Timing in Business is not just about owning a watch...

This a subject matter that is very close to my heart. It has been due to the phenomena of 'correct timing' that I find myself with my gorgeous fiancé, and on my way to creative freedom. I say on my way... because even though I am supporting myself financially in my business, the ever present lure of contractual work still remains as one of my 'get out' strategies. I try not to think about that too much though.

OK. You want to know about timing, that's why you are here right? Well we all know what it physically stands for, and I'm sure that you have heard sportsmen and sportswoman constantly reiterate the importance of 'timing' to enhance the levels of their success. Whether it's a golfer who states that its ALLL about the timing of you swing, or a pro footballer who insists that timing forms the basis of good form. The amount of circumstantial evidence out there is enough to get you thinking. Admit it, proper timing seems to permeate through to everything!

My opinion is that proper timing can be measured in scales. If we were to look upon good timing is as simple as arriving for an interview or meeting on time - then the actual 'time' part of the equation is not as important as say the planning. For example; you need to be at an interview at 10:30am, therefore you have to be up and out of bed at a certain time, catch the right bus etc.. Planning is key. When there is a particularly busy traffic morning and you wake up a shade late - it all boils down to whether you can make it through that door on time. So all that well considered planning gets condensed down into a solitary moment in time. Did you make it on time?

A scaled up example of 'timing' could be the same type used by 'say' golfers. When a ball is driven from the tee - the body is acting in a very instinctive way. Muscle memory and relaxation guides the club face to the right spot on the ball at the right speed for that particular shot. Timing. Many different factors stack up behind the action of taking that shot and all of it depends upon you getting the process correct. Again though, the timing of the shot pales into insignificance when compared to the preparation of your body and mind many years before hand. You would have under gone years of training in golf OR experienced similar sports so that your body and mind work towards one solitary goal - condensed into that one single instant of time...

Other examples of timing in action include singing and public speaking. The skill and knowledge which goes into producing the right sound at the right time is incredibly important. Being able to perform well and influence the emotions of the audience is all about understanding who it is you are speaking to, and even more importantly, an understanding as to why they are there listening to you in the first place. To be entertained? To have fun? To criticise? To learn? Timing the right performance is crucial to success and it involves interrupting the crowds mood and/or enticing the crowd  to feel how you feel. An absolute art form which many good practitioners seem to have an innate instinct for.

It can be seen from above that effective timing is crucially linked to and programmed into your mind and body by practice. Repetitive practice.

So how can you secure your victory in the business world straight out of the traps? This is virtually impossible - but not completely improbable. I have been reading Richard Bransons' book 'Screw it let's do it' in which he discusses at length the mental fortitude required to succeed. His continuous stabs into the business world began from a very early age. By the time he was 11, he was already learning that giving up was the surest way to failure. He appeared to have a desire which superseded virtually every other emotional and physical need... the desire to 'give it a go'.

Good timing is born from a large amounts of experience and application of that knowledge through practice and stubbornness for not giving in. Mr Branson describes himself as a stubborn and tenacious man, seemingly backed up by a belief that he will never fail at anything... to me timing appears to be the result of effective planning and practice. Timing represents the culmination of all your hard efforts distilled into a single moment of time - that 'perfect' process which has been practised and imagined some many times before that failure; is a less likely outcome compared to success.

In conclusion - if you find yourself standing on the precipice of starting your own business and eventual creative freedom... you are either about to take some hard knocks, learning from each and everyone one of them until you give up and fail... OR  you are about to take some hard knocks, learning from each and everyone one of them until you succeed and grow, and you earn your right to 'good timing' through learning from your experiences.

Engine[er]


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Location:Home, e-learning & blogging

A SLOW week in the life of a SMALL business owner

[Checks his calender] (that's me checking my calender by the way - in case you couldn't tell).

I needed to check my where-a-bouts, as last week was akin to an almighty explosion of nothing... Pffffizzzzzz POOF! Here, for your enjoyment is a rare glimpse into what a slow week may look like, should you decide to take up the NEW START-UP CHALLENGE... and begin working for yourself. I'm quite proud and puzzled at the same time. Enjoy.

Monday. Early to rise, seriously. Speak to free business listing website for 25minutes and discuss how my free listing is not as good for my business exposure as the £[insert random price] sponsored deal is. Go figure. Arranged to meet with my local hair dresser during lunch to sell him the FREE professional services of my friend who has agreed to build Facebook pages for small businesses to earn himself some pocket money, but needs a couple of portfolio jobs to get started first. Then spent 2 hours setting up the business page on Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare so that my mate could hit the ground running. Do a little bit of work for an Architect on a local project. Meet Steve Brown of Browns Barber Shop at lunch, snap a bunch of photos for his Facebook page. I leave a very happy man behind me, with promises of a sparkling brand new way of marketing his business - FREE of charges of course. Get home, email business friend regarding a personal project I am doing for him. He is very very happy. Call Paul and email to him the reel of photos from the afternoons photo shoot. Everyone knows what they are doing... and relax.
Tuesday. Late up. Social media morning. Continue design for local Architect. Receive a phone call from gentleman who found me on LinkedIn. He loved my company profile and hoped that I could help him with his structural problems. We hit it off well and I agreed to visit his home next week. Spoke with an ex-work colleague and Architect regarding a meet-up for tomorrow. Finished off my application to apply for next years Chartership Examination - Institute of Structural Engineers.
Wednesday: Chase member signatures for my Chartership review interview then drive to meet old work colleague to speak about business and how we can help each other. Had an awesome discussion about new-starters, marketing, branding, pricing and of course buildings and work-work. During the conversation, my Architect friend gave me a huge compliment - I'm sure that it was meant as a compliment, but I don't think she realised how important it was for me to hear it. She said to me that reading my blog, and company profile and how I presented myself in the electronic world is a complete echo of who I am in the real world. Obviously she has had the opportunity to work with me in the past and reaffirmed that I am marketing myself in the way that I intended - being true to my personality and future plans . I was 'made up' that afternoon. Was called up by a contact who wished to push some work my way. I agreed to meet the client on site the very next day.
Thursday: On site after braving horrendous traffic. Agreed to silly deadlines [mentally shifting work around] and left site brimming with happiness and hope - interesting new job and 2 rather encouraging new contacts for the future. Time to pop back to the home office and chase signatures for my Chartership application... squeeze in a small amount of work too ;-) Mid afternoon - met with young developer who is trying to do good things in and around Herts and North London. Quality contact and a very focussed customer. Polished looks, business man like, and obviously design orientated. Score! - I could see him becoming more and more interested in what I had to say about my business and we hit it off well. Promises were made to send some work my way and again I left a happy and re-charged man. Final stop was a visit to my friend and past mentor to talk about my application to next years Chartership Exam, and sign a form for me. Good to catch up - even if it was only for 30minutes. Worked until 11pm on Architects project. Yawn.
Friday: Posted all information that was required to IStructE (Structural Engineers Institute) and then flew down the motorway to an already active job - to discuss plans with builder. Chatted through the plans for the third time - and wondered why I bothered creating drawings if they weren't being read.

First meeting with possible new Architect colleague in St Albans. Awesome chat. More promises made with regard to giving me a chance to estimate for some of their current projects and indeed one did arrive later that day. A cool extension on a GradeII listed cottage, on a side of a hill (nay cliff?) in Devon. More drawing work and finally issued structural input for a local project. The end of the day saw me sat at my computer working away on social media input (like this blog) and waiting for someone to make use of my FREE Weekly Structural Surgery offer... no takers again. This could take a while to find it's audience I think....

Engine[er]

140 ideas in one afternoon

How absolutely fabulous was the weather today? Even though I got to spend most of it bouncing along on a train and the tube, the latter half was fertile with creativity and interesting conversation.

8 individual business owners, including a posse of Serco employees were joined together to discuss ways in which the government funded Businesslink website might be improved for UK business owners and new start-ups seeking help. Cool.

This was the second meet up (first meeting blogged here), and the pressure was on for us to brain storm a plethora of ideas, that our hosts could then gather-up. Once distilled, the results were going to be considered for entry into the already 'bursting at the seams' website, or may even kick-start the process of a structural change.

To begin with, it is an excellent website from a fledgling business point of view. Let's make no bones about it, this website is a treasure trove of business how to's, but also it is an exceedingly tough read. For those who have enough time and energy to plough through the information - awaits a large amount of knowledge through professionally written articles. It was mentioned during the workshop that a line must be drawn under how much information is required to be pushed upon us from the government, and how much is simply made available for us to explore at our leisure. My opinion is that you do not know what to look for unless you know what it is that you are supposed to be looking for - and shock horror,  not all of us can find the time to learn for learnings sake.

Part of the problem is that there are way too many info-avenues out there and it is hard to know where to start. If Businesslink is aiming to be the first and only stop for UK business owners who need to know more about regulations, then surely the following question has to be answered first. How do we skill ourselves up in a world jammed pack full of information cul-de-sacs and  data fatigue? The way I see it is that, firstly we have to admit that we need to continue the learning. Next step is to focus on a healthy rate of exposure and focus on what we need first. Somewhere in between we have to learn to enjoy the experience too. Very important. Can Businesslink solve this for us?

I believe that it can.

So watch out for the website - as hopefully, an essential tool for business owners... may well be changing, for the better.


Engine[er]

N.B. Today's weather was abysmal (Sunday 4th), so sorry for mentioning the great weather in London on Friday

Location:New Bridge St,City of London,United Kingdom

The Idiots Guide to Interdependence

Life is a team sport and this means that when you are in business, there is massive need to collaborate (as explained in my last post) and share work with people who over time you learn to trust. Interdependence is a term which explains the same business phenomenon BUT with a understated downside.

It is said that the best business idioms involves the easiest route to market, the simplest of ideas, plans most relevant to your chosen environment and the LEAST amount of interdependence on others. Which of course flys in the face of good ol' team work. Not entirely the best correlation to draw at this time, but I'm going to explore it nether-the-less.

When 'business gurus' suggest that interdependence on others is a bad thing, they mean you to understand this in context of what it is that you wish to achieve. For example; any kind of scalable or franchise business will rely upon external help. Whether that be shipping or frontline sales people. There is no getting away from it all. Therefore within your future business plans, allow for expansion into these areas so that you will not have to completely rely upon others. Its all about calculated risks.... or risks that you understand and can live with.

What about me? Well I am as much a calculated risk for others as they are to me. I try my hardest to communicate as much as possible so that those who use my services, understand the problems I face which can affect my ability to deliver. Being honest and open builds meaningful relationships.

Customers and clients do not want to hear about your problems, they want to see results. So the easiest way to serve yourself is to be frank with those who you expect to deliver for you and your clients. Don't let your interdependencies affect your future business relationships. Take control.

Engine[er]

Location:St Pancras train station

Late Announcement

Sorry for the late news cast - (but most of you know already) as from Monday 1st August 2011, I have finally stepped into the business world lock stock and barrel! After deciding to leave full-time employment to chase my dream of running my own business, I now have free reign to work on my own projects. The moment has arrived and I'm feeling kinda weird and excited :-)

I have been running my business during my spare time for a few months now... but right here and right now... I feel that I have finally made a full-time commitment and taken the final step.

Many thanks to everyone who has ever worked with me and given me the confidence to make this happen; my Dad for being an 'immovable object' and painfully right all the time, my mum for making me feel special, my first bosses and mentors Peter/Howard/Taz/Shauny for listening and giving me a chance at a career when it looked pretty useless for me, my best mates Paul/Neil who stuck with me when I was being an idiot and successfully squandering every chance that life threw at me, Sgt. Tommo in the RAF (2620) for teaching me that life is a team sport, and I had what it take to do whatever I put my mind to... but he mostly swore at me though. Thanks to Kevin Barter who really gave me the passion for Engineering and for doing a proper job in the face of adversity/idiocy, my friends in Bristol for helping me enjoy many extra curricular activities and everybody else who has listened to me rant, rave and spit and swear about life, love, friends, and family - but still believed in me and gave me the confidence to go it alone.

Big thanks to my last employers too for showing me (to their detriment) that I was ready to spring into action and make it happen for myself.

Finally a huge heart felt thank-you to Sammy for putting up with me and continuing to be there whilst I slowly found my business 'sea legs'.

This is only the beginning.

Engine[er]

Teach Yourself How To Run: Part Three

Hi, and welcome back to my free lessons on how to put one foot in front of the other fast enough to be called running. Or jogging.

I have been getting quite a lot of running in recently and it has given me plenty of time to think of what I might talk to you about next. Todays lesson follows on nicely from the last session, and how to beat those mind controlling gremlins. YOU CAN DO THIS! It is easy.

Start with dampening down your lazy urges. Running along my normal route just last week, I reached a short sharp hilly lane ( I call it the 'gut freeze'), this horrendously steep lane is neatly halved by a kissing gate. On an average day I would run up to the gate and launch myself to the side and onto the adjacent fence, effectively jumping over the gate. It keeps me moving and makes me feel good. But last week as I began the climb up the lane.. I had this gut wrenching, nagging thought that I was too tired to jump over the fence, and that I would play it safe and walk through the gate. Just as I approached the gate I forced myself to change my mind. I upturned my belief that I was tired and made the jump.

Sailing through the air and landing on the other side I really felt empowered by doing this and realised that I had taken on a mini mind challenge... and beat it. When I run I continuously attempt to do the same thing but in slightly different ways... you try this. It may be that simply not stopping is your goal for your runs, but make sure that it is a challenge. Another challenge is when you take a turning on your run and you are faced with a tiny short cut across the grass instead of following the path... FORCE YOURSELF to follow the path around. You will know that you have done something special - because it will just happen to you, your gut will shrink and then BAM! You take on the challenge.  For me, I knew that I my change of mind made a big difference to me because the pit of my stomach cringed and heavily resisted the gate jump... I had changed my mind against all the odds.

This is what running does for you. You can see challenges, and obstacles - but they only represent another way to test your resolve, fitness and need to win. This is an exciting skill and mindset to experience - and trust me, you will need this in your life if you decide to run or start up your own business.

Tell me all about your experiences please...

Engine[er]

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 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]

When did you decide to go it alone?

Hi I would like to speak to about my thoughts and experiences in the hope that you might find some of them useful. If you do - then please drop me a message and let me know.

Last October, I decided to leave my promising job in Oxfordshire (just as it was getting interesting) to persue a personal goal of helping to run a small engineering business alongside the owners. The deal sold to me was that I would spend 3-5 years learning how to run thier consultancy, manage staff, training staff, build a network... all the good stuff. Eventually they would retire and leave me to it. As it turns out, the details were not fully worked through and an agreed plan was absent.

I didn't know about the challenges which I was about to face during the next 4 months. All I was focussed on was gaining business knowlede and doing it fast! To learn what it is to be both a manager and a prospective business owner takes you on a journey, one which some say never ends. You never fully 'make it', you just learn new ways of doing the same thing. You can set goals and fulfil them, but there are always more goals and plans to be carried out - a person with drive will have a never ending list if things to do.

If you have chosen to gently ease your way into business ownership via the route which I prospected last October then please take notes, the following list of points may interest you.

1. Firstly, I would like to pass on to you the gist of a conversation which I had with one of my friends a few months ago. I was confused and a little bit angry - I just wanted a sounding-board, someone to help me put my thoughts into perspective. So I called him to get his point of view. He helped me realise that no business owner will happily hand over to you their business. That's NO BUSINESS OWNER who has loved and built up their business will simply let you take their baby and do with it what you will... for me this was an important realisation. This means that all the clients, all the employees, all the past promises made, are to be upheld by you - even if you own more than 50% of the total investment. To me this is not business ownership - this is business caretakership.
2. Create a contractual agreement from the start - listing responsibilities and hirearchy. It will be evident that from the point of view of the business owners - that their time is very important. They do not want to waste time on training,  integrating and grooming an employee to eventually run their business, to find out years down the line that they have picked the wrong person. On the flip side, your time is very important too! You do not want to spend 3-5 years burning yourself out to find that you were never going to get the opportunity due to something out of your control and even worse, was known at the outset. You have a responsibility to everyone (employees, owners and yourself) to have all discussions minuted and signed off. You have to do your homework and train yourself too; keywords here are - management buy-out, business exit strategy, semi-retirement, business planning, profit shares, profitability (of all areas of the business) and responsibilities.
3. Don't ignore the warning signs. Should a particular aspect of your job/responsibility continually gnaw at you, then tackle it head on with your potential business partners. Speak up! These warning signs are your experience and consciousness telling you that something is not quite right - you either don't understand the concept and need help, or it flys in the face of how you wish to do business. Both of which deserves major air-time with those who are looking after your future within the business you have chosen. Trust me - this attitude will help speed up your growth and hasten the end of any business relationship which may just have turned out to be a complete waste of time for every party involved.

I eventually decided that a future partnering in that particular business was not right for me - or indeed for them. I got on my 'bike' and changed my direction. I suggest that if you are newly considering your future plans due to a boost in confidence, or earning a of a qualification or perhaps because of redundancy, then think fast and make decisions count.

Engine[er]

This is my journey - I give it to you

If you have been scouring the internet looking for a reason, "pleeease, just a solitary reason"  to start up a business to call your own, then I hope that you may find this an interesting blog page to read.

If you have aspirations to become your own boss; and are sick of listening to your friends, family and colleagues tell you that now is not the right time to risk everything... then I'm here to tell you that there has never been a better time.

Finally, should you have happened across this blog page by accident - perhaps you were carving up the web, looking for inspiration or a reason to change your life... then welcome to a new way of thinking.

This is my journey from inception to late nights and my eventual creative and professional freedom.

The Engine[er]