Episode 24: 21st June 2018

It may be the longest day but fear ye not, we’ve plenty of business chat to occupy your mind into the wee small hours and as it’s the Summer Solstice, our thoughts turned fairly swiftly to holidays. Whether a British seaside holiday appeals or  something more exotic is on the cards, managing a business through the holiday season can be the cause of a real headache. This week we give some pointers on how to ensure nobody ends up frazzled before the sun even shines.

This week’s events seem to have an IT theme to them but if that’s not your thing, how about a trip to the racetrack?

• Interested in Agile software development? This PMI UK event in Chester is one for you.
• Sticking with the data theme this year Liverpool plays host to the European Search Conference aimed at those who know about SEO, PPC and other acronyms that have become part of everyday life.
• Network yourself dizzy at Staffordshire’s Largest Networking Event at Uttoxeter Racecourse – Let’s Do Business Expo

If you have a bee in your bonnet about Tax,  Tracy has unearthed something you might be interested to check out. If you like the idea of being recognised for paying your dues then pop along to fairtaxmark.net to find out how and why you could get involved.

During his quest to invent the light bulb, Thomas Eddyson is quoted to have said “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”and our  book review this week builds on that sentiment. Black Box Thinking by Matthew Syed focuses on using failure as a positive and mistakes as learning opportunities. We both agree with his thinking but you might  like to see him explain for himself here.

And finally, we go back to the high street for this week’s Guru. Sir William John Anthony Timpson of key cutting and shoe repair fame. Named on the 2017 Rich List as being worth £165 million you might  be forgiven for thinking he spends his time counting his money. Well, he and his wife have done nothing of the sort whilst running their 1325 shops scattered across the length and breadth of the UK.

I think it is fair to say we quite like him, (he’s no Ernesto Sirolli but hey, who is?) and we particularly like his late wife Alex.

One quote from JT that we particularly liked was this one “People will always be at the heart of a successful business. If you want a formula for a great business you have to fill it with great people and no amount of robots can replace that”

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