Optimistic Post
November 12, 2008 at 11:13 pm
At last month’s Dublin Chamber of Commerce networking, it was a fraught and frantic affair. There were plenty of new faces from the areas of law, architecture, and finance. People who had been far too busy to attend before. The room was packed. I left feeling a little like I’d just been at the ballroom of the Titanic minutes before that famous ice berg hit.
There was a lot of talk of ‘how are things for you?’. And anxiety about where things are going and what we can come to expect.
I’m just back from this month’s event and I have to say things are looking a little more up. We’re not through the woods yet, definitely, but my feel is that business has started to move again. I think we just endured a month where nothing happened from when the credit crunch went mainstream (end Sept) to around end October.
My thoughts were that there was a lot of high level strategic thinking going on: how are we going to deal with this new environment? I know there will be some blood letting, but I do believe that the wheels have started turning again.
And that’s a good thing.
What do you think? What are your experiences?
Brightspark Closure
October 18, 2008 at 2:05 pm
It is with regret that I have to inform you that Brightspark will be closing this Wednesday, 22 October between the hours of 12.30-2.30pm.
At that time, you will find me outside the Dail protesting against the Government’s ill-thought out plan to remove medical cards for the over 70’s. My mother who is 77 will be with me. And my auntie Nora, 73.
It took a bit of persuasion to get my Mum on board because unfortunately the organisers of the protest had chosen a time that clashed with her hair colouring appointment. But after much discussion and in light of the severity of the situation and the fact that the time has come for all of us to show our dissent and actually do something about things - she has managed to change her appointment! Lucky too that the anti-flu injection can still go ahead at the later time of 4pm.
Why am I doing this?
Because I am so sick of sitting back and watching the politicians making sounds about how we all need to tighten our belts to get our country back on its feet. Budget 2009 did not go far enough in extracting money from the very rich. The property developers, the fat cat bankers and their ilk will hardly feel a thing. And yet the ordinary people, the weak, the vulnerable look set to be the hardest hit.
It’s even more sickening to read in yesterday’s Irish Times that the move to means test medical cards was actually just the Minister trying to get at the Irish Medical Organisation. Doctors are paid €161 to treat ordinary patients with medical cards, while they are paid €641 per patient aged over 71. So the Government’s reasoning was that removing the medical cards from the over 70’s would make lots of savings. That in itself is f****d up and the IMO and hospital consultants and all that crowd should take their place with the Brian Goggins’ of this world.
But to borrow one of my Mum’s expressions, “be that as it may”, it is not right to hit the over 70’s in Ireland because of blunders made in previous HSO ISO skirmishes. Nor is it right to ask the over 70’s to have to do the most belt tightening for the current economic environment.
Think about what the over 70’s have done for our country:
- In the 1950’s and 1960’s they stayed. When all around them, ships were departing for the post-war recovery boom towns of Liverpool, London, New York, and Boston, they stayed in Ireland. They worked hard, did their best for their families and just got on with it.
- In the 1970’s when our country was on its knees, they paid their taxes, survived inflation rates in excess of 12% per annum and did what the politicians told them. When Charles Haughey who has since been shown up for what he was, told them to save water and take a bath together, they did just that!
- There’s a lot of talk at the moment about the grim 1980’s. We had the highest personal tax rates in Europe. However, one of the positive notes was in 1986, when Live Aid happened. Ireland gave the highest per capita of any country in the world. At that time, I was only a kid but I felt an immense pride in that statistic. Although our people didn’t have a lot, they gave plenty.
The ones who did that giving, and working, and living are all all over 70 now. They were in their 50’s in the 1980’s, and that last decade of their working lives was marked by emigration, unemployment, fear. Back then if you were made redundant in your 40’s or 50’s, the chances were that you’d never work again.
And so to the last two decades of full and plenty.
Our generation of over 70’s finally got to retire; put the feet up, and enjoy a few weeks in Lanzarote! Property prices soared, their little houses in ordinary Dublin suburbs suddenly were worth a goldmine. They took great pleasure in seeing ‘our little country’ changing for the better. More jobs. More money. More confidence. And for the first time, their kids didn’t have to emigrate.
My mum gets such a kick out of chatting to ‘lovely girls’ from Poland, Lithuania, and Czech Republic on the bus. She rejoices in the diversity that has come to this country. Who’d have thought that her grandchildren would be sitting in national school alongside little ones from Asian and African backgrounds?
She is a fit and healthy 77 year old. She is no burden on the medical card system. But at 77, you do have to get the equivalent of an oil change, and new tyres every so often. A blood test will now cost my Mum €120 - €60 to go get it, and €60 for the results. If she’s hit with the flu’ as so often happens, and needs a prescription, that’ll now cost €60 just to get it. I worry now if she’ll put off those prescriptions to get her well. Or if she’ll ignore pains, aches, and possible illness and try to be all stoic about it. It’s a crazy solution brought to us by the HSE because it’s going to force many old people to go to the already clogged up hospitals for routine stuff like bloods, blood pressure, and ecg.
So that is why in this crazy time of bankers being bailed out, amidst a background of falling property prices, creeping unemployment, and all round fear, I am taking time out to attend the rally.
You should too.
It’s at lunchtime, so there’s no excuses. There is even sunshine forecast for the day!!
Hang on to your hats til 1 April
October 2, 2008 at 10:31 am
Was at a Dublin Chamber business breakfast this morning. The mood was sombre and I noticed there were lots of businesses in attendance who haven’t shown their faces at those kind of events for a long time. You know the businesses who were so busy over the last 10 years that they didn’t need to market? Well they’re getting out of bed early again.
I was interested to talk to some risk, tax, banking, and finance people about their thoughts on when this current position of absolute stale-mate is going to last. I know we are facing into a downturn that is not going to reverse itself quickly, but what I wanted to get a feel for was the opinion on how long this ‘do nothing because we’re scared to do anything’ stalemate is going to last for.
Q1 into Q2 was the general consensus.
So round about Mar/April of next year, businesses will be licking the wounds that have been and are currently being inflicted through the drying up of finance. Hopefully liquidity will be flowing again and businesses can go back to planning and spending and driving their businesses forward. Because even in a recession, businesses still need to buy services.
So what to do between now and then?
I’m going to work hard at marketing - something I’ve overlooked in recent months because I’ve been guilty of ‘busy sickness’ and have been too hard at it to look at my own site and business offerings.
- Working on my own site’s search engine ranking.
- Improving the very popular email marketing - yes, I will get the next one out on time!
- Working my lists.
- Getting on the phone.
It’s a challenge and requires a change of mindset. No longer can we put off new client meetings for 2-3 weeks because we’re fully booked. If someone wants to meet me and talk about a new project, I will reschedule my diary to accommodate them.
I’ve long held the view that some of the younger ones in our industry who have never known what it is to work in a non-flying economy will get a jolt when it finally happens. Last year I was shocked when someone wanted to charge me for his time - in a meeting where I was briefing him on a project that would bring him €20,000!! Those days are over. I wish everyone the best of luck as we adapt and adjust to these changed market conditions. And I mean that most sincerely. I hope to be celebrating successes with you when the good times roll around again.
Self Assessed Tax Payers Watch Out For This
September 8, 2008 at 5:04 pm
If you’re self assessed for tax, then you’ll know that you have to pay up to the Revenue by end October. Because I have such a fantastic accountant who is motivated by his wish not to have me moaning and giving out about large amounts leaving my bank account, I was recently advised to make a payment to my pension fund in order to relieve the pain at end October.
I have a pension set up with Eagle Star. Last year it transpired that they set up two accounts for me - one for the initial opening amount, and one for the monthly payments. I had this out with them last year, but failed to get anywhere. I know they set up multiple accounts because it benefits them, but I just had to leave it. [When talking at length to financial people I feel my life force seeping out of me...]
This recent cheque I sent to them had my policy number on it and no mention of financial advisors anywhere. It was an unsolicited cheque sent to them. So what did the chancers do?
They have gone and set up another new account ‘for me’ and have paid close to €1000 to my financial advisor.
I am not happy. I will not accept this. It’s a typical example of kickbacks within the financial industry. Most people wouldn’t bother to read as far as page 8 of the letter. But I did.
A phone call to Sinead O’Sullivan in customer services yielded no information. She was unable to tell me:
- If they had set up a new account
- If so, why they had done so?
- Why did they pay money to a financial advisor who had nothing to do with the transaction?
Sinead will be coming back to me tomorrow afternoon. But my advice to you if you are self-employed and making tax reducing pension payments, be careful - make sure the suits don’t use your hard earned cash to reward one of their own.
UPDATE
Eagle Star came back today and confirmed that they have put all the money into the one account, ie. no fees withdrawn. So a happy ending to the story. But make sure you read all the boring waffle you get in these kind of letters to ensure that all of your hard earned cash goes to fund that retirement in the sun!
Save Money - Register for Etag
August 27, 2008 at 7:31 pm
Now before you think I actually support the money-grabbing b’stards that run our crappy ‘flooded when wet’ motorways, I’m don’t. I am only telling you this because it will save you some money. And if you’re going to the Electric Picnic this weekend, take double note because you could be liable for fines.
From this Saturday, August 30th we now have to pay more to get past the toll plazas. This is for all motorways that toll.
Register online now for a video account and you’ll be good to go this weekend. If you don’t register, and you pass the toll bridge, you’ll be charged €3 to cross.
But the real sting is that you only have a day to pay - if you don’t you are charged double - €6. What do they think we are? Made of money?
For anyone planning on going to the Electric Picnic this weekend - register now - as I’m sure the last thing you’ll want to be doing when you get home after the festival is remembering to pay your toll fine!
The punitive payment system goes on - if you don’t pay after 14 days, you’re fined €40. And after 56 days, €100 is the fine. Could make for a very expensive nip out to the shopping centre.
[Another stealth tax brought to you by our wonderful government, the same ones who brought you "HSE Nightmare Scare" parts I, II, and III...and of course the unforgettable "Online Voting Machines for the 21st century"]
There are a number of providers, I registered with Eflow - awfully annoying site that keeps updating while I was filling out the form… reminded me of an over earnest child swallowing mouthfuls of spit while relating a longwinded story. AA Roadwatch has a nice clear explanation as to what’s what and who’s who.
Is this a sign of the times?
August 8, 2008 at 4:41 pm
As an Economist, I’m not one to be jumping on the Recession Bandwagon, but I couldn’t help wondering today if this tale that follows is a sign of the times, and a worrying indication of things to come…
I’m all about pitching interesting ideas to clients. There’s a dull corporate way of doing things (white background, blue logo, samey navigation style) and then there’s The Other Way.
The Other Way involves coming up with ideas and a strategy that really grabs your audience by the cojones, excites and delights them, and leaves them wanting more. Kind of sexual I know, but sure we all know - sex sells things!
Brightspark has done very well as a business because we’re the ones you bring in when you want to do something to excite and delight. When dull and boring is not good enough. And in recent times, while the good times have been rolling, we’ve all been a little more confident. Decisions have been taken to do things a little more daring at times. And that is to be applauded.
But does the corrolary of that mean that now when the economy is slowing down, all the decision makers go back to the tried and tested, dull and boring? Are there to be no new edgy ideas then? Is it back to the “I better not in case I lose my job over it”?
I hope not.
Because I am not doing samey samey.
I just lost out on a job for something that could have been really cool. The CEO loved the ideas, got excited about them, and the team as a whole contributed to the conversation.
Then today, I got the call. They’re not going with our ideas pitched. Instead they’re going for a corporate brochure site. And they’re using a nice safe company. One of those ones who has done lots of graphic design, whose web design is merely an online representation of what they do for print.
Is it down to price I asked? No. Our pricing is similar. So it’s down to the safe bet in the slowing environment. I’m disappointed about this one. But also worried that this is a sign of things to come.
10 Things Customers Would Tell You If You Asked
June 26, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Great talk by Eric Reiss. Someone should get him to Ireland to talk on customer service. Passionate, engaging and very very entertaining.
- Don’t tell me how great, be great
- Go the extra mile
- Don’t get in my way when I’m trying to shop
- If I know what I’m looking for help me find it
- If I have questions, I want answers, not sales talk
- Tell me you’re looking for my size, don’t just turn and leave
- If you expect me to buy something tell me what it costs
- Are your own affairs so important that you feel justified in ignoring me?
- Don’t make me feel stupid
- If you make a mistake admit it
He goes through wine.com as a case study of the above being done badly. I’m thinking - he’d have a field day going through the Golden Spiders nominees!
If we do not demand good service we are never going to receive it.
People of Ireland are you listening?
Addendum in September
In the last three days, I’ve been helpful to 3 different people and in every case I did not receive a thank you for my help. The first was in the supermarket when an Eastern European couple dropped €200 in cash on the floor. I picked it up, ran after them and gave it to them. They didn’t say thank you, their faces remained impassive. I stood there waiting for some sort of interaction and they thought I wanted money!! They tried to pawn me off with €10. How insulting. Not having command of the language is no excuse. I can say thank you in 8 languages, I’m sure they can say it in 1.
Today I noticed a prominent website that had a prominent typo on the home page. I was on to their Head Office about something anyway, I told the receptionist about it, and she was quite rude about it. I know it’s not her job to look after the website, but it is her job to be the voice of that organisation and at the very least placate an old spelling nazi like myself. For God’s sake is she thick - if you’re just about to put someone through to the MD, surely you’d have the cop on to be polite to them?
Lastly, I’ve just bent over backwards for a client. Delivered more than was required and way more than is being paid for. This client hasn’t said thanks to me once. They simply take and don’t give the slightest thanks back.
I’m feeling a bit disillusioned. Representing Brightspark I try so hard to do points 1 & 2 above. Yet people’s rudeness throws it back in my face and makes me question why I bother trying at all. As a customer I consistently do not experience point 10 and that really irritates.
Ireland - you’ve lost your manners. Dunno how or where, but they’re gone.
Firefox 3 Launch Party
June 20, 2008 at 10:10 am
Was great craic. Lots of people there - new faces and old hacks alike! Novelty of the night was Quest.ie who were taking pictures against a greenscreen. Some interesting poses involving power drills. But here’s one for family consumption - all the bloggers who were in attendance on the night. I think the smiles on the faces sums up the general camaraderie and niceness amongst the blog community here. In my opinion that’s a good thing.
Bohoe’s pics of the night really capture it. Well the pre-Lillie’s bit…
Have a great weekend.
Curry 2.1 - Part 1
June 19, 2008 at 1:01 am
Tonight I braved rain and miserableness to attend the inaugural Curry 2.1. Am not sure if that’s what it’s going to end up being called, but it’s a Paul Walsh networking affair, a step forward from Curry 2.0, Jaipur, you know it’s going to be good, and I wasn’t disappointed. Thanks to sponsors Microsoft and BT.
This blog comes in two posts because the format of the night was that we went around the table (16 people) and after intros, we all got to shout out what subjects we’d like to discuss. The worthy ones got approx. 10 mins, and I’m delighted that my topic “Free” started off.
FREE
The reason I raised this is because I’m heading off to Reboot 10 next week and last year’s Reboot topic (Human) has been very much on my mind. I believe that we are in an era where humanity is OK in business. I rejoice in that and get a kick when financials and telcos include words like ‘energy’ and ’spirit’ in their content! Human-ness and all that means is current. I am grateful to the people who put on Reboot 9 for helping to plant that in my consciousness.
I asked the group for their thoughts on FREE, the theme of this year’s Reboot:
Marcus Mac Innes of Pix.ie, photo sharing software (I’ve recently transferred my paid membership and longevity with Flickr) said:
It’s almost impossible to ask people to pay for a product or service they are accustomed to getting for free. You’ve got to get the right balance of free vs. paid from the start in order to maximise any future revenue opportunities.
Martha Rotter of Microsoft said:
Space isn’t the problem. It’s when you’ve got to deal with security breaches. etc
Conclusion: “free” is good. It’s not the problem. It’s when you’ve got too much free. When there’s always someone out there who’s going to offer more free. Then it’s goes beyond having value.
Discussion Topic 2 :(Tech) People in Ireland are Shit
Paul Walsh made the point that it’s not companies that are shit in Ireland, but the people and the traditional track record. Much debate followed, including comments that Irish VC’s just don’t get it. But as Brian Caulfieldpointed out, it’s a two way street as far as slagging off VC’s goes - and in fairness, it’s not that easy to find a backable business in ireland.
Dylan Collins pointed out that it was a lack of good seed investment five years ago that leaves us in the situation we’re in today. Talk then turned to whether or not there is a case for raising capital off high net worths facing into the property downturn these days.
Conclusion: there is an opportunity to include high net worths/business angels in Ireland?
More on other topics tomorrow including: a) how to decipher my own writing on the side of a napkin b) how to quantify social networks c) hiring talent in Ireland today
Warm & Fuzzy Feeling
March 2, 2008 at 6:15 pm
The 2008 Irish Blog Awards took place last night at the Alexander Hotel and what a great night it was too! Thanks must go out to all the organisers who put so much thought and hard work into making it an amazing event. And as for Mr Mulley, the man should be sainted for his contribution to blogging in Ireland.
Congratulations to all the winners, particularly Kieran Murphy of Ice Cream Ireland who won the Best Business Blog against *stiff competition* for a second year running. He wore the full ice cream man get-up, with white wellies and all. I was also thrilled to see Best Designed Blog go to Sabrina Dent. And the Best Technology Blog go to Robin Blandford. I do love Lexia’s blog also. A hat trick was scored by Twenty Major, 3rd year running that he won Best Blog. Now that he’s got a book out and is in publicity overdrive mode, he revealed himself at the awards. Well, not in the way that some smutty minds might imagine, because that would be quite scandalous, but he was present as himself and was even autographing his book! View Twenty Major here on the left beside Joe Drum-Google!
Before the event took place, 37 women bloggers all met in the Market Bar for the Ladies Tea Party. I didn’t see a whole lot of tea being drunk, but there was plenty of chat, openness and sharing of stories and ideas. It was quite fabulous actually. I reckon I knew 5 women who were there from previous meets. I ‘knew’ about 5 or 10 more from their blogs. But by the end of it though, I felt like I knew everybody and we were all set to whoop each other on at the awards themselves. Special mention of my favourite gimick of the night was Julie-Anne Graham of Curious Tales.com who handed out fake mustaches to everybody to promote her new blog. The blog sounds really interesting; she takes old clothing and re-engineers it with a contemporary look and blogs about the story of the clothes. She also designs a rather fine range of eco T-shirts too. If anyone has any pics of me in the ‘tache, please pass them on!
For me, the Blog Awards confirmed how lucky I am to work in such a open, friendly, supportive, and highly creative, talented, and humourous industry. Everyone was buzzing to be meeting people they chat to daily in the flesh. There was much smiling and congratulating, and of course much flashing of flashes! I was getting a buzz off the fact that my favourite 5 web designers in the whole country were there within 10 metres of each other (in various states of inebriation!). At least 5 of the serious entrepreneurs who I most respect were knocking shoulders too. And it was all good.
I reckon it’s quite unique to work in such a non-hostile, supportive and open industry. Do groups of bankers and doctors all share the same warmth and camaderie at their get-togethers? I wouldn’t think so. Is there such genuine delight in the meet-ups at the Property Awards? I wouldn’t bet on it. Yes. Apart from being able to make my living doing what I love, I am also blessed that I get to it with such great people.
So that marks the end of the warm and fuzzy piece. Normal ranting and giving out service will resume tomorrow.
