Woodingdean in Business - C'mon you businesses

I am really pleased to annouce that www.woodingdeaninbusiness.co.uk is now recruiting businesses. We have over 20 listings to date and are hoping to grow this to over 60 in the next two weeks - do visit the site to find out if we have hit this number yet.

I had always realised that reccruitment would be a hard task but I am surprised how much effort it requires. But with a steady rather than hot head Suzanne, James and I are encouraging, cajoling and enthusing people about the site and hopefully we will soon have a site full of listings from local businesses, clubs and charities that we can launch to the folk of Woodingdean - can't wait but then the work really starts

For more information about Woodingdeaninbusiness.co.uk contact me jo@frankontheweb.com - happy to talk!

Un-Networking - Floating Your Own Boat

I was reading through a copy of Director magazine a few weeks ago and there was an interview with Carole Stone - ‘The best connected woman in Britain’ and in it she suggested the idea of a networking salon where you invite a small group of people for an informal networking breakfast lunch or evening.

And I just loved the idea, I think because it was simple and practical, something I could organise and run

around all my other work and family commitments. I spoke to Steve Bustin of Vada media and he instantly took to the idea too… So in February, after just one evening of scouring the city for a venue we held our first Un-Networking event in central Brighton. About 20 people came along and the people who came really seemed to enjoy it. Over half of them came along to our 2nd event in March along with 12 others who came for the first time. The evening is aimed at people in the ‘creative industries’ so we have designers, copywriters, photographers, artists, marketers, events organisers – and their friends.

We have kept it really relaxed – we have a few simple guidelines that we sent out with the initial invites …
• Only buy drinks for yourself – then no one’s under pressure to buy rounds that quickly get expensive.
• Only bring out your business cards if asked for one. No throwing them around like confetti.
• Be interesting – we don’t do dull. There’s so much more to life than business so find something else to talk about for once.
• Don’t leave anyone standing around on their own – be friendly, be approachable and be prepared to talk to anyone and everyone. Who knows, they may be the making of your business – or at least a good laugh to talk to.
• By all means bring people along (ask them to fill in the Doodle form below first) but make sure they know this is un-networking, not networking.
The evening won’t appeal to everyone; there is no structure, no elevated pitches and no presentation. We don’t have people on the door and we don’t mind if people turn up late. But we do all have a good time, chatting to people like us about …. well everything really (Andy White and his theory on memory foam mattresses was a real blinder).

If you like the idea of running an Un-Networking event then do ask – I’d be more than happy to tell you about ours. We will be launching a website soon www.un-networking.co.uk which will tell you a little more.

Jo@frankontheweb.com

Woodingdean in Business

So we are nearly there - James (our no.1 apprentice) is just working on the final stages and I am busy working on the content... of what? Woodingdean in Business that's what.

Earlier this year I was chatting to Robert Griffiths, Director of Fundraising at The Martlets Hospice. He was talking about how hard it was to engage with businesses in and around the City (Brighton and Hove). And whilst I gave him as many suggestions as I could I knew that I hadn't really nailed 'it'. I hadn't really worked out a sustainable and relatively low maintenance way of engaging businesses and raising funds for the Martlets.
So the Summer came and went and Autumn firmly descended.
James joined Frank! in October and as part of his Business Administration course he needed to put together a database that we could use within the company. Trotting along to the shops that afternoon I was thinking about the sort of thing that it would be useful for James to do - something that would stretch him and add real value to the company. And like the preverbial bolt of lightening I had an idea. What if.. what if.. we set up a very local business website - one where all the local businesses including the shops, the cafe's the pub, the plumbers could have a listing - for free on the site - but we ask them all for a £25 contribution to The Martlets.

In return we publicise the site to the local people - through traditional posters and postcards that will be door-dropped locally and in addition we use twitter, facebook and twitter to encourage local people to visit the site. Everyone who has a listing can (if they so choose) upgrade it and have a page of their own to promote their business and to post special offers and news items. We will put together a quarterly newsletter with local business news and mail this out to our (by then hopefully) expanding user database.

We have worked with Sharon at cre8ideas to develop a design that is incredibly simple and could be ported across to any locality with very little effort, very simple, very clear - totally to our Frank! ethos (straight talking, smart ideas, real results).

Our next challenge is to start finishing the content management system, finishing the 'words' setting up a 'just giving' page so donations go directly to the Martlets and getting all the local businesses on boar - I use the words 'start finishing' because projects like this never actuall finish.

Our dream is to take this idea and really develop it, so that hospices all over the country could engage small local businesses by using this model. We are starting with Woodingdean - and if all goes well will look to Hanover, Patcham and other areas around our city - if (and it is only an if) the model works it will engage local businesses with the Martlets and help raise much needed funds - win win? I'll let you know.

Going back to school

About 6 months ago a friends daughter was saying that she was trying to organise some work experience for a week in the Autumn term. I mentioned that if she didn't manage to find something she really wanted to do she was more than welcome to work with Frank!. Her other options gradually disappeared and I was delighted that she was able to take up my offer. Well delighted and a bit worried to be fair. What on earth would she do for the week. As it happened - a lot. I decided that the best thing to do would be to find a project - something she could get her teeth into, could learn from and ideally something that would result in some positive results.
So - the project was to review and then make recommendations on improving her school website. We interviewed staff, developed a questionnaire, interviewed parents and pupils, collated the responses, put together a powerpoint presentation and today.. we presented her findings to the Head and the team responsible for the schools' communications. The findings were really interesting - having a year 11 pupil in the office for a week was absolutely charming. The input from other pupils was insightful and amazingly perceptive.
But the thing that really got me thinking was how much everyone we spoke to wanted the school to be, and to be seen as, something they could be proud of. And, they wanted the school to be proud of them. They wanted the school to say - look at our students, look at what they can achieve, look at how we work together to give them the best opportunities we can.
I think that one of our challenges every day is to help create companies and organisations that people can like. So the thing I will take away from this process is 'give people an opportunity to like you' and you know what? Often they will.

Make sure your audience knows What's on

Having worked with the Brighton Festival Fringe for over five years and now at the beginning of a new relationship with a venue owner, I decided it was time to put together a simple (by simple I mean a single page) document 'A Frank! guide to getting your What's On to work'. It was an interesting exercise just to think around why some guides work seamlessly and other don't. It isn't rocket science ... but it is a case of thinking logically through the customer journey. Thinking about their needs and understanding that people start their 'journey' from different places.
You are most welcome to e-mail me (info@frankontheweb.com) and I'll send you the guide but in summary..
- understand the readers' agenda. What is most important to them? The event itself? The venue? the date?
- ensure that no matter where the readers' journey starts the other information they need to book/attend an event is clearly and logically shown
- ensure that the guide motivates and enthuses the reader about the event
- ensure that the guide is designed with pick up appeal, and fits with your brand look/feel and tone of voice.
- make sure that the booking information (if relevant) is repeated regularly, and that the booking process is as straightforward as possible.

Do get in touch if you think we can help you with your What's on. www.frankontheweb.com

Small delights

I was sitting in the office one day and there was a hint of a knock on the front door.. and a chap came into the office looking a little uncomfortable. He asked if we did 'websites and that sort of thing' I said that we could and that we did. And we started chatting. The man was Brian Shields, he lived round the corner from the office - oh and he'd just had a painting accepted by the National Portrait Gallery as part of the BP Portrait Awards. I found out later that there were over 2,177 entrants to the 2010 awards and Brian was one of the 58 'selected works'that form part of the exhibition that is appearing at the National Portrait Gallery until September 17th 2010 after which it will begin a national tour.



Brian asked if I could help him get a website up and running to try and 'make the most' of the publicity that would surround the show. Something simple just to show his work and where people could get in touch with him. At this stage I hadn't seen his work so he suggested that he'd bring his portfolio round the next day. Which he did - and I was hooked. Brian's work is amazing - beautiful colours, amazing subjects and an incredible intensity that makes it hard to draw your eye away.
We have put together a simple site for Brian - and it went live before the launch of the opening of the NPG exhibition. You can see his work at www.brianshields-artist.co.uk.
For me, I thank the day that Brian knocked on my office door. It has been a delight to work with him - and have appreciated his kind comments about working with me
'Dear Jo,
Just a note of thanks for all the envaluable work you at Frank! have done for me over the last few weeks.The web sites up and running and looking great.....hurrah!

Your enthusiasm,imagination and clear thinking were the perfect antidote to my indecision and technophobia(!) and now with the new gallery site I feel a renewed confidence in my abilities to progress professionally in my artistic career.

It's been a steep learning curve for me Jo but you made it fun,many thanks once again'

Actually Brian, the priveledge was all mine...

Signing out

Jo Weatherall

Photograph by www.aliciaphotographics.com

The one that got away...

Occasionally you get a chance to quote for a project that you would really love to work on. You meet the client - who seems impressed with your knowledge and insight, and you know you have the right credentials and experience. So you put together a quote and send it to the client (who turn down your offer to meet to go through it).. and you hear nothing. You follow the quote up with a phone call and leave a message on voicemail - you send a follow up e-mail - still nothing - then you call again and leave another message - this time with a real person. Eventually three weeks after sending the quote, you phone again and get to speak to your contact and they say 'oh I've not really had a chance to look at the quote.'. You then ask a few further questions and it turns out that they have looked at your quote but seemed to have dismissed it out of hand because it was too expensive.


I know that we offer really good value to our clients and I always ask if they have a budget in mind. Having an idea of how much money a client is hoping to spend really helps - not because we will 'fit the costs to the budget' but that we will put together the best possible solution within the budget. Sometimes, just sometimes we can't deliver what the client needs within the budget we have - and if this the case we are upfront enough to tell them this and often make alternative recommendations to make the most of the budget that is available.

I would love to have worked with this client, I know we could have done a fantastic job.

If you are a client - do be clear about how you are going to judge the quotes you request - is it all about price? Account management? Flexibility? Turnaround times?. Perhaps even provide a written brief (just a few lines) - so all of us can put forward our thoughts with a clear understanding of your priorities.

I am not going to give up on this particular client.. not yet. I'll update you all if anything changes.

www.frankontheweb.com