Some thoughts on the real world by one who glimpsed it and fled

Here’s the text of a speech Bill Watterson gave at Kenyon College, Gambier Ohio, to the 1990 graduating class. SOME THOUGHTS ON THE REAL WORLD BY ONE WHO GLIMPSED IT AND FLEDBill WattersonKenyon College CommencementMay 20, 1990 I have a recurring dream about Kenyon. In it, I’m walking to the post office on the way to … Read more

Business Black Holes

Business black holes, the cycles between them and how to jump your business into greater growth. The predictable problem of business black holes Some 20 years ago I interviewed around 700 small businesses to discover whether the growth and stall trends I’d previously been analysing in big business still occurred in the small business market. They certainly … Read more

What are Employee Ownership Trusts?

By moving the ownership of the business into an Employee Ownership Trust (EOT), founders can realise financial value over time but preserve the company’s culture, values, and independence for the long run. What are Employee Ownership Trusts? The EOT is a mechanism for transferring the majority of the equity from the owners of the business … Read more

Freelancers consistently overwork and undercharge

Being a freelancer is great. We know that. You know that. But sometimes it’s worth digging a little deeper, worth finding out what makes you – and your fellow freelancers – tick. For that reason, Dinghy recently embarked upon the inaugural ‘Freelancing in 2020: State of the Industry’ survey. After all, what better time is … Read more

Leadership and mental health: "Bosses burn out too"

Interesting read in the Singapore Business Times from Anthea Ong, founder and chairperson of WorkWell Leaders, a non-profit collective of CEOs and leaders focused on championing workplace mental health and wellbeing. The key quote for me: "Employee mental health has never been given more attention by employers. However, experts say late-stage pandemic fatigue is also … Read more

Agency Profitability

Despite years of people espousing the death of the “digital agency” the industry is thriving and confident. Amazing work continues to be produced by top digital agencies around the world, and clients continue to hire agencies to complement their internal teams, in particular when creative or technical innovation is required. And not only that, well … Read more

How to build a high performing communications team

(Thanks to Neil Grayshon for the image!) Building an excellent communications team requires lots of equally-excellent strategy, hiring, people management and culture building – and more. I knew when I started at FutureGov that I didn’t have experience in this area, so reached out to the good and the great of the UK PR industry … Read more

What should a 2013 not-for-profit look like?

The good people behind OpenTech 2013 posed a great question as one of their potential sessions for the event happening on 18th May in London: What should a 2013 not-for-profit look like? It caught my eye a few weeks ago and I’ve been pondering it ever since, not only because I’ve had experience in starting … Read more

Japanese Netsuke and Symbiotic Relationships

  I’ve always been interested in Japanese culture – both traditional and modern – and my recent trip to Japan has furthered my interest. But living in London means I am lucky enough to be exposed to Japanese culture and traditions on a regular basis, whether it’s through visiting the Japan Centre on Regent Street, … Read more

Social Charity Index: 6 ways charities can make the most of social

Two years on from producing the first Social Charity Study, the team at Visceral Business have produced the Social Charity Index 2013, a report looking into how phenomenal and substantial the growth of social and digital media has become among charities in the UK. A few headlines from the report: The average rate of growth in … Read more