How many times can you say ‘social media’?

Posted on | March 24, 2010

Seriously, this is getting ridiculous.

One of the hazards I find I face in my job is keeping my mouth from saying what my brain is thinking.

In this case: enough already.

Honestly, I was at a function this week (no names, I’m not THAT stupid) and one of the groups couldn’t stop talking about social media.

It’s the only thing they are focussing on.

Sadly, none of them had a clue what they were talking about.

I swear if I’d stayed longer they may have nailed social media to a cross. (oh, that’s not very PC)

I grow discouraged ;-)

-j

New ways to access investment

Posted on | March 22, 2010

Today we had our monthly meeting of my High Growth Group.

(For the purpose of the group, High Growth means a company that has a strong prospect of significant returns: New Products, Biotech, Medical, Technology, Software, Manufacturing, Franchising etc.)

I started this group to bring together a focused skill-set that could help drive companies through significant growth. Some of these companies will be new ventures that need to be commercialised and brought to market, whilst others will be established businesses that are looking to break into a new opportunity.

The High Growth Group is a powerful way of bringing the right people together to get the right business done.

Our format is simple, and effective:

1. Get the right group of core companies who have expertise in commercialising new ventures or rapid growth.
2. Find projects that have a strong commercial viability and an identified market (that’s my job) that are in need of skills and/or funding.
3. Match the right project with the right investors, and bring in the team to make sure that this investment is successful.

In the room today:

Marketing
Accountancy
PR
Design
Software Development
Public Funding
Executive Head-hunting
Investor

Today’s High Growth Group led to lively discussion and, more importantly, real and tangible opportunities to do business. We had nine people around the table with the expertise, and the contacts, to really get things accomplished.

Next month we’re looking to welcome some new guests:

1. Angel Investment Network
2. Award-winning product design company
3. Private Investor

We’re also looking at 2-3 projects that we may bring into the group to be vetted. They are at varying stages of development. One is looking to secure seed funding to get a proof-of-concept prototype done. Another has proved the concept, and is in need of the next round of funding to really drive the project on.

Not every project is right for the group, but if you’re a business that has high-growth potential and you need help (funding or skills) to achieve it – our group may be right for you.

If you’re an investor, our group can help de-risk your investment by bringing the skills and structure to make sure your investment succeeds.

Exciting times. Drop me a line to find out more.

-j

Networking networking networking….ahhhh!

Posted on | March 10, 2010

If you ever want to amuse/sadden yourself, do a search for networking opportunities in Edinburgh. It’s unbelievable. Really.

The last year or so has seen an absolute glut of networking groups get formed. Some are good, some are bad. Some are somewhere in-between. I’m personally not a fan of this practice. It is starting to feel like anyone who has a business that isn’t working out right just decides to start up a networking group. And then there are the new national ones that seem to open a new chapter every week. I was at a meeting once where at least 25% of the people in attendance were from networking groups.

Don’t get me wrong – networking is hugely important to my business. But I’m also very selective in what I do. Every year I evaluate what networking I’m going to focus on. i look at a few simple things:

- Is it in line with the business that I’m going after? Are the people in the room going to be the right type of people that can introduce me to my targets. It helps if you know what type of business you are really going after, but that’s another conversation.

- Is it appropriately focussed? I want any networking I do to let me be laser-focussed with what I’m trying to build.

- Is it worth the time/money? There are simply too many networking opportunities around. I focus on three each year, and leave the rest alone. I have to do this, because I can’t spend every week spending money and time on the vague hope of it turning into a useful event.

Networking has been one of the key founding blocks of my business. It really has. But, my god, be selective.

-j

If you build it, they will come.

Posted on | March 4, 2010

Now this may turn into a bit of a rant, but I’ll try to contain myself. I’m getting pretty sick of meeting people who fall into the trap of ‘If you build it, they will come”. I also like to call them the ‘I love my business so everyone will love my business’ people, but that seems a bit cumbersome to say.

There’s a simple fact I wish everyone would accept:

Not every idea can be turned into a workable business.

Honest.

That’s not me being negative, either. I really believe good ideas, if executed properly, have just as much chance of succeeding now as they have at any other time. It’s just that not every idea has a strong enough commercial angle to make it worth doing.

A good example of this tends to come out of the Universities. They have some really great people, and it’s good to see them supporting them with a pretty wide range of commercialisation and spin-out programmes. The problem, of course, is in the execution. The last time I went to one University’s showcase afternoon (my alma mater, it turns out) I was pretty appalled by the standard they presented to us. Out of around sixty spin-out ‘businesses’, there were probably only five projects that were really commercially viable.

Five. Out of close to sixty.

That’s a problem but, as they say, it’s their problem.

Closer to home, we get involved with investor-led projects quite a bit. Commercialisation strategy is one of our niche areas of speciality, so I get to see this argument from a couple of different angles.

I’m lucky in that I get to speak to a pretty wide variety of budding entrepreneurs and wacky inventors on a regular basis. Most of them are brimming with enthusiasm for their particular product or technology, but very few of them have really thought about what the commercial viability of their project is. It can be a pretty harsh reality check when they find out that there really isn’t the market for their dream, and there is a strong likelihood of not finding an investor to back them.

Turning an idea into reality – successfully bringing a new product to market – requires more than a lot of passion (although you need to have this as well). You need to understand where you fit into the marketplace, how your income streams are going to develop, and what the real investment into the product is going to need to be. That will give you a proper understanding to know that when you build it, they actually will come.

(With apologies, of course, to W.P. Kinsella)

- jordan

Oh when will they (we) learn?

Posted on | March 2, 2010

Oh I laugh and I laugh and I…well I would if it wasn’t such a dumb idea.

I was having my lunch today when an email came into my company inbox (you know, the one we all set up with the info@ or office@ addresses) with the subject line “FAO Jordan”.

Hmm…guess I should read this one.

Oh how it was worth it. A helpful company (down south) decided to email me this text:

“Further to the information which I emailed through to you last week I do not seem to have received your response. I do appreciate that this area of specialism can be controversial and a little awkward to discuss, however it is real and it is happening every day.

We would like the opportunity to discuss the solutions against your private space being invaded. This can come in a variety of guises which include your car being bugged, your house or business premises being bugged. We have the most sophisticated electronic technology tools to find these devices and clear your mind.

Furthermore we also investigate fidelity, please note that this is a very sensitive area, however husbands and wives are faced with this issue on a daily basis. SBG simply establish a route to providing you with the peace of mind which allows your life to continue as before. Many of the cases which we undertake have a harmonious solution.

We act to maintain healthy relationships, give people and businesses peace of mind from espionage and many more services. We are delighted for our award winning status and we are delighted to receive our recent accolade for discovering a device which was publicly announced in the national press relating to a high profile professional footballer.

Please note that many people are suffering from listening devices, cheating partners and many more issues in life which we are positioned to work on putting right. Our services are cost effective and bring solutions without breaking the bank.

I would be delighted to receive you comments. If you would prefer talk to me privately then please call my direct line “

I’ve been a good boy and left out his email, company name and phone number.

Favourite bit:

- “I do not seem to have received your response” – oh well shit, I didn’t know I was obligated my man. So sorry to disappoint you!

I love the fact that the whole email reads in a quasi-threatening tone. It was put on an official looking document and everything. Why would you ever think I would respond to this? And if I did mistake this for something official and contact you, do you have any idea how annoyed I’d be at a sales call?

If you’re going to send out cold emails to businesses, do your best not to take the ‘fear’ route, OK?

-jordan

Stand by for countdown…and it may hurt a bit.

Posted on | February 26, 2010

Over the past two months, I’ve been looking at blogs a lot. Some are good, some are bad.

Some are massively in-between.

Blogs are the new thing aren’t they? Everyone (make that EVERYONE!) has to have one. We all have to have a voice. We all have to put ourselves as experts in our field. We all have equally important (and equally valid) things to say.

Right?

I guess I have a bit of a sense of humour failure about a lot of this. I’m sick of hearing PR/Marketing/Social Media Gurus (what the hell is a guru, anyways? To my mind it’s just someone who is calling themselves a guru) bang on about Twitter and Facebook and Blogging this.

“You’ve got to be on Twitter. You’ve got to have a blog.”

95% of people I see who are ‘gurus’ in any of these fields are full of shit.

Marketing is Simple Stupid (or MiSS) isn’t really going to be my inspirational attempt at telling people how to do things. It isn’t going to be a long list of lectures about how this tactic or this tool is the thing you need (NEED, NEED!) to be using.

I work in this field and I’m a curious person by nature. I observe things, I question things and, from time to time, have brilliant ideas (now who’s a guru, right?). That’s what this is all about. My own little corner to martial my thoughts. Some good, some bad. Some with quite a few curse words in them.

(I f*cking promise)

- jordan

Why focus should be your first priority in your marketing

Posted on | March 19, 2009

I’ve developed marketing strategies for a lot of companies. When we start to work with them, one thing is almost universally true, regardless of industry. They all lack a focus in their marketing.

Let me state this very, very, clearly: Focus is crucial.

Does this sound familiar? You run your own business. Every day you think of your staff, how to get new business, cash-flow, bills, networking, clients, accountants…the list is endless. Then it comes time to getting new business. You know you need to do something, but what?

Most SME directors are pulled in multiple ways at every moment. Marketing is always a bit of a mystery, so they tend to jump on things as they appear. An advertisement here, a leaflet there.

So what do you need to focus?
Read more

Will it Blend?

Posted on | February 26, 2009

I still think this is one of the best viral marketing campaigns (sleight of hand?) I’ve seen in the last wee while.

It’s got everything. The guy is funny. The production is hysterical. The blending items are topical. And check out the page views some of these posts get. Over 2 Million.

What a brilliant way to get attention and create buzz around a product. If you go to the site, the owner (actually is the guy in the video) talks about the success of this campaign to their sales.

It’s rarely overnight…but if you pick your moments you can really get a buzz going on the internet.

What’s next in the Blender? RBS stocks?

- jordan

Experts Experts Experts

Posted on | February 26, 2009

Following up on my post about experts…it’s time to put my money where my mouth is, so to speak.

I’ve been putting together a panel of people I have worked with in the past (mostly people we bring in for our clients) who are experts in their fields. They’ve agreed to contribute to this blog on a (mostly) regular basis. The hope is that they can bring some of their specialist knowledge to all of us and stimulate some good discussion.

So far I’ve secured people for:

Sales
Design
SEO
Social Networking
PR

I’ll be looking to add to this list in the next month, so if you’re interested, drop me a line.

- jordan

Great Moments in Email Spam…

Posted on | February 24, 2009

This came into my email this afternoon:

You need to have a big thing in pants to be capable for big things.

I admire the sentiment…if not the effectiveness of the email.

-jordan