Barefoot Business News from Robert Ashton
| March 2012
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Stampede!
Have you fuelled your car this week? Living in rural Norfolk meant that to fill my empty tank yesterday I had to visit four garages and drive 15 miles before finding any diesel. Apart from being irritated by the needless panic buying there are a number of underlying messages for us all. Firstly, all it takes is press coverage of a risk and people will behave irrationally. Could we reduce unemployment by asking Francis Pymm MP to urge businesses to stock up on staff as there's a shortage looming? Perhaps not; but you see what I mean. If a nation can be spooked into stocking up on petrol, what else could we get people to do? Secondly, the panic produced fuel shortage is itself fuelled by self-interest. When people literally start fighting over the nozzles at their local filling station you get an insight into what's possible. What if it was a food shortage? Would people queue neatly and wait their turn? Of course not. And that's why the Government's 'Big Society' philosophy has struggled to gain widespread acceptance. It is pointless to assume that people will voluntarily do the right thing. They have to clearly see how they will suffer if they don't. It's time to get real and show it like it could be.
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DESKS TO RENT
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£45 + VAT a week off the old A11 between Wymondham and Attleborough in Norfolk. Email Jess for more info or visit the website. |
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Pasty procrastination
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Meanwhile VAT on hot pies has become a useful diversion. Like the apocryphal deckchairs on the Titanic, the nation has been getting hot about pasties and pies. That is if you can buy them. My favourite pasty stall at Kings Cross has vanished, albeit replaced by an amazing new concourse!
I heard a seemingly rational pasty baron from Greggs on Radio 4 the other day. He was arguing that under the new legislation his pies attract VAT when straight from the oven, but as the morning progresses and they cool, they become zero rated. This highlights another of our national problems right now. Who's going to inspect his pies and accuse him of VAT avoidance? Some rules exist to be bent.
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Who's got the cash?
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I went along to find out more about my local LEP the other day. I've been impressed that despite their name having become an acronym, they are different to all the other organisations created to route Government investment into our local economy.
The penny dropped for me when Graeme Leach, the IoD's Chief Economist made the point that the cash needed to kick-start our economy is tucked away in corporate reserves. So why then are we chasing after Government cash when it's right here under our noses already? Business investment would surely create a business led recovery.
There are 1.5m small and medium sized businesses in the UK. Just think what we could do if we all invested just a small amount in our local LEP? It's time to try something different!
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This month in the media
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Cut out the jargon, I'm drowning in acronyms [Civil Society]
Robert Ashton is left flummoxed by the confusing architecture of jargonistic accronyms and non-joined-up processes encountered in setting up a new hospice. Surely there is some way to ease the burden, he asks.
Landlords urged to take advantage of localism and big society [propertytalk Live!]
Housing associations can be pioneers of localism in their communities and exploit the Government's enthusiasm for the Big Society to gain wider recognition for their work, housing professionals have been told.
Who needs competitors with friends like these? [Civil Society]
Why would one hospice open a charity shop in a small town when another hospice already has one? This is the kind of competitive behaviour you get from Tesco and Starbucks, not organisations you'd expect to collaborate.
When networking alone is not enough [Civil Society]
Voluntary sector people need to step out of their comfort zone and learn the language of business if they are to unlock new income streams, warns Robert Ashton.
In at the deep end? Using localism as a campaign tool [The Guardian]
A social entrepreneur shares his thoughts on local activism from this month's Chartered Institute of Housing conference
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Diary dates!
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April13th - TEDxCCN, The Forum, Norwich
April 17th - Developing a Social Enterprise, Voluntary Norfolk
May 17th - Chartered Institute of Housing The Midlands Conference, Exhibition and Regional Gala Dinner, Ramada Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham
May 18th - JustRegional Meet for Breakfast, Aylsham, email business@justregional.co.uk for more information
September 11th - Festival of Social Enterprise, The Forum, Norwich
Don't forget that if you're organising a conference or event, I might be able to help you challenge your audience to become just a little more enterprising! Email Jess with your event details.
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Get Copywriting signed now
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With the release of the second edition of Copywriting in a Week we've stocked up on our copies so you can now buy your copy direct from me and I'll sign it too.
If you're not sure about whether it's the book to help you improve your writing, check out this review from Will Roney; Startup Business Book Reviews
If you've already read the book, why not leave an Amazon review or email me with your feedback? It's always nice to hear from my readers.
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Quote of the month
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'If you are expensive to your customers you cannot cut corners on your own costs. If you strive to be the best, you have to buy the best!'
@RobertAshton1
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I send out a monthly ezine to everyone who finds it useful. If you'd like to receive a copy, you need do nothing. If you'd rather not, please click on the link below to unsubscribe.
Sincerely,
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