Monthly Archives: November 2011

Are You Receiving Me? Life, Websites and Stuff

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It’s funny, I often wonder why I write this website – in it’s short life it has been changed so many times, it started off as a music blog, then a place for me to vent about the world, and, now it’s like an old semi retirement home of ideas and my faltering attempts to find a business I can do in a country I do not officially live in, and, do not have a work permit for.

So, let’s find out what I have been doing shall we.

Well this week I have been a ref at an amateur Mixed Martial Arts event – My first time ever and it was great fun.

I have seemingly been working non stop on my latest website and podcast and all was going well until the theme for my website had an update. So, I updated the theme and lost all nice changes I had included and then also noticed that the main feature was no longer working.

After almost a day trying I gave up and left it a lesser site as the designers have promised an upgrade soon!

I have made contacts in a couple of countries who wish to help out with my podcast.

And today I had another meeting with the company who I seem to be offering lots of advice and ideas to,  with out getting much back at the moment! But, I know those ideas are useful because the whole company has changed to fit around them!!!!!!!

The latest from the owner is that I become the companies trainer of sales people. – Well, training is my passion so maybe this could be awesome!

So, I guess that path continues, I actually think something good could happen, If I dont pull all my hair out first.

So, the answer is I write the site for me, frankly, I purchased the MayorofSimpleton.com web address and I don’t wish to give it up.

Of course if you find you self here and enjoy it, then that’s a bonus.

Oh For The Entrepreneurial Spirit

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If I had the Entrepreneurial spirit I could be so bloody successful and wealthy.

Here’s the deal throughout my 30+ years of business life, I reckon there have been no more than 4 or 5 people who I felt were way beyond me in business and they were all entrepreneurs. Self made men and not some spoilt rich kids or university hot shots.

Most of those types have worked for me! and most of them expected something for nothing or had little in the way of imagination or real world skills.

My problem is I am business smart, I see the picture quickly or I tell you I just don’t get it and suggest you get somebody who does. My sad fact of life is that I seem to lack the will to take risks and I like to stay on the straight and narrow. What that does do though is make me a safe pair of hands for running your business.

Entrepreneurs don’t just follow the same path, they forge their own and they take risks.

However, (there is always a however) if you are not entrepreneurial and are unimaginative, or indeed if you are obviously out of your depth I will piss you off very quickly because I cannot just sit back and let your piss daddies money away.

I will be pushing you with ideas, how to do things the right way and more, believe me it works for a while, your business will fly while we work together, but, eventually we will fall out and I will walk away, it can take a few years but it happens.

I am back in that situation now, I attended a sales meeting today and was shocked at pretty well everything I saw.

The pre-meeting information sent out was terrible, it would not pass muster in any business I have worked in, cheap and nasty, with pointless features and terrible presentation. The introduction of the company to the client was a joke and the rapport building non existant, the sales process itself was awful and then he told the potential client he would get them a quote by this evening. Good, you might think except he had NO idea of what the client wanted and was willing to pick a figure out of the air a few hours after the meeting.

Also at the meeting was a ‘colleague’, sadly,  he is way out of his depth, has no usable sales skills or indeed the ability to interact with the client, I have NO idea what he was doing there. He, should be back at the office trying to finish the back log of work they were telling me about.  Still 8 weeks down the road this ‘web design’ company still has NO website, in the same time I have set up a website and a podcast and I don’t know what the hell I am doing.

Effectively, they are THE company, all other work will be done by sub contractors. The amazing thing is I know more about their industry than they seem to. They have no idea and unlike myself they seem unwilling to try to fill the gaps of their knowledge. They also have no marketing skills and no sales skills. And believe me they don’t know shit about web site design.

 

 

 

The World Of Business Is A Strange Thing

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So, We had the meeting and I never walked out and things seem to have reset, He even paid me some cash!

So, we had a good talk, he introduced me to a couple of his team members and I tried to introduce to him the idea of turning up on time or if not telling me he will be late, he took it well.

What I thought might turn into a bit of a confrontation actually turned around nicely as I gave advice to both his staff members and after they had left, I helped him prepare for a sales call the next take for which he was grateful.

I also set up our next meeting were I would do a presentation to him and one of his web designers.

On the day of that meeting he again turned up late but at least this time he did text and phone me to tell me he was delayed.

Then he spoilt it by turning up alone, I refused to do the demonstration to him alone explaining that it was for them both. He apologised and we reset for the next day. That was today, the meeting was at his place so he was on time and I gave them around an hour presentation that made them understand better what they were selling and how to maximise his oportunity.

The meeting was amazing If I say so myself, I had a great time and we had a lot to talk about and he was raving about it afterwards.

It’s good to be back on the horse.

 

Curiouser and Curiouser Said Alice

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So, I got a phone call today from the person who was supposed to be my semi-employer.

This after I have given up on him getting back to me, he still has not replied to my last three texts and had effectively disappeared from my radar, no big deal. But then the phone call comes out of the blue “can we meet tomorrow” and he goes onto say that things are going really well (which is funny because in the five weeks I have known him his company website has never been working and in that time I have set up both a website and a podcast and I don’t claim to be a web design and SEOcompany) and he thinks it would be better to make me a Director of the company, now all this is getting too similar to a previous ‘opportunity’ where again I was made a Director and than nothing happened.

I have no wish to be a Director, I only wish to make some money for us all, So, tomorrows meeting should be interesting.

It could end up with me walking out, in fact it would probably be best if I did but who knows.

Strange Times, Some Good, Some Bad

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Well, the saga of the new company seems to be over after just four weeks.

I had produced three powerpoint presentations for the guy to use to present to the business to clients and to sub-contractors. I sent him three texts over four days and never got a single reply. I am not about to phone up and chase the guy and I certainly am not going to email him the presentations.

I have just checked the company website and after four weeks this company still does not have it’s own website up. Don’t forget this is a company that is selling websites!!!!!!  These are not bespoke affairs they are done on one of those website builder programs.

I can and have set up a website in a couple of hours just to get companies on line in the past, not terribly sophisticated but definitely workable and not embarrassing.

This is embarrassing! A website company that in four weeks cannot even get it’s own website up. It would be funny if it were not so pathetic.

I don’t really care, the role would have been fun and a little bit of money would of course not go amiss but I’m not too worried about this disaster.

In the meantime I have been trying to help the guy that runs an MMA gym that my son attends, with his marketing. It’s not something he is strong on and I am happy to help, it keeps me busy.

I also was contacted by a recruitment guy in America regarding a job over here, but it was software sales, I was honest and told him I thought it was not my skill set. Never mind though I am sure things are looking up.