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Are you fired up and ready to go?
I've met former TV Dragon Rachel
Elnaugh a couple of times now and each time my respect for her grows. She's
bounced back from murderous attacks by the media made when Red Letter Days
finally failed. Few took the trouble to find out the real story. If they had
they'd have had a very different story to tell. Last week I heard Rachel speak
in Harrogate.
She talked about passion,
explaining to the audience that without it anyone will struggle to succeed.
'Only when you find out what a business owner is passionate about, is it
possible to generate the energy needed to make the enterprise succeed,' She
explained.
That energy Rachel describes is
the only fuel that can drive your organisation to its ambitious goals. Without
it you'll inevitably find yourself stuck on the business hard shoulder.
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And are you eating the right things?
Last week I also visited Manchester to take part
in the BBC/Big Lottery Village SOS project. Imagine a room packed with an
explosive mix of passionate villagers, keen to see their community projects win
a £400k grant, together with a similar number of experts keen to help them
succeed. The six winning villages will feature in a TV documentary series in 2011.
I'm now on a shortlist to work
with a fantastic food project that is emerging in Hilgay, an attractive village
in West Norfolk. Within the next week I'll
know if I'm going to be helping them prepare their Lottery bid. I'm not short
of ideas, as you can imagine, but am always looking for more!
If you have an interest in the
development of 'field to fork' community projects, particularly if you are
looking for places to pilot new initiatives, then click reply and let me know.
My job will be to help turn a very robust idea into an appealing plan for a
sustainable project and the more help I can get the more successful Hilgay can
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Do you favour left or right?
I recently also met Professor
David Kirby from the British University in Egypt. He's done some fascinating
work about brain hemisphere dominance, ADHD and entrepreneurial tendency. Of
particular interest to me was his research into the way those who do badly at
school can do very well running their own business.
Of course there's a fair degree
of self interest for me here. I did badly at school and only really started
learning when able to do so my own way. Now I am a voracious learner which I
hope makes the work I do more effective.
You might like to try this simple test
for brain hemisphere dominance that David pointed me towards. You can also
download the questionnaire as a pdf from my website here.
I scored 17/21 which for those who
know me well, is no surprise. A balanced brain would score 10 or 11 and a left
brain bias would score less than 10.
It's always nice to find
evidence to support (or justify!) the way you are isn't it!
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How easy are you to find in the fog?
Since launching Turnpike Farm PR
last month I've been amazed by what has happened. It seems that I'm not the
only person fed up with the fluffy bunny approach to publicity seeking. In the
fog of your marketplace you need to be clearly seen, not just making a noise.
We look for the very nub of the challenge then start from there. Few PR briefs will
tell you all you need to know!
Some would call it a fault, but
if the client can't convince me that what they're promoting has value, we won't
take on the work. The fact is that only when we're confident in the message can
we persuade others to listen to what our clients have to say. Inevitably, when
people ask for PR they usually want more business. By focusing there, and not
on the brief, we find it far easier to deliver results.
Not surprisingly we're
developing a bias towards social enterprise and organisations that deliver
environmental, social or community benefit. If you're fed up with lightweight
PR agencies give Bella here a ring on 01953 605000 and let's see what we can do
for you.
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Words of wisdom
"You look at things and ask -
why? but I dream of things that never were and ask - why not?"
George Bernard Shaw
I'm indebted to Cambridge
enterprise dynamo Alan Barrell for this month's quote. I lifted it from his website!
To be serious though, he and I are meeting in the New Year to see how we can
work together. Like me, and George Bernard Shaw, Alan is a guy who sees what
could be there then sets out to make change happen. You can find out more about
Alan here www.alanbarrell.com |
Use December to check your direction
As things quieten down over the next few weeks, be sure to make
time to reflect on 2009 and check that you start 2010 heading in the right
direction. Take a day out, walk, think, jot down a few notes and then make
plans the year ahead. I'm already starting this process and know already that
next year I'll:
- Say no to work that looks toxic or doesn't fit with our values
- Say yes to work that does fit with our values, even if the budget is small
- Listen more to my intuition and less to my fear
- Write and see two more books published
- Visit Uganda and see gorillas in the wild
Good luck with your planning for 2010. | |
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