CharlieKenny.me

people * stories * engagement

recent posts

about

I love the coast and in particular, the area in which I live, the North East of England. It’s an uncomplicated life, for the past twelve years I’ve been away from the ‘big smoke’ … and the decision to relocate my business to the North has been the best move of my career. So far. I am a writer and have a lifetime of experience in publishing and personal development. I now consider myself a specialist in helping my clients with memoirs – this could be a biography, or simply bringing diary pages to life. I tend not to advertise my business, word of mouth has always been kind so it’s no surprise that I do spend a couple of days per week in collaboration through networking. Peer collaboration can be very rewarding. Therefore, if you’d like to join me fortnightly for Wednesday ZOOM or either Tuesday or Thursday for (in-person) morning coffee, please get in touch. I’d love to meet you and perhaps help in any way possible. Thank you for stopping by the website. engage, develop, grow … with Go! charliekenny@live.co.uk
  • set up the win

    set up the win

    So the world keeps spinning, stories are told, published, people hear and some even listen. The mainstream ‘news’ can be misleading, divisive, rabble-rousing. 

    So, who do we listen to?
    I find it helps to stay mindful, understanding that ‘news’ is designed to sell.

    No-one wants to hear what a fantastic holiday you’ve had, although if the holiday turned out to be an extraordinary conversation with alien business angels offering pots of dosh … this may grab a few headlines. Perhaps.
    Recently I’ve made a conscious effort to step away from the usual trough of misinformation to consider how lucky I’ve been for the projects keeping me busy these past months. I’m fortunate that I work with clients who need exactly what I have to offer. Stories. My clients understand I have knowledge of my given industry, trusted contacts in support of my goals, time for those small things during the conversation, the consultation and of course depth in recommendations.
    I’ll continue looking to the future for inspiration while avoiding the continual mainstream dross, misinformation. I’ll maintain awareness of how fortunate I am with mental notes only on the positive as I reflect on the past several months. 
    It’s now September and 2020 is approaching the final quarter.


    So, bear with me …
    I’ve played a bit of competitive rugby during my time, learning how to stay in front of your opponent with points on the board, staying ahead and playing for the win in the last quarter of the game … so it’s one of my routines to look at the calendar year with a sense of imminent completion once we reach September. Nearing completion, approaching the fulfilment of pre-set goals … the win.
    OK, so it’s been an extraordinary year for all of us. Many people have lost loved ones and lost jobs, some have chosen to change their career. There are those who have made plans to start their own business and understandably the goals, the prize, the vision have all been clouded through uncertainty.  We all need to revise the plan.
    Four months to go and we can still make a difference if only we’re mindful of preparation to this new beginning. We’re still able to finish this year on a positive note if we visualise, imagine where our efforts may take us … to what awaits.

    So, who do we listen to?

    Remind yourself of why you are moving in the direction you are and remember, you are creating change, the opportunity for future success, giving yourself exactly what your future seeks …  consultation with credible contacts, the opportunity to excel, new business, solid relationships and growth.
    Be mindful of your actions, surround yourself with trusted people, listen to the positive you and … disregard the rest. 

  • Less of the muddle

    Less of the muddle

    I’d collected an armful of firewood and returned to the house, just as the lifeline in my pocket ‘went off.’ I let the call ring-out.

    I’d heard the reassuring confirmation of a delivered message as I despatched the wood and kicked off the boots. I was aware that I was expecting a courier delivery, ‘though just now it ‘felt’ like a time to write, I had a little to do, so I made my way to the office and settled down for an hour of notes…

    Ten minutes later I began to fidget. Something seemed not right, out of place.

    I was out of the chair and made my way to the bedroom for a quick scan … no, nothing here. I was alone in the house as Sue and the kids were out, so no-one would respond to any possible shout-out for assistance. I needed to do this and so carried on, next stop was the kitchen, nothing amiss here either as I filched an apple by way of some consolation. Ok, keep on moving I thought, it’s a mission now.

    Entering the ‘spare room’ … ‘they must be here somewhere.’ No, then let’s try the living room … under the sofa perhaps? Always a good place to look, right? Wrong, nothing here either, not that the usually placid ‘puss-cats’ thought nothing of her unscheduled disturbance. A deft swipe from puss and I was away. Check the futon? Empty, still no joy, I continued on …

    I eventually made it to the laundry and found zilch. Next stop the annexe where I had earlier kicked off my boots – and behold … firewood.

    Where could they be?

    I sat down upon the stairs just as Sue came through the door … “you look lost?”

    ‘I’ve lost my slippers … and I’m waiting for a delivery.’

    “Didn’t you pick up my message?  The delivery you were waiting for turned up an hour ago, just as you left, I put the parcel by your desk, beside your slippers …“

    The lesson of this story?

    Mindfulness? Perhaps.

    Nothing that any child isn’t learning as they set out to school and the big-wide world, being mindful helps us to be better people. We’re more content when we live in the moment, there’s less muddle, less stress, much less anxiety and a whole lot more clarity.

    Faith? More like it.

    Having faith in the tools we have(!) which we choose to employ, faith(!) in the people we know well, those we trust. That’s more like it.

  • The opportunity, through trust

    The opportunity, through trust

    Yes, it’s tough ‘out there’ although if you have confidence in your business model, persistence and trust (there’s that word again!) in what you have to offer … if you know where to pitch the business, you have a reasonably ‘thick skin’ and plenty of patience, phew!, then you are half-way there!

    Clarity.

    We already understand that many firms have been forced to close through tough times. After all, we’re still in the midst of a pandemic, there’s a recession on and to top it all, it’s August!  August to many, meaning take a holiday …

    I hear you, take a holiday?   Fear not, please bear with me.

    Now, according to those in the know, the entrepreneur, the start-up business for today has the best chance of being successful if they’re offering the following skills:

    • Garden design & build
    • Virtual Assistance
    • On-line education
    • Digital marketing
    • and Dropshipping!

    “All very well if there’s a market for it, Charlie.”    I know, I really do hear you.

    So, if you are starting out, or pivoting the business, developing the website, the marketing, organising livery, discussing an accountant, networking(!) and lots of other ‘bits and pieces’ … before you pick up those brand new, shiny tools, think about who you will serve.

    We’re in business to serve our customers, right?

    Here are just some of the business categories that are currently (Aug) thriving during our progression through lockdown …

    • Tech, cybersecurity
    • Grocery retail
    • Transport driver (haulage firm)
    • Cleaning  contractors
    • Warehousing
    • Gaming
    • Engineering

    The market we’re looking to engage should be directly related to the solutions we offer.

    So as an entrepreneur, efforts should be applied to engage, make a connection with those who are thriving and offer your services.

    “What can I, as a gardens company offer an engineering firm?”

    Now here is where networking may come in useful …

    Your connection through LinkedIn may not result in direct business, the random images posted on Instagram may not be reaching the decision-maker. The handwritten note with your business card (remember those?) may not drop on the lap of the managing director or inspire an instant decision, although please bear in the uppermost of your mind …

    Your decision to reach out, to a business that is currently enjoying growth, may, by simply receiving your details be inclined to use you in the future or indeed, pass your professional details on to another looking out for your services.

    Your Networking (business) works if you work at it!

     

  • The people person

    The people person

    Early in my career Terry and I shared a carpool.  We’d alternate weekly the responsibility for the drive across town, some forty minutes of discussion on the latest footy results, when we’d be off fishing again, perhaps a beer and most importantly what he, my trade mentor, had planned for me prior the day on the print factory floor …

    Once I’d completed my ‘time’ – the four years of transition from apprenticeship to tradesman, like many before me, the opportunity for travel arose. So, I took a holiday while Terry moved into sales.

    A few years passed and I returned home and just like my former mentor, I found employment in the publishing industry. In fact, I’d joined a firm who were direct competitors to the outfit Terry was working with.

    It wasn’t long before we were able to meet, trade events were a huge part of the industry calendar in those times.

    ‘Any news Terry? The fish biting??’  I smiled as I caught him mid-mouthful of coffee …

    ‘Not with what you’re offering them!’ Came a spluttering, though thoroughly appropriate reply.

    Needless to say, we shared smiles, spent a little while covering old ground, swapping stories and discussing mutual friends – plus a little bit of history – and the footy results!

    ‘So, how are you finding business, Terry?’ I asked.

    … ‘Charlie, I wait for the business to find me.’

    Terry was old-school sales, a people person. Never without a story and while not supremely gifted technically, he had the ability to put anyone at ease through conversation. Always with a smile, often with praise for those he met and always looking at the lesson learned if, (on the rare occasion) things didn’t quite go his way.

    Terry was someone who had that rare ability to see an opportunity before it actually arose.

    We (Terry) talked some more.

    ‘Charlie, the best piece I can give you just now is to simply believe in yourself, your strengths, believe in what you do and tell as many people about those beliefs as you can. This way, you give your audience the chance to buy-in to your story. Let the people come to you through recommendation, via the trust they have gained through association.’

    I soon realised my apprenticeship hadn’t finished at all, it had simply been postponed.

    Terry Flynn passed away peacefully earlier this year, no doubt still bemoaning the football (or racing) results and I’ll always remember him for the advice, the support and most importantly the time he offered me in those early days.

    RIP Terry Flynn, your memory lives on.

  • Let’s move forward.

    Let’s move forward.

    Join us as we move forward in conversation this week, working with the confidence we have in our business, the offer, while highlighting the skills and ability to drive on, with purpose …

    Join us any Wednesday, (12.30 until 13.30) via Zoom, an hour of your time, please.

    Perhaps the in-person morning suits you?  We’re meeting fortnightly on a Tuesday. Thursday morning also.

    Whichever way you’d prefer to step up, please don’t hesitate to fill out the contact form below, not forgetting your favoured method of communication …

    … and if you’d like to be kept right up to date with our meetings, you may like to consider joining the mailing list also?

    I look forward to meeting you, hearing your story, what drives you.

    ‘people buy from people’

    ← Back

    Thank you for your response. ✨

  • Digital or face to face?

    Digital or face to face?

    The past few years have seen an astonishing rise in the investment of digital marketing, and it’s predicted to continue. According to US sources, prior COVID digital spend was estimated to reach around £115bn by 2023.

    We’ll have to wait for father time to prove or dispel the above forecast activity, although even taking into account the current business climate, the ability for all to invest in self-promotion while engaging audiences over an ever-increasing stable of (trusted) platforms have become the lifeblood for many an entrepreneur. Today, digital more than matches the in-person or face to face marketing approach and in some sectors digital now leads the corporate strategy for growth.

    My own business has always been heavily influenced on solid personal relationships and of course, the publishing industry has had to contend with ‘revolutionary change’ since the mid-’90s. So how do the ‘old school’ (face to face) aficionados contend or even compete in today’s world?

    Today’s business world is really no different to methods of not so long ago. Success is ultimately about who you know, the relationships, the developed trust and I find face to face (even virtual face) referral networking is just right for my business.

    Trust is something that has established many a great relationship, without this most important of ingredients meaningful business is rarely sustained.

    An example being the UK phone tapping enquiry of 2005-7.

    One of the world’s most successful media families were in charge of a popular Sunday tabloid, stories of phone tapping, celebrity witch-hunts, accusations/tales of institutional corruption and pay-offs that threatened to topple the government of the time.

    The weekly gossip columns sold a lot of newspapers readers gleefully lapping up the scandal. That was until the same tabloid was accused of ‘listening in’ on the phones of victims of the London bombings, even deceased servicemen and of tragically the murdered schoolgirl, Milly Dowler.

    What followed was a total collapse of public trust in the organisation, reviled were its masters and anyone else with affinity to the newspaper. A lengthy enquiry followed, people went to prison, reputations were ruined and the paper was closed.

    Digital or face-to-face?  For me, business is personal, it’s about who (or what) I trust.

    People buy from people.

  • Let’s go and see … Thursday morn’.

    Let’s go and see … Thursday morn’.

    What’s it going to take, to move on?

    Clarity? Always useful.   Budgets? Not essential.   How about a road map, some direction?  Better still, I hear you say …

    ‘Anyone have a crystal ball?’

    With a distinct message of ‘back to business,’ we’re always discussing the best way forward. Looking at what may be on the other side?  Where can we grow, what’s it going to take to make a difference ??

    Having a chat, any Thursday morning,  8 am until 9.15 for introductions …

    Come and join the conversation, send a request via the form below for ‘networking with Weeklybiz.’     I’ll send you the link, then we can all go and ‘see.’

    Pw 42768

    ← Back

    Thank you for your response. ✨

    #movement #engaging #growth #networking

  • Your strengths, your passion

    Your strengths, your passion

    Wednesday this week we engage the conversation, it’s about you.

    We’re looking to the future through the path of least resistance, breaking new ground, identifying the solutions while mastering the fundamentals.

    What makes you happy?  What are your strengths?

    Join us, Weeklybiz for networking via ZOOM, 12.30 this Wednesday?

    Alternatively, you may wish to join us Thursday, 8am?

    Below please find a link for details, no password required … most welcome!

    https://mailchi.mp/f2a05e408fe2/whats-happening-5112794

  • Lockdown, reflect

    Lockdown, reflect

    Almost all of us have been subject to change recently. We’ve adjusted to adapt with the new order ‘of things’ in different ways, admittedly some adapting under hugely difficult circumstances, but lockdown does have it’s advantages.

    For many operating their own business, including myself, these past months of adjustment, pivot and learning have not only brought opportunity, but they’ve also brought about positive change.

    Gone is much of the old routine, the admin, the commute, I’ve found more freedom for the entrepreneur in me(!) The dawn o’clock breakfast meetings have been replaced with a stroll to the beach with the dog, or through the woods. Mother nature has thrived without the noise and pollution, dog loves it, I love it and the extra O2 has done wonders for my appreciation for the new-order of breakfast meeting … with family.

    This new routine has enabled an appreciation of technology, of my own time and efforts. I’ve found fresh thinking now, rediscovered values, I’m taking the time to call my clients, discussing their own story. We’re ‘chewing the fat,’ our common challenges and of course the wins, we’re smiling together and there appears to be more time and I’m even following up … with purpose.

    Just to say hello, join in the conversation.

    Yes, I could have simplified the above message by writing less, saying that the ‘common challenge’ of lockdown these past months has been a great leveller, right?

    But what value to the reader if I hadn’t made you dwell, reflect?

    For me, lockdown is about looking up, moving forward and realising that you can succeed, thrive even, via a shrinking marketplace if you simply stop for a minute, engage by reaching out, take time to smell the roses.

  • With Eyes on the prize

    With Eyes on the prize

    We continue to keep the focus on the engagement this Wednesday 24th June, 12.30 as we follow the familiar format through introductions, support, lead and referral. Otherwise, please join us via Zoom for network connections on any Wednesday as we move through July-August.  More information may be found in the link below.

    Alternatively, the very same opportunity presents itself ‘in the morning’ 8.00 until 9.15 Thursday, 2nd July … and for those wishing to cultivate new business as we ease back to normality, you are most welcome to join us. To receive your personal invitation, let me know if you’d like to be with us.

    Thank you.

    ‘business is personal’

    link here – double click –

    ← Back

    Thank you for your response. ✨

    (more…)