CharlieKenny.me

people * stories * engagement

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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
  • Putting the work in

    Putting the work in

    “We haven’t seen Smithy for a while now, Charlie?” Asked Ian.

    I’ve heard the above statement many times from lots of different people regarding those who just don’t ‘get it’ … one-time attendees to our business community. (Just like Smithy) 

    “Community is not for everyone, Ian.”

    The term ‘community’ is something I use more often when discussing our network these days, being established and meeting on at least a fortnightly basis since 2012 … makes sense eh?

    Our sole reason for coming together is to support and inspire, support the business owner and so inspire the opportunity. The given ‘opportunity’ comes in different guises. Some of us see stepping out, attending the meeting itself as the sole reason for qualifying it’s effectiveness. It’s always been tough being a sole trader or SME, so I get it, the value of conversation is invaluable. 

    When working for yourself the feeling that no-one is listening, or that the ‘world has forgotten you’ comes to us all.

    I’ve always said that business is a by-product of effective networking. Not the sole benefit or add-on by any means. There are many benefits, the most valuable (depending on who’s listening) is the opportunity to share. By sharing we’re offering insights, experiences, bringing further education about our business during conversation … becoming even more … valuable

    … we’re enlightening others on the type of person we are, and the positioning of our business, about what makes us both tick, where we’d like to be in the future. Aspirations … We’re educating.

    The clearest opportunity in the early days of community building is the offer of solution(s) to family members. Introducing a helping hand to loved ones through our business community can be especially satisfying.

    Another oft-overlooked advantage of joining a like-minded community is partnership. By putting the work-in, being brave, giving time to the room, we’re reaching a whole new community of listeners. Each of us have the potential to reach new prospects through recommendation. Word of mouth works … if only you give us something to talk about.

    “So, yes Ian, it’s a shame Smithy is too busy for more business, seemed like a nice fella, although I never got to know him. Did you?“

    The greatest gift is time, if you’re building a community network, the most important ingredient is together-time.

    ‘people buy from people’

  • How do they feel?

    How do they feel?

    I was in conversation with a business friend recently. I do this a lot, … Sue was going through a rough time qualifying herself as the go-to business-person.

    She felt that all she ever did when promoting her business, was sell.  Endlessly pitching the selly-sell…

    If they don’t know, then how can they make a decision? I asked.

    Before Sue could counter my claim, I reminded her of the basics once more … why are you in business? What is it your company provides?  Most importantly, how do you make people feel?

    Today was a particularly bad day for Sue. I knew she was promoting her business through various presentations recently. Like everyone else, she was busy on the business ‘circuit’ and I wanted her to understand how valuable her efforts were. 

    You are building your reputation, Sue. Repetitive messages over a given people is what it takes.

    I clarified with Sue that we needed to have people believe in the person before they actually invest in anything. Whether our prospects invest their time or hard-earned cash, the first point we needed to address is our own self-belief … are we believable?

    Does your company offer a better way of life, Sue?  

    Is this something you provide? If so, say it, and tell a story of how this has worked in the past.

    Sue nodded in affirmation, she was listening.

    Remember why you do what you do. If it’s to bring yourself and others a better standard of living, then understand what you are offering to your network is worthy indeed. 

    It’s significant, is it not?

    There was silence …

    Once you believe that you have a credible offer, and that you are the in-the-flesh proof of this offer, and the vision of how your company works for your customers … then you should remind yourself, daily – that you have the power to bring the ‘feel-good’ to anyone in business. 

    That’s why you’re taking the message out to as many people as you can, so that they can spread the word on your behalf.

    You are the bringer of good news – and that’s not a bad thing, is it Sue?

    B, but …

    No buts Sue, business is personal.

  • Hoooraaay!

    Hoooraaay!

    “Hoooraay!”

    Nicky offered a gleeful cheer and a leap of joy as she declared that today … at what had proved a very quiet trade fair, her start-up business had received it’s very first order!

    Great news indeed.

    “It’s success Charlie, I’m so pleased!” Nicky cried.

    Nicky had every right to be happy. That first acknowledgement of the faith she has in her very own enterprise will stay with her for a long while.

    It’s relief, validation of her actions and in her product and service. It can be tricky for anyone wishing to start their own business. Today’s fickle, competitive, and somewhat demoralising world calls for a tough skin.

    The very process of declaring yourself ‘open for business’ calls for bravery. Although working for yourself doesn’t call for being anything other than transparent. Being yourself. 

    While we understand Nicky’s delight in her first order, isn’t it great news? We should understand that success does not start with the first exchange of cash for goods.

    Some would say success is in the very fact that you step out, decide to start out on your own in the first place! 

    I/we believe that to be true, don’t you think?

    So, that very start. Before we start trading. Even in advance of company formation and bank(?) account, that tricky market positioning and publicity … all that ‘stuff’ is way, way ‘down the line’ in the pursuit of success. 

    We should first turn our thoughts to recognition. By working toward validation from peers that you can be trusted as a credible person and with a viable product … this is the most important ingredient to success. Imagine who they know?

    For, until we have affinity with like minds, those contacts within our business or social sphere … the pursuit of satisfaction through real success may be lonely, and tougher than it should be.

    So, it’s further Hooooraaay!! Congratulations! A warm welcome from all to the business world Nicky, as you work smart building that trusted network.

    ‘people buy from people’

  • Try this instead

    Try this instead

    A friend once told me that their best work came when they didn’t know how to do the thing yet. You know, the first time they tried gymnastics they were terrified. The thought of landing badly after the tumble terrified them, but the adrenaline, this made her focus and she scored big points.  The second time? She knew what to expect she was calmer, more comfortable and this is where mistakes were made. Comfort smothered the concentration and ruined the precision.

    We think comfort means safety, sadly in the space where you want to create, comfort is not our friend.

    Comfort is the slippers as opposed the shiny biz shoes.

    Comfort is leaning on “what worked last time” instead of taking the risk of new tumble combinations, variations in movement, new experiments. Comfort is cozy. But it’s also static. And static kills movement.

    The Push and the Pull

    We need comfort in some parts of life. Familiar food. A safe home. Routine. But when it comes to creativity, predictability dulls the edge. To grow, you have to risk the wobble. To create, being bad at something for long enough will get us good.

    Think about when you last learned something new. Whatsapp for one! A camera setting. Curried over poached egg. A musical instrument. You hesitated, maybe stumbled, right? Stumbling is progress. Comfort would have kept you in our seat and stopped you from even trying.

    What to Do Instead

    Pick something you don’t know how to do and give it ten messy tries.

    Choose a responsibility that feels slightly too big for your current skills.

    Shift a habit that’s lost its excitement for something that makes you … nervous.

    It doesn’t have to be massive. Maybe that curry in your cooking. Bare feet instead of slippers. One new way of showing that you care. The important part is that you shake yourself away from the slippers of comfort into the, not so much the gymnastics, but the stretch of creativity.

    Try it with your next presentation. Surprise yourself and give others vision.

  • Quick step or bolero?

    Quick step or bolero?

    The past few years working for myself have been tough. I’ve noticed a tremendous change in the way people do business. Speaking with friends in my network, they all see the same …

    ​The familiar high-street names have disappeared from local focus. Woolworths, Miss Selfridge, Debenhams to name a few. Sure, some have resurfaced on-line and are doing well, as change continues …

    Today I see opportunity. By looking for a way forward, it’s easy to recognise the landscape of the individual owner/manager. The independent entrepreneur.

    No, I’m not delving into the world of that AI fellow, not this time, although he does figure … I’m talking real world.

    It is the individuals who are growing this vision of new economy, and even though AI has offered a myriad of new skills, bringing the can-do confidence … it is the independent thinker who has the agility to utilise and apply new tech. 

    Isn’t that the way independents have always been successful? Adaptability, mobility? The quick-step over bolero?

    In today’s new-new age, independence seems to be working; there’s success seen for some, although not everyone …

    I’ve heard it is the wariness of unknown threats that affects the confidence of anyone looking to step up. Hey … we’ve all been there, remember? No surprise eh?  

    Brexit, the Pandemic, and unsteady governance. Continued unrest in countries around the world. There is plenty to observe and witness, although if I’m honest with you (the only way to be,) I’m thinking … 

    The biggest difficulty facing independent thinking is that we’re not welcome in the HMRC dystopian world of 2025.  We don’t consume or create enough, independent owner/manager doesn’t pay the taxes.  According to the statisticians, we’re not growing fast enough. 

    To be successful … the 56% of businesses in the UK registered as sole-traders should be brave, even braver than the previous generation. They should hold their nerve as we pursue the new business with confidence.

    Tough times call for an optimistic mindset if we are to prevail. Then, as we’re eventually able to hire and retain staff, create supply lines and embrace the cherished ledger debt so favoured by the accountant … we look toward the future for consolidation. 

    The good news is that we don’t have to step-up on our own. By finding a like-minded network (community/resource,) any business will soon gain confidence to step up and out.

    By having this sounding board of trusted colleagues by our side, we’re able to dream bigger … inspiration comes to the fore as we navigate the brave new world of today’s owner/manager.

    ‘people buy from people’

  • More homework

    More homework

    So I was talking to Ross who attended networking only a handful of times before giving it away.

    What’s up Ross? Leaving in the middle of sowing season?

    ‘Wha? Charlie, I’ve come along to enough meetings now to understand my market is simply not in the room … I need employers of staff, with production lines or shifts working, or both.’

    Give it time, Ross. Educate the audience on who could use your product or service. Give the audience time to buy in to you, the person and they may bring you business … through the depth of contacts …

    Now, given that Ross was new to the community, he found he was in need of a whole lot of  homework. Being an experienced networker, he was taking the broader, general view that networking was able to cater for all needs, and …

    Sometimes it doesn’t. The audience needs to know more if you are presenting a niche product. Our job is to work smarter if we are committing to a network without letting people down.

    A few years ago I was addressing a meeting of locals from a rural community. Tourism and agriculture were the mainstay of household income. Home support was another, although most of the ‘tool vans’ worked away from home during the week. 

    Now, after stating my case for networking with the farm community, I asked the question:

    ‘Who do you turn to when you need to know something important?’ 

    After a few wise-cracks, the odd snigger thrown in as well, I asked the same question – with the words ‘about business’ tagged on the end …

    We talk to the bank or the accountant. 

    I continued … before you go to the bank etc., who do you confide in?

    You mean apart from the Mrs?  Well I talk to my neighbour, or the lads at the pub.

    ‘Correct.’ I said, and before anyone had time to add something …

    ‘That’s the value of having a network, that’s why we meet regularly, to mull over, take advice, share and begin to ,see more clearly …’

    So at the end of our meeting, I was chatting to one of my new friends who declined my invitation to a place in the new group.

    Thanks, Charlie, I understand what you mean about the networking, but it’s not for me.’

    I’m sorry to hear that, came my reply.

    Yes, well, we’ve been doing it all our lives here (networking) – we’ve all got to know each other pretty well. Good luck with it, though I can’t see networking catching on here.

    I smiled to myself and thought against relating more of the story of time and trust to Ross.

    Shaking hands with Ross, we agreed it was to be the long game given the rural community he was looking to inspire. Communities are built on good, long-term relationships and if you are not prepared to spend time on understanding the depth of that community … then success may not be yours any-time soon.

    People buy from people they know and trust.

  • Foundations matter …

    Foundations matter …

    Katharine Hepburn, in her own words:

    “Once, when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus. Finally, there was only one family between us and the ticket counter. That family made a lasting impression on me.

    There were eight children, all under the age of 12. From the way they were dressed, you could tell they didn’t have much money, but their clothes were clean, very clean. The children were well-behaved, standing in pairs behind their parents, holding hands.

    They were so excited about the clowns, the animals, and all the acts they would see that night. From their excitement, you could tell they had never been to a circus before. It was going to be a highlight of their lives.

    The father and mother stood proudly at the front of their little group. The mother was holding her husband’s hand, looking at him as if to say, ‘You’re my knight in shining armor.’ He was smiling, enjoying seeing his family happy.

    The ticket lady asked how many tickets he wanted, and he proudly responded, ‘I want eight children’s tickets and two adult tickets.’ Then she announced the price.

    The wife let go of her husband’s hand, her head dropped, and the man’s lip began to quiver. He leaned in closer and asked, ‘How much did you say?’

    The ticket lady repeated the price.

    He didn’t have enough money. How was he supposed to turn around and tell his eight kids that he couldn’t afford to take them to the circus?

    Seeing what was happening, my dad reached into his pocket, pulled out a $20 bill, and dropped it on the ground. We weren’t rich by any means. My father bent down, picked up the $20 bill, tapped the man on the shoulder, and said, ‘Excuse me, sir, this fell out of your pocket.’

    The man understood what was happening. He wasn’t being handed charity, but he gratefully accepted the help in his desperate, heartbreaking, and embarrassing situation. He looked straight into my father’s eyes, took my dad’s hand in both of his, squeezed the bill tightly, and with trembling lips and a tear streaming down his cheek, he replied, ‘Thank you, sir. This really means so much to me and my family.’

    My father and I went back to our car and drove home. The $20 my dad gave away was what we had planned to use for our own tickets.

    Although we didn’t see the circus that night, we felt a joy inside us that was far greater than seeing the circus.

    That day, I learned the true value of giving. The Giver is greater than the Receiver.

    If you want to be great, greater than life itself, learn to give. Love has nothing to do with what you expect to get, only with what you expect to give—everything.

    The importance of giving and blessing others cannot be overstated because there is always joy in giving.

    Learn to make someone happy through acts of giving.”

    ~Katharine Hepburn

    ‘people buy from people’

  • Stay where you are?

    Stay where you are?

    After a warm, dry spell of weather, today had turned cooler. Sea mist was rolling across the cricket pitch to offer some respite for the fielding side.

    I turned to my friend Bob sitting beside me as he suggested we move to the back of the pavilion where he thought it maybe more comfortable…

    I think I’ll sit right here, came my reply. Besides, I’m into the game and the change in conditions is sure to bring something different.  I’ll stay right where I am, thanks Bob.

    Bob nodded to me as he stood, pulled on his sweater and clamoured over the rows of seats behind us.

    With my fidgeting friend gone, I was able to concentrate on the game before me. The weather and the change of light had brought a different bowler, the field placements were adjusted to reflect the pace and bounce … and then, with the watching spectators (Bob, myself and one or two others) enthralled, something happened.

    The game gathered pace..

    The new bowler wasn’t to the batsman’s liking. Now, as the man with the bat, abandoning his patience, plays an uncharacteristically hurried shot, … he’s caught behind the wicket…

    The action is witnessed from ‘the gallery!’

    ‘Howzat!’ came the reply from Bob, now ensconced at the back of the shed, pint in hand!

    Isn’t it wonderful what change can bring us?

    Mother nature brings us opportunity with a little impatient action taken, both on and off the pitch. Bob has a favourable(?) refreshing new view enjoyed from the gallery and the conversation takes a turn for the better ….

    There’s a quote by Mahatma Gandi:

    ‘You must be the change you wish to see in this world.’

    Isn’t that a great lesson?

  • Gadgets, lions and parachutes

    Gadgets, lions and parachutes

    PEOPLE WALK AWAY from networking groups for all sorts of reasons. They may not find the time to attend regularly, or might not like the structure of the meeting, the food, or, in most cases, it’s because they’re unable to see the opportunity for growth.

    Give your time.

    The business that joins a collective to share conversation participates in ‘networking.’ The clue is in the word itself, connecting with peers over a given time.

    How soon can you be successful? It depends on the type of business you have. For example, you may be offering the latest ‘gadget’, the most popular gadget that has ever appeared on the market! It’s easy to believe you are going to see good results quickly, certainly before the lion tamer or parachute salesman.

    With the hottest of gadgets in your possession you have an established market, people need your gadgets and so customers come to you! They all want the ‘gadget of the day!’ 

    The lion tamer and parachute guy? 

    With such niche products … it’s a no brainer they could be spending quite a bit of time connecting, delivering messages before ever coming close to new business! A lion that needs taming or even a parachute made for you! Perhaps an inventive insurance agent amongst the network may help?

    Then one day! By the magic of word-of-mouth recommendation, an enquiry arrives. Someone needs a lion tamer … together with a bespoke parachute …

    Give networking time and you will be successful.

    Through the strength of its reputation, the niche business can be as successful as the ‘widget of the day,’

    Success is all about developing our fraternity. Consistency sets the successful networker apart from the ‘chancer’ we often see, you know … 

    … those who “go networking” looking for any new business on the day, declaring as they leave that ‘networking doesn’t work,’ We rarely see them again.

    Take time to learn from each other.

    The ancient Greeks taught that all conversations involved three ingredients: 

    Ethos, or the character of the speaker. Pathos, when the speaker and listener connect through empathy, emotion, and Logos.

    The logos discussed by the Greeks refers to the factual content of the message and use of words. The business.

    Be seen, connect with your listener and give your message time.

    To learn what you need, the listener should hear and trust you before they are ready, willing, and able to listen to what you have to say.

    Networking is not right for everyone, although it’s great for every business.

    #niche #usp #networkingworks #gadgets

  • bring the sunshine!

    bring the sunshine!

    Living on the North of England coast, I’m heard often complaining the fact that the sun never seems to linger, there’s often a hint ‘she’s’ on her way at times…

    I mean, we have the odd sparkling day and then I’m forced to realise that even the sun needs to take a rest. 

    I know, we appreciate things a lot more in their rarity.

    It’s the same with people don’t you think? Catching up with good friends, spending time with those we haven’t seen for a while, for me, should be a cause for celebration.

    I’m lucky in that I have a rich and varied group of ‘friends’ and acquaintances who meet regularly. We’re sharing precious time as we renew professional (and personal) stories.  Not everyone can talk about their personal challenges, something I feel is a shame. I hear first-hand that not many head home or back to the office and talk up the meeting of earlier that morning.

    By doing just that … our ‘home team’ becomes part of the bigger picture. They learn more about the ‘why. The support network that surrounds the business owner every time he steps up and out to generate interest through engagement. 

    Business becomes even more personal if we share our stories. 

    Recently, I heard from an old friend who informed me of the passing of a mutual colleague. Achen was someone who started his business not so long ago and was part of the original Weekly Business, a time when we were meeting in London. I remember Achen as being a likeable, softly spoken professional. One of those who, when we hear them speaking, we lean in to take a minute and listen. 

    Achen was a family man. I didn’t know until I heard the sad news that he and his wife were parents to three lovely children. I’m sure those kids will remember their father with the fondness I and many others do. 

    I never met Achen’s wife or family, and it’s times like these I wish I had that opportunity.

    I’m reminded of the value of ‘now’ and living in the moment, the importance of listening to the stories of friends through conversation. 

    Many memories have come out of this moment of sad news . Most important though is the recollection of a man who brought help, support, and happiness to many whenever he walked into the room.

    The sun shines longer when we’re spreading the word and talking up prospects.