives.
I think people lose sight of what wealth really is.
Yesterday I was called "a man of action" which made me smile. This wasn't due to weekend activities like sky-diving, white-water rafting or lion taming; it was in the context of making things happen rather than waiting for them to happen.
I believe you make your own luck, you are not just lucky!
Any success I have as an individual comes from my own efforts and the drive to make things happen.
Becoming a millionaire is within all our grasps but it wont happen if we just pay someone some money and then lay in bed waiting for the "cheque to arrive in the post".
Being a success is in our hands, we can chose to make it happen or not.

To make a successful business you have to put in more hours than if you worked for someone else, but if you do you will succeed.

Make things happen!

British Gas

2011-11-24T10:36:00.003Z

Well this morning I nearly fell off my chair!

It appears that Phil Bentley, Managing Director at British Gas has been reading the Gecko blog.

Today on BBC News he said, and I quote:

"BG had not made it easy for clients and now all customers will be able to choose between two tariffs - variable and fixed - and benefit from more TRANSPARENT bills".

He said that customers had lost trust in BG due to the complexity of the billing system.

Isn't this what I was saying yesterday? Transparency!!!!!

Anyone can make a deal or service complicated but the usual conception is that it is complex because the company is trying to hide something.

BG customers have always been unsure of exactly how much they are being charged and this has had an impact on customer trust.

In todays world of "compare this" and "supermarket that" customers are able to compare prices far easier.

Well done BG for finally allowing the penny to drop. Are you listening BT and numerous water companies?

To SME's - keep your pricing simple, it will pay dividends.

Transparency

2011-11-22T08:43:00.002Z

There is going to be a documentary on TV next week about how the government spends our money, which should be good but I also feel it will generate some anger too.

But isn't it about time that we knew just where the billions are going?

I recently received a posting from a group on LinkedIn and it said that last year the MOD spent £600m on external consultants; one member asked the question "are the consultants ex-mod employees who caused the problem in the first place?"

I believe there should be more transparency in businesses but sadly not even employees really know what's going on in their own company most of the time.

Surely we are all part of the company and share an equal "burden" of its current position?

Surely we are all part of the United Kingdom and share an equal "burden" of its current position?

Isn't bail-outs of the banks with public money, our money, equal to the late Mr Maxwell dipping into the newspapers pension fund to finance his newspaper and we called that a crime.

We all have a right to demand accountability of government spending in terms we can all understand - and maybe the documentary will give us a small insight into what is really going on.

I hope so.

Telephone Scam

2011-11-16T08:45:00.003Z

Your computer and the information on it is the most vital part of any business.

Keeping it SAFE is your top priority and that's why I wanted to make you aware of a phone scam that is doing the rounds:

Some very enterprising gentlemen are phoning random numbers claiming to be from Microsoft, Virgin, Sky or any other random company that relates to your PC. They don't have your name and ask for the "man of the house", or the "decision maker".

They appear to tell you that there is an upgrade to the system and to implement it they need to gain access to your PC via a phone line.

Once in they have remote access to everything on your PC, files, address book, emails, bank account details and stored statements......the list goes on!

The answer is simple. If you get a call just say "no thanks" and put the phone down.

As a side issue you should always back up your PC on a regular basis - something we do at the end of each day.

Stay safe and don't get taken in by these scams. If it sounds odd and dodgy, then it is!

Example of a safer "contact us" form

2011-11-07T11:28:00.002Z

This morning I spoke about a limited facility contact form.....

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Contact Page Abuse

2011-11-07T09:24:00.002Z

For anyone who has a "contact us" form on their website, you know how annoying it is when companies (and individuals) think that the form has been designed specifically for them to send you JUNK!

Don't worry, we are victims just like you but we may have a small solution.

While designing our new website (which should launch in the new year) we debated over the issue.

"Why not do away with the text box?" someone suggested and this got us thinking.

The solution was to have a contact form that only allows the visitor to enter their contact details and then tick a box from a selection we give them. The selection would be:

I want to start my own business
I need help with my existing business

These are just two examples for us but you could use any that are applicable to you. Don't allow them to enter a website address (this is just asking for trouble).

This is something that we will be incorporating into our new site to reduce the "junk" enquires, usually from other businesses trying to offer their services!

Don't leave your window open and then complain that the rain comes in!

Local Business Links close

2011-11-03T10:47:00.000Z

All local Business Link services are closing on the 25th of November and it's been announced that all customers will be served by a national web-based service.

Over the years we have worked closely with Business Link and were delighted to receive a letter today from Pat Smith, the Chief Executive, thanking us for our help.

While we certainly identified a few failings in the system, Business Link did reach out to almost 100,000 businesses a year, which they should be rightly proud of.

Gecko will continue to support businesses to start, improve and grow.

How to be creative?

2011-11-02T08:44:00.003Z

Last week Gecko launched SPiRAL, an investment think tank that matches innovative business ideas with investment.

One of the biggest problems we had was coming up with something new.

When you have a creative moment it's easy to lose sight of the fresh idea you have created and model it on what has gone before.

As we sat round the table we all started with a clean sheet of paper and just let our imagination go wild.

The questions we kept asking was:

What do the clients need?
Since anything and everything is possible, how would we like to do it?

You have to:

Forget the rules
NOT get a sample from a rival
NOT trawl the internet to see how other people have done it

In this way you push the boundary of your own imagination. Once you have a concept you can then "get samples" and "trawl the internet" to make sure the idea you have stands up against the market but first see what you can create.

Too many times people "copy" a product or service and don't really create anything new.

I hate the phrase but "think outside the box!"

As Steve Jobs said, "get foolish".

Now go and create.......

Need investment?

2011-10-25T08:56:00.005+01:00

We keep hearing that there's no money about, but I have to disagree.

There is money, it's just that the people who have it are being more careful about what they do with it and who they give it to.

There are also some amazing and creative business ideas out there; we see them all the time; and most of them are looking for some investment cash to develop their product or business.

We thought "wouldn't it be great to match the two of them up?"

So we created SPiRAL.

SPiRAL is a "think tank" of creative minds that look at new ideas and then match them up with a bank of investors.

We also want to invite new ideas into the think tank as well and if the idea is good enough then it will be submitted to the investors.

Currently our starting level of investment is $1m but we will look at smaller projects and ideas.

So what are you waiting for? If you have a business project that you think will stand up in the think tank, why not contact us.

It could be the flying start your idea needs.

Feeling overloaded?

2011-10-19T09:14:00.003+01:00

We have all been there.

Running your own business can take its strain. There are only so many hours in a day and only so many hats you can wear at one time.

Maybe it's time to step back and take a long, hard look at your business and see if there are any areas you can delegate.

We are not suggesting you take on staff; there are others ways to delegate:

Tired of being interrupted by unwanted phone calls - let a virtual PA handle your calls. This is a cheap and very effective way of intercepting sales calls, even wrong numbers, allowing you to get on with your work.
Losing track of invoices - look at online invoicing systems like Freshbooks. Quick, easy and simple! They are the bizzzzzz
Spending hours chasing invoices - hire a credit control company, who, for a small fee will chase your invoices for you.
Struggling to email all your clients - send out a newsletter email. Just one click and you have emailed everyone. Mail Chimp is excellent for this.

Learn to utilise the vast array of resources that are at hand to effectively "time management" your business.

You may even find the time to write a Blog!

Get the right TEAM

2011-10-18T16:04:00.002+01:00

We are in the process of setting up two very different businesses, both of which we know nothing about. Total madness?

No, we don't think so.

You just need to follow a few simple rules:

Be honest - accept that you don't know the product or the industry. Don't lie to yourself!
Highlight your gaps - write down what you need help with.
Get the team - go out and search for the people who have the expertise to fill your knowledge gaps.
Reward - always "pay" for the advice, it shows you value it.

If you are honest with people you might be amazed at how helpful they are towards you.

Everyone likes to be asked for advice.

You may want to offer the person with the knowledge either with a position within the new business or pay them as a consultant, as and when you need to tap into their knowledge.

If you see a gap in the market but don't have the market knowledge, don't let this frighten you.

Get your TEAM and go to work!

Can you help?

2011-10-17T09:28:00.002+01:00

Last week we had the news of job cuts at both BAE Systems and the BBC. There was public outcry at both the announcements, but what can we actually do about it?

Well in the grand scheme of things, probably not a lot really, but let's not look at the grand scheme.

What about the small scheme?

Here at Gecko, we sat around and thought "what can we do as a business?"

Later that day we wrote to both the Director General of the BBC and the Chief Executive of BAE Systems offering our help to those affected by the cuts.

"Jumping on the money making band-wagon!" I hear you shout - wrong.

We actually offered our services at cost to its affected staff.

If we all look at our own business I am sure we can find a way to help people losing their jobs in the run-up to christmas.

We can all sit back and say what a shame, but how many of us do something constructive?

Get the most from books

2011-10-11T09:30:00.003+01:00

I'm sure like me, you love to get stuck into a good "business" book.

We all have a few books on business, ones to inspire us, give us ideas and show us how the "big boys and girls" did it.

If, like me, you also get to the end of the book and can't remember all the major points, then I have a small trick for you.

Get yourself a notebook and as you read your book, jot down important points, things you want to remember and refer back to; basically your own summary of the book.

If you want you can transfer the notes to a word doc, adding other points from other books. At the end what you will have is a mini "business bible" that you will refer back to time and time again.

Try it.

Without Steve Jobs an apple would just be a fruit

2011-10-06T08:50:00.000+01:00

Today we heard the sad news that Steve Jobs, the co-founder of apple has passed away.

I have to say that until recently I was never a big fan of everything "i". But then I took the plunge and purchased an iPhone, shortly followed by an iPad2, and I have to admit they are phenomenal bits of kit.
Whether you are a fan of the gadgets and products or not, you have to admire how Steve has turned a company around and found a way to "work with" the likes of Microsoft, instead of against them.
I think we can all find inspiration in what he has achieved. He is already being compared to Edison and Einstein, and why not, he has changed the way the human race communicates forever.
Can you imagine not having your ipod, iphone and ipad? I know, scary thought isn't it!
He has certainly left his mark on the world. I just want to know what other amazing ideas he had in his mind and I hope he told someone at apple about them!

Today we are going to hear many compliments to Steve Jobs but for me there is only one:

"Heaven got a major upgrade today!"

God bless you!

Why do companies send spam?

2011-10-05T08:09:00.003+01:00

You will be amazed how many emails we get from companies trying to sell their wares.

While we are happy to look at new products and welcome any business sending us details of services that they think would benefit our company; there is a vast difference between informative and SPAM.

We are NOT going to do business with companies that send:

Emails without a reply address
Emails without a contact name
Emails without a contact address
Emails that are simply links
Emails that contain zip files

Please STOP!

This is not the way to do business. If your product or services are SO good then why are you hiding behind these kind of emails?

A lesson for you:

TARGET MARKETING - know your market, don't just send an email to 100,000 address you have bought somewhere (probably from some similar unscrupulous company sending spam emails to you offering "a 100,000 email addresses that will increase sales by 200%").

We never have and never will click on links, download zip files, or buy a product or service from a "company" that markets in this way.

Please STOP!

Hey maybe there is a business idea here! What about we form a website that supports ethical marketing and stamps out SPAMMERS?

Demand fuels the product. If none of us buy from these types of emails they would stop, wouldn't they? Pleas tell me they would.

The upside is that Bill Gates recently said that he receives 7,500 junk emails a day!

Just think about that.

Use your contacts to better your business

2011-10-04T09:27:00.000+01:00

With the launch of Speakers & Talkers, we are on the look-out for inspirational speakers, people who, as the name suggests, will inspire others.

Our list of "inspirational people" is growing as more people sign-up to work with us on this great new initiative.

Then this morning I had an email from Sarah at Hummdot Consulting, a company that provides Performance Coaching (1:1), Leadership Development, Team development & effectiveness and Workshop facilitation.

Sarah made a great offer to us saying that "if you ever get anyone that comes to you and says they'd like to speak and have the right background but are just anxious or unsure of their public speaking skills, then do feel free to send them our way for some coaching or presentation skills development".

Wow I thought, we had not even considered this. There must be hundreds of inspirational people out there who have a great story to tell but just feel uneasy about standing up in front of an audience and speaking.

Needless to say we accepted Sarah's offer but the point is that it is very easy to miss the resources that are at your finger tips; the help, advice, support, and expertise that your business can utilize that you hadn't thought of.

So all business owners out there - go through your address book, LinkedIn contacts, Christmas card list, people down the pub, anyone; and see if there is anyone that can be an asset to your business.

Thanks Sarah!

How to find a GREAT business idea

2011-10-03T10:16:00.000+01:00

We see tens of new business ideas everyday. Not all of them are going to work as a viable business, but how do you find the one that is going to make a great business?
The main thing for me is that a great business must solve a PROBLEM.
By this I don't mean just problem solving; what I mean by problem is simple:
Does it make your life easier, simpler, quicker, richer, happier, healthier....?
It it doesn't then it will not work. Sure there are the ideas like the rubix cube, that came along and it didnt really solve a problem, but lets leave toys out of it for a while.

Dyson solved the loss of suction problem when the bag got full.
Easy Jet solved the problem of having to pay too much for flights.
The laptop solved the problem of your PC not being movable when you were.
Amazon solved the problem of having to visit a bookshop oh the High Street.

and the list goes on.
A business will only work if it solves a problem.
A good example of a business that is going to shortly find itself in trouble is Blockbuster. Initially the concept was great, a fantastic selection of movies and games to rent for a few nights. It solved a problem - you did not have to buy the movie, you could just rent it.
Then companies like Love Movies arrived that would send you movies in the post without you having to go into the store. Then came downloading from companies like itunes, and now you can even download a movie to your play-station.
Blockbuster has now been left behind, no one wants to go into a store and rent a movie when they can download it straight to their PC. Blockbuster is no longer solving a problem.
What it should have done was got into the downloading business, but it didn't.
It is one thing solving a problem, but once there you have to keep up with trends and keep evolving otherwise you die.
So before you get too excited about your next business idea that is going to make you a million, ask yourself "what problem does it solve?"

Agreements

2011-09-26T12:04:00.002+01:00

Today I want to talk about agreements, everything from Terms & Conditions and Partnership Agreements to Employment Agreements.

I don't care who you are in business with or doing business for - MAKE SURE you have a signed agreement.

Too many people leave this vital part of a business to the end because they feel uncomfortable in asking the other party to sign; and that's when problems occur.

And remember you may not even need a lawyer to draw the agreement up or have it witnessed by a third party - how many times do we check the box on an online site agreeing to that companies Terms & Conditions.

Twitter, Facebook or any other online social media site can revoke your membership if they find you to be in breach of their T&C's.

Even if you are doing business with friends and family, get a signed agreement. This way everyone knows what is expected of them, and more to the point, what isn't.

Rupert posted a tweet last week about Bill Gates that I urge you to follow, showing how easily you can be cut out of a deal if you are not careful and don't have the right documentation.

How secure is your Twitter account?

2011-09-15T14:33:00.001+01:00

I know Frank discussed this before, but "hacking" of twitter accounts is happening more often than you think.
In his previous "twitter issues" on this Blog he provided links to Twitters suggestions for making your account more secure, and I urge you to read them and follow the suggestions.
Kaspersky Internet Security offer a "Safe Run for Website" button, which allows you to activate it just before going on a website where you have to enter a password or personal details. It is an added level of security and even bathes your browser in a green glow to show you it is activated, which we like!
Another facility offered by Kaspersky is a Virtual Keyboard to prevent key-loggers seeing your password - a bit fiddly but well worth the added few seconds.

Remember: Precaution is better than cure....or loss of personal information which is far worse.

STAY SAFE

A handful of silver

2011-09-12T09:31:00.000+01:00

Last week Gecko was once again approached to see if we wanted to sell - the answer was no by the way.
Although it is always nice when another company sees you as an asset to their business, I think it is important to remember that they are buying your business to further develope their own.

This may be by:

Adding your products and services to their portfolio
Increasing their network and coverage of clients
or just simply removing you from the market to improve their dominance.

Speaking on a personal level, my first thought when a company makes an offer to us is

"How will this effect of clients/customers and our staff?"

If the sale will not be in the best interests of my clients and staff I always say NO THANKS, no matter what the value of their offer is.
As you build your business you're building your reputation (a good one, I hope) and selling your clients and staff down the river for a handful of silver will not do your reputation any good; especially when the handful of silver has run out and you want to start another business.
The last thing you need is people saying how badly you treated your clients and staff with your previous business.
The other issue is that a buy-out deal is never done until the money is in the bank and the buyer could very well pull out at the last minute and you will then have to go back to a very disgruntled group of clients and staff who will have lost all respect for you.

So before you start chosing the colour of your new Ferrari, think if the deal is right for the people who have made your business so valuable in the first place - your clients and staff.

My Twitter Account Has Been Compromised

2011-09-05T09:23:00.002+01:00

In the early hours of this morning, long before I was awake I have to say, a tweet was sent from our account to 12 of our twitter followers.

The tweet was a link to a weight loss site, not that I need that kind of help!

On investigation this morning it appears that the tweet had been sent by a third party application, which sounds really scary...but trust me, its not that bad, just really annoying.

This is a common problem for anyone who uses an iPad or iPhone and re-tweets news items, etc. By agreeing to the T&C's of tweeting news items in particular you agree to allow that application to send tweets on your behalf. Harmless we thought, until this morning!

The long and short of it is that all is not lost, you can simply follow the instructions on the link below provided by Twitter Support and revoke the permissions on these 3rd party applications - job done.

http://support.twitter.com/articles/31796

It's a shame really that someone has to go and spoil it for others.

Happy Tweeting Everyone.

Saying NO

2011-09-02T08:42:00.002+01:00

Clever Gecko doesn't take on every potential client, typically we only accept 2 out of 5 enquires.

It's all about relationships and being true to our Mission Statement.

I recently had to say no to a prospective client and it's never easy. However it did remind me of a rejection letter I saw a while ago and I thought I would share it with you.

Herbert A. Millington

Chair - Search Committee

412A Clarkson Hall, Whitson University

College Hill, MA 34109

Dear Professor Millington,

Thank you for your letter of March 16. After careful consideration, I

regret to inform you that I am unable to accept your refusal to offer me

an assistant professor position in your department.

This year I have been particularly fortunate in receiving an unusually

large number of rejection letters. With such a varied and promising field

of candidates, it is impossible for me to accept all refusals.

Despite Whitson's outstanding qualifications and previous experience in

rejecting applicants, I find that your rejection does not meet my needs at

this time. Therefore, I will assume the position of assistant professor

in your department this August. I look forward to seeing you then.

Best of luck in rejecting future applicants.

Sincerely,

Chris L. Jensen

I wouldn't suggest you use it but sometimes a little humour goes a long way.

NetTrackz and other joys

2011-09-01T09:06:00.001+01:00

We received a called call yesterday from a company called NetTrackz trying to sell us their product. We never cut a cold caller off as you never know what they are selling.... so tell me more.

Their product provides you with a report on where your company is listed on the internet and where it isn't. It also looks at all the listings and compares them to make sure they are consistent - great idea me thinks.... more please.

As a great selling pitch NetTrackz then tells us they have just sent a FREE sample of "our report" to show us how they can improve our companies "visibility on google"...... something for FREE, could be interesting.

The excitement was short lived ..... our report indicated:
Information matched on 5% of directory listings
Information did not match on 19% of directory listings
Gecko was not listed on 76% of directories.

Panic set in ... but it was ok, the lovely lady at NetTrackz said for just £399 + VAT she could send me our full report that would list all the errors and since it was the last day of the month she could do a really special price of just £99 +VAT ..... oh great, a solution to my problem.

But no, on further questioning it appears that NetTrackz wont actually fix the errors it finds, it just shows you where they are and then you have to go off, contact all the listings and make the changes yourself.

But wait a minute..... there's more

What's this I see in the FREE sample she sent, we are listed on a directory called QYPE, that doesn't ring any bells ..... who is QYPE?

"oh a marketing company must have sold your details to them" she says.

So let me get this right, I pay £399 or £99 if I pay today and I then have to phone round listings that other people are creating and fix their errors?

Yes that's right basically so we hang up, declining their offer and start to correct the errors.

Let me tell you, what a can of worms. Turns out that NetTrackz have to have a control listing to use as a bench mark for their report and that listing is Scoot. So get Scoot wrong and all the other listings right - NetTrackz will still show you that only Scoot is correct.

Also one of the errors that NetTrackz picked up was a phone number being used by our BT listing. Scoot has it as 0845 053 6881, which is correct. However BT have it as 0845-053 6881. We spoke to BT to ask them to remove the hyphen between the 5 and the 0, "NO cant do that, thats how our system writes it".

So let me get this straight, potentially I could have just spent £399 to find out that I can't change any of the errors?

In a world YES.

We will not be recommending that any of our clients buy NetTrackz but what we will be doing is providing a list of all the well known listing sites so clients can enter their details correctly or search those sites and check their details.

There we have just saved you £478.80 incl VAT!

Customer feedback

2011-08-26T09:12:00.002+01:00

Hi everyone!

I would just like to thank all our clients who have completed our Customer Service feedback survey that was sent out via our client newsletters.

For those of you who still haven't filled it in yet, a link can still be found on todays newsletters.

Your feedback is important to us and we do listen.

So once again thank you and have a lovely Bank Holiday weekend.

Do you think your problems are the end of your business?

2011-08-25T08:48:00.000+01:00

The general theme of the blogs this week have been about how you deal with the problems every business faces. How you perceiver, how not to give up and believe in yourself.
This was all kicked off by Frank who said that "you are responsible for what is happening in your business", not anyone else.
I just wanted to end on a video that I watch each morning, and I know most of my colleagues watch also on a regular basis. It grounds me to the bigger picture and makes me aware that my problems are nothing in comparison.

Remember we all fall down, even the biggest and most successful people around today feel like giving up (Richard Branson's fire on his island home is a clear example of picking yourself up and carrying on).

You are going to fall down, but are you going to get back up again or stay down?

Self-belief and Hard Work = a great business

2011-08-24T09:39:00.000+01:00

I loved Frank’s blog yesterday about business owners who, when things go wrong, blame everyone else. They never consider the possibility that they themselves might actually be at fault.
Today I just wanted to add my take on the problems of running your own business.
“Oh no, run for cover, Rupert’s on his soap box again”
Running your own business IS tough, its hard work, its stressful and sometimes it can be painful.
But you know what, for me its all worth it.
Employed people always ask me why do I run my own business. My answer is simple, they may earn £20,000 to £30,000 a year. I have the potential to make £20,000 to £30,000 a month! So from purely a financial position..sorry, what was the question again?
When I go round to talk to schools the students they only see you as successful, they never see the hard work that has gone into that success over the decades and I am quick to set them straight on that.
If you have just started your own business and expected it to be plain sailing and expect to make an instant fortune then think again. You have to except that it is going to be hard work, working for yourself is not a part-time job that allows you to roll out of bed at 9.30am and straight into the shower, where after you slope into the kitchen for a cooked breakfast till 10am, finally switching your PC on at 10.45am, followed by strolling round the shops all afternoon to take your mind of the work you should be doing. You are never going t succeed with an attitude like that. Is that how you were when you were employed by a company? NO it wasn’t. They expected you to be there at 9.00am.
We all have problems in our day, even me, but you get on with it. I always focus on my day, focus, focus, focus.
I see a number of clients who flit from one business idea to another before making a success of the first one. The reason they do this is they cannot face disappointment and move on to another idea when the going gets tough.
If you believe you have a good business idea – stick with it. Jump the hurdles, overcome the difficulties, find solutions to the problems. If you abandon your business then how can you expect your customers to stick by you. Self-belief is EVERYTHING.
And Frank is right; don’t blame other people or businesses for your own failings. Be honest with yourself, learn from mistakes.
If you fall down ……
…GET BACK UP AGAIN!

Having problems? Blame someone!

2011-08-23T08:18:00.002+01:00

This morning I just wanted to talk about something that I see from time to time and I am quite sad about it.

I am sure that you have heard your Business Manager say to you many times that running your own business is not easy, in fact it's hard work. Harder than working for someone else. You put more hours in and spend more time worrying about it than you ever did when someone was paying your salary.

But the fact is that it is the same for all of us, as I am sure Mac and Rupert will confirm.

Things are not going to run smoothly all the time. You are going to have problems but it is how you deal with those problems that make your business better than other businesses.

When a problem does occur within your business it is instinctive for you to blame someone else. You blame the competitor for pinching your client, you blame the Royal Mail for not delivering your package, you blame your customer for not paying an invoice on time....but, and I am sorry to say this but the only person to blame is yourself.

I know, calm down!

But you have to look at what you are doing first so lets just look at the examples I have given:

The competitor pinches your client - you need to look at either your product or service and adjust it to not only compete with your rival but excel.
Royal Mail doesn't deliver on time - you need to look to see if there was another way that you could have delivered the information, email, DX, or even fax.
Your customer doesn't pay their invoice on time - you need to look at your Terms & Conditions to see if they are allowing the customer "not to pay", you need to look at reminding the client a week before the invoice is due.

You are the Boss of your business, you run it, no one else. You ultimately make the decisions for everything your business does. If you work from home, then you decide what time you are going to get out of bed and turn the computer on, you decide how long your lunch break is.

Rupert always says 100% in = 100% out. The proviso here is that there is not a time limit on when you will get the 100% back.

"Most businesses fail within the first 2 years", we have all heard that. What we dont hear is how many GREAT businesses, even household names today, ran into problems within their first two years but through determination and looking at their mistakes came out the other side and are here today.

No one else is going to make your business GREAT, only you, its all you. Sure you can get advice, help and support - thats what we are here for - but we are not going to wake you up in a morning with a cup of tea and tell you "its time to get out of bed".

If you are reaching that 2 year period, sit down, take a breath and talk to your Business Manager. Throwing in the towel and blaming someone else for the situation will make you another statistic.

And for the clients out there, remember we took you on as a client because 1) we thought your business had potential and 2) we believed you had the character to make the business work!

We only sign up 2 out of 5 clients - 40% to you and I.

Believe in yourself, we do!

Mission Statement vs Business Plan

2011-08-19T10:39:00.003+01:00

I know we have talked about this before but the question of Business Plans keeps raising its head so I thought I would end the week on it again.

Clever Gecko prides itself on doing things differently, making a change when change is necessary; rather than doing stuff because "we have always done it that way".

Business Plans are one of the things we were quick to change in favour of Mission Statements. A one page summary of what your business is about, why, where, when etc.

Here is an idea of what we look for from a new business:

OUR MISSION (state here what you are going to achieve)

Our mission is to provide………

OUR AIMS ARE TO: (now break down your Mission into specific areas that are going to help you reach that mission)

Launch a dedicated website that will .....

OUR PRINCIPLE BELIEFS (state here what your principles are)

Honesty, Integrity, Hard work, Fairness, Loyalty, Dependability......,

WHY WE ARE DIFFERENT (make comparisons with rivals or current providers)

We are different to X, Y, & Z because we..........

THE NEED (state here why you think there is a need)

There is a need because …….

THE FUTURE (what ideas do you have for the future, areas of expansion, etc)

Our plans for the future are to …….

Now print off your Mission Statement and stick it to the wall near your desk or the fridge, and keep looking at it. It will help you keep on track and remind you why you are doing what you are doing.

Have a great weekend.

Their TERMS or yours?

2011-08-17T08:13:00.003+01:00

A client contacted me yesterday in a bit of quandary. They had presented an invoice to a customer of theirs along with a copy of their Terms and Conditions.

The invoice clearly stated that the terms were 15 days, however, despite numerous reminders, their client had still not paid the invoice after 60 days. It wasn't a great deal of money but that's not the point.

I suggested that my client put any pending work on hold as leverage and that they notify the client of this. Well their client was soon on the phone and stated that the reason they had not yet paid the invoice was because "their" terms were 60 days!

Let me just explain something here. If you get a bill from, oh I don't know, lets say British Gas saying that the bill needs to be paid by the end of the month do we call BG and say sorry mate, our terms are 60 days and then hang up? The answer is NO....

..no because as a purchaser we have to abide by the sellers rules. NOT the other way round.

60 day terms for this client actually means that "they" give "their" clients 60 days to pay, that doesn't mean that by the same stroke it allows them to dismiss their suppliers T&C's and impose their own rules on them.

Stand by your guns, quote your T&C's, and if allowing your client to exceed your T&C's by FOUR times is a real problem then call it a day with the client.

Your Terms & Conditions are there for a reason, they are rules NOT GUIDELINES!

Merchant Services

2011-08-12T09:19:00.003+01:00

As more of our clients see the benefit of e-commerce, the question of "how do I allow customers to be able to pay for items online" comes up time and time again.

To do this you will need what is called a Merchant Account. More and more companies are now offering this and it is certainly not the domain of large corporations and banks anymore.

Our suggestions are either Paypal or Google Checkout, leaning on the side of Paypal for pure simplicity.

All you need is Bank Account and a debit card and away you go. Once you have set up your Merchant Account, a very small amount will be deposited into your nominated Bank Account (a few pence) by the service provider. A code will be attached to this payment and all you have to do is enter the 3-4 digit code into their website to verify your account and you are up and away, it's as easy as that.

The service has no set-up fee, but there are small transaction charges when you receive payments.

If you would like to be able to receive credit card payments over the phone, well Paypal can do that too, but currently there is a monthly charge of $30, about £20, so again no big deal.

Here is a link to Paypal

So now all you need to do is sit back and watch the money roll in!

Predict the weather in business

2011-08-11T08:58:00.001+01:00

Well I suppose you would think that I lived on another planet if I didn’t mention the recent riots. Sure, I am not blind to it all, but to be honest, as an ex-military officer I take a hard view on such things.

However this morning’s news did make me chuckle when I read that the rioters had stayed at home due to the rain. Is this the hard, violent, ruthless band of thugs that we saw pelting police with stones, setting fire to cars and looting? No they are young people who are afraid of a little rain!

This brought me back to a conversation we had in the office yesterday about how business is affected by seasons and how a new business needs to take these changes into account. Things like the tourist industry are affected by wet summers, taxi companies see a fall in daily runs when the school holidays start and ice-cream sellers certainly feel the pinch in winter in more ways than one.

It is not just the weather that has an effect on your business. A company selling St Georges flags only have a few opportunities a year to sell its product, but on those odd occasions people do buy a flag, sales can keep the business going all year.

The Vuvuzela phenomenon made an enormous amount of money during the last World Cup. The question is will the sales revenue keep them going till the next World Cup when the Vuvuzela makes a noisy comeback?

Rupert was telling me about a business he ran where orders abruptly stopped for two weeks in July every single year for about 2-3 weeks. On investigation he saw that it coincided with the start of Wimbledon, the cricket, and the first week of the school holidays. Once the British player had been knocked out at the tennis, England had been stumped and the kids had driven everyone round the twist, normal work was resumed and orders flooded in again. Panic over!

The skill is to predict the changes, the seasons, and the weather and work your business around them. If you are selling matches to rioters remember if it’s raining you will not sell a single box.

And you thought there was no point to today’s blog, oh you of little faith.

Twitter followers may not be human.

2011-08-08T10:34:00.002+01:00

Twitter spam is becoming a huge problem.

What most people dont reslise is that more "tweets" are now coming from "robot tweeters", that is to say automated rather than real human tweeters.

Shock horror! Really?

Relax, there is now a niffty bit of software that helps sort the two out from eachother.

Welcome TrueTwit.

TrueTwit is designed to help you:

Verify people from robots
Avoid Twitter spam
Save time managing your followers

There are two versions:

True Twit Basic

TrueTwit Basic allows all of your new followers to receive a validation request via direct message. If your follower successfully completes the CAPTCHA (or is already a TrueTwit user), you are sent an email indicating they are a TrueTwit-validated human!

TrueTwit Basic is free for as long as you are a user.
You can choose to auto-follow new followers who validate.
You can choose to auto-unfollow users that unfollow you.
You can take the Premium version for a 30-day trial spin at any time.

True Twit Premium

True Twit Premium is a Free 30-day no obligation trial, after that a subscription is only $20.00 per year.

TrueTwit Premium builds on the follower management in TrueTwit Basic by doing an in-depth, automated analysis of your followers and their tweets, and has the following features:

No direct messaging of new followers.
You can choose to auto-follow new followers that pass our follower analysis.
Access to TrueTwit Follower Analysis page which summarizes the status of your followers.

So to sign up or to get more information click http://truetwit.com/truetwit/welcome .

Happy tweeting!

New Gecko website in the making

2011-08-05T09:47:00.000+01:00

Well it’s been another very interesting week, with lots of “new” things going on.

However, this is going to be a short Blog as we are still in the very early stages of a lot of very innovative things, so until they are launched…”mum’s the word”.

We can say that we are re-designing the Gecko website, and this is very exciting. Website technology has certainly moved forward considerably in the last year; and with the help of Simon at Snowflake Creative we are coming up with some great ideas.

Anyway, I will let you all ease your way into the weekend and will see you all again Monday morning.

Great Website Design

2011-08-01T08:39:00.003+01:00

On Friday, Rupert mentioned a few ideas for a great website. Today I just wanted to add a bit more about getting it right.

Firstly, as a company, we are still trying to “get it right”! You will never have the prefect website, but you can always have a better site and this is something that we are working on at the moment… so all I can say is watch this space.

Ok, so here are some final tips for optimizing those 8 seconds:

A clear navigation bar – Should the visitor decide that your page is worth their time, you want to make it easy for them to visit the rest of your site. The navigation bar also gives a clear preview of the type of information that your site contains.
Be clear and concise – Include brief descriptions, not long ramblings on your homepage. Try to make sure there are only 100-350 words total. Remember that if you wish to elaborate on anything, you have other pages on your website on which to do so.
Be audience-conscious – Be conscious of your target audience. Remember that you have to attract new customers as well as maintain the loyalty of older ones.
Update often – Update your site often so visitors are kept up to date on your products and/or services.
Preview and test – Make sure to preview your homepage before publishing to ensure it is the image you want to present to your customers. Also test the page to make sure that all links and images work, and also skim for typos.

Here are Clever Gecko's "Good, Bad and the Ugly"

Well who else could be "Good", it has to be our friend and everybody's inspiration, Sir Richard Branson: www.neckerisland.virgin.com
a close second for Good was Zune: www.zune.net

For the bad, it was a hard choice but we plumpt for:

Ronoslund - http://ronoslund.com/

And finally for the Ugly it had to be

Dokimos. Before clicking this link we have to issue a health warning - you have been warned! www.dokimos.org/ajff/

A Great Website

2011-07-29T08:52:00.000+01:00

Did you know that when people browse a website they usually decide within 8 seconds whether to stay or move to on?

This means your site has to make a good first impression, and you only have one chance, and eight seconds, to make it. To help you make the most of these vital 8 seconds, here are the top 5 items you should include to mesmerize visitors with your homepage:

Company Description - Be sure to include a brief description of what your company actually does for customers who are looking to learn more about you. Keep the information brief and to the point with a link to an About Us section if you have more to say.
Featured Products - Featuring a few of your key products or services on the homepage is a great tease and will encourage visitors to browse your site for more offerings.
News and Events - Including news and upcoming events on your homepage is a great way to let visitors know that your site is up-to-date.
Customer Interaction - Create credibility by including logos of well-known clients or media companies that have profiled your company. Plus, add a call to action button like "Sign Up", "Learn More" or "Buy Now" to keep visitors browsing.
Homepage Visuals - The visual appeal of your website directly correlates to how long someone stays on it. If the site is visually appealing, a visitor will stick around to see what you are all about.

Having a great homepage is vital to retaining visitors and getting them to explore the rest of the content on your site. Remember that new visitors decide whether or not your site is worthy of their time within 8 seconds.

Principles - doing the right thing

2011-07-28T09:40:00.001+01:00

Hey, we have all been there. Outside the principals or Headmasters office, and as we wait there for the sentence and punishment the same thought goes through our mind:
Why did I do it?
We knew as we were doing it that it was wrong but we took the gamble. We weighed up the chance of being caught, being found out, and the consequences if it all went wrong. Before the act, the punishment didn't seem half so bad, but now, as we sit, the burden is heavy on our shoulders. And where is that little demon voice now, our accomplice in crime ..... nowhere to be seen.
Our business is the same. We start out with the best intentions but we are tested daily. As a Business Consultant I am always asking clients to write down their principles, values, morals, ethics, beliefs, codes, whatever they want to call them; and to keep referring back to them, even on a daily basis.
Keep them close at hand, print them off and stick them on the wall by your desk, or have them as a desktop image, where you can always see them.
In business the demon voice will usually be a real person, either:

A client telling you that they definitely posted the cheque two weeks ago and asking for a copy invoice for the fifth time or
A supplier giving you all the excuses in the world of why they cannot make the delivery or
A potential business partner asking you not to worry about a contract and that all agreements can be done on a handshake!

As each one of these options are presented to you there is only really one reason that you would agree and that is money!
Money because you don't want to lose the client, even though you have to chase for payment, money because you chose the supplier because they were the cheapest in the area, and money because the potential partner is going to bring much needed investment into the business.
Money blinds your judgment, but you know before you do it that the wrong decision is wrong, you feel it in your stomach, you can't sleep at night worrying about what you know you are about to do.
As you are agreeing to the suggestion or demand you know you should not be agreeing, and the words going round your head as you say "yes" is "I hope this doesn't come back to bite me".
Remember the word NO is shorter than the word YES, and you should use it more often.
Stand by your principles, values, morals, ethics, beliefs and codes. Life will be simpler and less stressful. Clients, suppliers and future business partners will know where they stand.
You will have the reputation of a person or business of integrity and not "oh, them, they’re a push-over".
Sit down today and write your principles, values, morals, ethics, beliefs or codes on a sheet of paper and try it for a week or a month and see how much easier your life is.
Let the only thing sitting outside the Principals office be an empty chair.

No instructions in the box!

2011-07-26T08:51:00.000+01:00

How annoying would it be if you had bought an item that needed assembling but the manufacturer had neglected to provide a set of instructions? (Oh men please, stop with the "we don't need instructions")
Just take a minute to think about that....
Question: Isn't it the same with a Terms & Conditions for your clients/customers?
Isn't it only fair for them to know what you are going to supply, how you are going to supply it and how quickly? They need to know what will happen if there is a problem and what the returns policy is. They also need to know when you want to be paid, how you want to be paid.
The answers to all these questions will be addressed in your company Terms & Conditions.
Don't be daunted by them, start with just points that are relevant, you can always add points as you think of them, or as clients call you with questions.
A Terms & Conditions will help you as much as it will help your clients and customers.

Don't be intimidated

2011-07-25T09:58:00.000+01:00

When you set up a business you need to look at what the competition is, but you must never be intimidated by them (that’s what they want).

Sure they may have been established a long time, have hundreds, thousands or even millions of clients but that doesn’t really mean anything. If they are the only company or organisation out there offering this service then clients and customers have nowhere else to go.

But as some as a company comes along who can offer something different then there is the strong possibility that half of that client base may abandon them in pursuit of a better service, better product or a better price.

Remember there are 3 major international courier companies in the world; DHL, UPS & FEDEX, all doing the same thing but slightly different. Their prices are not exactly the same, their service is not exactly the same but people make the choice of who to use. Each potential customer evaluates what is important to them, price, speed, coverage, whatever and then decides which to use.

Don’t be persuaded not to pursue your business idea just because there is a company or companies out there already doing it.

Walk down your high street and tell me how many estate agents are there?

How many Banks, coffee shops, sandwich bars, restaurants?

You need to find an angle, an edge; something that makes you better.

There are 7billion people on this planet, so there is certainly enough potential clients for everyone.

Be creative

2011-07-21T10:32:00.000+01:00

I know we have discussed this before, but it is such an important part of starting a new business, or in fact keeping an existing business at the top of its game; that I had to mention it again.

When starting a business, don't follow the herd, lead it!

Rupert passed a great phrase on to me yesterday:

"Some people see things as they are and say why? I dream things that never were and say why not!"

Brilliant, it says it all.

The company that really springs to mind on this is our old friend James Dyson. His art background certainly gave him a creative edge but looking at something that has been done and asking "how can I do it differently and better?" takes some bravery because there will be a lot of opposition.

People will say "well if it could be done, don’t you think XXXXX would have already thought of that?"

This is no argument. Challenge convention, push the boundaries, and look beyond the normal, step outside the comfort zone. Dare to be different and change things.

Sure it is not going to be easy... but hey, that's life. If you believe that you can do it and it will work then DO IT!

At Gecko we find it easier to start with a blank sheet of paper, rather than a picture of what’s already been done. There are never any bad ideas.

How many times do you meet things in your day that really annoy you? Where you say to yourself "why don’t they do it like this, that would be much better!" Well if it’s annoying you then it is probably annoying half of the population. And what you have there folks is a seed of a great business.

Get a small notebook and carry it with you every day, write down all the things that annoy you and what you would do about it. Each week look at your rantings and see if there is anything you could create a business from.

Go and create!

Do the right thing

2011-07-19T08:56:00.004+01:00

I wouldn’t say that I am “green”, sure I believe in not dropping litter, walking instead of taking the car (where possible) and I recycle but I also want to go on holiday too.

Sure I wear leather shoes and have a leather belt but I also care about animal welfare. I despise cruelty to animals and think that offenders should be given the same punishment as if they were cruel to a child.

For me, cruelty to animals goes as far as what we feed them also. While browsing the dog food isle of a large well known supermarket I was horrified to read some of the ingredient labels on tins and packets of household brands of dog food. The ingredient that kept coming up was “meat derivative” whatever that was; so I placed the tin back on the shelf and returned home empty handed.

After a few minutes on Google I was able to establish that “meat derivative” is a label that is used for meat that is not fit for human consumption. I was shocked!

Why would I feed my dog meat that I wouldn’t eat or wasn’t allowed to eat by the Food Standards Agency? I was fuming that this was allowed to happen and discussed this around the office.

I then discovered that I did have an option; there were companies out there who produced pet food with good quality meats inside.

We all have a choice of which products we buy and which we don’t; but producers and manufactures have to start making their labels clearer and stop hiding behind phrases and jargon to trick us into believing that their products are ethical.

As a consumer I have made my choice and the “leading brands” of pet food will stay on the supermarket shelf.

I know what you’re thinking. “Top grade pet food is more expensive”.

Firstly would you buy condemned meat for your Sunday lunch just because it’s cheap?

And secondly, the pet food I have just bought for my dog actually works out cheaper per gram than the leading brands.

We have a choice to be ethical and there are affordable options available to us, we just have to do some searching, but it’s worth it.

Help others

2011-07-18T12:53:00.001+01:00

As those of you who are clients will already know we donate our time and expertise to the community and giving back is something all of us are passionate about.

Before I continue I just wanted to address the phrase “giving back”, as I know some of you have an issue with this phase, as you feel it suggests that we took something that wasn’t ours.

What we mean by it is that life gave to us and provided people who have helped us along the way and now we want to help others in return. We just want to give to others in the way others gave to us over the years.

Anyway, Rupert received a letter this morning from a school that he donates his time to in various capacities. The letter was from the Principal of the College and contained the words Thank you, three times.

He had recently been a guest speaker at the college and by way of thanks had been presented with a book voucher which he promptly used to buy a book for their library and the first thank you was for the donated book. I won’t relay the whole letter here but the last paragraph brought a lump to my throat. It said ……

“A third thank you is for everything you do for the College behind the scenes and without thought or desire for recognition. Your enthusiasm and involvement in various projects is infectious”.

It was this last paragraph that made me realise that giving for recognition is not what it is about. Its giving for giving’s sake. To help others without being named or mentioned is what it is all about.

You will rarely hear Rupert say “I did this” or “When I went to so and so” but he is tireless in his desire to help others.

Actually today the letter from the College was not the only letter that arrived on his desk. Another package contained a gift and a note that simply said “thanks for the chat”.

I gave some thought this morning to just how many “thank you” cards, notes, letters and gifts arrive and it is actually quite staggering.

It must never be about money, it must always be about a balance and helping in areas where money is of no use. Kindness is lacking in the world and how much nicer place this office is to work in when you give to others and get letters like we do here.

I won the Euro Millions

2011-07-14T08:54:00.003+01:00

I'd like to offer my apologies for the lack of blog yesterday but I wasn’t in work yesterday. Quite a funny story actually.....

..... I always buy a lottery ticket for the euro millions and frankly at the amount it has been in recent weeks who wouldn’t.

Well Tuesday night I checked my ticket and I had 17, 19, 30, 42, 45 and the two lucky stars of 9 & 10, yes folks I had all 7 numbers!

I sat there dumfounded; I had finally done it, the big one. An array of exotic cars flashed across my mind, along with yachts, private jets, mansion, and the list went on, like some conveyor belt at Tesco’s for the rich and famous.

I was now the 450th richest person in Britain. My life had just changed. I ran round the house screaming to myself, my knees were weak, like jelly...I needed to sit down and get my breath, this was huge!!

I hardly slept all Tuesday night but when I woke up yesterday morning I made the decision to pack my job in..... and retire, live the good life!

It was time to make the call to Camelot.

"I have the winning numbers for the euro millions last night" I said trying to keep a hold of my emotions.

"Ok sir, I just need to check a few details, can you read me out the code across the top of the ticket"

I read the 19 numbers across the top of the ticket.

She asked me to read them out again, which I did and then there was a pause.

"I'm afraid that ticket is for this fridays draw, not tuesdays draw".

I looked at the date on the ticket and she was right, i sat there in disbelief. I had asked for a euro millions for Tuesday and the spotty faced kid behind the till had given me a ticket for Friday the 15th of July.

I rang in to work and said I felt ill, I did, sick as a parrot. I just lay in bed for the rest of the day staring at the ceiling.

So here I am, back at work, no Ferrari, no private jet, nothing. Oh what might have been?

And the moral of the story.....there isn’t one. Just be kind to me today..please.

LinkedIn as a marketing tool

2011-07-12T08:34:00.000+01:00

Rupert and I were having a chat yesterday about the benefits of LinkedIn. We did some quick maths and I just wanted to share these with you today.

Rupert currently has 1,015 contacts on his LinkedIn account, quite a number by anyone’s standards. In the LinkedIn world, this is what’s called a 1^st degree links, i.e. people he knows.

However, when you start to do the sums you realise the numbers that links in to. If all the friends of those 1050 contacts view Rupert’s listing (2^nd degree links) that number will be 221,200 people!

And if all of those contacts then view Rupert’s listing (3^rd degree links) that number will jump to 7.7 million people.

There is the potential for this to happen.

To potentially have a shop window for free to 221,200 people, or even 7.7 million people is a no brainer!

Should you bother having a LinkedIn account – YES, YES, YES!

Easing Cash Flow

2011-07-11T08:49:00.003+01:00

One of the biggest problems facing a new start-up business is cash flow. Time after time we hear new potential clients complaining that before they came to us they nearly went "under" because of cash flow problems.

They had done the work but they were just not getting paid by their clients or customers. This is an age old problem.

There are a number of options we would like to suggest:

1. Take payment when the order is placed - sounds a bit unorthodox but is it? This is exactly what you do at the supermarket, the filling station and every shop on the High Street (unless you by on credit). We still have the concept that because we are a business we have to present an invoice to the client and they have to be able to take the goods and pay in 30 days....WHY?

2. Ask for 50% when the order is placed - deposit systems work with car dealers, you pay a lump sum as a deposit and the balance "on the agreed terms". This way at least you have half the money.

3. Barter - most cash flow problems are caused by too much going out and not enough coming in to cover it. Well why don't you try to reduce the outgoings? This is easier than you think. Lets go back to a time long ago before cheque books, credit cards and even money, when people exchanged services. Why can't we do that now? I'll give you an example: We offer business advice..ok so far? We have a problem with one of our pc's and call a local computer repair company who say that the repair will cost £59 plus labour. We then offer to pay for the parts but will exchange the labour costs by offering business advice to them.

We have just reduced our pc repair costs from £259 to just £59 by bartering our services for theirs. It's simple and you will be surprised where you are able to use this system in your business.

You are creative in your product and you need to get creative with your cash flow too.

VAT again!

2011-07-08T15:22:00.002+01:00

Good afternoon everyone.

Yes VAT again! But that's only because we have been inundated with questions following the recent postings on the subject.

And the question that keeps coming up is:

"How do I remove VAT from the total amount on a receipt for my VAT return?"

So here is a great link to a very useful online calculator: http://www.vatcalculator.co.uk/

And on that note I will wish you all a very good weekend.