You can view the full interactive map here

 

I was reminded of the extent my global influence recently when Prentice Hall, who have published most of my books, shared some sales statistics I'd not seen before.

The four books I have written for them have now been sold in 76 different countries around the world. So from Albania to Zimbabwe and Korea to Kazakhstan there are people with copies of my book on their book shelf. That is, if they have a book shelf!

Ethiopia surprised me. Almost 800 copies of 'Checklists' sold into one of the world's poorest countries. I'd like to think there was a connection with these sales and the day I spent working with a group of Business Studies Teachers in Addis Ababa in Spring 2009.

 I was so impressed by Windcrop, an innovative green energy company that I simply had to become one of their first customers. Planning consent was granted last week for two wind turbines that will be installed next month. One will supply my home and the other the adjacent offices. Between them they will dramatically reduce both our electricity bills and carbon footprint.

The Windcrop business model is hard to ignore. They install the turbines on my land and sell what I don't use onto the National Grid. I pay for what I use at just 5p per kWh, around half what I'm currently paying.

So we'll soon have a very visible reminder to ourselves and our visitors that 'saving the planet' can actually save money too.

More about Windcrop here.

It's good to have things you get up a head of steam about. One thing that always gets me hot under the collar is the way the UK's 3.3m self employed people are so often ignored when it comes to recognising enterprise success. Not everyone wants to be the next Richard Branson but somehow unless you aspire to empire building, you're too often considered second rate.

I was delighted then to be elected an honorary Fellow of the newly formed 'Institute of Enterprise and Entrepreneurs'. Powered by the respected business standard accreditation body SFEDI, this new professional Institute is independent, entrepreneur led and recognises what you achieve, rather than where you achieve it.

Check it out here and maybe even join!  http://ioee.co.uk/

I love old machinery. It's the way the heavy cast iron components combine simplicity, strength and beauty. A friend recently back from a canal boat holiday told me how the ratchet on the lock gate mechanism reminded him of the challenge we all face as we become more successful in our career and life.

Before opening the lock gates you have wind up a heavy sluice to equalise the water levels on either side. The sluice gate he explained is your success. The higher it goes the heavier it feels, so you need to slip the ratchet into the cogs so you can rest without slipping back and losing what you have achieved. Then you can continue winding and go even higher.

I like the analogy and can see how sometimes, it's all to easy to doubt our own success and slip back down to where we were. I think we all need a ratchet to help us maintain our position before we forge ahead.

'There is a fundamental difference between enterprise and entrepreneurship. Enterprise is a process that anyone can learn. Entrepreneurship is an attitude you will only achieve if your desire to change something you see as wrong, unfair or unjust is passionate and all consuming. Enterprise is about doing; entrepreneurship about being!'

 Robert Ashton, speaking at the Association of Translation Companies annual conference in London, September 2010