Oban, Sound of Mull, Craignuire (Oh and Storm Eowyn and a power cut.)
Sailing back to Craignure, Isle of Mull, Sunday morning of the 26th aboard the MV Isle of Arran.
Week commencing the 20th as I type coming up for 9pm on Sunday 26th, at the end of a week that has seen travel, a rather “cheeky” Storm Eowyn that took out power on Mull and the mainland, and finished off with snow and freezing weather.
But worth it when you see the photos.
Smiles aboard the MV Isle of Arran heading over to Oban on Saturday 25th.
And of course, full photos and videos during the week can be found on Flickr.
We had to be resourceful in the power cut that hit the island from lunchtime Friday 24th through to Saturday 5pm.
Donald and the Advertising Industry
Well it was the first day in the Oval office for Donald Duck. I had a think and recorded a video, nothing detailed, but happy to help where someone needs to navigate change due to macro factors.
From found us to Petercobley.com
As well as my business website for found us, I also run my own personal site where I chat about allsorts, post photos; and www.petercobley.com is a place where you can learn a bit more about me.
Have a look and sniff at petercobley.com and list me know if same or insane.
We all break down and don’t be hard on yourself, just like Mull’s solo broken down car on the Tobermory/Craignuire single track road where it’s now being rescued by the island’s own tow truck after semi blocking the road for a few days.
Where does the public and private start and end?
There is no such divide in my life. There is only me.
The business found us is an extension of myself. In fact that is not correct, with myself and the business being one in the same thing.
And this is something people fail to grasp - the holistic life.
In careers, business, job, role, looking for work, being in work, across to employing and interviewing people it is common to create this artificial dichotomy, and create a mental, spiritual, emotional imbalance. To live as two people is hard and impossible, and even worse can lead us to Act out what we think a role is and minimise our true selves.
We can act as we think we ought to in a role, and be seen in the brutal hard boss role by others, yet outside of work we are the home Dad or Mum, a softer different person. This is tiring to act out. It’s tiring for people who occupy both worlds with us. It is dangerous since one persona/role can take over the other, and in modern society where there is so much time spent at work (>50%) we can see where we lose more of our true self. A dystopian version of the classic Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
There are so many people I know that have altered through work. Over time, incrementally, and hard to spot. Remember we are beings of nature and nurture, and our environment will impact and shape us should we be unaware and fail to assert self and core principles and beliefs.
There is a lot of truth and multiple meaning in a sheep in wolf’s clothing. Have you become a sheep in your role or business, following your business environment? Has it turned you into a wolf? Let’s take two examples. Think of the public versus private Patrick Bateman from American Psycho. And is he not a product of his environment? Remember a new fledgling MP in the House of Commons, bright eyed and bushy tailed, and then remember that MP some time later. Have not most become a product of Parliament? A parody of who they were.
The examples seem far removed, but are they?
Be careful out there and what you wish for. The only advice I can give give is to:
Be true to self.
Don’t divide yourself between work and your private life. Keep you as you.
Maybe label life as follows, “I am Peter Cobley and I have the job of Director in my business. I am married to Claire. Divorcing myself from the labels of Director and Husband of what is expected by society or our environment.
I can then be sure he happy, quirky Peter that I am. Able to take risk. Able to take a leap of faith. Able to live each moment freely. Not shacked by norms, past, or future since I operate to my Operating System and Not others - Peter Cobley OS Mark 2.
My search and selection
Where are you really going when you’re in your 30’s, 40’s, and beyond?
Do you have direction, feel you have achieved in your life? But what does it meant to be successful? What’s achievement?
This is where I come into play.
When I set up found us it was with a view to mentoring and building people; of giving back what was freely given to me over the years. And I had some wonderful mentors in my 53 years.
I’ve a history of mentoring people and regularly do so with clients, candidates, and with Lancaster University Management School.
The other side to myself and my business is all the contacts I have nationally and intentionally, and my reputation. This allows for first hand work with my company clients to find them good staff for senior leadership teams.
I am uniquely able to match my contacts and mentees to my clients business needs; often not working to a brief - and I’ve been oh so successful over the years in my Executive Search and Selection.
I’ve placed a Broadcast Director at an international agency, a Sales Director at a major tech company, or created a role for a mobile specialist to set up a division for an international agency group. And there’s more if you have a look about my website or have a chat with me.
If you are a candidate or client…
Do contact me for my very unique brand of search and selection both national and international.
Full tracking of the search and selection process, with help given in candidate assessment if needed is all on offer, so at any given moment you know exactly where you are with your senior hire, and importantly with the money you spend with me.
The start of Loch Ba from the village of Knock, Isle of Mull.
Acting as a sales director
Walking alongside Loch Ba, Isle of Bull.
To anyone one, or any business that needs a good Sales or Commercial Director, I’m your Man!
I don’t with to be arrogant or boastful. Not at all. I merely state the truth. And being honest is a key, if not the most important element in what makes a good sales person.
I started my sales career in 1994 in national Press moving to ITV, and ultimately agency side. Always delivering results.
I thus have knowledge, experience, and track record in creating a sales pipeline, cold selling across to formal tender response and pitching. Working with and pulling a team together to win the business. And this is a commodity sale or a bespoke sale, with some ticket values running into six and seven figures.
I started off in traditional advertising and moved into online advertising; and represent a rare breed of sales and commercial person who straddles the old and new worlds of advertising, marketing, and media.
I’ve worked for and set up start ups that were subsequently sold. I’ve been employed by some sizeable businesses working on big brands; at 29
I was a Business Development at ITV in London working on Who Wants to be a Millionaire and Survivor.
So I do know a lot indeed. And this can be harnessed to help grown a business through a solid new business sales process, and account management of clients.
So if you:
Need someone to look at your sales process and staff, then I’m for hire.
If you need a new business pipeline building from scratch then I can help.
Or if you need me to parachute into your business as a sales or commercial director then don’t hesitate to contact me.
Looking out over Loch Na Keal toward Balnahard and Eorsa island.
Pay per Click search advertising (PPC)
View from the found us office over Tobermory
A possibly contentious or easy to utilise form of advertising that originated from the search market that was created (and believe it or not copied from and not invented by Google) by Goto.com, that rebranded to Overture, that was then acquired by Yahoo! I worked for the company and have a very much deep depth knowledge of the PPC marketplace, initially Search but now straddling other channels, e.g. Social Media.
I am keen to work with companies or people on the Isle of Mull where I live in Tobermory, or Oban and the Argyll and Bute area. That said I work UK wide and internationally, and have done so for years.
PPC (Pay Per Click) from Tobermory, Isle of Mull and Oban
I don’t propose to write reams on PPC as it a quite mature channel now and arguable one must focus on the quality of a company’s website and a customers path to it and through it, and of how we can create a desired action that benefits company and customer, for example a sale.
I understand the metrics of making paid search and pay per click media (Programmatic Display for example) work for a business to achieve above, below, or through the line results. I have over 20 years experience in the area.
Looking out from Oban to the island of Kerrera and beyond the Isle of Mull
I can distill my knowledge into the following areas where I can help
Understanding the concept of PPC, how it works, of how it can fit in and supplement all marketing activity, but does not have to be the “expensive” be and end all that it can be, as well as you advertising “red herring”.
Understanding and grasping how the technology works, for example how to structure a Google Ads account to leverage the Quality Score element of the channel, across to buying correctly via a DSP.
Understanding the importance of content to leverage the advertising platforms position “reward” systems, i.e. position in Sponsored Links for a keyword, without degradation of content serving its purpose of attracting consumers into taking a purchasing, non-purchasing action, and brand being negatively affected through poor copy writing.
Working with you to enhance your website to initiate good customer action. It is in one sense very easy to get the customer to the company website, but so so many customers don’t find a website “sticky” and “bounce” away, and thus the marketing activity and spend are wasted. We can help with ad copy, landing pages, and page/website testing whether A/B or as advanced as multivariate. A website like Amazon is leagues ahead of other eCommerce websites with a killing double figure website conversion rate.
And this brings me onto data. Which does not have to be slavish and look nice. We/I’ve knowledge of drilling down into the data in order to use it to benefit company and customer. It is a big area, and an important one, and involves software such as Google Analytics. You need to know your “bang for your buck”. Suffice to say we love crunching numbers and data.
Lastly and maybe this should be point 1. We crucially help with drilling down into what it is you sell by way of product or service, who you sell it to and how your customers buy from you. We then drill down even further for example by looking at relevant keyword searches across to usage of the correct copy. This is the research phase way before you do anything media wise, and the bit of the iceberg under the waterline; the large bit, the important bit. I’ve many years of experience in researching what companies do, and of how they can successfully use digital marketing bought on a pay per click or other cost metric.
I am happy to work on a consultancy, fee based offering, or commission only model. This can very much suit the smaller (or larger) business with finite and precious online marketing budget.
Tobermory Harbour
SEO and PPC share of traffic and clicks
Following on from my last post, this is an in-between post as to traffic to a search engine results page (SERP).
I thought it would be handy for those who don’t know the difference in traffic and clicks for SEO and PPC.
Costa Coffee Oban this morning
I typed the following search query into Google.co.uk.
“share of clicks serps seo ppc”
This is what Google delivered by its AI.
AI OVERVIEW
Organic search results receive more clicks than paid search results on search engine results pages (SERPs):
Organic vs. paid search
75% of clicks on SERPs are for organic results, while 25% are for paid results.
CTR by ad platform
The average click-through rate (CTR) for Google paid search ads is about 2%, while marketing agencies see a CTR closer to 5%.
CTR by position
The average CTR for the top organic result in Google search is 31.7%, which is 10 times higher than the CTR for the 10th position.
Here are some other statistics about SEO and PPC:
53.3% of all web traffic comes from organic search, while 27% comes from paid search.
70% of marketers believe SEO is more effective than PPC.
64% of marketers invest in SEO.
55% of marketers consider SEO to be very important or extremely important to their marketing strategy.
93% of businesses that invest in SEO see an increase in website traffic.
You can use both SEO and PPC to create effective marketing campaigns. You can use PPC to get your name out there quickly, and then use SEO to boost your organic traffic.
A December’s working week in photos.
And what a fine place to live and work - Tobermory, Isle of Mull, Oban.
found us
“People don't notice whether it's winter or summer when they're happy.” Anton Chekhov
Savouring a view out to sea from Gavanan Beach near Oban.
Life’s reality can be our singular viewpoint of it and not one governed by the outside influences that swirl daily about us.
(*There is a more concise version of this post if you scroll to footnote at the bottom of this page.)
What glasses are you wearing today when you look at life?
Can you see the Robin?
Can you see the beauty in all including people, no matter what?
Do you need glasses given to you by others, by society?
Are you looking with clarity at your life, or is your viewpoint opaque, clouded by a focus on others? By wearing glasses given to you people and society, and so wearing their world views.
It is so easy to be myopic as to what others have done to you, not done to you, your world situation and where you are; compared to being yourself, true and authentic, living each moment at a time, recognising what has been and may come, whilst not being and living in moments past and yet to come.
I always remind and encourage people to draw their sphere of influence inward , from that which is outside of them and self; for self is what we truly control. And in controlling self we have direction, purpose, clarity. We live in our moments when we focus on self, not the moments of others.
"What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness." - John Steinbeck, "Travels with Charley: In Search of America"
Scottish mountains when sailing into Oban. The rugged beauty of winter.
I like the quote and its symmetry to weather. The reality is that winter balances summer and vice versa; both are really mirror images. Yet the interpretation one can put on winter is darkness, cold, damp, wet, snow, despondency. But this is an interpretation. Is not winter also something to be marvelled at as a season of beauty, of both hibernation and recovery for new growth and life, and also a time of reflection, of closing in together in warmth with loved ones?
To Mentor is to Grow
This is something I have done for years and for the most part freely believing in the mantra of giving back what was freely given to you. After all how much of life to you really need to live and enjoy life?
What I have learnt is that a lack of self belief and faith, of low self esteem, of people pleasing, of fear of action to lack of goal and dream planning is down to the interpretation we have of life including ourselves, which is a product of the glasses and thus viewpoint we were given from birth. And that it is possible to re-engineer all of this and simply remove the glasses and adopt a viewpoint of self, others, world and all that we are comfortable with.
Through mentoring I grew others and I grew myself. I learnt to be empathetic, caring and considered.
Sailing into Oban, with Ben Cruachan beyond. I see its rugged and towering beauty and cast aside my worldly beliefs and marvel at what can await me.
In simple terms I wasted so much time thinking about other people, other places, and other things. It did not matter if it was a house to live in, a job to aim for, jealousy or anger, or worse hate of others, bemoaning a situation I found myself in, usually blaming others for this, hours spent conniving my climb up the corporate ladder, or worry pangs of what people thought of me - The list went on ad nauseam.
I was very shallow, insecure, eager to please, easily led back then.
Thankful not anymore.
What glasses are you wearing this winter, or do you need to remove them?
found us
I now realise I gave good advice when mentoring or advising in my 10 years of found us but did not necessarily follow it myself!
I do now.
I took my glasses off which jaundiced my viewpoint to one of believing I was not good enough, people better than me, and spent too long worrying about others.
Now, I just focus on me and how I can live in each moment and I now achieve so, so much more.
I care for but am not worried as to other people. Why should I be? Nor do I worry as to places or events, let alone what’s happened or may happen.
I now teach this approach (and actually have done for a while) and people I work with, especially the senior ones. I now do think each senior person with all their confidence are quite insecure beneath the surface. And that’s okay. That’s being authentic and believable. Rather than the usual approach of positioning oneself with bravado, knowing it, and keeping people at distance for fear of being found out.
*Sweary Footnote - the simple version for those who can’t be bothered to read my post.
There is a chap called Craig Johnson who once said to me that the world is 50% c**ts and 50% non-c**ts. I still remind myself of this fact.
Where will your journey take you when you become free of what you were? Disembarking the Isle of Mull ferry to Oban.
Early Christmas Treat For Customers.
It is November. I have an early Christmas Consulting Treat. Read further for what’s on offer.
Argyll Terrace, Tobermory - Saturday 2nd November
A lot has happened this year. And a lot certainly happened in October; the most notable a move to Tobermory and the Isle of Mull. What will happen in November and December, of what remains of 2024 for found us, Peter Cobley, and those he knows or is yet to know?
Now that things have settled down
Now that I have settled down, I can focus on found us and its customers; or yet to meet customers which I imagine will be in the locality of the Highlands and Islands.
The business is two thirds consulting where I apply my sales and marketing, commercial, and board level experience across the advertising, marketing, and media verticals and its people.
The other third is a gift for working with and knowing people, and applying that to executive search and selection/head hunting for the industries I've working in - advertising, marketing, media. I’ve placed MD’s, broadcast directors, executive creative directors, heads of digital before now for leading businesses, and start ups.
Results
I have a track record of working within start ups, businesses in growth, and established blue chip entities - all of which required me to hit stern targets, which I delivered on. This has been across commercial, sales, and marketing functions.
You can see some of the companies I have worked with in the work section of found us.
I can provide exact details of how I target set, of how targets were delivered upon, of how metrics such as margins were part of the process; all such facts and figures I am happy to share with people.
Sales, marketing, running companies is my forte, and I am good with people. I can be utilised in pulling a team together in a joint enterprise to achieve the result, and I have always excelled in this.
So if you are a business person or company looking for a transformation person, a growth person, a new business getter, or a senior “sounding board” I’m your man.
The Pre-Christmas OFFER
I am keen to engage with a new client in the county of Argyll and Bute where I now live. But the offer applies to any person or company that needs help, is genuine, and delivers good product and service.
I will happily work for a day free of charge.
Ideally a company or person in start up phase, and needs that help, that leg up, the experience of someone who has been in the game, delivering results for a number of years.
I get a delight out of helping people and companies, seeing them prosper, and it is not about the money any more.
(Such work will also keep me out of trouble. Ahem…)
Sums me up really. I’m Claire’s know - that’s the wife - but a very kind hearted knob.
Oban, New Business Offer…
I look back on my first proper week on Mull with fondness and happiness.
Saturday just gone - St Columba’s Cathedral in Oban
When in Oban Wednesday I thought possibly of staying over, though in the end did get the last ferry back to Mull with Claire.
My thoughts that day moved to new business and my new location. And I revisit this on Sunday, today.
Wednesday on the 495 from Tobermory to Craignuire - beats Tameside for views
Wednesday on board the Loch Frisa, heading to Oban - drizzle and cloud
Wednesday’s weather report; it was overcast and low cloud and drizzle, making this amazing place brooding and atmospheric. (Amazing place being Mull, Sound of Mull, and Oban.)
I’m was over for a meeting in Oban. With a possible stay over to see friends. Claire was also heading over that evening, and I hooked up with her, both getting the last ferry back, my having decided not to stay over.
Saturday saw us both back in Oban
Minty needs some work on a possible blocked ERG valve, which is to do with particulate recycling. Minty is the campervan we love and cherish.
Lochaline waiting for a ferry, Friday 18th October
So Saturday saw us on a ferry again to hand the campervan over to a local chap for the work, with a day out in Oban. The rain held off until the afternoon, with us seeing an overcast mainland and bracing wind as we shopped, walked, slurped coffee.
The highlight was St Columba’s Cathedral. Roman Catholic which is my religion of birth. And what a cavernous place of peace, prayer, and reflection. (I am not religious these days, just spiritual.)
We sat there in contemplation in a mostly empty church, both making a connection.
New Business (and an offer)
I still push the offer of a day’s free work from found us, ideally for a start up, or business local to Oban.
I enjoy helping smaller businesses not to mention my being delighted were I able to help someone in my new home location.
So if you are interested or know of a business in the Tobermory or Oban vicinity, do let me know. Happy to provide my Consultancy services for a day free of charge.
(And this also applies to businesses located elsewhere, or who may already know me.)
A day’s FREE Work - celebrating a move to Tobermory.
As of Friday just gone I finally joined my wife in Tobermory. And this is also a beautiful relocation for found us and my clients, and potential new clients and people.
Looking into Tobermory Harbour
An Offer
It is a straightforward no strings attached way of my getting to know new customers especially those on my new doorstep in Scotland.
I am happy to provide a day’s service FOC across any of the disciplines I work in.
Read below, have a look around the website and get back to me.
Peter Cobley and found us
In a nutshell I excel in Executive Search and Selection, Consultancy, Sales and Marketing Services, Mentoring; and acting as a Director for start ups or businesses in growth that may need a Commercial Director or Non-Exec, or could for example need help with company structure, profitability, or staff and process efficiency.
I have a track record of achieving results with years of experience in offline and online media, in both London, the Regions, and Ireland. I’ve been involved in the growth and sale of companies, building and management of teams, acquisition and retention of clients.
With Digital I am consummate, being well versed in how to use search, programmatic, across to conversion at website. I’ve been multi channel and platform for many years, have retail and eCommerce experience, as well as knowledge of above the line branding work.
I work with start ups across to medium sized businesses, and am fascinated by what I will find in both the Isle of Mull, its neighbouring islands, and the mainland, including all around Oban, my nearest town. My clients and contacts are UK based, and I work internationally, and this includes having placed a General Manager for an agency in their Shanghai office.
For years I have worked for major brands and have a look at this in the Work section of found us - it is by no means my total work over 10 years. Working with blue chips and brands is something that I will always do, especially leveraging my London and Legal experience.
So it is exiting times for found us.
Peter Cobley, a bit more.
A grasp of my back ground can be found on LinkedIn, and my life found at PeterCobley.com.
found us - An Offer For Customers.
Hunting for good businesses to work with, helping grow them using years of experience and success.
And as an early Christmas treat, and to celebrate my move to Tobermory I’ll include a free day of initial consultancy, executive head hunting, or sales and marketing services - read below
Tobermory, Isle of Mull
So as of yesterday found us finds itself living in Tobermory, Isle of Mull. A wonderful place to live with my wife, and for us to indulge in our love of the outdoors.
Photo taken at “Crater Loch” (Lochan’s Airde Beinn)
The found us location is irrelevant and it always has been remote, even when based out of Manchester for the last 10’years. I’ve a history of meetings in various locations and Zoom calls with people overseas.
I remember one challenging brief when seekng an experienced Executive Creative Director for a leading creative agency that involved Zooms as far afield as South Korea and Taiwan.
And to be honest my career has always involved travel, whether real, or virtual.
found us executive search and selection
This successful side of my business and experience has seen my find and bring to a business senior leadership candidates. I’ve placed for Microsoft across to Dentsu, and helped build teams for OMG/PHD, not to mention others. I have thoroughly enjoyed the briefs and working with talented people, who’s skill sets have ranged from Broadcast Director, Creative Director, or Digital Media Director.
I’ve leveraged my contacts, knowledge of the industry, and use quantitative methods to assess candidates, reporting back to clients as to progress.
Happy to provide testimonials.
Mentoring
This is something I take great pleasure in and also works alongside my Honorary Teaching Fellow position at Lancaster Management School.
I’ve helped talent spot, grow, and drive people’s careers. I work closely with business leaders who also help with mentoring, having run and sold businesses themselves.
Again, happy to provide Testimonials.
Consulting
I’d always wanted to grow this area of the business and did so successfully after COVID.
I’ve worked with advertising agencies, clients, and media owners to help advise on subjects ranging from staff, sales and marketing and commercial matters, helping write marketing plans or advise on business metrics for example.
Ask for more information, or testimonials.
The offer!
A day of free work across any of the above disciplines.
That’s it, and no strings attached.
Tobermory with “The Boss”
found us and Peter Cobley
A friend of mine, James Brown (not the deceased Soul legend from the grave), has given me a kick up the bum and demanded I say nice things about my business and myself.
Well here goes. Gulp.
Photo of myself at the halfway camp of the Saunders Mountain Marathon 2024.
Let’s start of with yours truly. I’m 53 years old with a huge wealth of experience in the advertising, marketing, and media industries, both offline and online.
I started my career in London in National Press in 1994, then shifted to ITV. I embraced digital/online properly in 1998, and helped roll out the likes of Who wants to be a Millionaire onto the Web. I hit the Search marketplace right at the start around 2002.
And from that point onwards I occupied Senior Leadership positions in start ups across to multi-million turnover businesses as a Board Director. All of which led to acquisition or growth of said businesses.
A damn fine track record!
found us
In February 2014 my business had life breathed into it, and I’ve never really looked back. I was as able to fulfil my love of working with and growing people and businesses.
The business originally focused on the executive search and selection in my industry, something I was and am successful at working with major agencies, clients and media owners to find C-Suite people.
As the business developed I rekindled my mentoring and person development skills, also deciding to not hire staff or explains the business along those lines. I’d been there, done that, and bought the proverbial t-shirt.
After COVID I started consulting, if but for the fact the bottom fell out of the senior recruitment market in the advertising, marketing, and media fields. The Regions I excel in; North England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland, all have a superb wealth of talent and businesses.
I act as a sales and marketing director, commercial, Sales or Non-Exec. As a Board Director I am experienced, trained, reliable, honest and achievement led.
You are welcome to talk to my clients.
I’m a director for hire with strong experience in start up and established business and I tenaciously deliver results, also utilising a tried and tested group of people who I’ve known for years.
Me, myself, and Peter
I work closely advising the team at the Management School of Lancaster University.
I give back by Volunteering with:
OCD Action (I’m an OCD sufferer with a very analytical mind.)
Change Grow Live (CGL - addiction services)
ANEW - charity rehab and homeless services.
I have a mantra of “give back what was freely given to you.”
You see I was helped in my career and life by some wonderful mentors. I learned a lot from them.
I read loads and listen to loads. Currently I’m listening to a Murikami book, across to re-reading Stephen Covey material, and dipping into Gabor Mate’s In the realm of the Hungry Ghosts.
In my spare time I’m to be found running about the hills as I fell in love with Fell Running (trail/mountain running), and have raced for many years.
Claire, my wife, and I love travel, outdoor swimming, and cycle touring. All of which we’ve done way before it became fashionable!
Synopsis
Look me up, really do. I love people and nice businesses and enjoy helping people up their chosen ladder, or will roll my sleeves up and help grow a nice people led business.
I’m very good at what I do! And I am proud to say this.
http://linkedin.com/in/petercobley
Oban Harbour.
Substance over Form. Secrets, Lies. The Law of Equity.
Backpackers hostel in Oban.
What secrets are you keeping? What lies are you keeping? What is your truth? Are you speaking your truth?
Do you think of how you present yourself professionally? Have you ever thought of yourself as a limited company with a mission statement and brand values?
Who are you versus what you choose to show, and how does this potentially affect you?
This is so important for how you present to other people, who will then interpret your presentation via their own filters. This is so important for your well being. I shall explain.
Oban Harbour.
Looking out over Oban Harbour, evening of Wednesday 16th October.
Substance and Form, Truth and Lies
Substance is what and who we are. This is our raw self, good and bad.
Form is how we present to the world (and believe it or not ourselves.)
Truth is self explanatory as are lies.
The Law of Equity / Jurisprudence
I studied Law at Lancaster University and thoroughly enjoyed it. Left leaning approach and certainly not Black Letter Law which seeks to make Law and Life as based upon rules; very dull and facile if you ask me.
In my second year I had to study Equity as a requirement for the Bar and the Law Society, and also chose to study Jurisprudence as an elective. It opened my mind as to Natural Law versus Man made Law, and the power of Equity, and legendary Judges such as Denning who used it to creat such vehicles as the Constructive Trust.
Point is I learnt about Substance and Form via the Equitable Maxim of Equity looks to Intent rather than Form
I am now going to copy from:
https://mcmahonsolicitors.ie/maxims-of-equity
Why? Because they beautifully explain the history of the Courts of Equity and Equity’s Maxims, one of which is the aforementioned Intent rather than Form.
Based on my legal philosophy, especially in the dangerous age of Social Media I suggest you take yourself back to basics and ask the following questions.
Who am I?
What do I believe in and stand for?
What is my purpose?
If I were a business, what would be my mission statement? What’s my Substance.
Is there a dichotomy, a plain discrepancy between my Substance and Form? Form is how I view myself and how others view me.
If there is discrepancy, you will be subject to inner turmoil and spiritual malaise. To present against your true Substance is hard, hard work. And people I suspect at times will see through this. And to be see through is to lose trust and connection. Frighteningly we can also lose connection with self.
But it might be the case you have to look to your very Substance. And slowly but surely change how you tick - and this is hard. Your Form (how you present) is undoubtedly an output of Substance.
Oban Harbour looking out to the island of Kerrera.
Are you will to take a risk and alter “you” and your “environment”? This is a photo taken last night of Oban at dusk. My wife and I have chosen to change where we live. We are also working on ourselves, and how we present.
What does this mean for me?
You have two options.
You can present who you really are, be who you are, showing all imperfections. Substance. You can actually drop the word “present” as it is artifice. Just be. I’ll come back to this.
You can “present” to the world, which is okay since we all wear character hats or personas. Whether son, daughter, mother, employee and so on.
But be authentic and true to your Substance. Your Form should reflect your very Substance. This creates connection to self, to other, and inner peace.
With point 2. You need to understand that each person is determined by genetics, biology, nurture and environment and will interpret you via their own “filters”.
You can alter your Substance! What you believe in, who you are. It is not easy with age. But as I’ve learnt it is doable. Why live a life that’s not you? Especially when feeling you must fit in.
Be Equitable to yourself and Society.
View from our house in Tobermory.
Freedom from Form (masking myself for people, thinking that’s what they want) has resulted in my having time to savour life. Like drowning in this evening view from the bedroom of our house in Tobermory.
Substance over Form
I’m learning that for a variety of reasons, I’ve spent much of my life focusing on form rather than substance. My focus has been on having my hair done perfectly, wearing the right clothes, having my makeup applied perfectly, living in the right place, furnishing it with the right furniture, working at the right job, and having the right man. Form, rather than substance, has controlled my behavior in many areas of my life. Now, I’m finally getting to the truth. It’s substance that counts. — ANONYMOUS
There is nothing wrong in wanting to look our best. Whether we are striving to create a self, a relationship, or a life, we need to have some solid ideas about what we want that to look like.
Form gives us a place to begin. But for many of us, form has been a substitute for substance. We may have focused on form to compensate for feeling afraid or feeling inferior. We may have focused on form because we didn’t know how to focus on substance. Form is the outline; substance is what fills it in. We fill in the outline of ourselves by being authentic; we fill in the outline of our life by showing up for life and participating to the best of our ability.
Now, in recovery, we’re learning to pay attention to how things work and feel, not just to what they look like.
Today, I will focus on substance in my life. I will fill in the lines of myself with a real person—me. I will concentrate on the substance of my relationships, rather than what they look like. I will focus on the real workings of my life, instead of the trappings.
Panoramic photo of Oban Harbour.
A Scottish adventure, a dream fulfilled. Do you dream?
Glengorm Castle
I write from Lochgilphead, then I’m off to Oban, after that Tobermory on the Isle of Mull which becomes the new home of found us. You may have already seen island photos populating this website.
My wife is Scottish and we are outdoor types, always have been, and we’ve loved the wilds of the Highlands and Islands. Claire landing a teaching role at Tobermory High School became the catalyst for the move, the sale of the house near Saddleworth, and the physical and mental de-cluttering of our lives.
Dreams, Goals, Plans
I want to write about dreams we had and have, and of how in business speak we take the fookin’ fun out of dreams by calling and turning them into goals. In fact we cause internal conflict which leads to stasis or “ground hog day” with plans to follow that we never execute. For me the terms “goals” and “plans” are mere business speak. Business jargon that eviserates the essence of a dream we had or long for.
I’ve always had a love of books, and in this blog post I can only but recall Orwell’s Doublethink from 1984. This is where the individual is sold two conflicting ideas as reality. In the case of 1984 the indoctrination occurs via “Big Brother” within the dystopian society that our protagonist Winston finds himself in.
People dream; we still have that child within us. And dreams are important. Yet when we get a job, a career, we change.
We focus on business goals.
We forget self and life outside of employment, career, life.
We use the word “goals”, letting go of dreams.
This business term “goal” sanitises the dreamers, and all of us dream.
What is a dream?
It is a want, a desire. A wish driven by emotion and our very self. It is an achievement of ours and not another.
And this is a crucial distinction. We have become vehicles fulfilling other’s dreams via the language of goals. This post is about our own personal dreams; of how to recognise, reach them.
This is the conflict, the Doublethinking Orwell warns us of.
We feel we need to create goals and plans but do not realise these are subject to or driven by others goals and plans. So we believe in our goals, but also in achieving the other’s goals seeing them as part of our goals and planning. This is the contradictory position I realised we can find ourselves in. This is society. Believing we can achieve our goals and another’s, when both are mutually exclusive. In real terms this is dressed up as job, career, success, achievement. But we are failing to fulfil our dreams.
Have you ever had a flashback to those childhood days of dreaming?
Dreams and Goals
I prefer to talk about Dreams and Action versus Goals and Plans.
Here’s why.
Dreams are unique and centred in the very soul of the person.
Action is a doing word and avoids our being bogged down in pure plans. Many people plan but can fail to act or are distracted.
I discovered plans are irrelevant because when a dream, it is always with us and we will act on the spot to fulfil a dream and not be limited to plans that may take the very life out of intuition and risk taking.
This aligns with the concept of living in the moment, acting in each moment to create tomorrow’s moment, yet to arrive.
If you must talk Goals
There is a huge wealth of material on goal setting and creating plans to match and meet these goals.
I myself would first recommend reading a famous book called The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People written original by Stephen Covey. Have a look at: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_7_Habits_of_Highly_Effective_People
Whilst written a while ago and updated, the book is a valuable insight into how you work as a person, and of how not to work, and of goals and planning in a traditional and business sense.
But we can reduce traditional goal setting (in a business or career context) to the following.
Set a goal. You can use the SMART acronym to do so.
I suggest you also look at a SWOT analysis of self.
Then you create the plan(s) to do materialise goal. I personally prefer looking at Q1-4, and H1/2. You can then break a quarter or half year into individual months, then weeks.
Look at year 1. Then 2-3 years and what you wish to achieve, then 5+ years.
What I am trying to distinguish is my preferring to dream as against thinking of goals. It may seem like semantics, but I use the term dream since this takes me out of work, career, other people, and taps into what is important for me. What in fact “floats my boat.”
We commonly lose our dreams to the job or career or way of life we think we should embrace.
Here’s a good example.
Claire, my wife, and I are outdoor types being fell runners, cyclists, and swimmers. Claire is Scottish and through her we have had many adventures in the Highlands and Islands of her native country. And we were married in Kingussie. We had a dream to move Scotland.
We discussed the dream together.
We made drawings of the house we’d like to live in.
We looked at timelines.
Claire took action by registering with the relevant teaching organisation and getting a new Scottish DBS.
I looked to run found us from Scotland.
The action Claire took was to look for teaching jobs. Hard to come by in the Highlands and Islands.
With it being dream, we were driven, faith and hope created.
Claire eventually spotted a biology teacher role at Tobermory High School which she went for as her dream and won it.
This became the catalyst for us both to take the leap of faith by selling the house and moving to Tobermory.
The dream drove the action.
We did not really lay plans down. We just acted.
You’ll note I use action and not the word plan.
Action delivers and plans do not. If you have a dream and no plans you are likely to act each and every moment you live in.
And this is what I prefer to do now. And it works.
Trust That Good Will Come
It was a slow, boring January day at the Blue Sky Lodge. We had just moved in. The house was a mess. Construction hadn’t begun yet. All we had was a plan, and a dream. It was too cold and rainy to skydive or even be outdoors. There wasn’t any furniture yet. We were lying around on the floor.
I don’t know who got the idea first, him or me. But we both picked up Magic Markers about the same time. Then we started drawing on the wall.
“What do you want to happen in your life?” I asked. He drew pictures of seaplanes, and mountains, and boats leaving the shore. One picture was a video-camera man, jumping out of a plane. “I want adventure,” he said.
I drew pictures of a woman tromping around the world. She went to war-torn countries, then sat on a fence and watched. She visited the mountains and the oceans and many exciting places. Then I drew a heart around the entire picture, and she sat there in the middle of all the experiences on a big stack of books.
“I want stories,” I said, “ones with a lot of heart.”
Across the entire picture, in big letters, he wrote the word “Woohoo.”
As an afterthought, I drew a woman skydiver who had just jumped out of the plane. She was frightened and grimacing. Next to her I wrote the words “Just relax.”
On the bottom of the wall I wrote, “The future is only limited by what we can see now.” He grabbed a marker, crossed out “only,” and changed it to “never.”
“There,” he said, “it’s done.”
Eventually, the house got cleaned up and the construction finished. Furniture arrived. And yellow paint covered the pictures on the wall. We didn’t think much about that wall until months later. Sometimes slowly, sometimes quickly, and sometimes in ways we’d least expect, each of the pictures we’d drawn on that wall began to materialize and manifest.
“It’s a magic wall,” I said.
Even if you can’t imagine what’s coming next, relax. The good pictures are still there. The wall will soon become covered with the story of your life. Thank God, the future is never limited by what we can see right now.
The wall isn’t magic.
The magic is in us and what we believe.
Before we start speaking the language of letting go, we need to understand what a powerful behavior letting go and letting God really is.
God, help me do my part. Then help me let go, and let you do yours.
Activity
Meditate for a moment on the year ahead. Make a list of things you’d like to see happen, attributes you’d like to gain, things you’d like to get and do, changes you’d like to occur. You don’t have to limit the list to this year. What do you want to happen in your life? Make a list of places you’d like to visit and things you’d like to see. Leave room for the unexpected, the unintended. But make room for the possibility of what you’d like too—your intentions, wishes, dreams, hopes, and goals. Also, list what you’re ready to let go of too—things, people, attitudes, and behaviors you’d like to release. If anything were possible, anything at all, what are the possibilities you’d like to experience and see?
More Language of Letting Go: 366 New Daily Meditations
Lochgilphead… where’s that?
I type on my iPhone, and my first ever blog post via mobile, and the outcome to be see as I juggle photos and text via the Squarespace CMS.
So you find me in Lochgilphead right by the sea loch, Loch Gilp, and the entrance to the Crinan Canal. Find Oban and go South and you’ll find me.
Why am I here? Well in a roundabout way this is part of my journey to Tobermory and the Isle of Mull, and a new chapter in the annals of found us and for that matter myself and my wife Claire.
Some of you more observant ones will have noticed photos on the found us website of Scottish scenes; well most are in fact from Mull.
I and the business (well me) move here to follow Claire my wife’s work, and our dream. That dream was to live in the wilds of Scotland. Claire who is Scottish landed the head of biology teaching job at Tobermory on the Isle of Mull at the High School. We sold our house on the edge of Saddleworth, and Lochgilphead marks an epoch in the move.
What will it bring for found us? Will the consultancy business survive and thrive, or will it pass as many others have? Who knows, suffice to say I’m happy with the 10 years I’ve put in. And excited for change, which I want and so need. You see I’ve always embraced change, even when it creates darkness.
What next? Who knows? Who cares!
Feel free to comment.
Where’s Wally?
Well…. Not exactly true, but it amused me indeed to think of the analogy. Suffice to say that Wally is in fact the eminent Tom Cheesewright, Applied Futurist, and long standing contact.
We caught up today in cavernous Foundation on Whitworth Street. A Metrolink tram from Ashton into the bowels of Piccadilly and then a walk to the coffee shop. Passing the beautiful old buildings that line the route, and including what were the old UMIST buildings. Which makes me think of my age.
Tom was, and is always on good form and a cheerful wind blowing into my somewhat vacant mind. Especially when food comes into play, and it was lunchtime. Always a distraction. That said I ended up having a coffee and instead ate on returning home.
It has been a while since we caught up and it was good to chat as to market and economic trends. We both tried to figure out when we might see an upturn in economic conditions, different to sentiment. Labour will get into power we agreed, and with this we will see a rise in positive sentiment amongst the population and those that consume. But this won’t manifest itself properly as an upturn for business, taking aside Christmas, until Q3 of 2025; so quite a while away.
Tom is perfectly fine, strongly supported with his speaking, consulting as a pre-eminent Futurist for leading brands, and also representing other notable public speakers.
I’ve always felt he deserved to do well because not only does he have what it takes, he took the plunge and followed his dream to success and reputation when no one knew what the heck a Futurist is. I’d always recommend him.
Please do make sure that you read up on what TC gets up to in his life; it makes for great reading. And I was quite fascinated when he mentioned he is producing and delivering a Podcast for the BBC.
Tom also runs Pomona Partners, representing a number of leading speakers. A highly recommended look for those needing expert speakers.
Tom like me enjoys reading and is an avid consumer of educational books, and recommended the following by Peter Etchells. I’m interested in a book (having read Irresistible) that talks about having a positive relationship with tech, social media, and mobiles. I’ve used one of my Audible credits for it.
The Amazon precis reads, “Professor Pete Etchells studies the way we use screens, and how they can affect us. In UNLOCKED, he delves into the real science behind the panic about our alleged device addiction and withering attention spans. Armed with the latest research, he reveals how little we have to fear, and the great deal we have to gain, by establishing a more positive relationship with our screens. That begins with asking ourselves some essential questions about how we use them.
Instead of clamouring for us to ditch our devices (before guiltily returning to the same old habits), UNLOCKED is a sustainable, realistic and vital guide to transforming our connection with technology.”
Ancoats Coffee, Guy Levine, Ditto Coffee, Craig Johnson.
A nice day was had yesterday in Manchester. A tram from Ashton for an afternoon coffee with Guy Levine, and a second with Craig Johnson.
It was a pleasant day indeed and a nice walk from New Islington Metrolink stop between Ashton to Rochdale Canals for Ancoats Coffee and Guy Levine.
I have known Guy for many years and we both enjoy our chats as to life and all that entails. Guy is an entrepreneur behind Return.co and Abe & Co. Let me tell you more.
Return is digital marketing agency that focuses on customer journey and how to achieve that. A business I have worked with for years.
Abe & Co is a speciality coffee roaster set up by Guy, that my wife and I buy coffee from. It is quality, unique, hard to find and beautiful coffee. And that reminds me that I need to get some coffee on order for Dukinfield.
I’ve caught up with Guy over the years chatting as to all sorts and sharing a love of cycling and Zwift (the male advertising mid-life crisis go to), plus Guy’s family and beliefs something he is so passionate about and to be admired for. Through thick and thin I have been able to stand on the shoulders of a giant, and I thank him for his support.
Next meeting involved a 15-20 minute walk through Ancoats into Piccadilly Gardens and down Portland Street to meet Craig Johnson outside Ditto Coffee on Oxford Street.
Craig is someone I again have known for a number of years and like Guy a good hearted, caring, confidential, and professional person. He always considers his staff and clients and looks after them. We have caught up many times over the years and have become friends, with the coffee catch up at Ditto a natter as to business, family, life and the rest. Highly enjoyable.
Another person I admire. A family man who cares for his wife and boys, and driven in business but proof that you don’t need to be horrible or an arse to achieve in this game.
Speaking of which Craig is currently CEO of Ultimedia in Manchester, and his knowledge of eCommerce and digital marketing is second to none.
I said a fond goodbye to Craig and made my way via Whitworth Street to Piccadilly for the Metrolink tram back to Ashton.