The Daily Networker

A few months ago, an email arrived from an organisation which connects student entrepreneur societies from around the country.  Would I, they wondered, be interested in speaking at their upcoming event, on the subject of ‘Shameless Self-Promotion’.  I nearly spat out my cornflakes.  No beating about the bush there.  I replied, suggesting that the title could do with some work, however yes, in principle, I would be interested.  Taking my feedback onboard, they put another angle to me;  “How about a session with Oli Barrett, the ‘notorious networker’?”  Reader, I practically toppled off my high horse.  Me, notorious?  Moi, a shameless self-promoter?  The very thought of it!  The idea that I would shout about my own activities is just beyond belief…

It is with great excitement then, that I can tell you that Wired Magazine in the UK have drawn up a list of 100 names of the people who, in their opinion, are ’shaping the digital world’ here in Britain.  I seem to have snuck in at 74, between the Guardian’s Carolyn McCall (who is soon flying off to run EasyJet), and Dr Tim Hubbard from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute. 

The list is online here, and it’s great to see some friendly faces, including Rishi Saha, Michael Acton Smith, Tom Loosemore, Bindi Karia, Nic Brisbourne, Rory Sutherland, Mike Butcher, Joe Cohen, David Bott, Natalie Massenet, Andy Gibson, Richard Moross, Matt Locke, Andy Hobsbawm and Judith Clegg.

I’m listed as ‘entrepreneur, connector’ and so, perhaps predictably then the list (which of course is totally unscientific), has got me thinking about which of the 100 know each other.  My mission then, over the coming months will be to try to trigger a few introductions of my own between its members.  I’ll let you know how I get on!

“NOTORIETY, n. The fame of one’s competitor for public honors. The kind of renown most accessible and acceptable to mediocrity. A Jacob’s-ladder leading to the vaudeville stage, with angels ascending and descending.” Ambrose Bierce

I was asked by the good people behind the London Twestival, to name my favourite teacher.  I named Mr Parkinson.

Michael Parkinson.  MCP. Sometimes wore a tie with pig on it.  A joke, you see.  And he let us in on it.

Yes, I chose MCP.    

Firstly, because although I was only ten when we met, he treated me like a grown up.  What I mean is, he didn’t talk down to us. 

One day, he had a list of words which he wanted to see disappear from our essays forever.  Banned, they were.  Instead of chalking them up on the board, he made us write them on little scraps of paper.  These were then folded up into tiny pellets, and we had to line up to throw them into the bin, several metres away.  Good shots were rewarded with a sweet.  It was fun. 

When we became unruly, he wouldn’t get angry. Instead , he would kick us out, all of us,  and send us running round a far away tree, within eyeshot of the classroom.  Around the oak we would run, screaming and chuntering, returning breathless to our seats, to the next poem or chapter.  He knew that our excess energy was unlikely to be burned off by sitting still.

Finally, he taught us a poem.  I think I’ve shared it before.  It may sound silly, but I think it changed my life.  It’s called ’It’s All In The State Of The Mind’;

If you think you are beaten, you are,
If you think you dare not, you don’t,
If  you think you’d like to win, but can’t,
It’s almost a cinch you won’t.

If you think you’ll lose, you’ve lost,
For out in the world you’ll find
Success begins with a fellow’s will—
It’s all in the state of mind.

For many a race is lost
ere even a race is run,
And many a coward falls
ere even his work’s begun,

Think big, and your deeds will grow;
Think small, and you’ll fall behind;
Think that you can, and you will—
It’s all in the state of mind.

If you think you’re out-classed, you are;
You’ve got to think high to rise;
You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
You ever can win a prize

Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster man;
But sooner or later the man who wins
Is the fellow who thinks he can.”

Now I know that the idea of a little ten year old with big eyebrows running round a tree then reciting this poem is something bordering on the preposterous.  But I still remember it, by heart.

So thank you Mr Parkinson.  For making learning fun.  For treating me like a grown up.  For the runarounds and word games. 

For the poem.  I’ve tried to discover the name of the person who wrote it. 

It is listed as ‘anonymous’.  Ironic then, that the author’s name has been forgotten.  Unlike yours. 

Yours, I will remember forever.

Conversations about enterprise education can be tricky.  Stick with me, I’m warming up.  You see, you start off talking about encouraging people to start a business, and before you know it, you’re helping them to have ideas and make those ideas happen.  Minutes later, you are wondering whether the ‘thing’ they start has to be a business, or whether it could be anything.  Almost exactly seven minutes in, and someone will remind you that employees need to be entrepreneurial too, or at the very least, enterprising.  What started as a simple concept is now enormous, with most of the room saying that everyone needs to be enterprising, or entrepreneurial these days, regardless of whether they ever start anything.  After a good if exhausting run around the houses, it’s sometimes tough to know what progress has been made.

Enterprise UK, who I rate highly and have partnered with on several schemes including Make Your Mark with a Tenner are putting together an Enterprise Manifesto.  In fact, they would like everyone to help them, and their collaborative approach is entirely in keeping with the spirit of the age which, quite rightly, accepts that the best ideas and solutions are likely to come from outside an organisation.  They are after your ideas, and are letting people comment upon and rate the ideas which come in, with partners including Director Magazine.  

We had a good session today, chaired by the brilliant Steve Moore.  It struck me that;

Too much talk of starting businesses might be a red herring.  Why can’t we inspire school children to see that we are ALL  starting something?  A life.  A career.  A home.  Perhaps one day a family.  An adventure!  For this adventure, we’ll need to be able to count, to write, to set goals, present ideas and to succeed.  It will be tough and require persistence.  We will need to be able to work in a team, to be resilient, imaginative and kind.  Seen like this,  lessons in starting something are not for the tycoons of tomorrow.  They are for everyone.   

Your leg bone’s connected your thigh bone.  And your GCSEs are connected to your A-Levels.  A-Levels, for many, are connected to University.  University (are you still with me?) is supposed to finish with getting a degree (sadly it didn’t for me).  As far as I can make out, this ongoing chain-reaction is supposed to culminate with the lucky holder of a degree certificate securing that thing which their former self has been headed for;  a job.  It therefore seems to me that the offerers of ’said jobs’ are in a highly influential position when it comes to the preparation habits of not only the University students, but also the A-Levellers and GSCE crew too.  In short;  Britain’s Bosses Hold Key to Start-Up Britain.  Here’s why;  I think that they can start a chain- reaction back down the system.  If the graduate employers of Britain begin to ask what a young person has been involved with STARTING in their life, we will start to see a ripple effect.  At first it will be gradual, then little by little, schemes, projects and companies will begin to form.  Some will be set up explicitly to please the graduate recruiter further down the chain.  That’s OK!  By adding one simple section to their forms, big businesses will be inspiring a generation of starter-uppers.  In the process, they will be fostering all of the essential qualities which they keep complaining that graduates are lacking.  What’s not to like?

School has to do many things.  It’s somewhere for children and young people to go during the day, whilst their parents are at work.  It has to prepare us for life.  Small one that.  It needs to deliver new recruits to the job market, and include amongst that the people who can solve the world’s problems.  Finally, it must pass on the knowledge and skills which one generation thinks that the next should possess.  To put it mildly, that’s a tough job for anyone or anything. If want to do all of the above more successfully, we’re going to have to start measuring a heck of a lot more than quiz answers.  You will have to measure what many call the ‘immeasurable’.  Teamwork,  communication skills, creativity.  Brace yourself reader, this is going to be one of the most feisty and enjoyable topics around over the coming years! 

It’s becoming clear that the successful politicians of the next few years will not be made famous by how much they spend, but by how good they are at connecting (or rewiring) things that already exist and how able they are to encourage other people to do things which are in their shared interests.  I find it a bit depressing how little this happens at the moment.  Half of the politicians’ role should be to spot, connect and promote ‘what works’.  That doesn’t need to cost the earth.

Finally, what hits me is the lack of serious ambition in this area, from our political friends. Too much tinkering around the edges. It’s easy to see why.  Which MP in their right mind would, in Government, spin around and claim that the whole school system needed redesigning?  And which poor shadow minister would waltz around making the kind of outrageous and bold claims which could never be implemented inside a few years?  Maybe this is the secret motive behind encouraging parents to start their own schools?  The hope that, given a blank sheet of paper, some will create a fresher, bolder, 21st century set-up which prepares people for the world and leaves them unbelievably excited about their role in it.  Politicians leave this kind of ranting to you and me.  We’d better not let them down… 

Here’s what Steve and the team today made me realise; 

I want to have a conversation about ‘enterprise education’ which has every single department, company, organisation and individual in the country interested.  Because it’s too broad a subject to be left to business, and too important to be left in the classroom.

No sooner have we landed in San Francisco, than it’s time to pack our bags and head for home. We’ve worked hard, visiting leading companies including Serious Materials, Arup and Better Place. We’ve met with officials at City Hall. We’ve met financiers, with the companies pitching to no fewer than 15 VCs at Orrick’s Silicon Valley offices. Yes, we’ve played hard too, with an unforgettable visit to Birch Castle, the pub located within the beautiful home of Michael and Xochi Birch. It has felt best when we’ve combined work and play; at Susan MacTavish Best’s Sunday Brunch, where CEOs pitched their businesses to journalists over scrambled eggs and French toast. At the Consul General’s residence, where deals with leading influencers were plotted over fish and chips. And late at night, as travellers discussed potential ways of joining forces over one last Sam Adams.

This is the third trade mission I’ve been involved with, and I’ve jotted down a dozen things I’ve learned. ‘Takeaways’, as they say;

1. There is a certain urgency created by being somewhere for one week only. You can’t be palmed off with a meeting in a month’s time. Why should an investor meet you on Thursday? Because by Friday, you’ll be gone.

2. A group attracts attention, which benefits everyone. I’ve lost count of the number of times when someone has said ‘Oh, I heard about you guys’. As news of the mission reached the media, several companies reported unsolicited approaches. Being part of the group is a great conversation starter, as you point out friends and colleagues around the room.

3. You can have a series of conversations with people. For example, we have been travelling with several journalists (from the Guardian, Wired UK and Spectator Business) and there isn’t the pressure to go into pitch mode at every opportunity. You know you will be able to follow up in a couple of hours, and to share your story as it unfolds.

4. There’s (just) time for two meetings with the same person. Lots of the companies have been following up Tuesday’s pitches with Thursday or Friday meetings. Some have been back to see Arup, or to arrange a formal interview with a journalist, met over brunch at the weekend. Two meetings in one week back home would seem over-keen. On a mission, it’s par for the course.

5. The competition element adds credibility. People are impressed when they hear that over 140 companies applied to attend the Clean and Cool Mission. It gives them confidence that an hour spent with our group will not be time wasted.

6. A blend of funders works well. The backing of the British Government goes down well here in the US. Back home, this can trigger eye-rolling and tutting, which may be silly and naive, but it’s true. The people we are meeting are smart enough to realise that UK Trade and Investment plays an important role in brokering valuable connections. They recognise the significance of the Technology Strategy Board (our lead sponsor) and this goes down well.  The companies fund their own plane tickets and accommodation.  We use the sponsor’s money to add value to the week. 

7. Work hard play hard. The people we’ve been meeting are driven, and they love to have fun. Sometimes it’s easier to build relationships over pub quizzes than formal meetings.

8. Wall to wall doesn’t work. I must admit that one of the days this week was too full. The days which work best are ones where we have at least a few clear hours to do our own thing. Some take the opportunity to rest or catch up with work, others pack in impromptu meetings. The energy when we reunite is fantastic.

9. Leverage the social networks of local friends. Susan MacTavish Best’s brunch worked well because she invited her own contacts. The farewell drinks at the Consul General’s house had over forty influential, hand-picked guests. The events which work best are the ones where we join forces to pull the list together.

10. Skills develop as the week goes by. Sitting around the enormous table at City Hall, I was aware of just how much clearer our ‘elevator pitches’ had become in only three days. Following Kevin Surace’s master class in dealing with Silicon Valley VCs, the changes in presentation style and substance were obvious.

11. Opportunities emerge within the group. Already, several companies have agreed to work together. In every case I have heard about, they had not met before the mission.

12. A ‘hive mind’ emerges. As we get to know each other, we can help each other. Meeting a VC who doesn’t invest in your particular area? Allow me to introduce you to someone I think you’ll love. The entrepreneur you’re talking to is after press coverage? Have they met the Business Week reporter, standing in the far corner?

As I prepare to leave for the airport, I believe in the value of trade missions more than ever. I also believe, despite the nonsense talked by some naysayers, in the value of public-private collaborations. Without the significant private cash of Orrick, BP Alternative Energy, and the Clean Tech Group, we wouldn’t have had a Clean and Cool Mission. Without the Technology Strategy Board being first to sponsor, we could not have begun planning. The introductions brokered by UKTI have made the trip worthwhile. If this is the last mission I’m involved with, I’ll be disappointed and more than a bit surprised. Thank you for tuning in, and watch this space!

Oli Barrett

Several years ago, someone advised me not to read the biographies of event participants until after I’d met them.  That way, they reckoned, you avoid being intimidated.  By the time you finally meet, so the theory goes, they will have become so familiar that their towering achievements will fall comfortingly into the background.

Sadly, reader, this was not an option for me on the Clean and Cool Mission.  Omitting to do my homework would have been a dereliction of duty as co-host, and so it was with some intrepidation that I began reading about the 19 companies who join us here in San Francisco.

The very first delegate in my briefing pack has 20 years internet and software development experience and has, and I quote, a background in astrophysics.  Another has undertaken extensive research in hybrid and electric vehicle systems and medical robotics. Business aside, and no less intimidating, I learn that one of our founders began his career as a commercial diver and is a former ice hockey coach.  My head buzzing with backgrounds and current activities of my fellow travellers,  the chance to meet face to face couldn’t come soon enough.

Sure enough, I should have followed the original advice.  We have here with us the most fantastic group of founders and directors.  Come with me on a quick run-through of just a handful;

If you need to power a mobile phone mast, and you’re not on the electricity grid, you’ve got a problem.  That’s where Diverse Energy comes in, with its clever modular power systems.  Basically a massive battery, out in the middle of nowhere.  Can you tell that I like to simplify things?

Washing clothes uses a huge amount of water, detergent and energy.  Imagine you could massively reduce that, partially through the use of some rather clever beads.  No, this is not a fairy story involving Jack and a Beanstalk.  It’s the plan of Bill Westwater and his team at Xeros.

At the moment, we usually find out how much energy we’ve been using at home when the bill slaps onto the doormat.  Wouldn’t it be good if you could have a device, and a cracking-looking one at that, which showed you just how much you were consuming?  Richard Woods and DIY Kyoto have something you may be seeing a great deal more of.  With their Wattson device, the game is afoot.

Between them, the Clean and Cool Mission have most of the home and country covered. We can offer you straw bale and hemp cladding panels, courtesy of Modcell.  If it’s LED lighting systems you’re after, then Ian Turner at Juice Technologies willl see you now.  Finally, for the individual or company who wants to understand the Carbon Footprint of virtually everything, there’s AMEE.

I know what you’re thinking.  It’s all very well picking a couple of consumer-friendly examples to show off to the folks at home.  We want to get to the hardcore science.  Reader, we will get there.  Admittedly, it may be thanks to my erstwhile colleagues on the Clean and Cool Mission (Richard Miller are you reading this?).  We need to know about gas exchange technologies (HydroVenturi founder Harvey West assures me it boils down to bubbles, and puddles.)  What about Evince’s use of diamonds as semi-conductors? And I for one am not going to be happy until I have got my head around Evo Electric’s Axial Flux technology.

Stay tuned for more!  Divers…drivers…McGuivers.  Now where did I put my notes?

Perhaps only for song writing geeks, there is something amazing about listening to Alan Menken writing Beauty and The Beast on this work tape (Spotify Link here and YouTube link here).  He was recording the actual session during which he wrote the famous tune.  How great is that? You can hear him ‘finding’ the melody and you are willing him on - I love it!

Thanks to a tip off from the brilliant Jon Yates at The Challenge, I’m reading The Politics of Hope by Jonathan Sacks.  Ten years after he wrote it, and better late than never.  I  highly recommend it.

Lloyd Davis is fast becoming a regional, if not a national treasure.  He’s brilliant.  And he’s looking for an Apprentice Social Artist.   Have a read and see if you know anyone who might fit the bill.

Shadow Minister David Willetts is so clever that his nickname is Two Brains.  He has written a book called The Pinch.  One of my favourite columnists, Danny Finkelstein, has written an interesting piece about it in The Times here.

I enjoyed compering the annual awards for charity Vital Regeneration at the Cockpit Theatre in London last night.  They have a terrific range of projects which enable young people to express themselved using film, music and the latest digital technology.  I’m pretty sure I got away with closing by sharing one of my favourite quotations, which happens to be by the late rapper Tupac Shakur.  I like it because it reminds me of the work that Vital Regeneration are doing;

“I’m not saying I’m gonna change the world, but I guarantee that I will spark the brain that will change the world.”

Talk to me about one of today’s links here!

• James Crabtree writing about Data.Gov.uk for Prospect
• The Challenge is a scheme with amazing potential which could lead to a huge civic service opportunity.
• I recorded a Word of the Day with Wordia.  You’ll have to click to see which word I chose.
• Rory Stewart seems like a really interesting chap.  Here’s a great feature about him from the Guardian.
• Interesting piece about how Americans spend their waking time.  It involves a LOT of screen time.
• True Stories Told Live sounds like a cracking way to spend an evening.
• Smarta have created an eBook in which 30 people, (including me!) speculate on entrepreneurial opportunties.
• I popped along to find out more about the School for Communication Arts 2.0.  Worth a look!
• Tim Ferriss on the Power of Practical Pessimism
• Some stunning long-exposure photographs

“If you want to build a ship,
don’t drum up the men
to gather wood, divide the
work and give orders.

Instead, teach them to yearn
for the vast and endless sea.”

Antoine de Saint Exupery

It will nice to return to the original point of this trusty blog, dear reader.  I want to tell you about the interesting people I’ve been meeting.  And I will.  But something’s been on my mind.

In a few months we’re going to have a General Election in Britain.  Every day until then, people will say it’s either time for a change or that the current Government should stand by their record.  The current crop of politicians stand accused of being amongst the most rotten in living memory.  If you’re looking to blame something on someone these days, the chances are (if it’s not a banker) it might as well be a Member of Parliament.

Here’s the problem;  The expectations we have of politicians are WAY out of line with what they should be.  To help explain myself, I’ve developed an analogy, though I warn you, it isn’t perfect;

If the country was a school, then what role do you think the politicians would play?  I’ll tell you what I think; 

The janitors. 

This isn’t to say that janitors aren’t important.  They are.  Extremely.  They have to ensure that the school is structurally safe, that the heating works, that people can use it every morning.  Of course, the janitors don’t make the decisions and so my analogy falls down here.  The mistake we make is to think instead that the politicians are the teachers or the pupils. That we should be looking to them to make the changes which lead to the school or country or world we want to live in.  They won’t.  They can’t.  They do not, and should not have the power to make this a great country.  They are an important part of making it great, but they do not have the power to ensure that it is, nor should they or do they lead its greatness.

All of the time, at the moment, we’re making this mistake. Imagine there is a lot of litter on the common.  We blame the council.  The council did not drop the litter.  Members of the public dropped the litter.  A school slips down a league table.  We blame the Government.  They didn’t sit the exams.  The pupils, teachers and parents all share responsibility for the results.       

The main stream media are having a major love-in with politicians of both parties, and no good will come of it.  Perhaps it’s because they are interested in each other’s jobs.  Perhaps it’s because they work near each other in London.  Maybe it’s because they rely on each other for their very survival.  Is it easier to fill the time with tales of party political intrigue than going and finding something which is actually making a difference?  Whatever.  It’s ruining everything for everyone.  We’re sitting back and watching the country pick a fight with the janitor because the school is failing.  We need to wake up a bit. 

The irony is that the elected MPs are only the thinnest layer of the political system.  Why aren’t we paying attention to the work that the millions of other public servants are doing?  Why are so many of the civil service seemingly banned from speaking in public?

Who is covering the latest innovations in business?  Who is shining a spotlight on the breakthrough techniques of social enterprise?  No-one.  Because they are all too busy gazing into the eyes, or beating up (depending on whether the camera is rolling) the MPs. 

I’ve been to Downing Street.  I’ve met leading politicians of both main political parties.  I don’t speak for any of them.  I probably shouldn’t write about it. 

We need to focus on the people who can actually change the way a country works.  Just in case I haven’t told you how I see this (I’ll stop in a minute), let me put it this way;  Politicians cannot change a country.  Not really change it.  Teachers, business people, parents, community leaders, social entrepreneurs, retired people and EVERYONE currently watching and listening as the politicians get the blame.  That’s who can and should make the changes.  We’re sleepwalking into a bleak decade if we carry on projecting the wrong expectations onto the wrong people. 

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some networking to do.

photo;  Special Agent

Would you like to earn half a million pounds a year?  Fully clothed, using a special chair, ten minutes in a Neil’s Yard shop could work wonders. Yes, the Walk-In Backrub is one of my guilty pleasures in London. Perhaps you should consider becoming a Back-Rubber too?  A ten minute massage could earn you ten pounds.  That means we will make five hundred and twenty five thousand smackers a year, each.  Doesn’t it? Of course it doesn’t.

Wonga is a short-term loans company.  If you have run out of cash at the end of the month (and in January, this is entirely likely), then they will consider offering you up to a thousand pounds.  And you’ll pay for it.  For a hundred quid, they will charge you seven if you pay them back in a week.  They also add a transaction fee.  I think I know a couple of people would pay that gladly at certain times of the year.  Of course, if you then express this as an annual percentage rate, it looks enormous.  It’s over 2,600% !  Wonga’s point is that they have not designed their service for people borrowing over a year.  It’s designed to carry you over from one day or week, to the next.  Either way, it will have some people complaining that it has become far too easy to borrow money, that lenders are being irresponsible. 

It has never been easier to buy a Kit Kat.  At the newsagent, petrol station, or winking at you at the Tesco till, they are everywhere.  They are also easier to eat than ever.  No more crafty scarecrow, slicing the foil with a taloned fingernail on a moonlit night.  If Kit Kats are your weakness, you could be in trouble.  Should it be made more difficult to buy one?  Or should we finally give two fingers to the idea that everything today is the seller’s fault? 

It’s too easy to blame the financial crisis, or our love of credit cards on the banks.  At some point, someone is going to have to start asking how irresponsible it is to take out a loan which you know you can’t really afford.  To accept that the reason you have put on a stone since Christmas is not the fault of Ronald McDonald. And  getting stuck in the snow, when you could have stayed at home and knew it was going to dump it down was not the local council’s fault. 

I know all of this because I am as guilty as the next person.  I borrowed the money, I ate the Big Mac, I went out when I should have stayed in.  The author of my January gloom is me.  I need a break.  I need a back rub.

Did you ever see Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves? The one with Kevin Costner. Do you remember the bit at the end, when King Richard appears, played by Sean Connery? “I will not allow this wedding to prosheed”, says Sir Sean, and we breathe a sigh and think; thank goodness you’re here.

In a board meeting, when someone in their seventies intervenes, with a blast of common sense. Thank goodness you’re here. When a friend turns to you, at a tough time, and all you can do is laugh at the situation. Thank goodness you’re here.

Today, when I watch senior politicians of all parties, I don’t get this warm and comforting feeling. When I switch on the TV and see our leading broadcasters, even on the BBC, I don’t feel it either. Now for my most troubling confession; When I watch Question Time and see members of the great British public take our political masters to task, I don’t get it either. In fact, I feel worse not better than before.

Don’t feel sorry for me.  It’s not all bad. I feel it when I sit around a table with Tim Smit, founder of the Eden Project. I feel it when I sit down with Liam Black, founder of Same Wavelength (and previously head of Fifteen) or with Gail Greengross, director of Business in the Community. I feel it with my family and friends. What do I mean by ‘this feeling’? Do you know what I’m talking about? The feeling that things are going to be alright. That the world has not taken leave of its senses. That we are powerful and not powerless to change things. I think you know what I mean. I can come back to the politicians, broadcasters and ‘the public’. In the meantime, it’s just the two of us. Thank goodness you’re here.