Gold dust gold dust!

As promised, I was supposed to fill you in on my visit to London last week. Can't believe my luck first of all. I was not sure what to expect but I looked forward to travelling to an innovation workshop in lieu of a much needed day off. All I knew was that Business Link (governmental info website) had gone out of their way to invite a broad range of business people to the meeting, and i wanted in.

The meeting was first of all aimed at helping the website service providers improve their impact and usefulness. As a bonus to those setting aside the time to come along, they layered in an informative series of lectures on intellectual property.

I got to tell you, this wasn't the draw for me. IP is part of my future and I will be giving it fair consideration in the coming months... but I was simply curious.

1.Who were Serco? 2.How were they proposing to extract the necessary info from us in order to satisfy their employers... us the taxpayers. 3.Who were the business owners going to be? 4.What hidden gems of wisdom will they hold? 5.Could I chat to some fairly important strangers about my experiences so far? Questions questions questions.

Did I get answers to my questions? Indeed I did;

1.Serco (employing 70,000 ppl) are in turn employed by the government for a great many things to do with delivery of public services. Most important to us on this day was the fact that they were hell bent on gathering real feedback and ideas for those who really need it. I was part of a market research focus group.
2.The way in which they were planning on hunting out the answers to their problems was interesting. They paid another company to assist with the data extraction. More money spent... but entirely worth it. The lady who spoke to us the most was Kate Shore of ipCapital. Specialist in IP trademarking. Also very very good at leading a brain storming session. A careful trade of information gradually took place over the 5 hrs. It was artful.
3.The other delegates ranged from new starters like myself to battle hardened business owners with over 20years experience. The business represented was incredibly diverse too. Sound engineering product inventor to corner shop owner. Angel investment director to furniture business owner/manager, and a restaurant owner thrown in.
4.Hidden gems of wisdom? Yea plenty. Tax experts, product inventors, employer experienced and brimming with the answers to my potential future problems. I filled a few sheets of 'things to do', including due diligence, educating clients and r&d tax credits.
5.Yes. I did. Happy to help :)

Next up? How to run: Part 3

Engine[er]

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:London

Business Innovation Workshop

No funky blog titles here. It does what it says on the tin. After quite an easy trip into central London, I just rocked up to a coffee house to wait for my 'informative' brekkie.






Not a bad view at all.....

I'll obviously tell you all about the workshop later :)

Engine[er]

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Southwark Bridge Rd,Camberwell,United Kingdom

Teach Yourself How to Run: Part Two

Last Sunday I decided to go for a run in the early evening. The heavens opened just as I began jogging off... and it was sensory bliss. The rain drops were huge and warm to the touch, and as they streaked past they landed on the hot tarmac beneath my feet and radiated upwards the aroma of hot bitumen. The clouds were massively contrasted against one another - but I didn't hang around long enough to see if a rainbow would make a break for the sky.

If you know anything about addictions - then you may know a little bit about triggers too. These small instances (triggers) are what makes certain addictions so powerful. You change your routine, and you reduce the chance that a trigger may coax you back to doing whatever it is that you are trying to give up. Running for me is an addiction which has lasted many years and I am driven back time and time again by memories like last Sundays. Memories also like last winter when I was running down a normally busy lane in the snow, the sky pitch black and because of the snow - it was devoid of vehicle traffic. I felt as though I was running through a Tron landscape. Glowing lanes and trees lighting the path infront of me. That memory will stay with me for ever and help keep my passion to run alive.

For you to run, enjoy the experience and to seek it out for many years to come - you have to begin to build these same kinds of associations, just as you do for all the other things that you love to do in life. Think of your favourite pass-time, specifically one which you may spend on your own (or just away from everyday life events). Churn it over in your mind and understand what it is about that activity that has a hold on you and your life. If you suddenly got an urge to fry up some pancakes because you love the smell of lemon... and it reminds you of when you were a kid on Shrove-Tuesday... then you are hitting the sweet spot.

In order for you to keep the running activity desireable... your task is to create a posi-trigger, but not just a passing fancy... a real, solid, life hook which gives you the drive. This will take time and believe me when you begin to struggle mentally, they negative aspects of running will rampage through your head and try to take hold well before the positive ones. I refer you to Thomas Jefferson and "anything worth having is worth the hard work".

Hopefully by now you have gotten out for a run since my last post - reflecting upon what it is to challenge your body and mind in these ways. Attempt not to over do it for starters, and try to wash past bad experiences out of your system as you run. Next time I'll talk about the REAL power of suggestion and how this can affect not only your performance - but how you recover mentally.

Engine[er]

Back to business

I can't wait for The Apprentice to fill my midweek once again. Do you like it? If you do, tell me why. If you don't, then tell me why.

Why?

Because this tells you a lot about yourself and why you do things. Understanding what makes you tick and pushing these feelings is a great way to gauge your progress and avoid burn-out or de-motivation.

Example: You need to deal with a client. They are sitting on a cheque (apparently made out to you and just waiting to be posted) - money which you could do with... but chasing the client will not only make them feel chased and confronted, it is likely to make you feel bad, because you already did the work! And why wouldn't they be ecstatically happy to reach into there pockets and shower you with cash?! Running through this experience in your mind prior to acting upon it will help you achieve the most favorable solution for the both of you. Putting yourself in their shoes and then back into your own will often help you establish a deeper understanding of what is really going on. You could decide to forget about it and allow the client time to post it... but we all know that this is surest route to them not paying you. You may decide to chase hard. This may get the response that you were looking for - c'est possible... but it may also entrench their position even further. Let us for a moment imagine that they loved the work that you carried out them - but can't understand why you charge so much. Let us imagine that they are on minimum wage and then along comes a young(ish) business owner charging themselves out at 'X' pounds per hour. They may have grounds (in their mind) to withhold payment to see what occurrs... just to see if you chase the invoice. So if you eventually decide to chase hard - they may go on the defensive. No one wins.

So what do you do? You weight up your alternatives, what are you most likely to do? Change that train of thought to one where you both are likely to benefit and save face. This is what I mean when I say 'ask questions of your methods and thought processes', the very same instincts that you use to weight up others motives. You must be the person who understands you better than anyone. This re-adjustment of the decision making process is helping me on a day to day basis.

So what is it I like most about The Apprentice and why oh why did I burn a few summers being hooked on Big Brother? I find that watching others going on a journey and imagining myself in their positions a complete fascination. I initially align myself with a particular few characters and watch them. When I see them doing embarrassing things and making crazy business calls... I imagine that I could have done that too and how would I recover from it. I am infuriated at some of the contestants, because I can relate to their mental weakness... and see my actions in their actions. I learn from this.

You should learn from this too, and learn from the many people that you meet during your day. Imagine what it is to be them and how to overcome confrontations.

Engine[er]

Teach yourself how to run, Part One.

Because this has taken me so long, I'd like to apologise to all those who I promised to write a masterclass on how to run... well we all know how to run really - don't we? What I mean is, give tips and inside knowledge with regard to training and motivation.

Ooo I love this new Blogger post page... it saves automatically for me!

Anyway - here goes. One thing you must get into your head right now, and please forever mull it over whilst you are pummeling the pavements, the lanes and inevitably your knees, is that you have limitations. I do not mean to be nasty, but I quite obviosuly have not subscribed to the belief that you can do anything you put your mind to [physically]... so don't think that donning your running gear for the first time since you left school will magically make you 'fit as a fiddle'. Your enthusiastic move to join the joggers gang will not remove all those metal blocks which may have been stiffling your desire to grow mentally BUT... but, this is a great place to stage a come back.

You may be thinking, "all i wanted was a few tricks on how to make running easier for me!"... but stay with me - I will try to explain. Running well and enjoying yourself doing it is like anything worth having in this world - bloody hard work. This is your first and primary objective, you are to train oneself to enjoy running by positive reinforcement. Don't worry, there are some cool things that you can do to help yourself.

Firstly, drop the watch, or the timer - remove the aspect of clock watching and concentrate on how the training makes you feel before, during and after. Remove the clock and you remove the anticipation of possibly failing to make the time that you think that you deserve. Trust me, we all think this way arfter running for a few weeks. You are looking for ways to prove to yourself that you are achieving a better performance. Well there are better ways than simply timing yourself.

Kit. Buy kit that feels comfortable! Not rocket science. Buy trainers that fit and keep your feet warm/ventillated/dry - or whatever floats your boat. Aim to feel good, not look good. Bright red faces and sweating like piggies looks raw.... even if you are wearing the latest Gore-tech running gear.

Next on the list is group running. I must admit that I never tried this. I love running with a partner or on my own.  I find the thought of running in the midst of runners who are wide rangining in ability and fitness - quite disruptive. Running is hard enough without macho alpha males or overly competitive semi-pros trying to break your spirit with their achievements. Group running for me is a good way to find someone on par with you, someone who runs at the same times as you and the same frequency. I would consider group running a kind of match making exercise... I may get some flak for that comment ;-)

Once you have a route planned, and if you want my advice, do not choose a run less than 2miles and more than 4miles to begin with. Use distance as a measure of success. Note; running and stopping and running and stopping for 4miles is not a success! The whole idea behind running is that you start running and do not stop until you have completed the distance originally intended. THIS IS KEY!! Running is mental fortitude and can be torture for the ill prepared, if you start out and allow yourself to be beaten - you will always have that excuse to stop again and again. Injuries are different, do not run with injuries.

Your first run. The pace is likely to be erratic. You may not be able to find your 'forever pace' for a good number of runs - so take it slow and relax. Your target is to run the circuit without stopping so that you can do the same thing every other day without compounding any injuires or soreness. During the run you need to think about what you are doing. Aim to run straight and with some level of consisitency, also take time to think about where you want to be in say 6months. Do you want to be running the same route? Would you prefer to be hitting up a lush forest path with a treasured running partner, enjoying the sights and smells? Could it be that with every stride (not step, stepping is WALKING) you are imagining your legs becoming more energised and fitter. Tightening muscles, fat burning and your strong lungs pushing bad air out and sucking freash clean air in... it is important to imagine. During your every-day duties you will never have the opportunity to think as clearly or with as much awarness as you are capable with a fresh and nimble runners mind. Try music to inspire yourself into imagining your future or great aspects or your past that you would love to experience again.

That's it for now. I have much more to say on the subject and will be imparting as much of my experiences of running with you all over the next few weeks. In the meantime, go for a chilled out run - take some music, or enjoy a good chat with a running partner. Feel good.

Engine[er]

Calling all good men and women

Hello. Lots to talk about in this post, so please get comfortable.
Starting a business is challenge and is kinda universal, no matter what you decide to go into business as. It is true that some business start-ups require a heavy amount of upfront investment to perhaps develop bespoke websites or buy premises to store goods, or simply purchase your stock to get the ball rolling. Heavy financing just means more risk from the outset, more to consider.

As a Structural Engineer, you have to remember that you are the expert consultant that clients will be paying for. Experience and confidence is key - hopefully your training and past engineering mentors will have prepared you for almost everything. Note: I have always believed that as an Engineer you are not employed to know 'everything' there is to know about your field of expertise. You are employed to resolve problems - by utilising your resourcefulness and experience. This means that if you know where to look for information and the client gives you enough time, then you can deliver anything. Remember that when you are sat in a meeting with everyone staring at you expecting an answer... you need to grow a very thick skin and learn to buy enough time to think through your design proposals adequately.

What consultancy life doesn't prepare you for is the web design creatives and branding gurus who will take your business seed and and help form an image for you to personify day in day out. [They] don't prepare you for setting up a limited company OR making the decision to become VAT registered from day one or not. You are hidden away from chasing prospective clients and begging for work, or just for the opportunity to give them an estimate of your time! Many of these skills you will have to pick up as you go along, taking you away from fee earning time - and thus reducing your possible earnings to less than when you were a trainee... you are the creator, the decision maker, the completer finisher, the business host, the admin staff all in one.

And what do I think about that? I love it. I want that responsibility and to drive home my ideas or to see them fail and then rise like a phoenix as new directions of travel. If you feel the same way as me - then keep reading.

Engine[er]