Category Archives: business

Highlights from An Evening with Colin Robertson – part 2

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Colin Robertson’s talk was honest, humourous and hard-hitting in parts but the Exchange members lucky enough to attend all found something relevant to their own business they could take away and apply.

Here the members share some of the highlights of the evening, and what they learned from Colin’s story.

John Gardiner of TALENTStream was busy taking notes to take back to action.
“I’m taking away very rich ideas you can apply directly in your business and know they are proven.”

Joanna Dunbar, Stewart First Aid, thought Colin had a brilliant story to tell.
“It’s fabulous to see something started in Scotland and going all over the world.”

Nicola Gillespie Syme, Gillespie Financial, loved the humour Colin used to get his message across.
“Colin’s fundamental belief and passion in everything he does is infectious.”

Robin Wornsop of Rabbie’s Trail Burners appreciated the information about how Colin turned the business around.
“The key things were communication around making sure every one knows where you are going and what your vision is to take the company forward so you get the company behind you – every one actually wants to be in a winning team.”

Highlights from An Evening with Colin Robertson – part 1

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If you weren’t at An Evening with Colin Robertson, then you missed out on a quality event.

2012′s Entrepreneur of the Year Colin Robertson was on top form, his talk both entertaining and educational.

In part 2 of this blog we’ll share highlights from the evening through the eyes of some of the members who attended, but for now you can listen to Colin talk about de-risking Alexander Dennis Ltd, growth in products, sales and profits, customer retention, moving out of comfort zones, and hitting £1bn t/o in the not too distant future.

Trust us, this is one video you really want to watch.

Acquisition Secrets Revealed – Jim McColl

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Growth by acquisition can be exponential, exciting and financially rewarding. If you get it right. But in many cases the acquisition doesn’t work out, the acquiring company struggles to integrate the new company, and the new company fails to fit in.

Jim McColl

Jim McColl


So how do you make successful acquisitions? Who better to ask than Jim McColl of Clyde Blowers whose successful acquisition strategy over the past 10 years has seen the business develop into a truly global portfolio of 90 companies in 30 different countries, employing 6,000 people, with an annual turnover in excess of £1.35bn.

Murray Strachan chaired the evening. He summed up Jim’s key advice quite simply:
• Focus on what you’re good at, what you can add value to and/or leverage.
• Remember the best business to be in is the one you’re already in.
• Research competition, market/industry sectors and look for gaps, potential and to identify targets.
• Development and implementation of a 100-day plan is the key to integration and success.
• Motivate the management team, help them understand the vision and let them help in developing the storyboard.
• Be careful with the brand of the target, and/or eroding its inherent value.
• Always present an acquisition as a merger.

“Jim’s key approach came down to four factors, said Murray. “Big ambition, a “can do” attitude, understanding your markets and thinking globally.

“There were so many lessons and golden nuggets from Jim my arm hurt writing them all down. What a guy!”

For Amanda Boyle of Bloom VC the key lesson was that successful acquisitions focus on the return not the cost and the most valuable due diligence is carried out on operational issues by an internal team before professional services are engaged.

“Planning and ambition are important at every stage of building your business,” said Amanda. “It’s important to map and articulate these then share with everyone, every day… so that’s what I aim to do!”

She added: “Doing the right thing can be compatible with big ambition. A strong sense of personal values shines through Jim’s approach to negotiation.

The most memorable piece of advice that Tony Banks took away from the evening was that Scotland would flourish as an independent nation.

Tony, of Balhousie Care Group, added:” The highlights for me were tips to get your own team to do most of the operational diligence during an acquisition and then get the ‘expensive’ professionals to only provide confirmatory diligence.

“There will be no major changes in my business but I need to talk to Jim about raising funds and becoming a debt financier,” smiled Tony.

Attendee Thoughts and Key Tips
“Lots of practical advice and guidance, underpinned by focus, patience and sharp vision. What shone through were Jim’s priorities and values, and a very clear sense of self.”
“Target peoples dreams not just how much they want to be paid. Make that dream a reality!”
“Key tip for me – operational diligence before you bring in the expensive professionals to carry out the confirmatory diligence.”
“1. Get to know the firms first, just ‘drop in’ for a coffee whilst you’re in the area – so really get to understand the business from afar 2. Let them think you’re merging 3. Keep staff informed & updated with your goals 4. Do diligence internally where possible.”
“My tips from the evening – Market analysis – get to really know your market and competitors – Key staff – play to their dreams when looking to incentivise – Story board – set out clearly the vision for all to see and buy into – Can do attitude is essential – Look at what you are good at – best business to be in is the one you’re in!”

Jim also recommended a number of his favourite books, his personal top ten list is here. Better get them on your Santa list!

1. Think and Grow Rich – by Napoleon Hill
2. Success Through A Positive Mental Attitude – by W. Clement Stone
3. You’ll See It When You Believe It – by Wayne W. Dyer
4. You Can If You Think You Can – by Norman Vincent Peale
5. Born to Success – by Colin Turner
6. Are You Positive? – by Richard Gaylord Briley
7. The Secret – by Rhonda Byrne
8. A Passion for Success – by Kazuo Inamori
9. Ask And It Is Given – by Esther and Jerry Hicks
10. Abundance – The Future Is Better Than You Think – by Peter H. Diamandis

Biographies “here”

Nominees for Entrepreneur of the Year 2012

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The wait is almost over, and tonight we’ll reveal the winner of the coveted Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Nominees for this prestigious award are:

Name: Tom Cross
Company: Parkmead Group
Location: Aberdeen
Started: 2011
Employees: 15
Financial turnover: £3 million

One of Scotland’s best-known oil and gas entrepreneurs, Tom Cross cut his teeth in the industry as a petroleum engineer and economist with companies like Thomson North Sea and Louisiana Land and Exploration.

After starting Dana Petroleum with an initial investment of around £200,000, Mr Cross helped the company establish the foundations for growth by scouring the former Soviet Union for licences in the early 1990s. Aided by his astute deal-making, he went on to grow the business into one of Scotland’s biggest listed companies. The company’s mix of North Sea and overseas interests was attractive enough to persuade Korean National Oil Company to pay $3bn (£1.87bn) for the business in 2010.

Mr Cross also pursued an entrepreneurial approach to the corporate social responsibility agenda at Dana. This included drawing on the firm’s drilling expertise to secure permanent water sources for the indigenous population of a desert near where it was exploring.

Since becoming executive chairman of Parkmead Group last year, Mr Cross has made a quick start to his attempt to build another big North Sea business by completing four acquisitions.

Deloitte verdict: “Tom’s record with Dana is outstanding, and exemplifies an individual who is not easily deterred and understands how to get the best out of people and business opportunities. Tom is able to set a clear vision for each of his business interests and the momentum he is already generating at the Parkmead Group demonstrates his team and the market’s advocacy of his leadership and strategy.”

Name: Stuart McLean
Company: Zonal
Location: Edinburgh
Started: 1979
Employees: 240
Financial turnover: £36m

Stuart McLean has spent his entire working life developing his family business, Zonal, which was established to fill a gap in the market for a till-based operating system for the hospitality market.

With a customer base that includes the Wetherspoons and Belhaven pubs businesses and the Butlins leisure operation, Zonal has built a market share of around 60% for its Electronic Point of Sale systems. The company conducts research and development at its Edinburgh base and manufactures its products in Livingston. It has also used acquisitions to expand its offering to include functions like online ordering, stock replenishment and self-billing between wholesalers and suppliers.

After achieving steady growth amid often challenging conditions in the UK, Zonal has made inroads into the giant US market. The company has a presence in the state of Florida, where there are more than 60,000 restaurants.

Mr McLean has sanctioned the hefty investment required to build a new head office in Edinburgh to accommodate growth in a clear sign of his confidence in Zonal’s prospects.

Deloitte verdict: “Stuart has built Zonal in a careful and measured way – the results of which are really starting to take effect in terms of its UK and US footprint. Zonal has captured the market almost by stealth, keeping the customer and their interests as the core focus. As an individual he conveys real, yet grounded, ambition for the company and has no intention of letting up.”

Name: Jim Walker
Company: Argent Energy
Location: Motherwell
Started: 2001
Employees: 63
Financial turnover: £47m

Jim Walker rose to prominence as a spokesman for farmers during the BSE crisis that rocked the community in 1996. In a subsequent four-year spell as the president of the National Farmers Union of Scotland he helped members through the foot-and-mouth crisis in 2001.

After joining Argent Group as vice-chairman in 2003, Mr Walker drew on his farming experience to help the company accelerate the development of its biodiesel production business. This involved taking waste outputs from animal rendering plants. Appointed operations director in 2005, Mr Walker then played a key role in helping the firm respond successfully to the challenges posed by the financial crisis in 2008 and the ensuing recession and oil price volatility.

Since participating in a management buyout of the company in 2009. Mr Walker has led the company during a period in which it has more than tripled revenues and increased profitability by 400%.

Deloitte verdict: “Jim is a charismatic individual who has brought to Argent his business skills and political connections, derived from his farming experience. He has carried his team with him and is demonstrating, in a sustained way, a commercial model that makes money in the arena of renewable fuels.

“Jim navigated the business through a difficult period of changeable oil prices and maintained his faith in the long-term potential of the business which now appears to be vindicated, given the continuing growth it now enjoys.”

Nominees for Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year 2012

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Tonight we’ll reveal the winner of the Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year 2012 – here are our outstanding finalists:

Alan Bonner – Pinnacle Technology Group plc, Gilad Tiefenbrun – Linn Products, Peter Bruce – Entier Ltd, Michael O’Hare – thebookingroom and Hermann Twickler – PressureFab Group.

Alan Bonner
Pinnacle Technology
Based: Stirlingshire
Started: 2002
Employees: 60+
Turnover: £6.3m

Alan Bonner displayed entrepreneurial instincts as a 17-year-old school leaver when he started a video library that soon became profitable.He moved into the telecommunications industry in 1996 following stints in insurance brokerage and in sales at the BUPA private healthcare operation.

Quick to recognise the opportunities created by deregulation, Mr Bonner developed a firm that sold telecommunications products on behalf of suppliers, which was bought by a rival based in Kent. Since acquiring the then loss-making Glen Group (now renamed Pinnacle Technology) in 2007, Mr Bonner has developed an entirely new service offering. The firm has won a range of big contracts covering events like the London 2012 Olympic Games and used acquisitions to increase its customer base.

The company has reported profits and aims to expand overseas.

Deloitte verdict: “Turning around the failing Glen Group and creating a platform for sustained growth is a major accomplishment, particularly when achieved with no external debt.

“While building his resource steadily, Alan is attuned to the growth potential of his business and has the proven tenacity to overcome challenges when they arise.”

Peter Bruce
Entier Services
Based: Aberdeen
Started: 2008
Employees: 473
Turnover: £25.5m

A trained chef, Peter Bruce spent 11 successful years at Compass Group before spotting an opportunity to start a new business specialising in catering for staff on offshore oil and gas rigs as well as onshore venues.

After quickly building a customer base that includes big North Sea operators such as Apache, Entier has almost tripled turnover since 2008. The company is on course to make its first profit in 2012 with further growth forecast in 2013.

Entier has invested heavily in research and development, developing packaging to ensure produce is as fresh as possible when it reaches offshore sites. The company has won business in overseas markets like Canada, Egypt and the Gulf of Mexico and started working with clients in other industries.

Deloitte verdict: “Despite Entier Services still being in its infancy its rapid growth over the past four years is nothing short of impressive and, with almost 500 employees, it can hardly be viewed as small.

“Peter’s commitment to a quality product and service, combined with a loyal team, makes Entier very well positioned for continued success and the possibility of becoming a real powerhouse in the offshore catering sector.”

Michael O’Hare
thebookingroom
Based: HQ in Glasgow with offices in Edinburgh, London, Paris, Hong Kong and New York
Started: 1999
Employees: 133 (excluding drivers sub-contracted for additional international work)
Turnover: £12.8m

A former golf professional at Glasgow’s Sherbrook Castle, Michael O’Hare moved into the transport business by providing cars for weddings at the venue. After buying a limousine, he expanded into offering transport services for corporate events and financial road shows through his Charlton Chauffeur Drive operation.

Mr O’Hare went on to develop thebookingroom as a business which harnesses the internet to offer a chauffeur-driven service specialising in niche markets like events and private aviation.

Based in Scotland, thebook-ingroom now has offices in London, Hong Kong, Paris and New York. Clients include giants like JPMorgan Chase, MTV and Deutsche Bank. The company has maintained a growth rate of around 20% and is now planning further expansion into new markets such as Brazil.

Deloitte verdict: “Michael clearly has a strong understanding of the practical steps required to develop his raw ideas for expansion into tangible business success.

“The continued development and refinement of thebookingroom’s bespoke logistics and customer management software indicate Michael’s awareness of the importance of innovation in staying ahead in the market and gaining a competitive edge.

“To have developed into a business with international scope is testament to Michael’s entrepreneurship and determination.”

Gilad Tiefenbrun
Linn Products
Based: Eaglesham, near Glasgow
Started: 1973
Employees: 174
Turnover: £17.257m

With a background that includes a degree in electrical engineering and five years working in areas like mobile phone operating systems at Symbian, Gilad Tiefenbrun joined his father’s business, Linn Products, with a highly sophisticated understanding of technology

He proceeded to lead a turnaround of Linn with an emphasis on research and development. This resulted in the company ceasing manufacturing CD players in 2009 and focusing on technology designed to capitalise on the rise of digital streaming of music. Appointed managing director in the same year, Mr Tiefenbrun increased the company’s focus on innovation with the creation of a 50-strong product development team.

The company recorded a 21% increase in net profit in 2012 and eliminated its outstanding debt.

Deloitte verdict: “Gilad is an impressive entrepreneur with a very inclusive leadership style. He has successfully steered Linn through a challenging time and has completely reinvigorated the business by adhering to his clear strategy.

“At the heart of this is a commitment to quality and investing in the future of the business, both in product development and the team of people he has working alongside him.

“Under Gilad’s leadership Linn has the potential to do something very exciting in the marketplace.”

Hermann Twickler
PressureFab Group
Based: Dundee
Started: 2009
Employees: 85
Turnover: £6m

A master engineer and shipbuilder by trade, Hermann Twickler honed his skills in the shipyards of Northern Germany and North America before becoming operations director of VT Group in Portsmouth.

After spurning offers of other big jobs, Mr Twickler decided to start his own offshore equipment manufacturing business. He invested his life savings, including the sale of his house and car, into creating PressureFab Group.

Started just three years ago, the group now counts some of the largest operators in the oil and gas sector among its customers and employs 85 staff. It has been profitable since inception.

Mr Twickler says he has no desire to grow the company for exit, but instead has set his sights on wealth creation and achieving long-term growth. The company has plans to expand into new facilities, scheduled to complete in 2013.

Deloitte verdict: “Hermann has built an excellent company serving some of the largest companies in the world and has successfully bucked the trend by exporting Scottish engineering and manufacturing to the Far East and the US.

“Hermann has created almost 90 new jobs in three years, doubled revenue each year and always made profit, and he’s achieved all this during the biggest recession since the 1930s.”

Social Media and ROI – Defined!

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All aboard!


The term “social media” is bandied around on a daily basis yet, more often than not, it is misinterpreted or misunderstood. Gordon White of fatBuzz defined social media and how it relates to marketing and promoting brands, and provided real examples that prove a healthy return on investment is possible when social media is fully understood and used in the proper manner.

It starts simply. With great content.

Gordon believes the best way to build a community that supports your brand is to do it organically, by generating great content and sharing it across as many channels as possible.

Start with a blog, that should be the hub of your social media activity, and set it to automatically share across all your social media channels.

Make proper use of share buttons, make it easy for readers and viewers to share your blog/link/Tweets etc. And remember to ask people to share your content, you’ll be surprised that people actually do what they’re told!

Some people worry that by sharing too much knowledge there would be less demand for their services, but it is in fact the opposite.

“The more information you share, the more you get back,” says Gordon. “Information is one thing, advice is another. You are simply using social media to promote your credentials.”

For David Frame of Barum & Dewar the most memorable piece of advice from Gordon was to create content, not purely a sales message.

“A point that resonated was the use of blogs as the centre of your social media and to place less significance on the various vehicles used to carry that message as they have and will change.

“I’ll be relooking at LinkedIn and the use of Groups to engage, as well as giving deeper thought to the fact that people buy from people and how social media offers an opportunity for a business to promote its people facing side.”

Content also resonated with David England, whose Highland Fayre Hampers Facebook page is very active but not yet delivering ROI (Highland Fayre on Facebook).

“For me it’s about good content, not competitions – the quality of people following your business, not the quantity. Highland Fayre has 5,687 “Likes” on Facebook but none of them buy our gift hampers! They are mostly motivated by the free competition hampers instead.

“We need to work on a social media strategy which engages more with quality corporate gift buyers (i.e PAs, HR & Marketing departments) as that represents more than 85% of our current business turnover. Even one corporate order derived as a result of social media could pay for 12 months activity.”

Claire Kinloch of Denvir Marketing was heading to the office the day after the event to make immediate changes.

“I learned that you shouldn’t be afraid to show your personality online – you are one person, in the flesh or otherwise. I’ll be merging two Twitter accounts into one as a result.”

Speaker biogs available here

Blog image courtesy of colleenanderson.wordpress.com

The Challenges of a Multi-Site Business

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When you have staff spread over a multi-site business, you have to ensure a consistent company culture is implemented across the board, with systems and processes in place to allow you to monitor and progress that culture. But it’s not as easy as it sounds.

Elaine Halley of Cherrybank Dental Spa has grown her business across two sites, and is experiencing a few teething problems. She attended the Managing a Multi Site Business Focus Dinner with a view to learning from seasoned entrepreneurs who have managed it successfully.

She thought Tony Banks (of Balhousie Holdings) gave a really honest and down to earth account of the challenges of growing by acquisition – and his insight that generally the management team of the acquired sites needs to be altered was a point that made sense.

He shared his tips for communicating across a ‘group’ and steps taken to ensure that company culture is reflected across multiple sites. Inspect don’t expect was the lesson for all managers when sent out to see how the actual teams are managing in the real world, not just information being shared. “Go in through the back door”. Tony also said awards were inspirational for the team members once your company is big enough to justify this.

Elaine said Bill Power (William Tracey Group) gave brilliant analogies to the Catholic church and the Foreign Legion. Bringing people together and giving them a common bond – especially if that gives a feeling of being part of something that is bigger than yourself.

“Respect for authority, team and the systems above any individual was the message. His description of the Kerry Group managing sites across different countries was inspiring,” said Elaine.

For Les Meikle, of Wise Property Care, the quote “None of us is as good as all of us” struck a chord.

“It reinforces the team aspect of the business and should help more distant members of the team feel included,” he said.

Exchange board director Les said he particularly liked Tony’s “Voice” meetings where he gives a selection of employees an opportunity twice a year to meet with him and give him their views on how improvements could be achieved. As a result, Les will be returning his focus on his own team.

“I think I will get round the branches a bit more than I have and do a lot more visiting the sharp end so to speak, making myself available to the employees,” he said. “It’s very easy in a recession to focus on the results and perhaps not so much on the people who have to achieve them.”

You can read Tony and Bill’s biographies here

Going the Extra Mile – Customer Experiences

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Eric Flannigan has been creating innovative and effective customer service initiatives for years; working with major corporates, SMEs and fledgling entrepreneurs to deliver the ultimate in customer experiences there’s little he doesn’t know about the holy grail of excellence in service.

Speaking at a recent Evening Exchange on “Going the Extra Mile” Eric, of Flannigan Consulting, shared some of his experience. He believes a business is only as good as the weakest link, so it’s important to discover what that is, fix it and then manage service as tightly as production or operations.

He summed his thoughts into “In a Nutshell” actions for improving your customer experience. Number one is to have a single compelling purpose for your business existence ie to be renowned for outstanding service. But to deliver that you need leadership skills to win the hearts and minds of the people who work for you.

Giving praise and recognition for good services to customers is key, and make sure you value those who deliver very well for your customers.

It’s also important to define what your outstanding service actually looks like, and how each of your customers will experience that.
Eric says: “Make sure that key people walk the talk on service, measure the delivery – and manage it fiercely.

“Focus on increasing customer opinion by a factor of between 3 and 5.”

He also suggested simple tips to remind customers of all the “over and above” things you do for them. “Send them an invoice recording ‘no charge’ when you have done something significant for customer and you wish to underline that you went the extra mile.”

Key takeaways from the event:
Remember the value of face to face
Simplicity and visible, engaged leadership turns your values into your assets
Get new employees to physically sign up to Values and Service Behaviours

Heading for the Exit

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Do you have an exit strategy? Do you need one? How do you create realistic and achievable exit strategy? How do you communicate it? Who should it be shared with? What about due diligence? What’s a data room and do you need to build one?

Difficult questions, but the answers are right here.

Everything you could need to know about exiting your business was shared at a recent Focus Dinner, chaired by Gerry Docherty of New Media Partners with speakers Nelson Gray of Firth Ventures and David Carrick of Memex.

The key answers were around being prepared in advance and ensuring all the relevant paperwork and processes are in place in advance of any exit activity, and knowing how to strategically value your business. Get it right and you could add 50% to the final value of the business.

Gerry warned that a lot of time and money can be wasted building a data room when an acquirer comes on the scene. There’s no reason why standard processes shouldn’t already be in place on a day-to-day basis to keep electronic records of financial, legal, contractual, and board documents. Then, if and when a data room is required, it’s a simple matter of transferring the key documents.

And acquisition discussions can be dangerously time-consuming, so Gerry suggested cutting them short if they’re not going to lead to an offer. If a potential acquirer starts a discussion, investigate them. Do they really have the money? Have they done this before? If they have, talk to some of the people they’ve acquired? Do they have credible advisers? If you’re not convinced, cut the conversation.

“The value of your company is less to do with the current turnover and profit levels, and much more to do with the strategic value to the potential purchaser,” said Gerry. “And these will be different for different purchasers – they might perceive your value to be in be your people, your product, your customer base, your brand, or some combination of the above.

“You need to work out what your strategic value is for an acquirer, and maximise it.”

Nelson Gray believes everyone needs an exit strategy even if you’re not planning to sell soon. At some point, he says, you will want to retire, do something else, spend more time with the family, realise this isn’t fun anymore, just want to sleep better knowing that you could exit if you wanted to, or die.

“I believe that a good exit plan and strategy, properly implemented, can add 50% or more to the final value of a business. Think about that. You run your business for 15 or 20 years yet have the final value could come from what you do or do not do effectively in the last few months,” said Nelson.

Timing is crucial. This is partially personal timing: when is it right for you personally to get out? You have the opportunity to plan, but as with making a will many people put it off because they really don’t want to think about what happens next. Better to be prepared to exit at any time, and not have to do it (or to say no to an offer), then have to do it in a panic.

And timing can be simply opportunistic, if an unexpected offer comes. Because it’s unexpected, you’re not prepared, and you don’t get the optimum outcome.

Nelson said the first basic misunderstanding is that value is related to turnover or profit. In reality, no exit he has been involved with has been related to either of these. Indeed several exits in the past, and some anticipated, will be of companies with no turnover and only losses.

Optimum exit value relates to selling something of strategic value, not financial value, to the acquirer. And knowing the difference is key.

“You need to start thinking of the business itself as a product, a product that you are building for specific customers, those are the customers for the business, people who will purchase you,” explained Nelson.

“By doing this – shifting the way many think of their business – you really start to create potential entrepreneurial wealth.”

But to do this effectively means having a really deep understanding of who those potential acquirers are, where they are, what it is they are looking for and where you have to be to be acquired.

And this, said Nelson, is why you need to start thinking about it now, and plan for it possibly over a number of years, and not simply when you wake up one morning and can’t be bothered going into the office.

Strategically planning an exit needs real attention to detail. Nelson recommends the following steps.

· Name the five most likely acquirers of your business for cash.
· Describe what it is you have to achieve in order to be of interest to those five acquirers.
· Know how much cash, and what you have to achieve that?
· Do you think you have the cash, skills and other resources needed to achieve that objective within the time necessary (i.e. before what you do becomes irrelevant to those acquirers).

“Chances are you will not be bought by one of those five, but at least you’ll be moving in the right direction,” said Nelson. “Chances are you’ll actually be bought by somebody who wants to compete with one of those five and who you have no idea even exists today. But it least you’ll be moving into the right pond.

“Too often I have been given examples of supposed potential acquirers, who are simply not. They have never bought a company, don’t have the resources to buy a company, have never bought a company in this country, or don’t buy companies for as little or for as much as the target exit value being looked for.”

Finally, he offered the following points for consideration:

• Think about your personal goals and ambitions and what you want to do with your life. How much is enough? Are you on the deferred life plan?

• Become visible in the market within which you wish to be purchased. Both personally and as a business.

• You need to become unimportant to the business.

• Structure of the deal – what you get on day one may be all that you get so don’t bank on the deferred payments.

Speaker Biographies

Exchange of Views Needs Role Models – John Anderson in The Herald Business

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As the 2012 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor for Scotland reports an increase in plans for new start businesses, Exchange CEO John Anderson was interviewed by Colin Cardwell for The Herald Business magazine.

John Anderson says it’s not starting a business that’s the challenge, but growing it. In the interview – a comprehensive double page spread also featuring Tom Hunter – John talks about family businesses being one of the most dynamic areas in terms of growth potential, suggests academics spinning businesses out of universities need more of a customer focus, and highlights the need for role models in all areas, especially young people, women, and those from differing ethnic and geographic backgrounds.

You can read the full article here : http://theherald.newspaperdirect.com/epaper/viewer.aspx

(Please note, you need a subscription to access this magazine, but there is a 7 day free trial option so you don’t have to pay to read it).