Accelerator Member Simon Lloyd
Accelerator Member
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What makes a networking event genuinely successful?
Is it the number of people in the room?
The quality of the conversations?
New customers, useful introductions, fresh ideas, or simply leaving feeling more confident than when you arrived?
We are reviewing and developing our networking programme at Tiverton WorkHub, and I would love to hear about your experiences.
What is the best networking event…
Matthew Laakvand and Christina Relf4 CommentsView more comments-
I find networking events are more about attitude more than anything else, and the opportunity to find out who people are looking for. I’m always on the lookout for connections beyond the room. For instance, if I’m at an event and hear an accountant is looking for bookkeepers and then at another networking event, I come across a bookkeeper,…
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A really interesting post, Simon. I think it’s largely down to chemistry on the day and offering a variety of opportunities (as you already do). I might go to a speaker event if I found that the speaker/subject was someone of interest to me. Ideally a mix of free and paid-for events would be good for any business owner who’s watching the…
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Is there an mobile app on the horizon?
I find logging in on mobile quite an ordeal. i find myself having to join and the scrolling to the bottom and then finding the “already have an account” button and signing in that way
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Hi All, Let me know if you want me to create one 🙂
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Hi – I am in a meeting right now fixing that exact problem with @keiron-roberts
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Music can make or break my focus.
I’ve got a Spotify playlist that seems to hit the sweet spot when I need to get my head down, work through a long to-do list, or be creative. It’s been built up over time and has become my go-to soundtrack.
I’d love to know what everyone else listens to when they’re working. As the guy on the McDonalds Advert says. “Expend your pallet”
Do you…
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Nice, Simon. I’m a bit of a work playlist party pooper I’m afraid! I can’t concentrate when there’s music going on, even if it’s classical music 😕
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Thanks Simon I’ll have a listen ! I cant work to anything that has much of a recognisable tune or lyrics but I like to use Brainwaves and trance music or what Alexa calls yoga music to keep me focused.
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Energy is contagious... but so is silence
I often think people assume that if you’re energetic, positive and always full of ideas, then it must come naturally.
The truth is, creating energy is hard work.
Over the past few weeks I’ve realised that there’s a huge difference between being busy and building momentum. You can spend every hour solving problems, organising events, meeting…
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I agree with you Simon, leading a successful group is about creating that energy that moves everything forward. But it will obviously ebb and flow, and sometimes there will be sticking points. I think a good leader definitely creates and environment where others are confident that they can bring their own energy. There’s also a skill in…
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I always say that I am the “frame”, no one goes to see the frame around the Mona Lisa, but the wrong frame you’d absolutely notice! My job is to give enough space so that others can shine and sparkle and be awesome!
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Working Remotely Question
When you employ someone remotely, does it matter where they’re based?
Would you be just as happy employing someone hundreds of miles away as someone working remotely just 10 miles from your office?
Does being local still have value for occasional face-to-face meetings, understanding the local area and building stronger working relationships, or…
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Good question, Simon. I work remotely, from my home/office, unless a client wants me to work from theirs. I think face-to-face meetings are important. I also think, when doing contract or fractional work, that it’s important to connect properly with your colleagues, so some in-person days and/or meetings are essential. However, depending on…
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Interesting topic Simon
I often navigate toward people more locally, whether thats clients, business partners or companies I have worked for in the past .
I guess psychologically It has a better trust perception and that you can get on with them better because they are not that far from you, you can meet up and discuss things face to face if…
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What are you most proud of?
What’s the achievement in your business that you’re most proud of?
Not your biggest turnover.
Not your best month.
Not your biggest client.The moment that made you stop and think, “I’ve actually done it.”
Maybe it was your first sale, your first employee, surviving a difficult year, helping a customer, or simply keeping the doors open when it…
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Mine was probably the realisation that I could (and did) keep everything going and make a life for my son and me after my divorce. Being the sole provider actually made me try even harder to make my business work. I surprised myself with several months of a turnover that I previously hadn’t dreamt of. Obviously that kind of thing doesn’t last,…
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It went to my first ever employee.
She’ll know who she is.
I arranged the interview after a conversation with her dad. She arrived with her mum because she was so nervous. The funny thing is, I think I was even more nervous.
I’d never managed anyone before. I wasn’t sure how to share my workspace or whether I could trust someone else to… Read more3- View 2 replies
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Who do you turn to when you are alone?
Not physically alone. Professionally alone.
When something goes brilliantly and you want to share the win with someone who genuinely understands why it matters.
When you’ve had one of those frustrating days and just need to get the rant out of your system.
When you’ve got an idea bouncing around your head and need someone to challenge it, improve…
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That is one thing I have found one of the most valuable things I have got from the SiGNAL community. Most of us are individual business owners and having a solid group of people to chat to that are in the same boat, to share struggles, wins or just to keep you sane is gold.
Whatever you are going through – good or bad, reach out to that…
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And that is exactly the point of joining a group such as Signal. It creates an atmosphere of trust and support. People should feel free to discuss their problems, issues etc because we will all have a different take on it. We will see it from a different angle and then comes that Lightbulb moment! It’s also good to know you are not alone!
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Quick question for small business owners and freelancers...
What’s the one task that takes up far more of your time than it should?
For me, I hear the same answers regularly:
• Admin
• Marketing
• Chasing invoices
• Social media
• Finding new customers
• Wearing too many hatsRunning a business often means spending less time on the work you love and more time dealing with everything around it.
So I’m…
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Morning Simon and everyone. I think finding new customers is my biggest challenge right now. If you’re in business long enough, there will be ‘churn’ of long-term customers and this happened to me last year, leaving a significant gap. It’s a difficult marketplace out there, which doesn’t make it any easier. Admin also takes a lot of time…
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The number one, time consumer historically for me is getting the client to make up their mind. If you only have red, green and blue, they will tell you “but I really like rose pink”.
The second you try to be generalist, is the same second you’ll attract the undecided.
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How's Your Work / Life Balance?
What helps you keep your work/life balance in check?
What do you do to ground yourself after a brilliant day… or a completely shit one? How do you celebrate the wins or vent the frustrations?
For me, it’s Elvis — my 10-year-old greyhound. He’s the most loving distraction you could ask for and, honestly, a very, very spoilt boy.
And then…
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I have been forced, through health reasons, to make sure that I have a better work/life thing going on. But I still get caught out sometimes. But @stu taught me really important stuff like ‘buffer days’ to recover after busy days, and that rest is not a reward. But preperation for the work to come. When you think of rest as integral, rather than…
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My Frenchie, Coco, helps keep me in the real world. I love our lunchtime walks (even, grudgingly, when the weather is awful)!
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Remove the Isolation - Let's support each other!
I have worked alone for most of the last 30 years. I miss the Friday feeling, the crescendo of celebrating wins with others, sharing frustrations over a pint with a good listener.
Join me on the first Thursday of every month – 5pm at The Corner House, Tiverton.
RSVP here – https://events.humanitix.com/tiverton-social
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