Martin's Blog

Join the debate  http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/aug/15/internet-brain-neuroscience-debate

There was an excellent article in the Financial Times last week called “Things my mentor taught me” which featured a range of successful entrepreneurs talking about those individuals, whether they be family, friends or colleagues who had inspired, supported and taught them things which helped them on the road to success. Read more »

Despite the government’s revolving door policy for new regulation, Martin Leuw says he’s seeing more rules coming in than going out.  He asks: when will we see useful long-term measures to help young entrepreneurs?

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My friend Steve Cunningham is blind. He is also one of the most inspiring people I have ever met. Although Steve lost his sight at the age of 12, he is the holder of not just one, but three world records – achieving the record for fastest blind man on land (in a racing car), on water (in a powerboat) and in the air (he was the first blind man to fly a plane around the UK).
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I barely remember life before e-mail. It must have been about 15 years ago, yet seems like we’ve had it forever. That was when I went almost completely paperless, using my PDA for meeting notes that I could retrieve quickly and easily. Not long after, was the switch to internet banking and online shopping, followed by text messaging and then instant messaging.

Last week I attended the Institute of Fundraising National Convention in London for the Not For Profit (“NFP”) Sector,  at which IRIS was the joint lead sponsor. It is an educational forum for the sector where they promised “1,000 fundraising ideas” in three days – powerful stuff.  Social media, until only very recently something my kids connected up to, is without doubt one of the new waves sweeping the NFP sector and once it builds momentum, others will undoubtedly follow. Read more »

Real Business: A happy workforce is a productive workforce, but what can you do to put a smile on your employees’ faces?

Having a happy workforce makes sound business sense. Recent survey findings show that those organisations with the most engaged workforces significantly outperformed their peers throughout the recession, despite having also had to restructure and downsize over the past two years.

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As Mathew Rock reported in his editorial, Luke Johnson wrote an interesting article in the FT about what makes a great entrepreneur and how difficult it is to “spot a winner”. For business owners, selecting really good people is one of the hardest, yet most vital tasks we face. Read more »

Some people spend their time making excuses, others invest the same time in getting things done.

When Walt Disney came up with the concept of Disneyland, he struggled to find the then-gigantic $17m construction fees to build his first theme park in California. So, in 1955, he enlisted Coca-Cola to help finance the project. A deal was struck where Coca-Cola was given rights to be the sole supplier of soft drinks within the park in return for its backing. Some people always find a way, even when the banks won’t lend. Sound familiar?

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Poor communication is something that drives me nuts. But what can we do about it?

A few years ago I attended a two-week executive course at Wharton Business School in the States. On the first evening, all 40 delegates gathered together and the professor leading the course asked us to form a circle. We were told to look around and then introduce ourselves to the person we were least likely to talk to over the next two weeks because, based upon appearances alone, we’d already assessed who we had least in common with.

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Not only is this week the start of the new IRIS financial year, but it’s also the week in which we will finally see who we have chosen as the next UK Prime Minister. Read more »