COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS

Oh my GOD I am counting down to christmas..

How did that happen…

The paint hasn’t finished drying on last years new years resolutions.

What have I learnt in the last 11 months..

1. That how ever much time I have spare I will never be a domestic goddess

2. That long walks along the beach are good for the soul

3. That an idea is still only an idea unless you can dedicate a 100% to making it real

4. That pasta is better cooked when you follow the advice of a real italian

5. That wine and chocolate can make a bad day good

7. That social media is changing the boundaries but not everyone gets it yet

8. That its great to get back in touch with people that have inspired you in the past

9. That my friend Shirley Milburn is going to make it to photographic stardom

10. That I’m great a random lists that mean something to me.

Roll on christmas and 2012 (OMG)

Twitter.. Love vs Hate Relationship

Twitter.

I’m still not sure.

I love

A) the randomness of it.
B) the research papers I’ve found that without twitter would remain unread.
C) seeing how other people are using it to promote, to feedback, to stay in contact, to provoke.
D) the snappiness of the 140 characters
E) the fact I can follow anyone and anyone can follow me
F) that I can help promote others by RTing
H) that I can see a different side to people that I know outside of twitter
F) that it’s an alternative time waster to watching tv

I’m not so sure about

A) a timeline that fills far too quickly once you follow over 100 people
B) some people tweet too much and some not enough
C) that I will never meet most of the people I follow but I feel as if I am getting to know them
D) that too many people just want to push out stuff rather than help others
E) that some really random people want to follow me but have very little to say
F) how often is too often to tweet
G) whether people are interested in the same stuff I’m interested in
H) if it’s better than Facebook or just different

What do you think?

20 things that I had the guts to do

1. To jump off a mountain in brazil on a hang glider
2. To jump (well step) out of a helicopter and go heli skiing
3. To night sail from cowes to hamble (not alone)
4. To regularly present to executive management team and be myself
5. To let people know I do not agree with their conclusions as other facts suggest differences
6. To walk into a room of strangers and feel comfortable
7. To go blonde, then back to brunette and blond again
8. To admit I am wrong (never easy)
9. To try a black run (once…)
10. To try a festival (bestial loved it)
11. To do an each way bet on the grand national (16-1) always works
12. To launch @tuesdaytweetup
13. To explore Sydney independently for a few days
14. To go on blind dates
15. To eat alone in a restaurant (on business hated it)
16. To agree to sharing a room with a complete stranger on a skiing holiday (best room mate I ever had)
17. To tell people how I feel
18. To just say no …
19. To just say yes..
20. To start a blog ….

Logistics, logistics, logistics

Two things today that got me thinking…

1. Why can’t I order my supermarket shop and pick it up on the way home, saving a van from driving around the streets, and saving me the waiting time. Every time I order a delivery it is delivered just as I’m dishing up diner. I drive past 3 supermarkets on the way home.

2. Plus why can’t I order online and pick up from the depot on the way home preventing a delivery to an empty house, a card through the door, and me picking the stuff up tomorrow night.

Logistics, delivery models, people must have thought of these before, what stopped supermarkets and retailers doing it.. I’d love to know.

Maybe it takes more than guts…

I’ve been thinking just maybe it takes more than guts.

It takes time,
it takes money,
it takes determination,
it takes resilience,
it takes support,
It takes energy.

Nah all excuses it takes guts… I admire people who have it.

The CV – inspired by @lord_sugar

Tonight I downloaded The CV @lord_sugar ..and it prompted me to write about the 6 business ideas that got away and one idea that flew but not really as a business.

1990 – an award wining photographer as a step dad. Fantastic photographs of the river hamble at sunrise. Idea table place mats sold door to door in hamble of hamble river scenic photographs “on your doorstep”. Would never have made millions but would have proved or disproved sales technic.

1992 – “find it sell it” an agent for car sales – auto trader in a shopwindow. Perfect location. Shop window at top of the avenue. Find it (your car) sell it (your car) the estate agent model, visions of Matthew le tissier opening the shop maximising on PR. Would have been a disaster but could have made a great website www.finditsellit.com.

1993 – just about to get married “surely the world needs a website for couples about to get married to post their wedding list and stag and hen do photos on” Plus “surely the world needs a website for people to order cards for people and send reminders” – the web wasn’t ready then but it sure is now.

2002 – the tonite concept – fed up of rushed supermarket shops ping meals, bottle of wine, bread, milk etc or takeaways.. A service that delivers fresh produce with simple instructions to cook within 15 mins plus bare essentials delivered to your door .. Saving you the mindless supermarket shop. Works wonders in the city but never got off the ground.

2007 – city living, marine living, country living – yes you can sell houses but what about selling lifestyles and communities online. A web site that sells the community not just the house, a magazine online with news, views and events with houses too.. A great idea.

2009 – @tuesdaytweetup – this is the only one that got off the ground – using twitter to create a meet up of likeminded people .. Great turn up.

2010 – its collaborate … Oh if only

2011 – www.clearmygarage.com.. Registered the web site but nothing more.. I’m sure it would fly.

Which ones would you have gone for.. Oh the dots I could have joined, if only I had had the guts.

5 things that get me thinking

1. Slideshare.net.

Its to powerpoint what flickr is to photos and youtube is to video. Its a great source of inspiration all be it you have to think about what the presenters would present. That gets me thinking.

2. @zite the application

Customised sections social media, viral marketing, entrepreneurship, provide a daily source of interesting blog posts. From mashable, to seth godin to techcrunch and some random others. There are always a couple of posts that get me thinking.

3. Empty retail outlets

Why are they empty someone must have considered the location asRipe for business Has the traffic flow changed? Has the retail concept served its time and now itstime for someone else to take on the challenge? More often than not a food venue fills the empty space. What would i consider as options to fill it gets me thinking (is that strange)

4. Twitter

Never fails to get me thinking, a quote, a twitpic, a question, a blog post, breaking news via word of mouth. All of it gets me thinking.

5. If only i had the guts..

Yeap bingo the fundamental reason I set up this blog keeps me thinking.. If only I had the guts to maybe try something new. Its difficult to make change happen when things are good but maybe things could be even better.. Who knows.. Now my mind is buzzing!

I’m back…

The Tuesday tweet up proved I can do it… A blog, a twitter following and successful events with media coverage on and off line! But that was back in 2009… We are now in 2011! What is it with odd years… I’m feeling restless.. And need to launch another experiment

Sod it I’ve Finally Done It

Today I’ve launched @tuesdaytweetup with a little help from my friends. Its an experiment at this stage that could turn into a regular thing. Check out twitter to find out more.

Somethings just have to change

Ok the list of things that i must change/do this year…

1. Work has had its high points but recently its been pretty dull, need to get some excitement back into the working day.
2. Weekends its too easy to sit back and let the weekend pass by – when the sun is out I must get out on the boat its moored up and ready to go.
3. The internet – twitter, facebook, blog surfing, why do I spend so much time doing it – killing time is one thing but maybe think about all things in moderation.
4. Ideas – business ideas I have so many of them – they occupy my brain, i talk myself in and out of them, somehow I must write them all down and pull them together into a business plan as I’m sure I could unleash the entrepreneur within – what the hell is stopping me.
5. One weekend a month if we’re not sailing we’re going to do something different – make the most of the opportunity we have.
6. Finances – how much money did I waste last year – on last minute purchases – food, clothes, books – how much food was chucked, clothes not warn and books not read – somhow I’ve got to stick to what I buy and make sure I use everything – no more waste.

Come on lets get going!