Alpha's Blog

New Job for me

2010-06-30T06:12:00.000-07:00

I have a new job - and I wasn't expecting it. Since businesssolutionsmag.co.uk went live last week we've been flooded with news and articles from companies wanting to raise their profile. As we are allowing this free of charge whilst we compile site statistics, it's hardly surprising, but we were not expecting the volume to be as great as this. Literally hundreds of submissions every day from all round the world but in particular from the USA and the UK. So my new job is to edit and filter the submissions so that they can be published in a suitable format. Of course we are getting a lot of junk mixed in with the good stuff but that's the nature of the internet. Thanks to everyone for the interest in our magazine. The eventual plan is to find a way to monetise the site, with or without the involvement of partners. The most important thing about the site is that the editorial integrity is as strong as it was when James was editor of the printed version. Space is either paid for and clearly marked as such, or it is included owing to its editorial merit. That makes it believable and worthy of being read. www.businesssolutionsmag.co.uk

Changes and feeling grateful

2010-06-23T08:40:00.000-07:00

Was it really 4 whole months ago that I last wrote here? Now we have 2 new websites for Alpha and www.businesssolutionsmag.co.uk, our online magazine. We've completed many interesting projects and welcomed new team members on board. I am here less on a day to day basis which is allowing the team to develop.
Sometimes change is not noticeable as it takes place, but only retrospectively as one compares life now with, for example, 12 months ago. I thought things were good then but they are even better now. It's reassuring to know that, if you have clear goals and focus on them, they will usually occur over a period of time without strenuous effort every minute of every day. One of the benefits of getting older (and there are quite a few) is that one becomes more patient and less willing to be stressed about things that don't matter. Whilst our team watches the world cup this afternoon, I'm not counting lost production time as I might have a few years ago. I'm feeling chilled and grateful for all the positives in life - great people to work with, great projects and clients, excellent family and friends...Enjoy the summer.

Growing again

2010-02-18T03:54:00.000-08:00

We are now making moves to grow the team during the year ahead. The demand for on and off-line marketing services did not drop off during the recession for us so we were fortunate but it now seems that demand will increase further and we need to gear up for that. We have noticed a shift in the type of work we are doing towards websites and away from print media over the past three to four years and last year, for the first time, we employed our own programmers to work alongside the graphic designers in the studio. It is important that the websites we create for our clients are as functional and search engine friendly as they are visually appealing - and by having technicians working together with designers, we can achieve this much more easily than when we were outsourcing development.

For the first time ever we have employed a general manager with an IT background as opposed to a creative or print background. This will lead to a cultural change within the company and a cross fertilisation of skills which we are excited about. Our www.alphalaunchpad.co.uk initiative was set up to combat the recession and it was so well received last year that we've decided to continue with it. It allows clients to get a good deal, which is important for the types of clients it's aimed at, ie start-ups and older companies with new products or services to launch. But also it enables us to bring trainees into the business to learn on live projects. We are therefore welcoming applications from graduates and potential apprentices who will receive training under Launchpad as they begin their careers.

A very good book

2010-02-16T02:30:00.000-08:00

I've just read One Day by David Nicholls and recommend it to anyone between the ages of 20 and 80. It deals with all of the life stages that we go through in a sensitive and highly moving way. The stories of two people unfold in parallel and they meet up from time to time - it is a chronicle of missed opportunities and "if onlys". Far more than a love story, One Day shows how we can become swept up in ambitions, always working towards something we perceive as better when, all the time, the really valuable things are under our noses. I liked it so much that I read in over a weekend then lent it to a friend.

I'm now reading Fool's Alphabet by Sebastian Faulks, having just finished his Girl at Lion D'or. I wasn't keen on the latter as the heroine didn't evoke any sympathy in my view. I wanted the main male character to come to his senses and stay with his wife, which of course he eventually did. The ex-mistress then thought briefly of dying before pulling herself together and moving on. My favourite of Faulk's books is Engleby - a psychological study of a killer set in modern times.

Choosing People

2010-02-05T06:43:00.000-08:00

I've had to choose a new team member recently. Not easy is it? Looking back over all the people I've employed during the last 20 years, I wonder how I have been so lucky. I've worked with some really great people - talented, energetic, creative and fun to be with. There has been a surprisingly small number who have caused regret and actually, with those, I probably knew from day one that a mistake had been made but carried on anyway because it was just a gut instinct and nothing quantifiable. It always sorts itself out in the end though and you end up wishing you'd acted sooner. Laws about employment and recruitment are detailed and rigorously applied, and so they need to be. If you do it properly there's nothing to worry about. But it is a real responsibility and one of the hardest aspects of running a small business without the luxury of an in-house lawyer and an HR department.

I think the key to getting and keeping good people is to be totally open and transparent with everyone. Either they will like you and not want to abuse your trust, or they will cop out and move on. I always say that the people who share our philosophy are those who stay around the longest. Not that we're right and anything else is wrong - but if you don't hold good to your own principles, you can't really be a good leader. Anyway, we're all looking forward to Dave joining us a week on Tuesday. Have a good weekend all.

Resolutions

2010-01-11T07:10:00.000-08:00

I've decided at long last that by focusing too much on goals, or resolutions, you can actually achieve the opposite of what you are working towards. By thinking about losing weight all the time for example, you can feel more hungry. By thinking about financial goals you can lose sight of the enjoyment of the work you do day by day. So this year, at the start of a new decade, I have decided to live in the moment more and enjoy each day for its own sake rather than trying to predict, or control, the future. The only real constant in life is change so we should maybe relax a little and ride the wave instead of paddling frantically towards the place we are trying to reach.

It may be easier to adopt this philosophy when you reach a certain age and of course, I paddled as hard as anyone for years. I was brought up with the positive mental attitude, goal driven school of thought and I'm still not sure that a business, or a satisfying life, can be built without persistence and tunnel vision. I would certainly always advise young people to strive in all areas of their lives. In 2010 however, I am going to take time to enjoy the important things; family, friends, home, relaxation - everything else can take care of itself. Happy New Year.

Tip to get more business

2009-10-12T03:36:00.001-07:00

Just learned a lesson this morning that I thought I would pass on. It shows that, by asking the right question, you can sometimes gain business you may otherwise have lost. A client asked me for a price to design an item that was to be reproduced in very small numbers - only 15 of the items were to be produced and they were then to be given away by our client as a point of sale dispenser. I submitted our price which was based on the time needed to design and produce finished artwork for the item. It was quite a tricky job because two dispensers had to be fixed onto the item and the information would need to be designed around the dispensers having first marked positions for them. There was a lot of information to go on including diagrams which would need to be originated and clear text instructions.

The client said our price was too high. I assumed at first that he would go to another supplier, which would have been a shame as we have a longstanding relationship and one never wants to open the door to a competitor. I therefore asked whether I could provide a cost to produce and supply the items as well as to design them. Our favourite trade supplier gave us a cost to do this which I then gave to the client. This brought the unit cost down to an affordable sum and allowed us to handle the whole project for our client, preventing any quality issues that might arise should he have had two suppliers to deal with. It has also saved him money when he orders a repeat batch as our manufacturing cost was much lower than the one he had been quoted. It's always worth thinking about the bigger picture and if someone says you are too expensive, think about what they are actually buying, rather than just the part you normally take care of.

Back to school

2009-09-03T02:24:00.001-07:00

Do you still get that back to school feeling in early September? As the temperature cools and the days draw in, I always have that slightly anxious feeling that a new term is about to begin. It's the last month of our financial year so new plans do have to be made and we will soon be entering the 2009/10 year. All those numbers have to be built up once again starting with a clean sheet, just as we all started with a new exercise book all those years ago. Best writing for the first week then it was back to the old scrawl with doodles in the margin. I wonder if children still cover their books using old wallpaper? Probably not. Maybe they don't even have books to write in at all now.

I feel lucky to work in an industry that uses technology so much although I do reminisce about the old days when designers used magic markers and drawing boards instead of computers. The possibilities for visual communication now are vast but somehow the restrictions imposed by old methods led to a level of creativity that is seldom seen today. Oh well, change has to be embraced if people and businesses are to keep up with the demands of the times and whilst we can always draw on the best the past had to offer, and use it when appropriate, it is exciting to speculate about the resources of the future and how we will be able to use them to improve what we do.

I studied sociology in the late 70s. We were told that the emerging technologies would mean increased leisure time for everyone within 20 years and that we should begin to plan how to use this free time. It hasn't quite worked out like that has it! We should remember this when teaching students today - the work/life model that we have now will be the same in another 20 years unless human habits change and we break the mould set by past generations. In the meantime, where's my new exercise book?

Tara's ducklings

2009-09-03T02:19:00.000-07:00

Here you can see some of Tara's 7 ducklings. The pale one with the pink speckled beak is called Ming Ming according to our 3 year old neighbour Aimee. We are still waiting to hear the names of the other 6. They are eating ferociously and love iceberg lettuce and chick crumb. We will keep them in the run until they are much larger and can go on the pond. Tara hisses and spits if we go to close but who can blame her?

My son's wedding

2009-08-27T04:14:00.000-07:00

At the weekend, our son James married the very lovely Ulrike Sauter. I claim responsibility for that as Ulrike came to Alpha on an internship 6 years ago. She met James who was working for us at the time and the rest is history. They are now on honeymoon in Rome and we are enjoying happy thoughts of the wedding, looking at photos and eating cake. Our co-director Brendan Foley is celebrating the birth of his new son Adam, also known as Peanut as he was the size of a peanut when Brendan and Heather first found out about him. Many congratulations to Brendan and Heather - the joys of parenthood cannot be overstated as we discovered once again when we watched our own son at his wedding.

Another happy piece of news is that Tara the muscovy duck has finally hatched her eggs and has some sweet black and yellow ducklings. Not sure how many yet as she hisses when you open the nest box but I've definitely seen two. Hope to get some photos soon.

Work has to take a back seat when important personal events take place (I mean weddings and child birth rather than duck hatchings, momentous as that was too) but it's great that we have a team here to keep everything running smoothly when we are away. That has been tested of late, particularly as we have also had issues with our servers. It's great to know that everything carries on regardless. Thanks team!

Muscovy ducks make great pets

2009-07-27T09:32:00.000-07:00

My muscovy duck, Tara, is sitting on her nest at the moment. She has five eggs which she has hidden beneath straw and soft white down plcked from her breast. I have had her for only a few months after buying her to keep another muscovy company. The previous one, Rosie, was sadly killed, presumably by a fox on the evening that I brought Tara home so they never met. Muscovies are odd looking fowl with a bright red mask above the bill, pink feet and blue eyes. The male of the species is particularly strange with a knobbly texture on the red mask which makes them look a bit fearsome and ugly. They make a chirruping noise and they perch on walls and gates rather than sitting in the pond as my other ducks do, in fact, they don't like water much at all. I recommend them as pets because they are full of character and very friendly. Tara comes looking for me in the mornings, chirruping for either food or a bowl of water and signalling quite clearly what she wants. If the eggs hatch they will be hybrids as we don't have a muscovy drake. This means the ducklings will never be able to reproduce - they will be sterile. Watch this space for news on the offspring.

Discretion or Web 2.0?

2009-07-16T03:17:00.000-07:00

People are doing their own PR with Web 2.0, whether they know it or not, and discretion has gone out of the window. I read recently how parents are anxiously following the adventures of their offspring on Facebook and how salespeople hungry for new business are watching Twitter for clues about how to approach company buyers. Is it time that a little discretion was called for? Do you really want to broadcast the intimacies of your life to the world? PR specialists are employed by the rich and famous to ensure that their best faces are presented to the public, and even this can go disasterously wrong as we see in the red tops every day. So how can the great unwashed hope to manage their own public images with any hope of success? Or perhaps they simply don't care.

On a completely different topic - don't you just hate it when tasks are delegated to people then their decisions are interfered with or completely overidden by the bosses who delegated the task to them in the first place? Let me know if I'm ever guilty of that please team!

Upturn and building relationships

2009-07-14T09:39:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon all. Today I visited a client in the motor trade. They have noticed an upturn in new and used car sales, which is encouraging, especially as they deal with luxury marques. During the depths of last year, their business was maintained by marketing the vehicle servicing aspect which they developed to support the sales side. Revenue has been affected of course but they have survived and they are now ready to tackle the plans to grow that they put aside as turnover was dropping. The interesting thing is that the customers with whom they have forged relationships by servicing their cars are already starting to look at trading them in for newer models and they will more than likely buy from the outlet they have come to know and trust. I won't preach about how companies should market themselves consistently through good times and bad - it's pretty obvious that would be my view - but it's great to see how business owners gain confidence when they get a return on what they do. Relationships are the key to good business and they need to be fed on a regular basis or they'll wither and die. Lecture over.

Friday customs

2009-07-10T09:20:00.001-07:00

It is our custom at Alpha to enjoy a sandwich break together on Friday mornings. I see from Twitter that Kevin's horrible pitta sandwich has attained notoriety. It's sad that some of us have reached the age where we have to forgo the FB (full breakfast) that our younger colleagues can munch happily without regard for their waistbands. Actually, Kevin has breakfast at Rotary on Fridays before the sandwich break so the healthy pitta is a bit of a smokescreen really! Anyway, no matter what we eat, it's good to sit round the table and talk about non-work topics. Have a great weekend everyone.

First time

2009-07-09T09:28:00.000-07:00

Well, there's a first time for everything. Blogging. Our new website is live and everything in the Alpha garden is coming up rosier than it's been for many a year. It's year 20 for us and, although we've been going for most of the life of our youngest team member, it feels as fresh as ever. Am I supposed to do this every day? Not sure. I will defer to my more webby colleagues. See you soon. Elaine.