Dr David Bozward

Category: Blog

  • 12 months of successful entrepreneurship in 2017

    12 months of successful entrepreneurship in 2017

    Each year I sit down and make a set of new years resolutions and this year I wanted to try something new. So this year I thought I would make a series of statements which I could live by, to make my life more successful. So the following 12 statements are aimed to make our lives more entrepreneurial this coming year.

    1. Self believe in yourself.

    As Henry Ford famously said, “Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re right.” You HAVE to Believe that you can succeed, and this believe will help find ways through different obstacles.

    2. Have and communicate the vision.

    The difference between a manager and a entrepreneur is the vision they have for the business, an entrepreneur is someone who has a vision for something and a desire to create it. This vision needs to be clear at all times.

    3 Take the risk.

    We never know the outcome of our endeavours unless we actually try it. Jeff Bezos said it helped to know that he wouldn’t regret failure, but he would regret not trying.

    4. Deliver more than expected.

    Google’s Larry Page encourages entrepreneurs to deliver more than customers expect. It’s a the only way to get noticed in your industry and build a loyal customer following and turn them into advocates.

    5. Make it happen.

    The world is full of great ideas, but success only comes through action. Walt Disney once said that the easiest way to get started is to quit talking and start doing. That’s true for your success as well.

    6. Manage energy, not time.

    Your have limited amount of energy, so  limit what you can do with your time, so manage it wisely.

    7. Hire character.

    As you build your new venture team, hire based on their character and your common values. You can always train someone on skills, but you can’t make someone’s values fit your company after the fact.

    8. Learn from YOUR mistakes.

    Many entrepreneurs point to mistakes as being their best teacher. When you learn from your mistakes, you move closer to success — even though you initially failed.

    9. Spend with discretion.

    When you spend money on your business, be careful to spend it wisely. It’s easy to spend too much on things which provide little return and run out of finances too soon.

    10. Find good people.

    Who you’re with is who you become. Reid Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn, noted that the fastest way to change yourself is to hang out with people who are already the way you want to be.

    11. Accept it takes time.

    No one succeeds immediately, and everyone was once a beginner. As Steve Jobs wisely noted, “if you look closely, most overnight successes took a long time.” Don’t be afraid to invest time in your company.

    12.  Make friends with successful entrepreneurs

    There are so many trick of the trade, so the easiest way to learn is by talking to those who have done it and understanding the little things which is needed to make you successful.

     

  • Student Led Incubators

    Student Led Incubators

    There is always a real need to get student involved in Enterprise and Entrepreneurship within the university. They have a real need for enterprise skills and developing it into an Entrepreneurial career or a full blown Entrepreneur.

    So on a recent visit to the the Tianjin Urban Construction Management Vocational Technology College, we had the opportunity to visit their incubator.

    This college is looking at developing Energy Entrepreneurship, developing new businesses which address saving energy or using it in a more effective way, especially within China.

    IMG_7685

    So the real surprise was the cafe within the business incubator was run by Students for Students and business owners. We had the chance to meet the three owners of the business and provide some advice and support. The development of this student led cafe provides a real insight into both the management of the college and also the students within it.

    The management have placed trust in the students to start, run and make a success of the cafe. This has resulted in:

    1, Trusting students is such an important part of Entrepreneurship and we sometime forget to place this on students.

    2, The students have taken a opportunity to run the cafe, something which every student on campus will have an opinion about. I know many students wouldn’t do this as their peers would look down on them or have something to say. The risks and rewards associated with this is a great lesson, but the greatest one is that these students have the largest network on campus.

    3, Having a go, should always provide winners, as experience of entrepreneurship will ensure students leave with more skills that we educators could ever teach them.

    IMG_7688

    The cafe was the centre of the business incubator and so made it student led, the cafe was the heart of the space, just as it should be.

    So when we arrange, we were saw a great space being used by other students and it was the centre of campus live. So good luck.

     

  • Setting Objectives when Starting up a Business

    Setting Objectives when Starting up a Business

    When Setting Objectives when Starting up a Business you should always use SMART objectives -the most well known method for setting objectives. S.M.A.R.T refers to the acronym that describes the key characteristics of meaningful objectives, which are:

    Specific

    • WHAT am I going to do?
    • WHY is this important for me to do?
    • WHO is going to do what? Who else need to be involved?
    • WHEN do I want this to be completed?
    • HOW am I going to do this?

    Measureable

    • How do I know when I have done it?
    • Can these measurements be obtained?
    • What are the numbers, quantity, comparisons?

    Achievable

    • Can we get it done in the proposed timeframe?
    • Do I understand the limitations and constraints?
    • Can we do this with the resources we have?
    • Has anyone else done this successfully?
    • Is this possible?

    Realistic

    • Do you have the resources available to achieve this objective?
    • Do I need to revisit priorities in my life to make this happen?
    • Is it possible to achieve this objective?

    Time-Bound

    • When will this objective be accomplished?
    • Is there a stated deadline? (a defined time line)

    Setting Goals Summary

    Remember what gets measured gets done, so write your goals down, share them constantly with those who can help, are part of the goal and your team. Keep refining your goals to ensure achievable. If necessary, split goals down into achievable tasks.

  • Effective Listening Skills for Entrepreneurs

    Effective Listening Skills for Entrepreneurs

    Why Listening Skills?

    The most important skill you can develop as an entrepreneur is the ability to listen and understand what your prospects are telling you. There are two forms of listening active and passive. Most people develop lazy passive listening skills which mean they hear the words, don’t process the aural sounds into understanding and follow through with feedback.

    Understand the speakers body language ensures you are developing a higher understanding of the situation. Avoid letting the speaker know how you handled a similar situation. Even if the speaker is launching a complaint against you, wait until they finish to defend yourself.

    Engage yourself to understand what is being communicated to you

    Active listening is about using every sense, processing the words, creating understanding and following through with encouraging feedback.

    Feedback

    Encouraging – It is the technique through which the speaker is encouraged to continue talking. The expressions like “I see” are generally used in this activity. The technique of ‘encouraging’ is an effective way to reinforce the speaker’s belief that one is listening to him keenly. It also helps the speaker understand which part of his speech is being appreciated and helps him elaborate on that particular topic.
    Paraphrasing – In this process, the words spoken by the speaker are presented by the listener in different words. The benefit of paraphrasing is that the speaker gets positive feedback and ensures that whatever he has spoken is being understood by the listener. This prompts the speaker to proceed further and stops him from repeating the same statement more than once.
    Reflecting the Feelings – The activity of reflecting the feelings is similar to paraphrasing. In paraphrasing feedback about the meaning of words is given, while the feelings underlying the words are reflected in this activity; identification and sorting of the speaker’s feelings is carried out in this process. If one is listening to a client, reflecting the feelings helps the speaker understand that one empathizes with his feelings; it encourages the speaker to proceed.
    Summarizing – As the name suggests, this activity involves summarizing the sentences of the speaker. It is somewhat similar to paraphrasing except for the fact that summarizing provides a complete and comprehensive feedback.

     

    Ten Tips for Developing Effective Listening Skills

    1. Understanding the difference between ‘active’ and ‘passive’ listening.

    To listen ‘actively’ means to be engaged, involved. You are actively using every sense you have to listen.

    To listen ‘passively’ means you hear the words with your ears. You are letting the sound of the words wash over you rather than going forward to meet and greet them. They ‘go in one ear and out the other’ very easily.

    1. Eliminate outer distractions.

    If you are giving someone your full attention then sounds other than those you want to hear can distract. Turn off what you can and consciously block the rest.

    1. Eliminate inner distractions.

    Quell the urge to think about anything other than what you are hearing. If you allow your mind to wander you are letting yourself lapse into ‘passive’ rather ‘active’ listening.

    1. Pay close attention to the speaker’s body language and in particular the face and hands. Watch for non-verbal cues giving suggestions as to how the spoken information is to be interpreted.

    Click for a quick basic guide to body language . If you’re unfamiliar with the notion of ‘reading’ the way a person holds their body, this will serve as a good introduction.

    1. Listen to the tone of the voice.

    What feelings does it evoke? What does it let you know about the speaker’s emotional state beyond the words they are using? Listen too for changes in tone, pitch or pauses within the speech. These can signal subject shifts or transitions. They may also be letting you know what is important and what isn’t.

    1. Listen to the tone of the words chosen to express the speaker’s ideas. Most of us use differing vocabularies depending on whom we are speaking to and what it is we are saying. What is the speaker’s choice of words saying to you beyond the words themselves?
    2. Pay close attention to cues heralding note-worthy information or summary statements. Example: ‘There are two things I want you to remember…’, ‘There are three important steps. The first is…’, ‘To sum up…’
    3. Resist the urge to respond or react.

    Let the words communicate with you freely. They are not free if you are already deciding what you’re going to say because you have shifted your focus from the speaker to yourself. A premature outburst either in your mind or outloud can block communication.

    1. Practice playing-back what ‘you think’ you heard. If it’s appropriate check your understanding. Use your own words to paraphrase and or/summarise what was said. Ask if you heard rightly. Get confirmation or clarification.
    2. Be aware of cultural-difference.

    Body language varies significantly across cultures as does what can and what can’t be talked about. Before leaping to a conclusion reflecting your own interpretation or prejudice, ask.

     

     

     

  • A true Entrepreneur never fails, just learns

    A true Entrepreneur never fails, just learns

    In the recent months, I have been thinking about the journey we take as entrepreneurs. This is not always a logical one and it has many twists and turns but as a lecturer I know it’s important to present a structured approach with a limited set of options. But as a realist, I also know the path to true enlightenment may be through the pit of delusion.

    The message that failure is a good thing is one which many people are now talking about, yet I find our education system still thinks in a binary way, you either pass or fail and this can only be done at defined points, normally set by your age.

    Our Examination system teaches us from a young age that there is only one right answer and many wrong ones. This then provides society with a view of you, typically a grade from A* to U. We sit and judge you from afar, if too many get high marks then the exams were easy, if too little get high mark then the youth of today are spending too much time on their Xbox. The hard fact for many young people is that the grade is final and they be able to change it, even if they get better at that subject. You never get the opportunity to learn from your mistakes or gain a higher grade.

    Yet Entrepreneurship is about the path your take and the reactions to the decisions and not the decisions themselves.

    Everyone is expected to take the wrong turn at some point and the important thing is how you get back on track. How do you learn from the situation? How do you react to your mistake? How do you reflect on the situation and opportunities surrounding you at this point?

    Let me explain this in terms of driving from London to Paris. If you made one wrong turn at any point, then as long as you recognized this fact and acted on this information to rectify it, you would still arrive in Paris. It may or not take longer or extra time. yet our education system would have failed you and asked you to never drive this route again.

    I always explain starting a successful business as having to make one hundred right decisions. Out of how many I do know know. Over what time I do now t know. I don’t know what feedback loop will be in place. When will I know that I have done it?

    We all agree that these decisions will need to be made and that some of them will be shown to be wrong. (Either the right decision at the wrong moment or the wrong decision at the right moment) This is not a fail, just another opportunity to learn, rethink the plan and evaluate your surroundings.

    Our secondary education system needs to develop an opportunity to reflect on the learning and allow the learner to build this into their learning plan moving forward.

    Your path is your own and only on your reflection can you mark yourself.

  • The Guitarist Entrepreneurs

    The Guitarist Entrepreneurs

    What if I tell you that, there are more than five British people who have made more than $1.1 Billion dollars between them by just using one (maybe the greatest) entrepreneurial tool, the guitar.

    If there was a group of people who have a way of making money using a simple formula, you would imagine that there would seminars on how to do it, the internet would be full of adverts stating this get rich scheme. Every school would tell young people that this is a career option, but no, because its rock n’ roll.

    There are lots of these people around the world but I wanted to focus on just five, so selected these five, who past retirement and still making money, just to emphasis the long term viability of this global self employment opportunity.

    This group of people found a secret formula in the 1960s and created such an incredible demand for their services that the world continues to consume it decades later. They made so much money that some governments created special taxes, just to try and get into the act.

    Below I have shown you, just five “Guitarists”, each very successful from the same age 67-71 years old.

    So what’s ‘secret’ formula and how can five people be worth $1.150 Billion?

    Jimmy Page

    Led Zeppelin – Stairway to Heaven Live
    Aged 71
    Net worth: $170 million
    PRACTICE – While still a student, Jimmy Page worked as a session musician and doing a lot of busking. He states “I had to come to grips with it and it was a good schooling”, and this practice provided an opportunity to get feedback from real customers and also build a solid product which could then be taken to mass market.

    Eric Clapton

    The Yardbirds / Cream – Cocaine
    Aged 70
    Net worth: $250 million
    INDUSTRY INFLUENCE – Eric Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and influential guitarists of all time. This is why successful people still go on TV or write blogs, you can never underestimate how this influence can provide limitless opportunities.

    Pete Townshend

    The Who – Quadrophenia
    Net worth: $105 million
    SIGNATURE MOVE – If there was a move which every person knows, its the windmill swing when playing the guitar. On stage, Pete Townshend developed a signature move in which he would swing his right arm against the guitar strings in a style reminiscent of the vanes of a windmill. Others have followed since, e.g. Michael Jackson with his backward walk, that signature move is the most powerful marketing tool available.

    Keith Richards

    The Rolling Stones – Out Of Control
    Aged 71
    Net worth: $340 million
    LUCK – If there is one person on this planet would has luck on their sides, it’s Keith Richards. Every entrepreneur knows if you have some luck then it makes a big difference.

  • Startup Incubator Best practice

    Startup Incubator Best practice

    What do people need from an incubator when starting a business ?

    Over the last six years I have visited, be a participant of and worked in an startup Incubator. So I have had the opportunity to see it from all sides. The one thing I learnt very early on was it’s not about the physical space. Those with the most colourful, innovative decor or largest wall hanging tended to be the worst. Those that I liked focused on a few important things, so lets consider them in the right order:

    Business Networking

    The opportunity to network and be associated with a network is the most important factor. Entrepreneurs that do well network, it provides co-founders, investors, customers and the most importantly great staff. So having this provided on a plate to you, when starting out, is the golden egg which your business should be incubated in.

    Mentoring

    Most people who run incubators have never started or run a business, so having a mentor is very important in creating perspective, inspiration and raw guidance. The mentor and mentee should be trained to understand the expectations placed on the each other. The selection of the mentor should be based on the stage of the business, business sector and the location of the entrepreneur. Having more than one mentor should also be encouraged.

    Flexible Space

    It’s important that formal meeting space, serendipitous meetings and water cooler moments are all facilitated within the incubator. The majority of business people today expect to meet in a cafe or open space but a closed space is also needed for formal meetings. The hot desking should have great wifi.

    Friendly Support

    Having people who can support you when things don’t go as expected is important. The ability to ask someone who can sign post you to additional support, grants, loans and people is so important when starting out, pivoting and trying to bootstrap your business. When selecting an incubator, do the staff seam helpful and knowledgeable.

    Skills Development Events

    In the process of starting a business most people learn new skills naturally, but don’t know it and need reminded of the distance covered. Some people need organised session whereby they develop skills and knowledge which will be needed in the future, next month/year. The majority of incubators will have a speaker series to support this.

    Funding Support

    Most people don’t need that much, if you are outside London, the costs of living is less. If the office is free then it’s just some living expenses and then some Stuff to move the business forward. However access to finance at various stages is important to scale businesses and the staff should be able to support you in this endeavour.

    Free or Discounted Stuff

    Most businesses need a tool bag of stuff which can help them more forward their business. This may include websites, accounting software, payment solutions, discounted travel, …etc. Its also helpful if the incubator can recommend software solutions for you, saving you the research space and money.

     

    The important factors in starting a business are sometimes softer that you think. Its not always Money, Staff and 1000 sq ft office space. It may just be a cup of tea with someone who has done it before and has a story to tell.

  • Essential Software Tools for a Startup Business

    Essential Software Tools for a Startup Business

    Over the last year I have either started mentoring or joined the advisory board of several technology startups. These are technology led businesses with a team of both techies and non-technics. For every startup its important to set the tools early on as it influences the culture of the business and also the pace of the business growth. Selecting the wrong tool delays development as everyone has to learn it or even stops the business as no one wants to use this tool.

    There is no one tools I recommend and it depends on the team members and then the project attributes, such as the size of team, selected coding platform, use of third party plugins and also the length of the creative cycles. So below you will find at least two options for each core tool. The tools selected below all start off with a freemium model which is ideal for startups.

    Another factor in selecting the tools below was they should work on multiple devices (mobile, tablet and PC) and also with multiple people (sharing, editing and also distribution).

    Startup Documents

    Criteria: Need to share, edit and collaborate on documents. Multiple people should be able to view documents at any time.

    Evernote

    I have been a fan of Evernote since it was first launched. I use it in several ways:

    • Research – I use the Web Clip extension to save web pages which then allow me to develop a collection of articles very quickly and then index them against tags and within notebooks. For early stage startups understanding what competitors are doing and how certain technology works is important. This can then be shared with everyone on the team, ensuring a similar knowledge base.
    • I have multiple notebooks that I use for all sorts of things including my task management, goal setting, lists of all kinds, photos and random notes.

    Google Apps/Docs

    Its taken me some time to get happy with Google Docs and still don’t put documents I want to be secure on it, but as an editor which multiple people can use to generate a shared vision its the best tool out there.

    • Collaborative Documents – The document editor is better than MS Word and has a better spell checker, it also loads faster.
    • Save As function, especially to PDF and Website is worth using as it allows you to email and share document very quickly.
    • Google Forms is the best way to create surveys. Since I found this I have stopped using Survey Monkey which has got too expensive.

    Startup Internal Comms & Project Management

    Criteria: A place where everyone can state what they are doing and when, any issues are discussed and logged.

    Skype

    This is a must have tool for collaborative teams.

    • Team Chat – To have a open chat box which everyone can contribute, add files and also URL links is extremely powerful. This always on and open team collaborative culture is extremely important to generating momentum for the business.
    • Team Calls – Every team has to go through the storming/norming phases and chatting on Skype for hours on getting the vision/mission/strategy right is the only way. Most of my team members use Skype of their mobile/tablet for this, so they can walk around the house, trying different rooms during each stage of the meeting.

    Trello

    This provides a digital kanban board for project management, allows the team to contribute and on one page see the entire set of tasks.

    • Great way to show projects, tasks and business mapping on one page which everyone can buy into.
    • The graphical interface provide a simple way to get the team to contribute and set/agree their tasks

    Startup Cloud Storage

    Criteria: Always on and backed up to the cloud. Low cost.

    Dropbox

    Keeps my working files available to me wherever I am, synched across multiple devices.

    • For one startup all their large images are shared through dropbox with all documents shared through Google Docs.
    • I also backup google docs and websites  to Dropbox
    • For another startup they use this for their business plans and external funding applications

    Backupify

    This is a cloud-to-cloud backup provider which enables you to draw down these resources and also edit and repurpose.

    • So backing up what’s on Flickr, Twitter, Delicious, Zoho, Google Apps/Docs, WordPress, Basecamp, Gmail, Facebook, Google Calendar…

    Startup Code Management

    Criteria: Version control for multiple developers

    Github

    This is the default repository for any startup source code plus task lists for developers.

    • It offers as standard distributed revision control and source code management functionality you need.
    • The Wiki and bug tracking features are important once development has started. A wiki can help track the outcomes of those conversations you have about “Should we do it this way or that”. As you know you one of these will be wrong and you will need to reserve this decision.

    Windows Azure

    This feature rich version allows expansion and future proofing.
    You can get this free on the “www.microsoft.com/bizspark/” programme

    • As with a lot of Mircosoft products they are very well designed, (sometimes too over engineered), so choose the options carefully to start with and then open up additional features later on when needed. This way you can grow into the product and not be over “controlled” by the tool.

    Startup Social Media

    Criteria: Simple tools to tell the world of your progress during development. Management of multiple channels during launch.

    Hootsuite

    This is my default social media management tool, as it has Instagram, Youtube and others.

    • Management of multiple streams
    • The fact you can see all tweets from a particular Search and interact with these is very powerful

    Buffer App

    A simple and elegant way of scheduling tweets and posts.

    • Easy to get started and set a scheduled tweet or facebook feed
    • The sharing and timing when these posts go out is very powerful

    There is lots of research on how startups work and the process. The vast majority of it states that time, finance and commitment is limited within the team. Therefore a simple limited set of tools is more powerful than having a expanded and more complete solution. The startup process to MVP and Alpha testing is a non perfect process and therefore over engineering the need for support tools just over complicates the project and therefore inserts delays.

  • 7 Books every start-up entrepreneur should read

    7 Books every start-up entrepreneur should read

    There is a great number of books out there which is aimed at Entrepreneurs and the skills and techniques they need. However if you are starting a business you don’t have time to read too many, so I have limited it to seven, which you should be able to read in one week. Enjoy!

    Entrepreneur Revolution: How to Develop Your Entrepreneurial Mindset and Start a Business That Works by Daniel Priestley

    I very much agree with the theme of this book “The age of the entrepreneur, the agile small business owner, the flexible innovator. The days of the industrial age are over.” and every student I meet, its about developing this mindset. This book should mainly provide some motivation and inspiration for your plunge into the next books.

    The Lean Startup by Eric Ries

    Building a business is no longer about “the business plan” which is cast in stone, its about doing and then creating small changes or pivots to the plan as you move forward. He goes over the a number techniques an entrepreneur can use in order to create a business.

    Business Model Generation by Alexander Osterwalder

    Great for the visual entrepreneur or those not interesting in writing a 50 page business plan. The book teaches us the right way to create a visual business plan and act on it. With pictures, graphs and timelines, this book is a must-have for every visionary young entrepreneur.

    How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

    This classic book will turn your relationships around and improve your interactions with everyone in your life. Business is all about relationships, employees, investors, partners and customers all need you to be the best at dealing with their interactions.

    Purple Cow by Seth Godin

    Godin is one of the greatest entrepreneurial minds in the world and you should be taking a look at www.sethgodin.com. In Purple Cow, he advocates building something so amazing that people can’t ignore you and then allowing them to be your brand ambassadors. There are a lot of great case studies in this book.

    The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey

    While working on his doctorate in the 1970’s, Stephen R. Covey reviewed 200 years of literature on success. He noticed that since the 1920’s, success writings have focused on solutions to specific problems. In some cases such tactical advice may have been effective, but only for immediate issues and not for the long-term, underlying ones. This is why a lot of entrepreneur books have case studies or information which is of little help to you in your situation.

    Covey presents an approach to being effective in attaining goals by aligning oneself to what he calls “true north” principles of a character ethic that he presents as universal and timeless.

    The Psychology of Selling by Brian Tracy

    Every entrepreneur knows that the key to a successful business is good sales technique. Not only do you have to sell your product, but you also have to sell yourself and your idea.

    This book gives you valuable information and strategies about how to make more selling by focusing on one thing – the person. Young entrepreneurs tend to forget the basics of selling and jump right over to getting results, but in order to get results, you need to know the basics. Brian Tracy goes over those major points thoroughly.

  • Top 10 Enterprise Movies of All TIme

    Top 10 Enterprise Movies of All TIme

    During the Christmas holiday I got asked to name my top ten films and as always its hard to bring it down to just ten, but then I thought about what have these movies teaches me about business or enterprise.

    So here goes…

    Stardust (2007)

    “having a dream, passion and a little determination is all you need”

    Our hero needs to track down a fallen star, living in a small village in Kent, he heads over the local boundary wall only to find its a magically world. Its a great movie and Robert De Niro plays a cross dressing captain is just a surreal part.

    Its the story of EVERY entrepreneur I have ever meet, they have a dream, some passion and didn’t really know what the end game would be, but they were determined to see it through. We celebrate those that succeed but we should encourage everyone to have a go, as these people create wealth, innovation and more importantly experience.

    Godfather (1972+)

    “Pivoting an established business is extremely hard, so do it early on”

    Michael tries to change the business activities of his family business and even with all his wealth and influence he fails.

    I have seen this so many times in my career. Motorola was the greatest mobile phone manufacturer in the world, developing first generation phones (1G) and then Nokia started developing 2G phones and Motorola never really got into the digital game. Then Samsung took the 3G market with bigger screens and apps and Apple is the current power house with 4G phones. This is not even a pivot its an upgrade to me and you, but these businesses can not do it, so learn early on in your business and get it right. It may be your only chance.

    Star Wars (1977+)

    “The small business has more opportunities than the larger “death star” businesses, however its in the execution”

    Lean methodology is key to setting off but for today’s business small is best. Think of Arm or Superdry which are amazing companies who outsource or create business models which mean they don’t employ thousands of people installed in the “death star”. Get yourself an Millennium Falcon and just keep the hyper drive working.

    Apocalypse now (1979)

    “Know your enemy better than yourself”

    I just love this movie, its about a journey that we all take, a physical and mental one. Each journey changes us and that change is inconceivable at the start.

    The best line in the movie being “I love the smell of napalm in the morning” which alway reminds me on the business mantra “Eat a toad every morning”. This is a Mark Twain saying and aims to get you doing the worst job first every day, then the day can only get better.

    This analysis of your enemy and then eventual destruction of them is a very common business theme, however the real message is that by learning their strengths and especially their weaknesses we can become better entrepreneurs. Its sometimes hard to learn other people’s weaknesses but certainly we should identify our own and seek the support they need.

    Avanti (1972)

    “In every business there is value”

    Jack Lemmon did some great films, such as “Some like it hot” but this one is my favourite, bit of a romcom set in Italy. The comedy is just excellent and the settings are just breath taking. The story line is that Jack Lemmon must go to the Italian island of Ischia to claim the body of his millionaire father, only to find his father took more than the local spa each day.

    It really shows how cultures clash and that different business methods may seem odd or just outdated, yet just taking the time to understand the culture and the business methods allows you to then extract the true value. We are very keen to adopt new technology and business methods without understanding the processes and methods which have worked for thousands of years.

    Pulp Fiction (1994)

    “Sometimes you need someone else to help you”

    Everyone should spend time with hitmen who have a penchant for philosophical discussions, especially around the foody topic of Hamburgers. However when they get into trouble its Mr Wolf they turn to.

    Every entrepreneur should have Mr Wolf, “I solve problems” who they can call on. This may be a mentor, a consultant or advisor who can come in and just sort out the issue. Everyone has a skills gap in one area, a thing that bugs them or they just can’t get their head around. You have to have one of these “Mr Wolf” people who can come in and solve it. Your’ll never look back.

    Hairspray (2007)

    “You don’t have to ever grow your business”

    Everyone loves a musical, a man playing a dame and a dance off. Its the secret ingredient for a great movie. Mr Wilbur Turnblad has been running his joke shop for a lifetime and yet he is still enjoying every day of it. Making it bigger will take the real fun out of it and also create a set of issues which he doesn’t want to present to his family. So small is beautiful in this case for him.

    The incredibles (2004)

    “Family businesses are stronger”

    Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl never worked together as superheroes until they have to protect the family. Each family has a different super power which enhances the whole team to beat off Syndrome. This is true for every team, everyone have something to offer, sometimes mundane is the most important skill to have. (e.g a good cup of tea when sailing in a force 10 gale is just awesome)

    The best quote from the movie is “Everyone can be super. And when everyone’s super, no one will be.” which shows we need everyone to be different otherwise we have nothing special.

    Avatar (2009)

    “Go in prepared”

    You can have the best trained soldiers, biggest guns and latest technology and you still may lose the fight. Sometimes its more about the hearts and minds which win the battle, so you need to prepare these to fulfil your goal. Just don’t forget it.

    The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

    SELL SELL SELL

    This movie shows you can create a business which is solely focused on sales and there are still a large number of these around, the modern day call centre is an example. However the loyalty you get from looking after you staff is a major mantra for this movie.

    The number one thing you have to do in a business is sell, no matter what business it is, a Charity, Religion, Social Enterprise or PLC. You have to get people to part with their cash on a regular basis to ensure you are solvent.

    Also it shows that the name of your business is everything “Stratton Oakmont”. These people travelled across on the Mayflower and thus can be trusted.

    Hopefully you have enjoyed hearing my top 10 enterprise movies.