Last night I went to see Southside Johnny and the Astbury Jukes. The venue was dire and the performer well past his prime, it made me wonder who tells performers when they ought to hand up their microphones? You would suspect falling audiences and record sales but obviously despite being in a 5th rate venue Johnny isn’t getting the message.
So what you wonder has this got to do with consultancy? Well, it made me wonder who tells a consultant it is time to hand the watch back? If our clients aren’t happy with what we do then they don’t renew a contract – quite telling and something to make us think. But when that happens do we think well I must brush up on my skills or think about diversifying? Probably not to start off with but we should as consultants not just offer up our tried and tested expertise but also learn to embrace new methods of working that will continue to excite and captivate both existing clients and help us to reach out to a wider audience.
As consultants we can gather this sort of information anecdotally from our trusted network but I feel we should take some time out occasionally to add to our knowledge and to perhaps network with new people, some of whom having never met us before (like me last night with Johnny) won’t be afraid to show us where our ways of working could do with a little revision.
So for me the best event in the calendar is the Skillfair conference as it brings together at least 50 and often more consultants both as delegates and speakers with a fabulous array of topics which I would otherwise have to look far and wide over many days to cover.
Unlike Johnny who has lost a potential fan and the respect of a long term admirer I will be observing what my audience is saying to me.
Thursday, 27 October 2011
Thursday, 6 October 2011
Five weeks till Skillfair Conference!
Now that the main UK political party conferences are out of the way, the UK’s media and press will no doubt turn its full attention onto our own Skillfair annual conference. It’s now only FIVE WEEKS to conference.
This is possibly the most important opportunity you will get this year to learn more about how to network, influence, market, and deliver your consultancy and advice. We have a really unmissable line-up and the peer-networking will, as usual, be a core feature of the information-packed full-day’s programme.
We are keeping the familiar format of short talks in the morning followed by Open Space where you get a chance to steer the direction of the subjects covered and after lunch, the elective workshops sessions will take place.
Many delegates in the past have said things like “I wish I could have attended ALL the afternoon workshops” and while we can’t quite manage that, this year we are running TWO afternoon workshops with some being run in both slots so there should be more flexibility to see more of what’s most important to you in developing your own business.
This week we feature Stuart Blake who will be presenting a workshop entitled: Impress with your CV/Business Profile
Stuart Blake founded and manages Plan Your Career and Regardez Consulting. His team has over 85 years combined experience in the global staffing marketplace. They specialise in a full suite of CV writing, career planning and coaching services for individuals at any stage of their career, and in all industry sectors. With their expertise and guidance, individuals can maximise their full potential through effectively marketing their skills and experience.
Stuart began his career in 1986 at Robert Walters Associates, the leading financial recruitment business. He then became UK Managing Director of Harrison Willis, a multi-disciplined multi- site recruiter and later, Managing Director of Greatfleet (Fleet Search and Selection).
Whilst many of Stuart’s clients are individuals, he has also worked extensively with the Armed Forces and within the Public Sector. Described by former employers as “a great motivator and manager” with the ability to “inspire and encourage” people in their careers, Stuart’s session will be key to helping consultants impress their prospective clients.
See the entire timetable and speaker list here : Skillfair Conference 2011
This is possibly the most important opportunity you will get this year to learn more about how to network, influence, market, and deliver your consultancy and advice. We have a really unmissable line-up and the peer-networking will, as usual, be a core feature of the information-packed full-day’s programme.
We are keeping the familiar format of short talks in the morning followed by Open Space where you get a chance to steer the direction of the subjects covered and after lunch, the elective workshops sessions will take place.
Many delegates in the past have said things like “I wish I could have attended ALL the afternoon workshops” and while we can’t quite manage that, this year we are running TWO afternoon workshops with some being run in both slots so there should be more flexibility to see more of what’s most important to you in developing your own business.
This week we feature Stuart Blake who will be presenting a workshop entitled: Impress with your CV/Business Profile
Stuart Blake founded and manages Plan Your Career and Regardez Consulting. His team has over 85 years combined experience in the global staffing marketplace. They specialise in a full suite of CV writing, career planning and coaching services for individuals at any stage of their career, and in all industry sectors. With their expertise and guidance, individuals can maximise their full potential through effectively marketing their skills and experience.
Stuart began his career in 1986 at Robert Walters Associates, the leading financial recruitment business. He then became UK Managing Director of Harrison Willis, a multi-disciplined multi- site recruiter and later, Managing Director of Greatfleet (Fleet Search and Selection).
Whilst many of Stuart’s clients are individuals, he has also worked extensively with the Armed Forces and within the Public Sector. Described by former employers as “a great motivator and manager” with the ability to “inspire and encourage” people in their careers, Stuart’s session will be key to helping consultants impress their prospective clients.
See the entire timetable and speaker list here : Skillfair Conference 2011
Thursday, 1 September 2011
Business Intelligence? or Business Intuition?
How do you make your business decisions? Facts or intuition...
How do you measure performance? Actionable metrics or gut feel...
Do I have good business intelligence? What is it?
If you Google ‘Business Intelligence’ the top search Wikipedia offers this insight:
“Business intelligence (BI) mainly refers to computer-based techniques used in identifying, extracting, and analyzing business data ... BI uses technologies, processes, and applications to analyze mostly internal, structured data and business processes. Business intelligence aims to support better business decision-making...” But even this explanation is out of date as external and unstructured data are falling within the scope.
In simple terms business intelligence encapsulates the interaction and collaboration of data, technology, processes and people to give a competitive edge ...and every business is at a different stage in their BI strategic evolution. There are significant benefits from getting this right and threats for poorly executed or zero strategy. Assessing the four key ingredients in turn:
The volumes of data available to companies are expanding at rates never seen before. The traditional internal sources are being augmented by large volumes of external and unstructured data from web and social media sources and data coming from the adoption of new technologies such as RFID and smart sensors. The key challenge is how these rich data assets can be translated into business value.
The technology landscape is moving rapidly with virtualisation, cloud computing, the Web 2.0 technologies (social networks, wikis and blogs) and software capable of analysing huge data sets at a transactional level. The growth in mobile devices is driving the way in which data is consumed by the customer and is increasing the need for companies to provide Mobile BI. These technology changes have made BI, once the reserve of large companies, accessible to all. But technology is just an enabler in this journey.
Getting your business processes aligned to your business model and operating as efficiently as possible has always been a critical success factor. The advances in both data and technology are challenging some of the traditional business models and processes. Customers are becoming more demanding and the speeds at which decisions need to be made are shortening.
It is the role of people that ensures whether these three factors can be harnessed successfully. These people include all stakeholders in a business...including shareholders, management, staff, customers and suppliers. The organisational agility of SME’s put them in a strong position to take advantage of an increased focus on their BI strategy.
UKITA can help with guidance on how to assess the options and implementation of successful business intelligence and data strategies. If you would like more information, email andrew.corbett@ukita.co.uk - As Sherlock Holmes said “Give me data dear Watson!! I can then make an informed deduction!”
Thanks to Peter Dean - peterdean@bi-strategy.co.uk - from Business Intelliegence and Strategy for the use of this piece. http://www.bi-strategy.co.uk/
How do you measure performance? Actionable metrics or gut feel...
Do I have good business intelligence? What is it?
If you Google ‘Business Intelligence’ the top search Wikipedia offers this insight:
“Business intelligence (BI) mainly refers to computer-based techniques used in identifying, extracting, and analyzing business data ... BI uses technologies, processes, and applications to analyze mostly internal, structured data and business processes. Business intelligence aims to support better business decision-making...” But even this explanation is out of date as external and unstructured data are falling within the scope.
In simple terms business intelligence encapsulates the interaction and collaboration of data, technology, processes and people to give a competitive edge ...and every business is at a different stage in their BI strategic evolution. There are significant benefits from getting this right and threats for poorly executed or zero strategy. Assessing the four key ingredients in turn:
The volumes of data available to companies are expanding at rates never seen before. The traditional internal sources are being augmented by large volumes of external and unstructured data from web and social media sources and data coming from the adoption of new technologies such as RFID and smart sensors. The key challenge is how these rich data assets can be translated into business value.
The technology landscape is moving rapidly with virtualisation, cloud computing, the Web 2.0 technologies (social networks, wikis and blogs) and software capable of analysing huge data sets at a transactional level. The growth in mobile devices is driving the way in which data is consumed by the customer and is increasing the need for companies to provide Mobile BI. These technology changes have made BI, once the reserve of large companies, accessible to all. But technology is just an enabler in this journey.
Getting your business processes aligned to your business model and operating as efficiently as possible has always been a critical success factor. The advances in both data and technology are challenging some of the traditional business models and processes. Customers are becoming more demanding and the speeds at which decisions need to be made are shortening.
It is the role of people that ensures whether these three factors can be harnessed successfully. These people include all stakeholders in a business...including shareholders, management, staff, customers and suppliers. The organisational agility of SME’s put them in a strong position to take advantage of an increased focus on their BI strategy.
UKITA can help with guidance on how to assess the options and implementation of successful business intelligence and data strategies. If you would like more information, email andrew.corbett@ukita.co.uk - As Sherlock Holmes said “Give me data dear Watson!! I can then make an informed deduction!”
Thanks to Peter Dean - peterdean@bi-strategy.co.uk - from Business Intelliegence and Strategy for the use of this piece. http://www.bi-strategy.co.uk/
Thursday, 25 August 2011
Ten years and 30,000 consultants
This week saw us reach a significant milestone.
On Tuesday, the 30,000th consultant signed up for their 3 month guest consultant account. That's an awful lot of people through our virtual doors in our more than 10 years of operation.
That doesn't mean that we have 30,000 consultants as current members of course.
Not all guest account holders go on to become full paying members and not all full members stay with us for the rest of their natural lives (shocking but true)
The actual numbers at any time are in the 'ball park' of 1,000 full members, 1,000 on guest accounts and a further 10,000 ex-members, ex-guests, registered clients and people who have simply asked to be kept informed. So we have around 12,000 people on our weekly email contact list and getting this newsletter.
That's quite a large community divided across corporate, engineering & technology, IT consultants and small business advisers. It's a fantastic targeted audience for members to post projects and offers to and for companies to advertise to in the weekly newsletter.
A reminder of how Skillfair works:
Every day we scan over 1,100 websites and other sources, then our UK-based analysts - led by Cath - select and tag the best with the skills needed for the project or tender. Overnight, our system compares these with the skill-set you have entered and drops your personalised listing into your inbox around 8 am each morning. That's a lot of legwork and expert sifting being done for less than 3 pounds a week.
Members can also search for consultants with particular skills to bring in on their projects and can put their own projects and offers into the system. We also take some commercial advertising as long as it is appropriate for our audience. We also have arrangement with some public and private sector organisations to enable them to post their projects straight into Skillfair which means that many of the projects don't appear elsewhere.
People can also speak to the membership helpline which is looked after by Angela and she helps members to get the most out of the system, optimise their profiles and she gets to know the people who phone or email her regularly. When clients put tenders and projects directly into our system, Angela gets in touch to make sure the client is genuine and at the end of the project contact period - she gets back in touch with them to find out how it went for them.
Skillfair isn't just a computerised conveyor belt then. There are real people at the heart of it who are constantly working on members behalf, looking for ways to improve the services and listening to your comments about how you would like to see things improved.
If you know anyone who ought to be getting the benefit of Skillfair, please forward this message along to them and tell them to consider signing up for a guest account to try us out.
On Tuesday, the 30,000th consultant signed up for their 3 month guest consultant account. That's an awful lot of people through our virtual doors in our more than 10 years of operation.
That doesn't mean that we have 30,000 consultants as current members of course.
Not all guest account holders go on to become full paying members and not all full members stay with us for the rest of their natural lives (shocking but true)
The actual numbers at any time are in the 'ball park' of 1,000 full members, 1,000 on guest accounts and a further 10,000 ex-members, ex-guests, registered clients and people who have simply asked to be kept informed. So we have around 12,000 people on our weekly email contact list and getting this newsletter.
That's quite a large community divided across corporate, engineering & technology, IT consultants and small business advisers. It's a fantastic targeted audience for members to post projects and offers to and for companies to advertise to in the weekly newsletter.
A reminder of how Skillfair works:
Every day we scan over 1,100 websites and other sources, then our UK-based analysts - led by Cath - select and tag the best with the skills needed for the project or tender. Overnight, our system compares these with the skill-set you have entered and drops your personalised listing into your inbox around 8 am each morning. That's a lot of legwork and expert sifting being done for less than 3 pounds a week.
Members can also search for consultants with particular skills to bring in on their projects and can put their own projects and offers into the system. We also take some commercial advertising as long as it is appropriate for our audience. We also have arrangement with some public and private sector organisations to enable them to post their projects straight into Skillfair which means that many of the projects don't appear elsewhere.
People can also speak to the membership helpline which is looked after by Angela and she helps members to get the most out of the system, optimise their profiles and she gets to know the people who phone or email her regularly. When clients put tenders and projects directly into our system, Angela gets in touch to make sure the client is genuine and at the end of the project contact period - she gets back in touch with them to find out how it went for them.
Skillfair isn't just a computerised conveyor belt then. There are real people at the heart of it who are constantly working on members behalf, looking for ways to improve the services and listening to your comments about how you would like to see things improved.
If you know anyone who ought to be getting the benefit of Skillfair, please forward this message along to them and tell them to consider signing up for a guest account to try us out.
Thursday, 4 August 2011
Chips off the old blocks?
So. Will they just rebuild the 9 big sandcastles that got kicked over as a series of smaller but similar sandcastles?
What am I on about? Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPS) of course - I shouldn't care about them, but I seem to.
The bee in my bonnet is the risk of un-thought-through obsession with so-called high growth companies.
Which comes first - the public-sector assistance or the growth?
The NESTA report (read it here) provides figures about the often-quoted 'vital 6%' of businesses that give rise to 54% of the new jobs as providing evidence that we should be helping these companies more or less to the exclusion of all others. I won't treat you to my broken record about how if all the silent majority of businesses with modest growth ambitions merely employed one or two extra people then it would have a massively greater uplift effect in GVA and employment than a few poster-boy projects that get in to the regional business press being photographed with some well-known local politician in the frame. I also won't rehearse the joke about the computer firm that was so successful it had to move to SMALLER premises. It was mildly amusing in the 70s when I first heard it, the point that in the modern digital economy, growth often means a bigger server, not hiring extra people.
Where is the research that shows the long-term prognosis for these high growth companies? Well, here for a start ! Click to read A Fast Track Decade
It's a short enough read for a dullard like me and makes its points succinctly. It makes the point that a sizeable number (one in five) of high growth companies aren't around a few years later - although where's the control statistic for non high growth companies over the same period? It also provides an interesting comparison between the characteristics that make for high growth in good times (timing, strength of management) compared to what's correlated to high growth in difficult times which is differentiation through niches and innovation.
A number of other interesting points are made in the document but my real plea is that someone does some new thinking and maybe some research about whether the NESTA 6% figure still holds true, holds true across all industry sectors and the longevity of the jobs apparently created.
In the meantime, I fear that the LEP boards may simply pick up the clothes left behind by the RDAs and cut them down to match the new slim-line funding sources and end up doing a pale imitation of the perhaps imperfectly-targeted schemes that the RDAs were so fond of.
How about some new thinking and new research anyone?
What am I on about? Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPS) of course - I shouldn't care about them, but I seem to.
The bee in my bonnet is the risk of un-thought-through obsession with so-called high growth companies.
Which comes first - the public-sector assistance or the growth?
The NESTA report (read it here) provides figures about the often-quoted 'vital 6%' of businesses that give rise to 54% of the new jobs as providing evidence that we should be helping these companies more or less to the exclusion of all others. I won't treat you to my broken record about how if all the silent majority of businesses with modest growth ambitions merely employed one or two extra people then it would have a massively greater uplift effect in GVA and employment than a few poster-boy projects that get in to the regional business press being photographed with some well-known local politician in the frame. I also won't rehearse the joke about the computer firm that was so successful it had to move to SMALLER premises. It was mildly amusing in the 70s when I first heard it, the point that in the modern digital economy, growth often means a bigger server, not hiring extra people.
Where is the research that shows the long-term prognosis for these high growth companies? Well, here for a start ! Click to read A Fast Track Decade
It's a short enough read for a dullard like me and makes its points succinctly. It makes the point that a sizeable number (one in five) of high growth companies aren't around a few years later - although where's the control statistic for non high growth companies over the same period? It also provides an interesting comparison between the characteristics that make for high growth in good times (timing, strength of management) compared to what's correlated to high growth in difficult times which is differentiation through niches and innovation.
A number of other interesting points are made in the document but my real plea is that someone does some new thinking and maybe some research about whether the NESTA 6% figure still holds true, holds true across all industry sectors and the longevity of the jobs apparently created.
In the meantime, I fear that the LEP boards may simply pick up the clothes left behind by the RDAs and cut them down to match the new slim-line funding sources and end up doing a pale imitation of the perhaps imperfectly-targeted schemes that the RDAs were so fond of.
How about some new thinking and new research anyone?
Thursday, 16 June 2011
The Brazilian Connection
This week, we have been snowed-under with the preparation and hosting of a small trade mission from Brazil and were still taking care of them at 7pm Thursday night when the giant wheels of the newsletter presses usually start to turn.
The delegation is from an organisation called FIESC http://www.fiescnet.com.br/ which is a single hybrid business support organisation for Santa Catarina state which is one of the 26 states which make up the Federative Republic of Brazil.
As Brazil is the B of BRICS, it's been interesting to spend 3 days hosting the delegation, showing them how the UK's IT and consultancy sectors work and drawing comparisons with Brazil.
With over 6 million inhabitants, Santa Catarina is about the same population as the West Midlands so we can try to compare it economically to a typical UK RDA region.
FIESC is a combination of BIS, Chamber of Commerce, Business Link, UKTI, e-Skills and Technology Strategy Board with departments covering each industry sector and employing 2,000 staff to do this for an RDA-sized economy.
Then there is also the federal (national) layer which overlays these functions.
Is it my imagination or are they really very well provided with business support in Santa Catarina?
In the many meetings we had over the 3 days, one common theme that came out was that the EU is much more internally diverse in its business cultures than an outsider might think and that a number of uniform, deeply-held but always unattributable perceptions or prejudices were in place regarding which countries are good or bad to work with, reliable or unreliable business partners, honest or less honest counterparts.
Anyone care to guess which EU countries were the saints and which the sinners?
Have any of you got contacts or interests in Santa Caterina state or elsewhere in Brazil ? Or are interested in getting involved in a possible future project involving 2-way exchange of expertise, products and services between Brazil and the EU?
If so, get in touch using the usual methods and depending on response, we would look at setting up a 'UK-BRICS opportunities' group.
The delegation is from an organisation called FIESC http://www.fiescnet.com.br/ which is a single hybrid business support organisation for Santa Catarina state which is one of the 26 states which make up the Federative Republic of Brazil.
As Brazil is the B of BRICS, it's been interesting to spend 3 days hosting the delegation, showing them how the UK's IT and consultancy sectors work and drawing comparisons with Brazil.
With over 6 million inhabitants, Santa Catarina is about the same population as the West Midlands so we can try to compare it economically to a typical UK RDA region.
FIESC is a combination of BIS, Chamber of Commerce, Business Link, UKTI, e-Skills and Technology Strategy Board with departments covering each industry sector and employing 2,000 staff to do this for an RDA-sized economy.
Then there is also the federal (national) layer which overlays these functions.
Is it my imagination or are they really very well provided with business support in Santa Catarina?
In the many meetings we had over the 3 days, one common theme that came out was that the EU is much more internally diverse in its business cultures than an outsider might think and that a number of uniform, deeply-held but always unattributable perceptions or prejudices were in place regarding which countries are good or bad to work with, reliable or unreliable business partners, honest or less honest counterparts.
Anyone care to guess which EU countries were the saints and which the sinners?
Have any of you got contacts or interests in Santa Caterina state or elsewhere in Brazil ? Or are interested in getting involved in a possible future project involving 2-way exchange of expertise, products and services between Brazil and the EU?
If so, get in touch using the usual methods and depending on response, we would look at setting up a 'UK-BRICS opportunities' group.
Wednesday, 9 February 2011
How do you deal with incoming enquiries?
I receive emails from numerous discussion forums and was intrigued this week to see a someone regaling the list with a tale of woe after trying to place some work with suppliers. The client had asked the list for recommendations for suppliers to build some specialist software, and had duly gone off and called the recommended companies, about 10 in all. 3 had failed to answer the phone at all, 5 answered the phone but couldn't pass him onto someone to deal with his enquiry and the final 2 were the right people but wouldn't discuss budgets in even the vaguest terms. So despite no doubt spending considerable time and effort soliciting enquiries from potential clients none of the companies came close to actually getting the business.
In theory small companies and one man bands have an advantage in this scenario - if you work for yourself there's no question of delegating dealing with enquiries to someone else. But the story does highlight how important it is to be clear about the questions you need to ask a client to understand exactly what they need, how big a job it's likely to be and whether you are a good fit to their requirements. We know from experience that extracting the right information from clients can be remarkably difficult, which is why we have a standard form we use to collect background information about the projects that come in to Skillfair. Given that a client calling you to ask for help is what most of us are working hard to achieve I think it's well worth taking some time out to make your own checklist or questionnaire so you make sure that you're the one company that does respond well to the next enquiry!
JH2MHZ73FE6N - tag for technorati - ignore :-)
Friday, 21 January 2011
2011 - Outlook for consultants
The early results from our 2011 fee rate survey are coming in already - we asked people how they feel about 2011 and we're getting quite positive vibes. Over half our consultants are expecting their businesses to grow this year - including those with a bias towards the public sector. Seems to be a combination of 'any change means there's a need for consultancy' and a feeling that businesses are adjusting to new market conditions and just 'getting on with it'. To let us know what you think just complete the survey - there's a prize draw for a free Skillfair membership if you leave us your email address.
Friday, 14 January 2011
Getting together to do business
Sorry for the silence here since Christmas - having slipped on the ice and broken my wrist my appetite for typing has been a bit subdued! Just sent out this week's newsletter talking about the importance of collaborating with other consultants to win business that you couldn't win by yourself. Then realised that it would be a really good idea if people who already belong to established networks could let other people know about them.
The easiest way to do that was to start up a LinkedIn discussion on the subject, so if you belong to or are aware of formal or informal networks that you think work effectively please let us know here or comment on this blog.
The easiest way to do that was to start up a LinkedIn discussion on the subject, so if you belong to or are aware of formal or informal networks that you think work effectively please let us know here or comment on this blog.
Friday, 17 December 2010
Follow #goodnews to boost confidence
Seems to me that there are lots of small good news stories emerging at the moment, but they're being swamped by the general doom and gloom in the media. For example, there's manufacturing growth in the South West where private sector growth has steadily increased.
We've seen a steady increase in private clients coming to us looking for consultants and perhaps more significantly there's demand for training - which is one of the sectors that's been hit hardest over the last 18 months. I'll be re-tweeting all good news stories under the hashtag #goodnews - so if you want an antidote to the professional doom-mongers just follow twitter.com/skillfair !
We've seen a steady increase in private clients coming to us looking for consultants and perhaps more significantly there's demand for training - which is one of the sectors that's been hit hardest over the last 18 months. I'll be re-tweeting all good news stories under the hashtag #goodnews - so if you want an antidote to the professional doom-mongers just follow twitter.com/skillfair !
Wednesday, 8 December 2010
got the project - but having trouble getting paid?
A common issue for consultants is that sometimes the euphoria of landing a tasty project can evaporate very quickly when you realise that actually getting paid is going to be as much of a problem as getting the work was in the first place! I've been having some Twitter conversations about late payments and thought I'd share some of the ideas with you;
- check your client has received the invoice a few days after you send it - so they know you're on the case
- if you have any doubts about the clients financial status, ask for a deposit
- don't keep on working if you're not getting paid - if you do they don 't feel any pain - make it clear to someone to whom your work matters that lack of payment is a problem and will mean they don't get what they want
- get someone who's not directly involved with the client to chase the payment (I use my husband for this!)
Any other suggestions?
Thursday, 2 December 2010
Are projects like snow?
I sometimes think projects being posted on Skillfair are a bit like snow, some areas get a steady reliable flow - almost regardless of what else is happening, whereas others only see the white stuff in flurries. Last week we had a sudden influx of training related projects (and there seems to be a steady demand for assessors of vocational qualifications in particular) - this is after a fairly dire period in the training industry as a whole.
Today the papers are talking about a bigger than expected rise in manufacturing output and simultaneously we've had 3 fairly tasty engineering related projects appear on the site. These involve vacuum pumps, nuclear materials and safety valves - fairly specialist stuff but it's good to see activity from the industry. The projects have all come via our relationship with the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
Lets hope the project flurries develop further even when the snow disappears :-)
Today the papers are talking about a bigger than expected rise in manufacturing output and simultaneously we've had 3 fairly tasty engineering related projects appear on the site. These involve vacuum pumps, nuclear materials and safety valves - fairly specialist stuff but it's good to see activity from the industry. The projects have all come via our relationship with the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
Lets hope the project flurries develop further even when the snow disappears :-)
Monday, 22 November 2010
Training industry waking from the dead?
Training is an industry that's often hit hard by recession - it's a very easy area to cut budgets and is often one of the first to feel the axe and the last to emerge as companies start to feel more confident. As a result, freelance trainers and small training companies have to plan for fairly severe ups and downs in business volumes.
Monday, 15 November 2010
Looking Forward - this Wednesday and beyond!
Despite the dark evenings, wind and rain - I really like this time of year as there's a real sense of urgency as people try to fit things in before Christmas - and you can also start to put one year behind you and plan for the next. It's strange that a simple thing like clicking the calendar on one day can make such a difference, but in all the businesses I've worked in there's always been a significant surge in business in January. I also like November because our annual conference is our only chance each year to meet you face to face and find out directly what you think about business, Skillfair, consulting and lots of other issues. If you haven't booked yet we have 2 or 3 places left for next Wednesday - just click here for details and to book.
The theme of the conference is 'Personal and Business Growth' - the aim being to set people up so that they're ready for what 2011 will bring. Even if you're not able to come along it's worth spending some time over the next month or so planning and working out what you need to do next year. It may be that you've been frantically busy working - in which case you could look at ways of delegating some of your work to get a better balance - or if the effort you've put in on sales and marketing just hasn't borne any fruit at all - now is a good time to take stock and work out what to do differently. We'll be listening hard to everyone on Wednesday so even if you can't make it we'll make sure to share the ideas and insights that come out of the day over the next few weeks.
The theme of the conference is 'Personal and Business Growth' - the aim being to set people up so that they're ready for what 2011 will bring. Even if you're not able to come along it's worth spending some time over the next month or so planning and working out what you need to do next year. It may be that you've been frantically busy working - in which case you could look at ways of delegating some of your work to get a better balance - or if the effort you've put in on sales and marketing just hasn't borne any fruit at all - now is a good time to take stock and work out what to do differently. We'll be listening hard to everyone on Wednesday so even if you can't make it we'll make sure to share the ideas and insights that come out of the day over the next few weeks.
Thursday, 4 November 2010
Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines
Finding the motivation to do difficult things - where do you get it from?
I've been following a discussion on motivational quotes on Linked In - and some have made me chuckle - particularly;"Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines."
Posted this on the Skillfair LinkedIn group and predictably got even more useful advice and quotes back from members - my favourite so far;
"Worrying does not empty tomorrow of its troubles; it empties today of its joys"
Wednesday, 3 November 2010
Consultants Conference - Last chance to book
The Skillfair conference is only 2 weeks away - and we're looking forward to meeting members and guests from all over the UK. If you've been waiting to see if your diary is clear, we have less than 10 places left and there's usually a flurry of last minute bookings - so now is definitely your last chance to book.
The formal sessions will cover topics including sales, marketing, social media, tendering and many more - with the aim of providing you with a boost to your skills and energy levels - something that is much needed in the current economic climate.
We'll also be announcing our plans for the next phase of Skillfair's development and asking for your opinions and input. For information on our thoughts so far have a look at the Skillfair blog.
We've kept the price for this year's conference the same as last year at £150 (£125 for Members) - making it exceptionally good value - to book your place just click here and login - or check out the full agenda.
Monday, 23 August 2010
Useful guide to using a consultant
Just spotted a very useful Guide to Using a Consultant from ICAEW - tweeted by theLBSS - straightforward and balanced. It reminded me of asaying I've heard a few times, which is that the second consultant a business uses is always better than the first! Essentially, this is because businesses often don't really know what they want the first time round - and this often results in a fairly unsatisfactory experience for both the business and the advisor/consultant.
Second time around the business is usually much more focused, chooses an advisor who will be able to meet their objectives and everyone is happy! It would be nice if we could skip the first unhappy experience though - do you have any other thoughts on how to do this?
Friday, 20 August 2010
Useful info on Security Vetting
Consultants and contractors who want to work in the public sector, particularly in defence or the more sensitive areas, have often found the vetting system an insuperable obstacle. Essentially you're told you can't be vetted until you're in a contract - but won't be considered for a contract unless you've been vetted.
PCG have been lobbying government on this issue for a number of years and there's been a recent Prime ministers statement on the subject that sets out the rules more clearly than before.
Take a look at the PCG website for more details.
Should Business Advice be Free?
Discussions about LEPs seem to be gathering pace despite the holiday season and a couple of LinkedIn groups have sprung up to discuss developments around the country - From RDA to LEP and Local Enterprise Partnerships. A separate issue that's also being discussed is whether startups and small businesses should expect free advice at all. Given how much advice is already available on the internet there's an argument that small businesses should just be left to get on with things.
The main argument for free advice being provided by the government is that if businesses are better advised and equipped they are more likely to succeed and grow - with benefits to the whole economy. The counter argument is that people may be less likely to listen to and act on free advice. Given that so many of our members have lots of experience working with small businesses I thought it would be interesting to fund out what you think. If you have a moment, please fill in this one page survey and give us your thoughts - I'll post the results here next week.
Thursday, 12 August 2010
Really useful sources of business advice
I've been reading a lot of blogs and articles about business advice and support recently, many allied to discussions about Business Links etc, and it occurred to me that this group should be an excellent source of what you might call 'really useful sources of advice'.
I have distinct preference for 'going straight to the horses mouth' so probably my top ones are the key government sites;
http://www.ipo.gov.uk/ (Patent Office)
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