If there’s one thing I’ve learned being in and around business over the years it’s that we never stop learning. More importantly, you have to want to learn – to love to learn. If you don’t, you and your business simply can’t grow.
Why am I writing this? Well, it’s Friday (evening – quite late actually) but I was sitting watching one of the Do Lectures on YouTube and I’m reflecting on what has been a challenging but satisfying week. Satisfying because we put our City Life magazine to bed and, being slightly older, it’s big sister Vale Life has just gone up too – our babies are away safe and sound. Whenever we finish production on the magazines, we feel a collective sense of relief. For Jennifer, my wife and business partner, it’s usually an excuse to pour a glass of Prosecco but then, for Jennifer, if a day has a Y in it that’s usually reason enough.
Anyway, the other thing that has contributed to this week’s sense of satisfaction is the knowledge that I don’t know it all. I know this because there have been several events and meetings this week that have reminded me of this. Some of them have been uncomfortable. We had to part company with a business we have been using because they basically haven’t been doing what we have paid them to do. What’s positive about that is that it made me think that other businesses may have experienced the same thing so we have decided to do a feature in a future edition of InBusiness to highlight this particular problem and focus on solutions which, hopefully, will be useful for other business people.
I had a few ‘light bulb’ moments too. Just little things that help make business better, and easier – not just for us, but also for our customers.
My enduring memory of today was after a conversation we had with a chap who wants to come and work for us selling advertising. He’s quirky, so I warmed to him instantly. He’s also passionate about what he does – we are too. But the thing that hit me smack on the forehead with a big cartoon mallet (and really made me like him a lot) is when he said, right off the cuff, “Of course, your magazines are history!” “What makes you say that?,” we asked. “Your magazines are beautiful. People like to keep beautiful things. The images in the magazines are a record; a snapshot in time. People will look back on these in the future and discuss how we lived.”
That statement seemed quite profound to me. But I got it instantly. I understood what he meant. I also knew that he got the magazines and, more importantly, he got us. He could see how passionate we are about our magazines. Needless to say, he’s probably going to be joining our team very soon (we’ll introduce him properly in good time). It also reminded me of why I send copies of our magazines to the British Library every time they’re published. The British Library archives each one and they will be kept there for future generations (at this point I’m thinking, “Crikey, we’re immortal!”). I’m still chuckling typing this…
When this chap talked about ‘history’ I felt very proud of what we have achieved over the eight years we have been publishing and I was reminded of the importance of history again this evening watching David Hieatt’s Do Lecture. David started the howies brand (the name was his nickname when we were both growing up in Rhos Avenue in a little village called Penpedairheol in the Rhymney Valley). He also went on to launch Hiut Denim and restart the jeans manufacturing industry in Cardigan, west Wales. I always find David’s presentations inspiring and this, combined with the many light bulb moments this week, have given me a shot of energy. I don’t need the energy – I love what I do. I love what we produce. But those many small moments, negative and positive, combined with David’s heartfelt, passionate presentation reminded me why we do what we do, and why we do it well.
Surround yourself with positive people who understand your ethos. If clients or suppliers don’t get you, find ones who do.
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Do one thing well…
For more information on the Do Lectures, visit www.thedolectures.com
For great jeans (Hiut Denim), visit www.hiutdenim.co.uk
