Author archives: charlie

Cast your mind back nearly 20 years to another epidemic that hit our shores – Foot And Mouth disease. This epidemic spread rapidly amongst cattle and plunged the agricultural industry into a terrible crisis. But there were others who were affected too. For example, if consumers became afraid to purchase meat, that was going to […]

I can’t say I really remember talking to my parents about money when I was young(er), but I do strongly recall one thing…. …A lecture from my father, after I got my first job, telling me to put away 20% of my salary each month into a savings account, in case of emergencies. “You need […]

Here’s a thought experiment. What if your bookkeeper or accountant had suddenly been unavailable, during the first month of this Coronavirus crisis? Perhaps they were stuck abroad, and just couldn’t get home… Maybe they had a terrible Internet connection, and couldn’t manage to work remotely for more than an hour or two each day… Or […]

Over the past few weeks, I’ve seen lots of discussion around how businesses will have to change, once the lockdown is eased. Companies will have to get used to remote working, they say… We’ll have to improve our IT… Learn to forgo conferences… Rethink our supply chains… Perhaps adjust pricing… And doubtless these are all […]

Today I want to ask you a question, which some people may find a little difficult. Hand on your heart…. Just how resilient has your business been, in this crisis? Now that the immediate rush to cope is fading, it’s time to do an honest review of just how strong your business is… …Because we […]

If there’s a bright side to our current predicament (and that’s difficult to say, given the personal and economic devastation), it’s all the heart-warming stories of personal sacrifice and bravery. I’m thinking of the incredible NHS staff, many of whom are working without proper protection to save lives… The incomparable Captain Tom Moore, the 99-year-old […]

What’s the best way to get people to wear a seat-belt in the car? You’d think it was pretty straightforward. Tell people that if they don’t and the car crashes, their risk of dying shoots up – that’s a pretty compelling case, isn’t it? But research shows that for many people, another type of messaging […]

How do you get your medication, when both you and your spouse are self-isolating at home? That was the dilemma facing our associate director, Shirley, last week. But rather than venture out for her husband’s regular prescription, she called her local chemist… …who arranged for one of their staff to deliver it. It’s not part […]

So, you did it! After running around like crazy… Panicked phone calls with your IT guy… Endless discussions with your leadership team… …your staff are all working from home, safely and soundly. Everyone is communicating on Microsoft Teams or Zoom, and your clients are still being served. I would imagine that most company owners who […]

This has been a week like no other. I am working remotely from my home in Wales, which for me is quite normal. What isn’t normal is that my entire team is also working from home, meeting online every day and wearing out Microsoft Teams. And we’ve been working around the clock – and on […]