Living abroad for the past three years, I’ve had lots of opportunities to compare UK culture with that of my adoptive homes. The starkest difference has been the lack of social mobility in the UK. I was raised on benefits (UK welfare). I am the first person in my family to gain a high school … More How UK Culture Keeps Poor People Poor
I tried not to write this blog over 1,000 times in my mind during my Vipassana retreat. Maybe even 10,000. Such is the urge of the mind to describe and analyse, rather than experience the present moment. It is said that all of man’s problems come down to not being able to sit still alone. After … More What 10 days of Silent Meditation (Vipassana) did to My Brain and Heart
Most of us entrepreneurial types start the year on a high. Limitless opportunities stretched out in front of us, only to face a few setbacks and let fear into our everyday life’s and work practices. Here are 7 mini habits I do everyday to stay present, focused, happy and achieve great things in business. 1. Wake up and say … More 8 actions to take everyday to make 2015 your best year yet
We all know we aren’t getting out of life alive but when your young, death enters in the form of your Nan’s funeral, not your own. It seems far away, like having your own children when your still a kid. You just can’t imagine it in a way that makes it real. So when it … More Facing Death at 28 and What It Taught Me
I am honoured to announce I am a finalist in the Great British Entrepreneur of the Year, Social Enterprise (International) Category. Keep your fingers crossed. It will be a great platform to raise the profile of Give What You’re Good At – imagine a world whereEntrepreneur gave their skills!
I run two virtual companies, employing over 100 people combined. When I first started out, potential employees were horrified to learn that we had no high-rise office with appending copy machine and bad coffee. It helped separate the committed from the drifters. Today it has come together almost seamlessly, teams meet outside of their wooden cubicles (we try … More How to Make Remote Working Work: Lessons from Fully Distributed Teams
Let’s Change The World When Larry and Sergey set out to build Google they saw their mission as helping people. Googles famous moto ‘do no harm’ embodied their hippie rollover rhetoric and unified them in the struggle against ‘the man’. Take a look at any of the big companies today and you will see a similar theme. All … More How Entrepreneurs Use Altruism to Create Radically Successful Businesses
‘What do you think the con in consultant stands for?’, someone asked me recently. ‘That’s a bit harsh’ I said, ‘Consultants bring a fresh perspective and have the benefit of working with multiple companies so they have a deeper insight into what works’. ‘That’s all very well and good’ he said ‘but a start-up can’t … More Nine Tools Every Start-up Should Use
I’ve dedicated my working life to increasing the capacity of charities. I worked in fundraising from the age of 18; raising millions for good causes. It was the constant behest from donors that little or no money be used for infrastructure that lead me to create Give What You’re Good At (a for-profit match.com for … More Are Charities the Best Vehicle to Solve Social Problems?
Getting a job is a very human and very delicate interaction. It’s not surprising that 41% of Brits get a job through someone they know. I founded a start-up called The Crowd Works which uses technology (from my first business) to bring job referrals online; effortlessly greasing the wheels of referrals. The idea emerged from … More Getting a Job will Always be a Human Process
