Week Nineteen: Finding My Inner Jaws

How my work life used to go....you plan a project, you deliver against your timelines, when problems emerge you work with your team to review the options then work with all involved to agree the best way forward so you stay on track. When a blockage gets in the way you do what it takes to remove it...reason with people, negotiate your position and when push comes to shove use your positional power to throw a few names about who you'll escalate to (one in particular used to work a treat) and before you know it that blockage is gone.  It's like swimming in a pool of stingray and sharks but it's ok cos whilst you're not a Great White you're up there like a Tiger Shark.

Move forward a few months, remove yourself from the workplace you've developed a good reputation in and have a certain power due to seniority. Put yourself into a much wider tidal ocean, build your own vision within that ocean which is minnow like in the big scheme of things and before you know it, like the small scale of your project (in absolute terms) you realise you've gone from being an influential shark to something which resembles Nemo!! Cute, colourful, full of personality but lost in a world where you're a tiny fish in a massive ocean.

Perhaps a bit dramatic but the point is your importance is apparently totally relative to the absolute value of what you're trying to do.  Forget the fact that a small business owner has to be more resourceful in finding a few thousand pounds than a player in the corporate world has to be in finding millions - if the absolute figure is small you seem to become insignificant. The fact that you are putting more on the line than any corporate player is completely overlooked.

The point of this? It's amazing how your loud voice becomes a whisper in this new frame of reference. How your deadlines are irrelevant for some (not all), how your threats of escalation mean nothing, and how shortsighted people are about who you may be and what you might achieve in the future (to quote another film do you remember when Julia Roberts was looked down on in the shop in Pretty Woman...."Big Mistake").

Then there are those who can see your vision, who are right behind you, who understand the importance of collaborative working, where it may lead and who pull out all the stops to help you (and ultimately them) achieve something amazing. 

So to those on the latter side of the equation thank you so much for your support and the importance and urgency you have placed on what I am trying to achieve.  May we have a long and fruitful future together where we swim as gracefully and as in sync as a school of fish.

To those who are the former you should know that the person you think is a wee Nemo swimming out her depth in a big ocean is in fact capable of being a bit of a shark if she has to be!!

FROM THIS

TO THIS

AND IF I HAVE TO I CAN TURN TO THIS..

Whilst being infuriated by people's lack of responsiveness I have...

...HUNG OUT AT...the Kelpies with Mum, Auntie and Norman.  What an amazing sculpture. Hard to believe that so much steel can be so mesmerising. To have achieved something in that scale which pulls together the mystical, the historic, the industrial heritage and the future is a true feat. I didn't realise that what I'd previously seen at the Helix were the small scale version so when Andy Scott (their designer and so much more) described them as something that may rival the Statue of Liberty I thought him a bit conceited. Now I've seen the full sized version I take it back. They absolutely do.

....WINED ON....an embarrassingly corked bottle of wine which I took to friends...a bit embarrassing when you're awaiting your Wine Society exam results...

...DINED ON...a beautiful extended family heat and eat supper with the Chesnutts and Potters on Saturday, and lovely Jamie's Italian with the Riccione Nine on Friday (even if we all did feel a bit old to be right at the heart of the Big weekend club night at Geo Square)....for those of you who don't know the Riccione Nine is made up of the Glasgoe Nomad Masters Swimmers and their support crew who went to Riccione two years ago to compete in the world masters swimming championship...needless to say the swimmers performed a lot better than their support crew!!! 

Until next week (and here's hoping the shark can stay at bay) ....

Week Eighteen: Choreography is Key said the Chicken to the Egg

Which comes first?  The chicken or the egg?  

Which comes first?  The business case or committing to making it happen?

Ah the age old question which has us all baffled and I assure you I definitely don't know the answer to though I'm starting to get the idea.

I have spent many many days and hours pulling together every aspect of the business case for my new venture but the decision to actually push the button is determined by bottoming out some key costs which you can't do until you have pushed the button - I think they call that point the leap of faith!!

And that leap of faith really does require to be a thing of beauty - it may be a solo leap but detailed choreography to make it spectacular is still required.  At the core is the numbers stacking up.  To do this you need to get all the inputs right.  To do this you need to project input and costs.  To do this for the big costs you need to find your location and secure it but to do this you need confidence in the numbers.  And confidence in the numbers also means knowing your set up costs which means knowing what it costs to fit out the premises which you can't do til you know where the premises are.....you get the idea!! 

So with vim and vigour and an occasional sense of nausea its a case of nudging along all the component parts in the hope that they are at their best and completely in sync at the point at which that leap happens - I think rather than thinking of jumping off a cliff I'll draw the comparison to that leap in Dirty Dancing - you know the one!!  So much more a positive image than the cliff!

Anyway as you can tell I am going slightly mad!!  I know this is all cryptic at the moment but it is my sincere hope that within the next three weeks I can share what all of these ramblings are about and who knows you may also have a chance to get involved.  Intriguing.

Whilst going slightly mad I...

...HUNG OUT AT...the Normandy Hotel as a roadie to the very talented Master Tom Potter and his band Bad Jeff.  The event was in aid of the Neurological Department of the Southern General and the band were; as always; amazing.  Tom is a spectacular drummer with a big future in front of him - check out his drumming in the attached link  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAmE9CjS3I4

...WINED ON...very little cos I'm so focused at the moment - but I did do a formal tasting of Craig Francis wines - more on that in future blogs...

...DINED ON...mum's famous roast chicken Sunday dinner without the pavlova but with an apple pie.  Other than my family you'll not know that when we was growing up there was a standing joke that when we could smell a roast chicken dinner being cooked for Sunday roast then you knew mum was also making a pavlova for dessert.  One day she got so annoyed at Stuart, Dad and me winding her up that for years she refused to make pavlova. It took years and me learning how to make them before they made a reappearance!!  

Until next time...

Week Seventeen - You Are Always On My Mind

Clearly that's not me in the pictures but it is me in the words!!

This week has been full of meetings - my new accountant (if I achieve nothing else with this business at least I can say I had an accountant!!), industry experts, property consultants, potential suppliers....and just before each of these meetings the adrenalin kicks in, you wonder if you've taken a wee time-filling game too far or at least question exactly what it is that makes you think you've found a wee corner of a market that no-one else has exploited.  That's just for starters.  You then realise you know nothing about the ins and outs of what you're doing and that's when you really start to panic.

How do you cope? Well you pretend you are back in the professional world you know oh so well, pull on all those experiences, all the knowledge you've accumulated, and put on your confidence cloak to see you through.  And as soon as you're talking the confidence comes back, people can see what you're trying to do, like it and go out their way to help make it happen.

For every moment of doubt it just takes a conversation with those around you to make you realise you're on to something and you can make it work and there is no reason you can't be that entrepreneur who cracked it.  I can almost start writing the last blog now...."I had no idea how hard it would be but also how rewarding", "I've had many ups and downs, knock backs and set backs but it's all been worth it"......

It's a bit of a lonely game and sometimes you lose sight of how far you've come in just four weeks.  Not least when you have two businesses you're trying to get off the ground.  

And hence the title of the blog.  I think this experience is lining itself up to be the closest I have come to having children....you can't believe the state you've got yourself into, you feel sick a lot of the time, it will hurt like hell to get it out there and from the moment you conceive the idea your life is not your own...constantly thinking about it, worrying about it, trying to protect and nurture it and getting to the point of no return when you just have to go with it and know your life will never be the same again but so much richer for the experience..yes my new baby!!

So the pace is up again.  This week it's trips down South to suppliers, finalising the numbers with the experts, lawyers, market research, trademarks and so on.  Listen to me. And when I can finally share what I'm doing you could very much find yourself saying "is that it!!".  We'll see

Whilst freaking out this week I have...

...HUNG OUT...at home with my mum and nephews for a sleepover at my house full of treats, movies and midnight feasts and oh yes a 12:30am then 6am alarm call.  Parks are so beautiful so early in the morning!!...

...WINED ON...Craig Francis Sauvignon Blanc, Craig Francis Pinot Noir 2011 and Craig Francis Pinot Noir 2012...the stunning wine samples currently adorning my hall which I was writing tasting notes for ahead of sharing the delight of them with potential customers...more of that to follow but trust me, if you appreciate great wine you'll want to be in the know on these beautiful wines...

...DINED ON...spaghetti with my mum and nephews (if only every meal was so messy!) and of course roast lamb followed by pavlova (Tom Kitchin style) with dear friends on Sunday eve...well what else other than a kiwi classic combo to compliment Craig's stunning wine (the consensus view not just mine).  

Until next time...

And a wee extra.  Tonight I have lost some of my identity...Mr Stewart Taylor just for you.., after 4.66 years of unashamedly living in this house with no curtains or blinds, frightening the people in the sheltered housing across the way...tonight I have blinds on every window.  I don't know what shocks me more...the fact the windows are finally covered or the fact I've now been here for almost five years!!

Night night

Week Sixteen - Writers block...not really

Well here we are again and if anyone has noticed I'm a day late in writing my blog? Why is that I hear you ask? I know there's been a hole in your lives without it!!!

Well I've struggled a bit with what to write this week.  There has been huge progress in the last week in my business plans with the first draft of business number one complete (it's important to praise as well as push yourself!!).  A 25 page doco covering the proposal, philosophy, offering, market research, pricing strategy, full financial assessment, legal and regulatory requirements, risk identification and management strategy, competitor analysis, job specifications, next steps etc - all that you'd expect but which I never thought I'd write!!  

Alas the reason I'm struggling with what to write this week is twofold

1.  I am not in a position to widely share yet what I'm doing (god forbid someone else should have the capital to beat me to my desired market if I put it out there)

2.  I've spent a whole week inside my own head and sharing my thoughts (in the form of my business plans) with the computer therefore the thought of doing it again with the blog is somewhat challenging.

So this week is a bit short and sweet and goes something like this....

...business case one draft one is complete (there are three in total though there could be more...I have brilliant ideas everyday including buying the old original public toilets in Buchanan St and turning them into a tiny wine bar....no need for toilets just a big pile of 20 pences to use the new shiny public toilets at the front door!!!).  

...now is the time to share business plan one with the relevant advisers and take onboard the feedback and challenge....I'm preparing to be bashed and bruised by the end of next week as I share my idea, plan and most importantly financials with a number of key advisers including experts in the relevant field, accountants, property consultants, lawyers, Business Gateway, the council and maybe a bank or two.  I had the first of those meetings today and was so nervous cos you are literally putting yourself on the line when you talk openly about what you think is a good idea.  A great meeting though which I left with refinement to my idea and a spring in my step.  Thank you to the person involved....you know who you are.  They won't all be like that but then this is part the process to test and challenge not only the idea but your drive and commitment.  More next week on how those meetings go and the impact on my plans.

...business two is more organic and needs little investment but is gathering momentum and I hope to be able to share it in the next few weeks.

So that's it.  Doesn't sound like much but I've never worked with such focus, drive and discipline in my life.  I've met some of my old colleagues from the bank this week who ask if I'm missing it at all.  The reality is no I'm not except when I look at my bank balance!! 

So a big week next week....it's at times like these we do well to remember the wise words of a very dear friend of mine...."feedback is a gift"

I look forward to telling you what my "gifts" were like next week....the sort you love or the ones you have to feign being grateful for....you know THOSE gifts....

And lastly for this week I would like to apologise to all my friends I've caught up with this week.  I acknowledged last week I'm not good in my own head so anyone who has been in my company has had a full on barrage of chat without the need to draw breath!! I am aware, I will improve!

In a bid for a break or two this week I have...

...HUNG OUT in Aberfoyle in the glorious sunshine with Hazel, supported Scotland at the Rugby 7s (great effort) and had a brilliant family day yesterday at Blair Drummond Safari Park with mum, Stuart, Jane and my beautiful nephews...

...WINED ON....too much (again).  Standout though was the Godello at Cafe Gandolfi supplied by Judith Hardy and drunk /recommended by Jancis Robinson after her visit to Cafe G last weekend...

...DINED ON...beautiful hake with Parmesan crust, roasted Mediterranean veg and basil oil at Ian Browns Food and Drink....way too long between visits....mind you I have been away.  Always a delight to catch up with Mr, Mrs and Master Brown.  A stunning dinner as always.

Until next week....