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Connecting luxury travel agents with luxury travellers, using social media & loyalty programme. The ‘how’ of my idea.

August 5, 2009 by Kaye Taylor

So my last post explained the What and the Why of my new idea, this post deals with the How.

To recap: My idea is to create a site whereby luxury travellers (like me) are introduced and connected to Luxury Independent Travel Agents (experts from around the world) who have access to and specific knowledge of luxury travel (including places, transport, accommodation and what to do when there) that I’m interested in.

Not only that but these travel professionals will also have access to exclusive deals and be aware of unusual places and hidden gems (that aren’t in the main stream) that give me real value for money.

I, the luxury traveller, will be able to choose the luxury travel specialist that I book my trip through via a ‘live’ portal, which will provide luxury travellers with expert human-being responses, rather than pre-entered database search results.

I’ll be able to create an actual relationship with a real individual (who is an accredited luxury travel expert, not just someone with an opinion), rather than relying on automated search results and email responses.

I will be able to select my preferred independent travel agent based on

  • The responses I receive from a specific travel request I enter on the site (which will only be viewed by the travel agents registered on the site)
  • Reviews that other travellers have given each travel agent, regarding the service they provided
  • Profiles of the agent that I can browse (including their own listed ‘hot luxury deals of the week’)
  • Viewing the travel agents’ blog and viewing their twitter stream (to see whether I like them) – all via the site.

Not only that, but I’ll be able to collect ‘rewards’ in the form of actual money, which can be redeemed against my next trip if, once I have experienced my vacation / business trip, I come back to the site to leave feedback about

  1. the service I received from my selected travel agent
  2. my experience of the actual trip itself (which will only be seen by the travel agent)

The idea is based on the premise that people like me prefer to receive personal recommendations about where to stay, what to do and how to get there by people that we trust, and have become slightly disillusioned with ‘user-driven-content travel sites’ whose comments haven’t been filtered and could easily be written by

  1. people who are way too easily pleased, who haven’t had the experience of true luxury travel, who aren’t comparing their experience with my experiences and are impressed by the fact that there is a mini-bar in the room
  2. competitors of the hotel
  3. miserable people who never enjoy anything

The ‘content’ of the site is brought by the independent travel agents who register on the site. Along with the content they bring expertise, credibility and most importantly, the opportunity of a human relationship.

Travel Agents who register on the site will match the following criteria:

  • be registered as a travel agent
  • be independent (not a chain)
  • specialise in luxury travel
  • be active and conversant in social media – i.e. have their own blog, be active on twitter, have a comprehensive presence on face-book and be interactive on Linkedin – Be willing to upload full profiles detailing who they are, where their based, what they specialise in, personal favourites and some actual reviews of vacation opportunities (as well their own personal interests)
  • Be willing to upload fresh offers and deals each week
  • Have existing good relationships with luxury travel suppliers (hotels, villas, tours).

The site will be promoted to (via social media, internet marketing and search engine optimisation) to:

  • Luxury travellers
  • Top end business travellers
  • Honeymooners

Registered agents will be prompted each week to upload fresh offers. Travel agents will agree to only respond to enquiries / requests if they are genuinely able to accommodate the specific needs.

The luxury traveller will be able to either request help from an expert using the ‘human search’ feature – and specify their exact requirements or browse the site and the profiles of the registered travel agents and choose one to liaise with.

They will be able to enter what they are looking for by answering a set of questions relating to their trip, which only the registered travel agents will see (live stream) and they will be able to state their preferred method of communication.

The luxury traveller then gets to receive ‘live’ feedback from real-life travel experts who can assist with their specific needs. This also gives the luxury traveller and the travel agent to create a relationship which may result into repeat bookings.

I have ideas on how each party (the travel agent, the luxury traveller and the site itself) makes money – which I will share on a future post.

I’d love to hear your thoughts…

Kaye – @ThisisKaye

P.S. If you are a luxury travel agent / luxury travel supplier and interested in this concept – please get in touch :-)

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

Social media, luxury travel, instant rewards & loyalty programme. New business idea

August 3, 2009 by Kaye Taylor

This is a new business idea combining luxury independent travel agents, social media, luxury travel providers and instant rewards:

Frustrated after my recent holiday accommodation experiences, and the lack of ‘personal’ recommendations from people I can really trust, I have come up with a business idea which I would like to share with you.

I’d like there to be website for aspiring luxury travellers that independent, reputable travel agents, specialising in luxury travel, can showcase their knowledge and experience to luxury travellers like me.

I’d like this site to both reward the travel agent who most influences the luxury traveller’s decision to book and also reward the luxury traveller themselves when they book.

I’d like these elite travel experts to provide reviews (based on their own personal experiences and clients feedback) about the places and venues they specifically recommend, at the same time promoting their service – so that I can use this information as a reliable, credible resource (because, let’s face it, I don’t know who the people on TripAdvisor are who say that this villa is the best they’ve ever stayed in. It may be the best and the FIRST villa they’ve ever stayed in :-) ).

I’d like there to be an opportunity for me, the luxury traveller, to leave feedback of my experience, and earn instant rewards for doing so.

And I’d like these luxury travel agents to communicate with me via my preferred social media channel, which for me is twitter.

In my opinion, things are going to go full circle – and we’ll (by ‘we’ll’ I’m referring to people like me who love luxury travel), need to start relying on credible independent travel agents (smart individuals – human beings – who are well connected and love luxury travel) who are social media savvy and whose reputation is on the line if they make a bad recommendation. However, ‘we’ don’t want to visit our travel advisor, or call them on the phone, we want to use technology still (and our preferred social media site), but have a proper relationship with someone who we trust.

Let me further explain; After our amazing trip to Lago di Como, Italy, where thanks to Twitter and @EliteTravelGal everything worked out on the night, we flew to Standsted for a family wedding in Cambridge.

My husband booked our accommodation (he opted for a four star guest house on the outskirts of the city centre which won rave reviews on TripAdvisor.com).

And it was horrible.

What’s happened? Have my experiences at our luxury hotel clients’ venues turned me into a travel snob?

Yes, I admit it, I love luxury. And yes, I’m willing to spend a bit extra on accommodation – and yes, I enjoy a good deal, although I have to admit, I’m not willing to spend hours and hours finding it.

So whilst having a pub lunch with Iain in Cambridge, I had a brainwave.

What about creating a site that is devoted to recommending luxury travel (hotels, villas, cruises), with reviews written exclusively by accredited independent travel agents from all over the globe?

The content of the site will be generated by the travel agents themselves, i.e. experts in the industry, who are willing to stick their neck and business on the line by writing the reviews based on either their own personal experience, or their customers’ (the luxury travellers) feedback.

Then, people like me will be able to choose which luxury hotel or villa they want to stay in – and select which travel agent they would like to book through (i.e. choose the agent whose review most resonated with them – and most influenced them to book).

That agent will then make the booking with the supplier and receive a commission.

I, the luxury traveller, get to also leave feedback once I’ve stayed at my chosen venue – AND if I leave feedback, I too receive an instant reward for doing so (to use against my next trip). This is the incentive for me to book via the Travel Agent, and not direct with the hotel (though obviously I have that choice).

The great thing is, if I have a really good experience , then I’m going to want to use that travel agent again – and if that travel agent is worth their salt, they’ll be communicating with me on my preferred social network, be it twitter, facebook or linkedin.

If you are a luxury hotel, would you be willing to participate?

If you are a luxury travel agent, what do you think of this idea – does it already exist in some form?

And if you are like me, and love travelling in luxury – and love it when we get great value for money, would you use a site like this?

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

@ThisIsKaye

Posted in Uncategorized | 7 Comments »

How @EliteTravelGal and Twitter saved my holiday

July 24, 2009 by Kaye Taylor

This is a real-life story of how Twitter and a human being, not an algorithm, saved the day.

Feeling stranded, stressed and gutted, having arrived at our Lake Como apartment, to find it grim grotty and sticky (and I’m not just talking about the humidity) tired, late at night, with very special friends joining us the following day, I had a light-bulb moment. Twitter.

But first let me set the scene.

My husband and I (primarily my husband, I have to say) have been overseeing the renovation and restoration of a beautiful ‘rustica’, traditional brick Italian house, overlooking Lake Como, which we purchased on our honeymoon 4 years ago.

It’s been a long project, to say the very least, and one that has been fraught with various challenges – the strength of the Euro versus the Pound coupled with the fact that Iain realised, oh a year and a half ago now, that the only way to deal with Italian builders is to accept that this is THEIR project and things will be done on THEIR terms and to THEIR time-line.

Having said that a year ago, we decided to plan a holiday in our lovely Italian home for this July (our home would surely would be finished by then) with very, very special friends, who were coming over from Australia to spend time with us.

In spite of us doing everything in our power to ensure the house was ready, it simply wasn’t on our builders agenda. We held out to the end, though, with Iain determined that we would be spending our holiday together there. But it didn’t happen. And two weeks before we were due to arrive, I persuaded my husband that we should book alternative accommodation.

So, we made a rushed decision, and booked accommodation online, without getting a personal recommendation.

Fast forward to a few days ago, and we arrived at our alternative accommodation to find that it

a)      Was overlooking the noisy bar

b)      Smelt of smoke (because of people smoking in the bar

c)       Required a deep clean

d)      Had wafer thin sheets that were towels, apparently

e)      Had a 2 ft squared bathroom

f)       I could go on

Who can help us to get out of this horrible situation so late at night and in the middle of peak holiday season? And in a flash it came to me. Twitter. Then, almost instantaneously @EliteTravelGal popped into my head – who I’ve been following on Twitter (though we’ve had no direct communication) – I remembered; she’s based in California, which is 8 hours behind us, she plans luxury trips for people travelling to Europe – if anyone can help, she can.

So, using my new Google HTC magic phone, I hastily sent her an urgent DM (direct message) – crying out for help – explaining that we needed a villa for 5 adults, with lake view – can she help?

I received an almost immediate response.

And by midnight, she had put me in touch with her key contact on Lake Como – who contacted me (immediately, even though it was 1 am by now) and assured me that first thing in the morning she would help us find what we were looking for.

Phew, I could sleep (if it weren’t for the lack of air conditioning, mosquitoes, ancient bed and brewing migraine).

The following morning I was told by @EliteTravelGal that her contact had found us the perfect spot.
And here I am, happily ensconced in a beautiful villa in Bellagio, overlooking the stunning Lake Como with my very, very happy friends.

Thank you, Twitter, and thank you @EliteTravelGal :-)

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

The What, Why and How of Social Networking

June 14, 2009 by Kaye Taylor

Social Networking strategy for my business

Having ignored internet social networking for a very, very long time; primarily due to having a limiting belief that ‘it just isn’t for me’, I have now woken up to the great possibilities and opportunities that proactive social networking presents.

Having committed to Twitter (and commit I have, as doing it half-heartedly does not work), I rapidly realised that to tap into the sea of potential that is the world-wide-web of amazing people connected to their internet machines, I needed a plan; A plan that will help me stay focussed, aid my businesses growth and, importantly, be fun.

And because social networking is all about connecting, sharing and learning, I’d like to share my plan with you – I hope it helps us both connect with who we want to connect with; remembering that oftentimes we don’t know who we want to connect with, until we do!

Why I am committing to social networking

  • To connect with relevant people
  • To learn about topics I’m interested in
  • To share my key learnings

Once I’d established why I wanted to proactively network online, the first thing I did was to consider who I want to create relationships with and get connected to. My Marketing Operations tutor drilled into me that with any marketing plan segmentation always comes first. (She used to repeat over and over, in a sharp staccato fashion ‘SEGMENTATION, TARGETING, POSITIONING!’).

Seems a bit formal, to be applying this to a social networking plan, however I want to be as focussed as possible so that I don’t end up using valuable time engrossed in a web of social networks which aren’t assisting my business or my own growth.

So, in my case here’s who I have decided I want to connect with via social networking tools:

People

  • Potential partners (other business operators who serve the hotel market), for example
    • Hotel marketing professionals
    • Hotel website designers
    • Hotel software providers and distribution channels
  • Inspiring entrepreneurs
    • Innovators
    • Leaders
    • Best practice social networkers & sharers of knowledge and latest trends
  • Existing and potential clients
    • luxury hotels & resorts in the UK, Europe and North America

And here’s what I’d like to share:

  • My thoughts, feelings and experiences about running and growing a business serving the hospitality sector.
    • I’d like to provide an open, honest and fair account of the ups and downs associated with being a business owner.
  • My key learnings about social networking, including:
    • Useful social networking tools that have helped me and my business
    • Useful blog posts & video streams that have helped me and my business
    • Ideas on social networking for luxury hotels and resorts (and comments about what works and what doesn’t)
  • Stuff that SK Chase is working on
    • including some personal news about me

What is Internet Social Networking?

So that’s why I’m doing it, but what, exactly, is social networking?

Internet social networking is similar to traditional networking, but much more rapid, relevant and fluid.

It provides people with the opportunity to connect with other people who share the same interests, either on a personal or business basis. But more than that, it provides an opportunity for me to see who the person I’m connecting with, is connected to. This doesn’t happen in a regular conversation.

This 2 minute video blog, Social Networking in Plain English, by the brilliant Lee LeFever helps illustrate this point further.

Context for social networking

To help me with my strategy, and to keep me focused, I have chosen an overall context, for my social networking plan of ‘creating relationships’.

I will re-anchor to this context when I’m faced with a choice and need to make a decision about whether or not I do something related to social networking.

For example, if I am faced with a dilemma such as ‘should I spend 10 minutes adding information about myself to my profile?’, the answer will be a resounding ‘yes’, because the more I share about myself, the more people are going to feel comfortable connecting with me.

And if I’m tempted to not bother responding to someone who has taken the time to contact me via a social networking site, if I remember to hold the context of ‘creating relationships’ this will encourage me to make the effort to connect.

You may think that by holding my context of ‘creating relationships’ whilst considering whether to watch a video stream link I’ve been sent on a social networking site about endangered Yellow Tailed Woolly Monkeys in the Peruvian Andes, that I may choose not to, however it’s these extra little bits about people’s interests that really help you to connect with them – and find out about the human being behind the business.

And changing the context, changes the content, as my wonderful Shirlaws coach, Fergus King, has successfully taught me. Other contexts could be ‘fun’, or ‘focus’, or ‘depth’ or ‘speed’.

Traditional networking

I have experienced that it is much less nerve-wracking approaching someone on twitter, than it is walking up to a group of people who are having a conversation about a topic that I’m interested in.

And, subject to you knowing exactly the type of people you want to connect with, it’s so quick to find people with similar interests.

I’m not knocking the more traditional styles of social networking; clearly, if I choose to attend a networking event which is specifically for business operators that provide a service to luxury hotels and resorts, then I’m going to meet people relevant to my business. However, how many I actually connect with will be dependent upon many variables on the day. For example, where I’m sitting, the format of the event, what time of day it is, whether I end up having a long engrossing conversation with one person, or short, unfocussed conversations with many others.

I’m not replacing traditional networking with online networking – I’m adding a new tool. I.e. it’s an AND thing and not an OR thing. And the bizarre part for me is that the more I connect with folk online, the more I want to connect with folk offline too!!!

How I’m going to use social networking

So now we come to the implementation piece of my plan.

Which social networking sites?

There are tons of social networking sites (until recently I was only aware of a handful of them). Wikipedia provides a useful table showing the social networking site name, description and purpose. I was amazed to discover the vast array available for niche topics.

There are also industry-specific social networking sites; for example two UK based hospitality social networking sites that I have come across are www.hotcatuk.com and Table Talk.

These industry-specific sites may be good for connecting with people relevant to my industry, but in my opinion, it is healthy to be proactive in a selected ‘general’ social networking site – to widen the net, so to speak. And the really proactive hospitality industry leaders will have their own twitter account anyway.

Focus

The biggest investment regarding social networking is my time. Therefore I have decided to primarily focus on one social networking site and choose three ‘satellite’ sites that I dip into and out of.

And the winner is: Twitter :-)

This is because it’s the site that most resonates with me; I immediately ‘got it’ and it is the site that spurred me into social networking action.  For further info on my love affair with twitter visit my article ‘Why I love Twitter (and thought I hated social networking)’. Oh, and incidentally my Twitter handle is @ThisisKaye

The secondary site that I am going to dip into on a less frequent basis is LinkedInn.

And I will be keeping a close eye on  www.hotcatuk.com and Table Talk for opportunities to connect with relevant people.

How long will I spend on social networking?

The biggest investment regarding social networking is time. I don’t have to part with a dime by registering with the social networking sites I have chosen; there is no joining or annual membership fee (unless I choose to subscribe to the more advanced features on some sites), but it does eat into my HAPD (hours available per day).

I have seen how easy it is to ‘lose’ 3 hours engrossed on Twitter (which is one of the reasons I decided to write this plan). Now, if it’s a Friday evening and I’m really enjoying it, no problem, however I must find a healthy balance during the week, if I’m to achieve my business goals!

Therefore I intend (intention is the keyword here :-) ) to spend half an hour during the day to posting and reading tweets  (if I choose to spend more time in the evening, that’s my prerogative!) and two hours a week considering & writing longer entries for my Blog.

It’s important, if I am to be perceived as credible, not only to recommend blog posts that others I respect have written, but to also author my own opinions and experiences.

When is the best time to socially network?

When the inspiration hits me. First thing in the morning is always good. Today is a Sunday, and I find that I’m most relaxed writing blog-posts on Sundays!

Letting people know I’m Tweeting

I’d like to make my contribution towards expanding the web of social networking; I’ve noticed that whilst there are a number of proactive luxury hotel and resort operators using the likes of twitter, there is still a high number who have not yet tapped into this amazing opportunity.

Therefore I will be emailing all of my main contacts and inviting them to read both this post and my previous, to encourage them to take action.

How to keep people interested.

Be honest. Say what I think. Be brave and willing to be open and show my lack of knowledge. Be brave and willing to show my wealth of knowledge!

Be consistent with my approach – I’ve written this plan as an aid for my social networking. Of course it is not set in stone, but now I have the opportunity to be consistent.

And finally to have a lot of fun; by showing my enjoyment in each social networking encounter I have, this can only positively influence the myriad of future social networking experiences my future holds!

Posted in Social Networking, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Why I love Twitter (and thought I hated social networking)

June 7, 2009 by Kaye Taylor

I have to say I feel like a bit of a laggard when it comes to Twitter. I had wrongly made the assumption that I would hate it, and for a long time just couldn’t see the point of it at all.

But in the last few days that I’ve been a member, it’s opened up a whole new world. And I love it.

I love the fact that I can follow people (without them having to follow me back). I love that it’s so open and not (the majority of the time) permission based.

I love that we don’t have to ‘make friends’ – but rather we are naturally making relevant connections – which, one day, may indeed turn into friendships.

I love how fluid it is. I spent 3 hours on Friday evening following folk who people I respect are following. In the past I would have thought ‘how sad’ and what a waste of a Friday evening. But it was really enjoyable! And interesting… and I learned a whole bunch of stuff too.

I love how expansive it is. So far I haven’t come across any annoying bottlenecks.

It’s informal.

It seems that there are absolutely tons of people on twitter with whom I’d like to connect.

Already, I’m being introduced to innovative and relevant companies for my business through tweets made by business owners I’m following, that I simply wouldn’t have heard about in the past.

For some reason, to me twitter doesn’t feel as showy as facebook, or as formal as linkedin. It’s pitched, as far as I’m concerned, perfectly for me. And that’s the beauty of it, other people who are nothing like me will feel the same.

I feel comfortable with it; whereas I’ve never felt comfortable with facebook (as much as I tried) and I’ve never proactively used linkedin (in spite of being connected to business people through it).

I have Linda Urquhart, CEO of Morton Fraser to thank for this. I recently attended one of Linda’s business women’s network events where Coach, Jackie Cameron gave a great talk on social networking. Jackie, in spite of not having internet access at the venue, managed to change my world!

I mostly love the fact that twitter mixes business with pleasure; that as well as providing a platform for businesses to share stuff that they’re working on, I also get to read the personal tweets made by business owners I’m following – and I feel like I’m getting to know them and seeing behind the scenes of their business. I can see how twitter is making business a friendlier arena to be.

I may be preaching to the converted here and you may be thinking, “how sweet, she’s just discovered Twitter, the social networking site that everyone on planet earth, apart from her, is using”. But if you’re not… and you’re wondering what all the fuss is about, jump on board – it’s fun!

ThisisKaye

Posted in Business Culture, Uncategorized | 11 Comments »

Why are we here?

June 3, 2009 by Kaye Taylor

Why are we here? No really, why ARE we here? What’s the point in it all?

I asked my sister, Suzy, this not so long ago and she told me that the reason we’re here, on planet earth, is to love and to be loved.

That shut me up.

Generally speaking, I have a natural tendency (or habit) to put a positive spin on things. It’s served me well in many ways – every now and again I spiral ever downwards and briefly lose the ability to believe that there is anything good in the world. Thankfully, though, these spells are infrequent and short. I was told recently that only focussing on the positive creates blind-spots. I didn’t understand what that meant at the time.

I do now.

The last few weeks have been challenging, to say the very least. And the blind-spot analogy rang very true.

By only focussing on the positive aspects of our business, I neglected an area that required attention. And I have observed, in my life, that the universe has a habit of forcing things upon me when I ignore them (or deny them).

So, once again, many more lessons are being learned (see, positive spin, I can’t help it) and it’s actually refreshing to be in a space of reality rather than dressing something up to be better (or different) than it is.

One thing that always surprises me is how supportive people are. Running a small business by default means having good times and tough times. And I’m very, very grateful to all those people who are there to support us during both.

And as for our business, having looked at, and I mean really looked at it, we’re making some changes and it’s been an emotional time for all involved. And I want to thank our team from the bottom of my heart for being such fabulous, understanding and supportive individuals.

One thing I’m happy to report is that the S and the K in SK Chase are enjoying a stronger and more real partnership than ever before.

I now truly understand what the word ‘together’ means. And I’m definitely up for giving some love – and joyfully and gratefully receiving it.

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Time of change

March 11, 2009 by Kaye Taylor

We’re going through internal change within SK Chase right now. It feels like a deep cleansing period; we’re reviewing exactly what we do, why we do it and who we do it for. To do this properly, we have acknowledged areas of our business that haven’t worked out (and why) and now agreeing upon what stays and what goes – and how we can build upon those areas that have worked out (because there are those areas too!) – so that we can make them even better.

We are working at a fast pace – the whole team is on board and committed to this journey. Sometimes it feels scary, most times it feels amazing and I love the unity this brings. We’re making many decisions that are changing the shape of our business – most definitely for the better.

As a result of this cleansing period I’m already feeling clearer and seeing a sharper picture of our vision. Yes, these are challenging times – and exciting times too!

Right now I’m focusing on both accepting what is whilst simultaneously seeing a clear picture of who I want to be and what I want our business to look and feel like in the future.

As I shared in my last post, I’m committed to improving our relationships with our customers – and I’m so grateful to those hotels who work with us and help us develop and grow. Thank you!

Posted in Business Culture, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Flying free

December 11, 2008 by Kaye Taylor

I love my job right now.

Why? Because for the first time in 3 years I know exactly what I’m meant to be doing (and I’m actually doing it!) and I know how I contribute to our success.

When Steph and I first set up SK Chase I felt like I was flying – I knew precisely what my role was – to create a product, to create relationships, to create awareness and to create systems that supported our business (I enjoy creating!).

And then, somewhere along the line things got a bit hazy. I stopped flying. I stopped creating. I felt trapped. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to be doing. I could see lots of things that required attention (we had grown by then and had offices, a team of people and lots of customers) but I didn’t know where to start. Things weren’t clear.

Things (I) have changed. Steph and I have been spending our energy and attention for the past 8 months, supported by Fergus, our business coach from Shirlaws, on our Vision, our strategy and the functionality of our business. When I first met Fergus, I told him that I wanted to know how I contribute to the business – and that I wanted to fly again.

So now, after going within myself and facing what was there and by dealing with a lot of stuff in and on the business, I now have clarity and focus. As well as being Chair of SK Chase which involves being the initiator, the visionary (as in looking to the future), the figurehead and the leader I am also head of Business Operations (i.e. money through the door). And I LOVE it!

All I can see is an abundance of opportunities and choices. Here are some of them; I choose to improve our service and relationships with our customers. I choose to help our customers grow their existing gift voucher business; I choose to create a complimentary product and service. I choose to create relationships with distribution partners. I choose to create new relationships with new customers. I choose to ‘flow’ and to ‘fly’.

As I was walking to work this morning, I realised, as the excitement about our future was bubbling within, that I reminded myself of our old dog, Brandy, who at the mere mention of the first letter of the word ‘walk’ would start shaking with excitement and her body would go flat down on the floor and ripple – and when, finally – after what to her probably felt like years went by (as I’d gather her lead and biscuits and put my boots on) she was let free – she would fly across the fields as fast as the wind and she’d behave towards everything and every person that she encountered as if they were the only and the most amazing thing or person she had ever come across and she’d wag her body with her tail, beside herself with joy. Well, that’s kind of how I feel. And guess what? As I write this, my favourite song has just come onto the radio – Sunchyme by Dario G …. life is good right now.

And once again, I know where we’re flying to. We’re not just randomly running across the fields and smelling the fragrances that we come by. We’re on a journey together. And it feels amazing.

Another thing I’ve realised – Having responsibility doesn’t mean lack of freedom. I am free AND I’m responsible.

Yahoooooooooo!

Right, I’m off to make a cup of tea right now – and then I’ll sit at my desk and take off… By the way, if you want to feel like this too – give me a call and I’ll give you Fergus’ number…!

P.S. Steph and I had lunch with our sometimes gruff, mostly lovable, always intuitive and certainly always direct non-exec director, Brian Johnston, yesterday – he commented on this blog and said he felt like I bare my soul. I didn’t get the impression he enjoyed reading it – so I asked him why he did; and he said ‘I don’t have to enjoy everything I read’ – that made me laugh out loud. However, he also went on to say that he enjoys being open and in fact would quite like to write a blog himself (and boy, does he have a few stories to tell).

So, Brian, I know you’re reading this, so put your money where your mouth is and create your own blog (See? I can be direct too).

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Gratitude

November 29, 2008 by Kaye Taylor

With Elaine at the early stages of setting up her own business, it got me thinking and remembering my own experience with setting up SK Chase. And I have so many people that I am grateful to. Peter Taylor, owner and Chair of The Town House Collection gave us our first break – as well as being our mentor; he also donated our first office – his own office, to be fair, in the attic of The Bonham Hotel. Prior to that Steph and I had been working from my dining room (which we did love, and spent hours and hours discussing and feeling our vision and the fact that one day, (said Del-boy style) we’d be millionaires.) 

Having our first proper office was very exciting. It coincided with us having our first member of staff, Natasha Lynn – another person I’m so grateful for. Natasha has been a core part of our business from the very early stages – she knows and loves our clients well, and the feedback I have received is that this is reciprocated.

There is one company, though, that gave me the most exciting thrill I’ve ever had in business – and a company that I love so much – and all the people in it. And that’s Gleneagles Hotel. I remember meeting the then Marketing Manager, Steve Woods at a Conde Nast Johansens event, when I was still working full time for Peter Taylor at The Town House Collection (Peter supported us in setting up our own business, even when we were working directly for him – more gratitude!). I explained to Steve that Steph and I had set up SK Chase and explained what we did (at this point we had 8 clients) and I asked whether we’d be able to come and see Gleneagles and learn from them (Gleneagles were already hugely successful in selling gift vouchers – and already promoted and sold them via their website).

The long and short of it is that Gleneagles invited us to come in and audit their processes and identify whether there was any way we could improve their gift voucher systems. And I remember putting together that proposal so well. It was the most important document I’ve ever put together in my life. And I loved every minute of it. Steph and I had spent days working on this project – and it was such a thrilling experience to be pitching to one of the best hotels in the world. And we knew that if they decided to work with us, that it would really put us on the map and open so many doors for us.

When I got that call from Steve – I was sitting in a meeting at The Edinburgh Residence and I had already explained to Mark Forrester (Occupancy Marketing) –another person and company that has supported us from the very beginning – that I was expecting this call, and had to take it… And when Steve called and said ‘it’s a no-brainer – of course we want to work with you’, well, I jumped for joy! This was the first strong sign that we had a serious business. And the fact that Gleneagles was willing to work with us at such an early stage in our development – showed courage and belief on their part in innovation (which, as I had explained to me recently by the absolutely brilliant Darren Shirlaw, who founded Shirlaws, is simply about doing things differently). And Gleneagles chose to do things differently. Thank you, Gleneagles! And the wonderful thing is, is that strong relationship still exists today. The team there are a joy to work with and always on the ball.

So, what I’m saying is that I remember that exciting early phase well and so much of our success has been because of other people supporting us. And it’s wonderful to be in that place now, where we can support Elaine – so listen up, if you have any copyrighting needs, Elaine’s your woman. She’s a brilliant writer and has that rare gift of being able to write in different voices and tones. So please do get in touch with her – www.topcatcopy.com.

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Farewell to Lady Chase

November 28, 2008 by Elaine Gunn

Well it’s been a while since I posted my last blog on Lady Chase, and now the time has come for me to make my last entry. There’s been a lot going on since I last wrote, and now I’m off on my merry way to start my own writing business – and very exciting it is too! I’m writing this from my new office (the premises formerly known as “home”) having finished up with SK Chase last Monday. 

It’s been a dream of mine for some time now to be my own boss, and in the spirit of “no time like the present” I’ve decided to get my act together, focus, and really go for it. I’ve built my website, asked for a print quote for some business cards, and have set up my laptop, wireless mouse and keyboard in the little yellow attic room upstairs. It’s a humble beginning, but I’m hopeful that it will eventually lead to great things. 

Reading back on a few of my old posts, the last year seems (a bit bizarrely) to have been preparing me for this, unbeknownst to me. Check out Fighting Fear Flags with the Vision for a prime example; now more than ever it’s important for me to have a clear vision of the future to look forward to – otherwise I’d just sit about, paralysed by fear and waiting to default on my mortgage. As it is, I’m feeling the fear (by God am I feeling it…) but I’m determined it’s not going to take me down. 

My vision is to be working steadily from my new home in the country, comfortably installed in the back bedroom with a colourful and flexible home office. I’ll be working four to five days each week, and will be feeling fulfilled, challenged and satisfactorily in control of my own destiny. 

It’s an exciting prospect, and I’ve learned such a lot from Kaye and Steph during my time here at SK Chase, that I feel I’ve got the ideal springboard to get myself going. The most important thing for me to remember is that I need to believe in myself; there’s no need for me to know everything all at once – I can figure it out as I go.

So just before I finish up here, I’m going to share a short list of the Top 5 interesting and unexpected things I have learned so far about the process of starting a business: 

  1. Despite being pants-wettingly frightening, it’s absolutely 100% more personally satisfying when something goes right – even if that’s something that you would previously have found dull in the manner of a grey-clad Gordon Brown watching a 4 hr documentary on effective flour grinding methods, in Belgium.  
  2. It’s important to have realistic expectations of yourself and your baby business. Getting yourself into a panic-ridden pickle on Day 6 because you haven’t landed a huge contract yet is not only unnecessary, it’s counterproductive and wastes many, many tea bags.  
  3. Get yourself a proper comfortable office chair if you’re going to spend a lot of time in front of a computer. You wouldn’t believe how much an unnecessary Day 6 panic-ridden pickle can be exacerbated by unpleasant lower back pain.  
  4. Pick as many business brains as you can. My biggest realisation so far (and what gave me the stones to attempt this) has been that there’s really no difference between me and the sort of person who can run a successful business. Surround yourself with entrepreneurs who are already reaping the benefits of self-employment – that could be you… 
  5. A cup of tea does not in fact solve everything (see Nr 2) but can go a long way to helping you calm down and gain a little perspective. Time out is important, particularly if you’re in the habit of placing high expectations on yourself.

 So, with all this in mind I’m off to see if anybody out there needs a skilled and committed, if slightly irreverent writer with a natty line in absurd Gordon Brown imagery.

 Wish me luck….?

 

Elaine’s new copywriting business is called Top Cat – check out her website at www.topcatcopy.co.uk.

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