duport blog

Why do we hate criticism?

July 1st, 2010

Yesterday I was walking my dog, through the woods, on the phone, whilst watching my wobbly footed 18 month old son, when a huge Labrador bounded up to us. As always my instant reaction was to stand next to my boy to prevent the dog knocking him over or at worst biting him.

The Labrador was friendly and keen to express that to my son who was now really excited. Whilst talking to my friend, I knelt next to my son and prevented the dog from licking his face by using my hand as a shield. The sour faced owner walked past me and when she was at a safe distance aggressively shouted back “don’t be so ridiculous, he can’t catch anything from my dog”.

My instant reaction was fury and I immediately wanted to confront this woman. I finished the conversation with my friend, who told me to leave it, however I decided I still wanted to discuss this with her. There are positive and negative ways of dealing with issues and I wanted to understand why this had caused her such offense and hopefully resolve it because personal branding is important.

As I continued walking through the woods I started to think about why my instant reaction was so negative when actually receiving criticism is a positive thing. Without criticism how do we expose our flaws? How do we get the chance to improve things?

Almost every action we take will cause offense to someone whose priorities are different to yours. As business owners and managers it’s essential that you can take criticism and if you’re not regularly receiving it, if everybody thinks you’re great, then you are not doing your job properly! In order to be successful you constantly need to adapt and encourage others out of their comfort zones.

“If it’s not broke then don’t fix it” – I couldn’t agree less; things can always be improved, this is not the time for complacency. If you are not being regularly criticised, then you can’t be taking many actions and something is very wrong.

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Is technology making us invisible?

by: Rebecca

June 28th, 2010

We are all social creatures and the vast majority of us need to be at least acknowledged. We all like emotion and personality; so why do companies continue to use technology to distance themselves and masquerade this as customer service? Here are my top most annoying behaviours:

Websites built for optimisation and not for customer usability

If I land on a website filled with keywords and links I leave it. It looks messy and I haven’t got the time to wade through all that rubbish. Google should be utilised to help you, not the other way round. There is plenty of competition and customers are savvier than buying from the first website they happen to land on.

Blogging for search engines and not for readership

Nobody reads it because it’s boring and poorly written. Yes you might appear all over the internet amongst your favourite search terms but what’s the point in bringing people to your website if there’s nothing to keep them there.

Auto call attendants

We all hate having to go through voicemail options. Prove that “your call is important to us” and get it answered. Retaining customers is more valuable than finding new ones so why still can I always get straight through to sales but not to customer services?

Scripts

Everybody can detect a script so I can’t understand why they are still being used. You may as well get the auto attendant to call me. A structured ad lib will get you much further.

Email only communication

Like many others I simply will not give my business to any website that does not have a contactable, customer service department. I am instantly suspicious of companies who do not want to talk to their customers.

Sending emails rather than calling

If a customer has provided you with a telephone number then why not call them? This lazy approach is a lot more time consuming and cannot possibly convey your message as well.

Uninspiring newsletters

Unless you are providing me with relevant quality content or interesting offers please do not waste my time by making me scan through your boring newsletter and subsequently unsubscribe to you.

Perhaps instead of cheapest price or fastest service why not compete on being the most human?

What technology drives you mad?

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Coalition Budget Rouses Mob

by: Peter

June 22nd, 2010

Well I listened to the budget and it was certainly a barrel of news in parliament that even Guy Fawkes would have found hard to slip under the carpet. Even after all the softening up via the media since the election this was a profound declaration of intent.

Actually I believe we got what we voted for. A very sharp axe aimed with a fair measure of compassion in a very small and overcrowded room. There are going to be a lot of casualties but was it ever possible to avoid that? I don’t think so. So what do we do about it because the situation is clear enough, our fairy godmother is on her uppers and the buck is back where it started, with us.

There will be plenty of opportunities with the reduction of government services. The truth is that only the supply is being removed there is no reduction in demand and this will create significant opportunity. In my sector serving the “start-up company” market the increase in VAT is a positive boon. If you set up a new company and don’t trade over the VAT threshold of £70000 and that’s a lot of sales then you will enjoy a 20% advantage next year and that’s a significant advantage. There were a lot of incentives to help business and more promised over the following years. Those who find themselves on the wrong side of the sharp axe this year could do a lot worse than taking a good look at starting up their own business as well as looking for new job opportunities in the growing private sector.

Of course there will be very many people probably the majority who can’t find an opportunity in the near future and they will need help and that has to be all our responsibilities, not their fairy godmothers. There are a many places in the world that we have been eager to help and still do. Iit isn’t expecting too much that the same compassion we have found to help others can be directed closer to home when we can personally see the need.

Perhaps, just perhaps we will all be a bit happier with what we have as a result.

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Why I hate blogs

by: Rebecca

June 21st, 2010

I am a positive person however pregnancy hormones combined with endless problems with my ISP and other IT issues have now resulted in me venting my frustrations toward technologies that are supposed to make life better.

Like many people life is a bit of a juggling act and I find I am increasingly impatient and resentful towards things that I feel have wasted my time. Top of my current hit list is social media; I can’t stand it (there I’ve publicly said it). Although I agree with the concept of connecting people and increasing efficiency all I see is evidence of isolation, fake realities and time wasting.

I hate blogs. There are some exceptional, inspiring and action provoking blogs however the vast majority is just regurgitated rubbish.

I am tired of copy cat, unoriginal content, and who has the time or inclination to read blogs about bloggers referencing each other. I appreciate we can’t all have these genius, creative minds and there’s nothing wrong with bringing someone’s concepts to a wider audience but please at least have some opinion or slant on the work.

I just don’t see the point of boring blogs filled with Google friendly key words to drag suckers onto your website who will only leave just as quickly as they arrived. What a waste of company resources and everyone’s time!

So why do I love to blog? I have two reasons:

We want to humanise our business. Let you know we are real people with our own thoughts and ideas. We want to show you that we are not just another faceless competitor hiding behind technology.

Personally I do not regularly read blogs (although I am always keen to receive links to inspiring content) because I feel it clouds my originality. Blogging allows me time and space to think about our business and since doing it I have had more ideas for improving things then I ever have. For example right now I am reviewing how the technology we use can be further humanised.

If you’ve got nothing interesting to say then simply don’t say it and save everyone some time and money.

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Meet the Customers: The UK Foodhall Ltd

by: Hannah

June 18th, 2010

Karen's website shows off all those awards!

The HSBC Start-Up Star Awards are coming soon, with lots of small businesses and entrepreneurs vying for the top spot.

At the same time, we’ve introduced a new segment – Meet the Customers, where we profile companies and business owners, passing their valuable advice and experience on to you.

But a funny thing happened when we contacted Karen McQuade of the UK Foodhall Ltd.

It turns out that Karen is the HSBC Start-Up Star of 2009!

As well as the UK Foodhall Ltd collecting awards as a supplier, a start-up and a local business, Karen has also won an award for her achievements as a businesswoman.

We thought that she’d be the perfect customer to speak to about her experiences running a company – and now we can also find out what tips she could pass on to us about the HSBC Start-Up Star Awards (and how to win it!).

The UK Foodhall Ltd help connect Local Authorities with British farmers, so that kids get fresh, locally sourced food in their schools. You can contact them on 0845 301 1182 to get more information.

What does your company do?

Our strapline is ‘Great British Food for Great British Kids’ we support British farmers and British manufacturers by providing an assured product range for use in school dinners.

What inspired you to start this business?

I wanted to provide a route to market for the British farmers, and provide Local Authorities with what they wanted, locally procured food.

What made you nominate The UK Foodhall for the Start-Up Star Award?

I am so proud of what we have done and how we have changed our market that I wanted to tell the world! So I nominated us for the HSBC Start-up Star award so that we might gain publicly, we would gain experience in being involved in such a prestigious award, and I hoped we may get to the Semi Finals, so that it would motivate our stakeholders.

What has the experience done for your company?

Winning the HSBC Start-up Star award was wonderful. It was such a brilliant surprise on the night, and has done wonders for our motivation, our brand, our stakeholders and our turnover.

What characteristics do you have that have helped to make your business a success?

Myself and my Business Partner, Robert Clark, are both passionate about our market and making a difference in it. We want to provide clean, healthy, locally produced food to children.

How are you funding your business?

We are funding the company through sales. We do not owe any money to anyone.

What are you most keen to learn that will help you grow your business further?

I am keen to learn more about marketing and PR, we know food, and catering, but perhaps struggle for creative ideas.

Are there any brands, companies or personalities that you most admire or aspire to?

I love the marketing of the brand ‘Innocent’ I love that you can hear their very distinctive voice in every word.

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing your company?

The biggest challenge is to manage our growth effectively, not to grow too big and not to take on too much.

What is your main goal for your company?

To never let down our customers.

Do you have any advice for people thinking of starting their own business?

Get a good accountant and recruit mentors, everyday’s a schoolday, and people to hold your hand are priceless.

Could you tell us about the other awards that you’ve won?

2008 LACA Outstanding Supplier of the Year

2009 Powys Small Business of the Year

2009 NatWest Everywoman Award

And of course 2009 HSBC Start-up Star!

Where there any stand-out areas that you feel helped you win the awards (any of them!)?

Our turnover is very high for a new company with just 3 staff (6 million pounds) and our business model is very unique, one goes hand in hand with the other. I think this combined with our enthusiasm made us the winners.

Do you have any advice for companies thinking of nominating themselves for awards?

I would advise anyone who is thinking of nominating themselves to just put pen to paper and do it! We have been on an incredible journey as the HSBC Start-up Star, and I know that it’s been a big factor in our growth this year. The judging panel are such a scary prospect, but once you get over your nerves and face them, being interviewed by them makes for a fantastic experience. It’s a chance in a lifetime to have the opportunity to meet such influential businesspeople, and the whole experience is both challenging and fun, but if you win, hold on tight, its one heck of a ride!

Is being a business owner how you expected it to be, or have you had any surprises along the way?

I was not surprised at the hard work, as everyone warned me about that, but I was surprised at what an amazing and exciting journey it would be.

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Do you have the right personality to be an entrepreneur?

by: Rebecca

June 17th, 2010

I was fascinated by the recent BBC program “child of our time” which conducted the largest ever personality test in Britain.

It was reported that we all have five core traits in our personalities but to different degrees:

Openness indicates how willing we are to explore new ideas and ways of doing things.

Scoring high in openness means you should be suited to creative jobs such as journalism, art, research

Conscientiousness indicates how well we plan and exhibit self-control.

It was shown that those scoring high in conscientiousness tend to be happy in whatever role they choose as in the work place you have the ability to create structure and rules and understand that the more you put into your work the great the rewards will be.

Extroversion indicates our desire for stimulation.

It is thought that if you score highly in extroversion you are suited to careers with lots of simulation and social contact such as sales, finance, law and teaching.

Agreeableness indicates how easily we get along with others.

A high score here indicates you would be most content in caring industries such as health care and education.

Neuroticism indicates how we deal with negative emotions such as stress and anxiety.

Displaying high levels of neuroticism is perfect for administration roles because these negative emotions drive the need to be perfect thus minimising errors.

After watching the program and listening to the traits I found it exceptionally difficult to judge what my profile might look like. I was keen to understand how I came out so I could relate this back to how I perform at work. After taking the test I found I was a fairly even mix but conscientiousness was highest and neuroticism was lowest.

To find out the balance in your personality you can take the BBC online test https://www.bbc.co.uk/labuk/results/personality/index_safe.html

I thought I have a look at the traits considered important to succeed as an entrepreneur and associate these to the personality traits:

Inner Drive to Succeed (conscientiousness)

Strong Belief in themselves (extroversion)

Search for New Ideas and Innovation (openness)

Openness to Change (openness)

Competitive by Nature (extroversion)

Accepting of Constructive Criticism and Rejection (agreeableness)

The thing to appreciate here is that we are all a mix of all the recognised personality traits and after looking at the research it is my belief that anyone can start a business. The initial desire must first be present, which already indicates you have a higher leaning to the tendencies required.

The moral of this story is that to run a successful business it’s vitally important to be self aware and appreciating what you can do well and understanding what someone else could do better for you. Which opportunities are more suited to your personality profile? Perhaps you’ll need to employ managers or take on an accountant in your chosen venture.

Entrepreneurs out there, I would be very interested to learn what your results came out like.

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What would you teach your potential customers?

by: Thomas

June 16th, 2010

When you seek out a specialist to provide a service, there is a reasonable chances that you do not know much about that product or service in the first place (other than that you need it). So the job of choosing a specialist to provide that service can be a total minefield.

This is true of building work, car repair, accountancy, hairdressing, singing tuition…of course I could go on for several pages.

Wearing my Edge of the Web hat today (Duport’s web design business) here are 5 things I wish all potential customers (of any web design business) considered before they picked a company to work with:

DON’T SCRIMP (part 1)
Save money on coffee, biscuits, watches and fountain pens. These are things to please you. Do not scrimp on your website; nearly all of your customers (and potential customers) will check you out online. If your website looks rubbish, so does your company.
DON’T SCRIMP (part 2)
A break down in the relationship between client and web designer is not uncommon. If you seek out the cheapest website design option available, you don’t get to be fussy about finish and functionality. Building websites takes time and skill, and if your web designer is working on unfeasibly low margins, you will often find the phone stops getting answered and emails get ignored. Saving a hundred pounds always seems like a good idea, until it isn’t. Seriously, we hear about this ALL THE TIME.
DON’T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ
It’s easy for web design companies to make salacious claims about their service and commitment on their website (in fact it’s as easy as tapping a few keys on a keyboard), but it’s a very different kettle of fish when it comes to delivery. Ask questions like:
- How many people are involved in the business,
- What happens if somebody gets sick,
- What happens if a more profitable web design opportunity than yours comes along,
- When will the website be finished (what guarantees apply?),
- What if you can’t agree on a final design?
WILL YOUR WEBSITE BE COMMERCIAL?
There is a very (very) big difference between a website that looks nice and one that is designed to be ruthlessly commercial. The difference being that one of them looks nice AND helps you stay in business, dare I say even make a profit.
WHAT AM I BUYING?
A brilliant website is a equal combination of:
- Brilliant design
- Brilliant wording
- Brilliant coding
- Brilliant marketing
Which of these are you paying for? You can be sure that at least one of your competitors has all of these.

So there you have my 5, what do you wish you could teach people about your industry?

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Disappointing. Could do better

by: Peter

June 15th, 2010

No this isn’t about the world cup but it’s not entirely unconnected.

Are we all solely responsible for managing our expectations or are we just victims of our own innate desire to be optimistic. It is quite clear that journalism gets a lot of its daily bread from pointing out where delivery of results fails to live up to expectations but it usually leaves me with a very unpleasant after taste.

So if it’s not about football what is disappointing me in particular? It’s the way BP and President Obama have handled the Gulf oil disaster. As usual I had expected better of both of these participants and find myself feeling yet again a little foolish at my well practiced naivety. BP could so easily have handled this situation so much better to the benefit of everybody involved. All that was necessary was for the chairman to go and meet Obama at the end of the first week, apologise and try and work together on the clean up. They would both have gained credibility and created a fine example of good leadership in adversity and instead of that now it’s all about testosterone! BP has shot itself in the foot by understating the extent of the leakage and as a result will be heavily punished for arse covering.

It was also a poor call from the White House not to get involved sooner but for their part they didn’t want to be seen as part of the problem because of the dubious oil regulation arrangements and they are also now hiding behind macho posturing to cover their own arses. I think I could cope with the posturing from President Obama given the extraordinary scale of the disaster if it wasn’t for the timely comparison with the Indian Bhopal gas leak in 1984 that makes this incident look modest by comparison. An American company called Union Carbide virtually walked away free of almost all responsibility from a gas leak that devastated a whole region in India killing tens of thousands of people and blighting the lives of many more survivors for generations. A little more perspective and humility in the circumstances wouldn’t go amiss.

So why does this leave me with an unpleasant aftertaste? Well it’s my own fault because I really did expect more from the players in this game and there they are again our old adversaries avoidable own goals.

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Mistakes to avoid when forming a limited company

by: Rebecca

June 14th, 2010

Not taking professional advice first

There are lots of very good reasons to form a limited company but it’s important to take advice first on the right company structure for you. Financially, you may better off with a partnership or to trade as a sole trader for example. If you are unsure call the office and we can put you through to an accountant who will offer free advice.

Cheap/free company formation offers

Once you’ve established you need to form a limited company make sure that you use the right company formation agent. There are plenty of cheap or free company formation offers but there is often a reason for this.

The low end prices advertised tend to only form the company and email you a copy of the incorporation certificate. (This is a good service if you are a professional or have a good understanding of company law.) You will quickly find that you are legally required to have other documents that they will charge, often over the rate, for that will enable them to make their money. These will be added on as you go through the formation process so what appears to be £35 ends up £89.

We often get disgruntled customers calling us for advice as they cannot get through to their formation agent and are unclear about what the next steps are to take.

Free offers mostly tend to obligate you to form a bank account with the formation agent’s partner as the banks pay a commission for this. Always read the small print as you will find there are significant fines from the formation agency for not opening a bank account or other service you have inadvertently signed up for.

Paying too much

Similarly paying in excess of £100 for your company formation is considered a bit steep. Unless the company administering this for you is offering other services such as VAT registration, company office and secretarial services. In many cases clients will ask or assume that only their accountants can complete the company formation. I have been shocked by some of the excessive fees that accountants are charging for a service that they simply ask their formation agent to do. To be fair, I have also been very impressed with those accountants who have added very little or no commission.

DIY

You can form a company with Companies House directly, yourself, for a fee, however you should know that around 90% of formations are formed electronically. There is a reason that even the professional accountants and lawyers opt to incorporate this way and that’s time. If you know how to accurately complete the paperwork, set up the structure and get the documents officially signed it can still take many days to get your company formed and receive the documents back from Companies House. Formation agents can do everything for you in a few hours and the good ones will provide you with all the help and additional documentation you need to get things going.

Not registering a domain

If you don’t intend to use professional looking emails or put up a website straight away you should register your domain name as soon as possible.

Rebeccadawe@yahoo.co.uk (not a professional email)

rebecca@duport.co.uk (a professional email that matches our company name. Personal email addresses, above, do not inspire confidence)

www.duport.co.uk(by registering the domain duport.co.uk we’ve been able to put our website at this Internet address)

There are professional companies registering domain names in the hope to sell them back to you at a later time for excessive fees. Check you can find a domain to match your company name and register them both at the same time.

Call us anytime for advice on any of the issues above. As always we promise there’s no obligation to use us!

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Meet the Customers: Display Media Solutions Ltd

by: Hannah

June 11th, 2010

www.dmsol.co.uk

Today’s profiled client is Liam Butchers from Display Media Solutions Ltd.

Display Media Solutions are a print and display company which specialises in products for retail, trade and exhibitions.

We asked Liam some questions about his company and experiences of being a business owner, and here’s what he had to say.

You can find Display Media Solutions at www.dmsol.co.uk, or call them on 0845 116 2700.

What does your company do?

Large format print, exhibition materials, display equipment, conference set up, trade shows, supplier of pop-ups and banners.

What makes your business different?

Display Media Solutions was formed because the market has become saturated with foreign ‘knock-offs’. I realised that quality at a good price is what the market doesn’t currently have. In layman’s terms, we offer the very best quality products and prints at the most competitive price in market.

What inspired you to start this business?

It may sound a little cheesy but I genuinely love the industry. When I randomly come across my prints being used it’s a great feeling. I get an amazing buzz out of that.

"My most important bit of advice: know your market"

Have you previously run any other businesses?

I have worked in the industry a long while now, but this is my first ever business venture.

Do you have any staff or partners in your business?

I currently work with a couple of graphic designers and I also work closely with some of the world’s leading manufacturers in display and exhibition products. All my prints are produced using the very best materials available.

What characteristics do you have that will help you make your business a success?

I am a very focused and hardworking individual and have a lot of contacts and experience in my industry. I am under no illusions, I know that it will be tough, but I honestly believe that in life you get out what you put into it.

What are you most keen to learn that will help you grow your business?

I now need a couple of key accounts that I will look after very carefully and nurture and then really build upon that.

Are there any brands, companies or personalities that you most admire or aspire to?

If I am honest I really like Richard Branson and his Virgin brand. I also admire Apple – they have it all, really. Also Alan Sugar is an absolutely fantastic business role model, what he has achieved in his working life is simply incredible.

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing your company?

Securing that elusive big contract, that’s it really. I feel that I have everything else in place now, and am ready to win that important client.

Display Media Solutions

Is being a business owner how you expected it to be, or have you had any surprises along the way?

If I am honest it is a lot tougher than I could have ever imagined, the accounting side of things is just mind boggling. I am learning quickly though, it’s interesting how running your own business makes you discover skills you never knew you had.

What is your main goal for your company?

To achieve a million pound turnover within 5 years.

Do you have any advice for people thinking of starting their own business?

Lots of advice and I am more than willing to discuss it with anyone who wants to listen. My most important bit of advice: know your market. That really is the key.

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