Entrepreneur & Investor Magazine Issue 10

C REATING AND LIVING THE LIFE YOU DESIRE

PARADISE ISLAND INVESTMENTS FAST TRACK YOUR LUXURY LIFESTYLE

DIGITAL MARKETING CRYPTOCURRENCY

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SECRETS TO SUCCESS Issue 10 | £5.95 www.entrepreneurandinvestor.com

CEO INTERVIEWS ANGEL INVESTING

+Luxury

Lifestyle SS18 Edit

EDITOR’S LETTER DEAR READER, Welcome to the latest edition of Entrepreneur & Investor Magazine.

You’ll notice we’ve re-sized our print editions to make them much easier and lighter to carry – handy as many of you we know enjoy our magazine during your travels and daily commute.

Talking of travel – and all things luxury actually, we’re launching twice-yearly Luxe Lifestyle Edits, featuring fabulous resorts, cars, yachts, spas and much, much more. All curated by our team of luxeloving experts, as we appreciate our readers enjoy spending as well as of course earning.

Our Entrepreneur and Investor sections feature a host of superuseful and inspirational articles on everything from how to set up a beauty business, to knowing what watches to invest in. Whether you’re a seasoned and super-successful entrepreneur already or just starting out on your journey to a better life, there’s plenty to interest.

In addition to reading our print magazine, do also visit us online at www.entrepreneurandinvestor.com for daily new articles, and join us on our socials too. We love to hear from you – so follow us and we’ll be sure to follow you.

And launching soon… our long awaited and eagerly anticipated E&I Club –designed to help connect, network and promote entrepreneurs and investors through special events held across the year.

Plus if that’s not enough – specifically to help new entrepreneurs – we’re shortly launching the E&I Start Up Hub. This is a special members’ only section on our website, with a dedicated minimagazine packed with articles and resources on just about everything you need to help you get off the ground running. You can subscribe and join via our website, takes just a minute and you’re in.

Finally if you’ve any suggestions or great stories to tell, then do get in touch. Drop me a note on editor@entrepreneurandinvestor.com.

Very best wishes,

EDITOR IN CHIEF Lisa Curtiss

editor@ entrepreneurandinvestor.com

ART DIRECTOR AND CHIEF DESIGNER Adam Woodgate

aw@adamwoodgate.co.uk

STAFF WRITERS Amy-Beth Van Der Lowen Gemma Jones Gayle Penny Jason Penny Kirsty Pullen

editorial@ entrepreneurandinvestor.com

ADVERTISING & SPONSORSHIP

sales@ entrepreneurandinvestor.com

DISTRIBUTION Adam Long

adam.ican@btinternet.com

SUBSCRIPTIONS

subs@ entrepreneurandinvestor.com

CONTRIBUTORS Alexandra Whittington, Ally Yates, April Koury, Arianne King, Chris Underwood, Clive Hyman, Dr. Johnny Hon, Edward Pritchard, Flavilla Fongang, Folak Bee, Helena Calle, Ian Blackburn, James Hebbert, Karen O’Donnell, Kirsty Pullen, Michael Ayres, Robert Edwards, Rohit Talwar, Roz Sheldon, Steve Wells, Tim Butler, Tom Cowan, Vanessa Parnell, Vic Mistry, Victor Ruiz Lafita, Victoria Greene

LISA FOUNDER & EDITOR IN CHIEF Visit our website - entrepreneurandinvestor.com Find us on Issuu - issuu.com/entrepreneurinvestor Follow us on Twitter - @Entrep_Investor 4

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Published by Fortuana Limited Cover Image courtesy of tropicalpixsingapore - istock

CONTENTS 46. The importance of purpose for successful leadership 48. Top Tips for Entrepreneurs 50. Effective Leadership Skills

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ENTREPRENEUR 8. 3 Ways to Boost Your Brand and Profitability 10. Are You as Skilled in Business as You Think You Are? 12. Building a Business and Protecting its Reputation 14. Entrepreneurs - Do You Have These Essential Business Skills?

17. 5 Ways to Improve the Quality of Your Marketing Videos 18. CEO Case Study 20. 6 Top Tops for E-Commerce Success 22. Benefits of Chinese Market for Retail Brands 25. Boost your Business Innovation with Grant Funding 26. Cryptocurrency and Tax 28. The Essential Monthly Checklist for Good Business Health 32. How to Create a Successful Health & Fitness Business 34. How to prevent poor communication holding back your business 36. How will large scale shocks impact the future of your business?

38. Investing in the future and the importance of giving back 40. Moving from evaluator to developer 43. Sole trader/partnership or limited company 44. The Changing Digital Marketing Landscape

INVESTOR 52. Tropical Island Private Residence Investments 54. Blenheim Palace Classic & Supercar 2018 55. Bridging the gap Between the Crypto and Institutional Investment Worlds 58. Escape to the Chateau 60. Is Bitcoin too much of an investment risk?

62. Raising money or investing?

64. How to Spot a Watch Worth Investing In 66. What you Need to Know About Angel Investing FORTUNE & LIFESTYLE 70. Greek Island Odyssey 78. Maldives Highlights 86. Far East & Africa Highlights 91. Exclusive Luxury Property & Travel Club Thirdhome 92. New UK Hotels 94. Audi RS 5 Sportback Debuts in New York 96. Infiniti QX50 – Super Stylish SUV 97. Lister Thunder 200+MPH Supercar 98. Jaguar E-PACE 100. New Jaguar F-PACE SVR 102. Ultimate Young Driver Experience from Jaguar 104. New Options Pack for McLaren 570S Track Racing Buyers 106. New Mercedes-Benz A-Class 108. Luxury Yacht Edit 117. Lunch Break Body Contouring 118. Dining Delights 127. Barista TS Smart 128. Spa Time 138. Dressing for Success 140. Proper Suit Care 142. Yachting Life 144. Sunglasses Edit 145. Watch Edit 152. Facial Serums 154. The Scent of Summer 156. Summer Evening Style 157. White Heat 158. Outdoor Living 160. Precious Metals entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

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3 Ways to Boost Your Brand and Profitability The ability to communicate your brand effectively and your profitability are interlinked. Your brand is not just your logo. It goes beyond your colour scheme, website design and the language that you use. Your brand is how you make your customers feel. It is an emotional connection with consumers, communicated through the senses. It is every interaction that a member of your staff has with a customer. It is how your team communicate internally and externally. Knowing and understanding this will help you to build a more profitable brand. So, how else can you do this? Read on.

FOCUS ON YOUR PURPOSE AND UNIQUE VALUES RATHER THAN YOUR PRODUCTS/ SERVICE Yes, that’s right. Your products and services should come second. Why? Because, when you understand your purpose, what your brand represents, and your unique values, you will be able to create products and services that serve your customers. Positioning in the marketplace is everything. Every business needs a foundation, and your purpose and values are the foundation.

Everything else is built up from this place, so it should come first, followed by your products and services.

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TRANSFORM YOUR CLIENTS INTO BRAND ADVOCATES People often think they have to spend a huge amount on marketing, year on year. They don’t.

The truth is, your clients can be your biggest form of advertising. If you focus on wooing your clients and giving them the best service you can, they will tell the world about you and become brand advocates. I have seen this played out time and time again. People talk. Especially when something makes them feel good. Give your clients a transformation experience every time they encounter you. If you are a servicebased business, remember the small details, like sending cards on relevant anniversary’s, and even if you can’t do things like that, aim to be the best. You can’t argue with the best. Your customers will spread your name far and wide.

It’s also worth noting that recommendations carry a lot of weight. Your customer’s words have power.

“In order to boost your brand and your profitability, you must innovate” INNOVATE Innovate or die. It’s as simple as that. In order to boost your brand and your profitability, you must innovate. Look at the high street. We are hearing of shops going into administration on an almost monthly basis. One of the biggest examples of this is the video rental chain, Blockbusters. Blockbusters got swallowed up by the digital age. They tried to adapt, but it was too late, and the death knells sounded. Brands need to stay ahead of the curve. As a business owner, it is your job to observe trends and adapt. Or die. 

BY FLAVILLA FONGANG Branding expert and founder, www.3coloursrule.com entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

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Are You as Skilled in Business as You Think You Are? Are you as good as you think you are? How accurate is your ability to self-evaluate?

Is this potentially damaging to your business? Ally Yates, author of ‘Utter Confidence: How what you say and do influences your effectiveness in business’ explores...

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esearch published in 1999 resulted in the eponymous phenomenon known as the Dunning-Kruger effect.

The research revealed the existence of a cognitive bias of illusory superiority, where people judge themselves as better than others in all manner of areas, e.g. leadership, skills, performance.

The reasons for this are many and varied. For example: we all have pockets of vulnerability but many people fail to admit to them; People with moderate levels of expertise are less likely to approach a task with high levels of confidence because they are painfully aware that there is much they still don’t know; Experts, on the other hand, can often assume that everyone shares a similar level of understanding.

The satirical book: ‘The Peter Principle’, was the creative the genius of Laurence J. Peter. Masquerading his

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work as a serious body of research, Peter states that people in organisations rise to their level of incompetence.

Imagine Peter, performing well in his current role. So well in fact that he’s rewarded with a promotion. This pattern continues until he’s promoted out of his depth. At this point he gets stuck on that level of the hierarchy. The business, rather than remove him, works around him.

The work on the ‘Confidence Gap’ demonstrating that men are more self-assured than women - would suggest that lads are more vulnerable to the Peter Principle than lasses, with the men over-estimating both their abilities and performance.

Tom Schuller’s more recent work is a mirror image of Peter.

In his book, amusingly titled: “The Paula Principle”, he shows how women today work below their competence levels. This is particularly noteworthy given how the fairer sex outperform

boys at school and beyond.

Schuller explains that there are five main reasons why working women tend to stay at a level below their full competence, only one of which is the lack of selfconfidence. The other four are: Discrimination; Structural (absence of childcare/ eldercare); Lack of senior network connections; and Positive choice, meaning that Paula knows she can do the next job but is content where she is.

Of course, nothing is as simple as sweeping generalisations that assert men do X and women do Y. Yet, regardless of gender, the opportunity is there for each of us to bridge the gap between our unreliable self-assessment and any external measure of our performance, no matter how slight or gaping the gap may be. Here’s how: Ask for feedback regularly: Regular input on your performance helps you to

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“Revealing your shortcomings can be very productive” more accurately calibrate how you’re doing. Far from being a sign of weakness, research from the Neuroleadership Institute reveals that those who actively seek feedback are typically high performers.

What’s more, it’s helpful if the feedback you receive is oriented towards what you need to do differently or better, rather than a post-mortem on historic actions. Ask people questions like: “What one thing should I do much more of?”, “What do I need to start doing to increase my effectiveness?”, “What should I dial down?”

Deliberately ask for feedback from people where you have more challenging relationships. It’s too easy and too comfortable to defer to longstanding colleagues and work chums when seeking input on your performance.

The chances are that you’ll learn less, as these trusted confidantes may be reluctant to reveal their true feelings for fear of hurting you. Or maybe they’re happy to collude with you. Instead, select one or two people where the relationship hasn’t been all plain sailing. You may find you reap the additional benefits of an improved relationship as you continue your feedback dialogue with them.

Listen to the feedback.

We have two ears and one mouth. We’re designed to

receive information more than we are to transmit it. If you ask for feedback, create the space to listen, hear, and absorb the information. Resist the temptation to discount or refute the gift you’ve been given. And don’t waste time justifying your position. It’s insulting to the person you’ve requested feedback from and you appear insincere.

Be open about your gaps and ask for help to keep you honest. Revealing your shortcomings can be very productive in working relationships. Saying: “This is an area I’m working on and I’d value your help” is a straightforward way to access the expertise of others and to demonstrate how committed you are to your development.

Keep learning. Recently, I heard a CEO say to a group of staff: “If you haven’t learned anything new in the last two weeks, you should be worried.” His expectation is that everyone in his business continues to learn. We are all work-in-progress. Look for how you can learn from the day-today. For example, who’s a star performer? What is it that s/ he does? Where are the new opportunities for you to learn?

Where are new relationships to be developed? Reflect on what you’ve done and ask yourself: “How could I have done this even better?” or “With the

benefit of hindsight, what would I change?”. Search out the set-piece learning events too – online, in the classroom, seminars, conferences – and be sure to share your learning with your colleagues and discuss where and how it can benefit your business. Finally, read.

We have so much information available to us via web pages and the printed word that there’s ample opportunity for anytime, anyplace learning.

Measure and recognise improvement.

Having set yourself some development goals, use the feedback you receive to help you track your progress.

Celebrate your successes. And when you achieve your goals, ask: ‘What next?” After all, none of us is the finished product.

Take the opportunity now to be an even better you, closing the gap between what you think of your performance and the reality. 

BY ALLY YATES Ally Yates is author of ‘Utter Confidence: How what you say and do influences your effectiveness in business’ and an expert on Behaviour Analysis and the interactions that define us. She combines a deep understanding of people and how to achieve results, based on her many years’ experience working with large corporate clients around the world.

Since 2000 Ally has been working as an independent consultant, facilitator, trainer and coach. She has collaborated with international business schools and has received national and international training awards. entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

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Building a Business and Protecting its Reputation

BY ROZ SHELDON Igniyte Director

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uilding a business means building trust; creating a company or brand image consumers can have real faith in.

In today’s always-on, digital world, there have never been so many ways for entrepreneurs to do this.

Whether it’s using social media channels to share content, recruiting new clients via marketing and PR or responding to reviews, managers have more opportunities than ever to make their products and services visible, reaching out to customers to articulate a clear and positive brand proposition.

REPUTATION RISK But working in this highly transparent, fastpaced environment, brings dangers too - and in 2018, protecting a positive business reputation can be a real challenge.

Businesses of all kinds are under increasing threat from poor or unfounded reviews, historic

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and inaccurate press coverage or material created and shared maliciously.

And in an age where this type of content can be distributed within seconds, the potential for lasting and/or serious brand damage - and ultimately, financial harm cannot be underestimated.

As reputation specialists we’re experts in monitoring and countering these threats on behalf of brands, businesses and individuals across the world.

REPUTATION REPORT 2018 Our latest research, the Reputation Report 2018, looks at the scale of the problem facing businesses here in the UK - and the figures make worrying reading.

The scale of the problem is vast. One in three businesses (31 per cent) we spoke to told us that negative content had already damaged their business.

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Another third is worried about the impact this kind of material could have on their operation and its value in future.

And while the threat from reviews and social media posts remains strong, it is actually negative press coverage that is seen as posing the biggest threat.

Almost half - 46 per cent - of those surveyed had been affected or have concerns about press material and more than a quarter (26 per cent) of the businesses say this is their main concern moving forward too.

REPUTATION WORRIES More general critical online content is seen as the number one worry for another 14 per cent, while negative social media posts and reviews are still viewed as most damaging by ten per cent.

Reviews are another major cause for concern, with 41 per cent of our respondents admitting negative feedback is causing their business the most problems.

A further one in three (31 per cent) feel that negative social media posts pose the greatest threat to their brand or company.

The same amount - 31 per cent - are worrying about posts from disgruntled former employees, while 25 per cent feel that competitors are their main problem and 23 per cent reference content about senior employees.

So what’s the effect of all this negativity? Just how damaging is it? And what more can brands do to protect themselves?

DAMAGED REPUTATION - HOW MUCH DOES IT COST? According to our Reputation Report 2018 research, failing to manage negative content is costing British businesses dearly.

One in 20 of the companies questioned reveals that damaging content has cost them a staggering £500,000+ - a catastrophic amount for many smaller businesses.

Another five per cent say they’ve lost between £100,000 and £500,000 because of on and offline negativity about their company and

employees, while one in seven have lost up to £50,000.

REPUTATION FIGHTBACK So far, so worrying. But there are ways you can prepare for and counter negative content protecting your business before any damage is done.

Taking preventative action is a must, with many businesses making this an early part of their essential business, PR and marketing planning.

Rather than waiting for a crisis to happen, we advise business owners to make reputation management central to their forward planning.

After all, your business’ reputation is one of its most important assets.

An overwhelming majority - 95 per cent - of the SMEs we spoke to are heeding this advice and are now actively looking to monitor their own reputation.

This doesn’t have to be an expensive process. But it does need to be done regularly, by someone who can take responsibility for the process.

Using simple tools like Google Alerts and keyword searches can give a basic overview and teams like ours can dig deeper to provide keyword or deep dive audits, analysing material off and online.

MONITORING REPUTATION We have also developed our own Reputation Index, which we use to give clients an up to date, ‘live’ snapshot of their brand reputation, highlighting areas that may need work and suggesting tailored solutions.

A fifth (21 per cent) of the people we spoke to use specialists tools and alerts like these in some form, while 17 per cent are enlisting the help of expert agencies like Igniyte - up from ten per cent in 2014.

As our research clearly shows, doing nothing will put reputations at risk but being aware of the dangers - and planning ahead to mitigate them - will help brands build robustness and resilience in 2018 and beyond.  entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

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Entrepreneurs Do You Have These Essential Business Skills?

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оѕt entrepreneurs аnd mоtіvаtеd professionals know the importance of investing іn themselves—building valuable ѕkіllѕ аnd іmрrоvіng thеіr ѕtrеngthѕ оvеr time. Bу now, mаnу business owners hаvе mаdе thеіr buѕіnеѕѕ-rеlаtеd plans fоr what thеу wаnt tо ассоmрlіѕh іn 2018.

Their nеw rоаdmарѕ іnсludе grоwth tаrgеtѕ tо асhіеvе, products tо launch, nеw mаrkеtѕ tо еntеr, еvеntѕ to participate іn аnd rеlаtіоnѕhірѕ to buіld. If you hаvе thеѕе types of сlеаr targets аnd milestones buіlt into your рlаn for the уеаr, that's a great ѕtаrt.

However, іt'ѕ еquаllу іmроrtаnt tо ѕеt skill-building gоаlѕ thаt'll ultіmаtеlу help уоu bесоmе mоrе ѕuссеѕѕful іn уоur buѕіnеѕѕ.

Whether іt'ѕ ѕеttіng aside tіmе tо іmрrоvе on уоur weaknesses, or hіrе a соасh tо hеlр you push іntо a new рlауіng fіеld with one оf your strengths—investing in уоur ѕkіllѕ is never a bad move. Aѕ thе есоnоmу соntіnuеѕ to grоw аnd unеmрlоуmеnt lеvеlѕ ѕtаrt tареrіng off, the business lаndѕсаре іѕ not оnlу bесоmіng more соmреtіtіvе, but increasingly unрrеdісtаblе аѕ wеll.

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In fасt, a recent rероrt compiled bу 1st Company Formations, fоrесаѕtеd thаt 2018 wіll bе thе mоѕt disruptive уеаr ever іn the world of buѕіnеѕѕ, сhаrасtеrіzеd bу transformational ѕhіftѕ іn hоw соmраnіеѕ еngаgе customers, and in hоw business реорlе learn nеw ѕkіllѕ. For thе entrepreneur, thе nеxt lоgісаl question, which ѕkіllѕ will bе сhаngіng thе gаmе mоѕt in 2018?

It'ѕ time to choose соurѕеѕ, buу books, gеt a mentor аnd start ореnіng уоur mіnd, bесаuѕе hеrе are thе top skills еntrерrеnеurѕ wіll nееd tо master: ABІLІTУ TО ЅЕЕ THINGS THROUGH Successful еntrерrеnеurѕ аrе vіѕіоnаrіеѕ. Thеу are аblе tо ѕее орроrtunіtіеѕ thаt nоrmаl folks do not see. They have a clear idea of whаt thеу wаnt tо do. But mоrе thаn thіѕ, ѕuссеѕѕful entrepreneurs have thе ability tо transform that vision into rеаlіtу. Thеу dоn’t just drеаm; they wоrk hаrd аnd ѕmаrt to see іntо fruіtіоn thе drеаmѕ in thеіr hеаdѕ. They don’t juѕt thіnk that thеу wаnt to асhіеvе something; іnѕtеаd, they dо еvеrуthіng they nееd tо dо іn оrdеr tо achieve whаt thеу wаnt. Thеу don’t shy away frоm the challenges, fear, and the sheer аmоunt оf wоrk nееdеd tо gеt thіngѕ done.

SАLЕЅ AND MАRKЕTІNG ЅKІLLЅ Sales аnd mаrkеtіng аrе thе twо mоѕt important ѕkіllѕ you muѕt have whеn you plan to start уоur оwn business. A buѕіnеѕѕ іѕ nothing іf it hаѕ no сuѕtоmеrѕ. Yоu mау have thе fanciest computer wіth thе latest grарhісѕ software, but іf nо one іѕ knocking аt уоur dооr to hire уоu аѕ a graphic designer, thеn you bеttеr rethink why уоu are іn buѕіnеѕѕ in thе fіrѕt рlасе. Mауbе you аrе bеttеr off еmрlоуеd by a fіrm. To have revenues аnd рrоfіtѕ, уоu first nееd to hаvе сuѕtоmеrѕ. Tо gеt сuѕtоmеrѕ, you must bе able tо market your business аnd роѕѕеѕѕ thе ѕkіllѕ tо close thе sale.

As you рlаn your business, уоu must begin tо think how to rеасh уоur tаrgеt аudіеnсе аnd the реорlе who mау need уоur рrоduсtѕ or ѕеrvісе. Thіѕ entails undеrѕtаndіng thе соnсерt оf marketing, аnd using thе tools that уоur budgеt реrmіtѕ. Yоu muѕt have a knасk fоr undеrѕtаndіng whаt people wаnt, lіѕtеnіng to their needs, аnd іntеrасt well wіth оthеr реорlе.

It would bе еxtrеmеlу helpful іf you роѕѕеѕѕ

еxсеllеnt written and оrаl соmmunісаtіоn skills tо help уоu sell your products and ѕеrvісеѕ (mоrе ѕо if you аrе a solo еntrерrеnеur whо wіll be doing everything bу yourself). Yоu nееd to create a buzz аbоut your business bу talking to people аnd рrеѕеntіng to thеm уоur business.

Yоu nееd to write аdѕ, рrеѕѕ rеlеаѕеѕ аnd story іdеаѕ about your buѕіnеѕѕ. Stаrtіng a buѕіnеѕѕ іѕ a tіmе to gеt оut оf your timid self and begin to аggrеѕѕіvеlу mаrkеt уоur vеnturе. Thаt’ѕ thе only way you can succeed.

FІNАNСІАL KNОW-HОW You аrе іn buѕіnеѕѕ to make money. Thеrеfоrе, the most important skill уоu muѕt hаvе іѕ the ability to hаndlе mоnеу wеll. Thіѕ іnсludеѕ knоwіng hоw tо stretch the limited start-up capital thаt you have, ѕреndіng оnlу whеn nееdеd аnd mаkіng do wіth thе еԛuірmеnt аnd supplies thаt уоu сurrеntlу hаvе. Yоu also nееd to іdеntіfу thе bеѕt рrісіng ѕtruсturе fоr your buѕіnеѕѕ іn оrdеr tо get thе best kіnd of rеturn for your products оr ѕеrvісеѕ.

Suссеѕѕ in buѕіnеѕѕ іѕ nоt lіmіtеd to those who hаvе tons оf саріtаl іn the bеgіnnіng. Lооk at the fаіlеd dot-coms wіth funding оf аѕ muсh as $100 million. Evеn іf thеу аrе аwаѕh wіth cash, thеу ѕtіll ended up аѕ a failure bесаuѕе thеу wеrе not аblе tо manage thеіr mоnеу wеll.

Thеу lаvіѕhеd thеmѕеlvеѕ with hіgh-tесh оffісе furnіturе аnd gаvе thеіr CEOs fаnсу jеtѕ tо flу, оnlу to hаvе their саѕh flоw dерlеtеd іn lеѕѕ thаn a уеаr.

If you аrе аblе tо mаnаgе your cash flow well whеn thе buѕіnеѕѕ ѕtаrtѕ tо run, уоu wіll bе аblе tо survive the uрѕ аnd dоwnѕ оf selfemployment. Thе іmроrtаnt thіng іѕ tо always fосuѕ оn thе bоttоm lіnе. For еvеrу ѕреndіng, аlwауѕ ask уоurѕеlf: “How muсh wіll this contribute tо my bоttоm lіnе?” If іt wіll nоt gіvе уоur buѕіnеѕѕ аnуthіng іn rеturn fіnаnсіаllу, better think twice before opening уоur wаllеt.

SЕLF-MОTІVАTІОN ЅKІLLЅ Aѕ an еntrерrеnеur, уоu dо not hаvе thе luxurу оf bоѕѕеѕ and bureaucracy tо tеll you whаt nееdѕ to bе dоnе. Evеrуthіng rеѕtѕ on уоur shoulder ¬ frоm thіnkіng where tо gеt thе mоnеу tо fund the buѕіnеѕѕ, to develop thе рrоduсt, tо dеtеrmіnе hоw tо rеасh thе customer, and ѕо

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оn. Onlу you wіll сrеаtе thе plans, and change them should thе situation ѕhіftѕ. You nееd tо be smart еnоugh to know whеn уоu nееd tо gо аhеаd, and whеn tо ѕtор.

Tо succeed in buѕіnеѕѕ, you muѕt be a selfstarter wіth a clear dеѕіrеd gоаl іn mind. You must have thе соnfіdеnсе in yourself, and іn уоur ideas (hоw can you ѕеll уоur іdеаѕ tо others іf уоu yourself dо nоt bеlіеvе in thеm?). Mоrе importantly, уоu muѕt bе willing tо fосuѕ your еnеrgу and wоrk hаrd towards еасh and еvеrу ѕtер that will mаkе уоur enterprise a success.

Eѕресіаllу іf уоu wоrk аt home, іt is dоublу hаrd tо gеt іntо thе wоrk mіndѕеt: ѕоmеtіmеѕ, the television is just too tеmрtіng thаt іt is hаrd tо gеt out оf уоur раjаmаѕ аnd bеgіn tуріng оn your соmрutеr. Yоu, thеrеfоrе, muѕt hаvе thаt extra drіvе аnd соmmіtmеnt tо mаkе sure thаt уоu are tаkіng the nесеѕѕаrу ѕtерѕ tо make уоur dream оf a successful business a rеаlіtу.

TIME MАNАGЕMЕNT ЅKІLLЅ Thе аbіlіtу to рlаn уоur day and mаnаgе tіmе іѕ раrtісulаrlу important fоr a hоmе buѕіnеѕѕ.

Whеn уоu wаkе up іn thе mоrnіng, уоu must have a clear idea оf the thіngѕ уоu must dо fоr thе day. Eѕресіаllу if уоu аrе running a оnе-реrѕоn ореrаtіоn, you muѕt hаvе thе ability to multіtаѕk ¬ bе the ѕесrеtаrу аt the ѕtаrt of thе dау tуріng all correspondences and emails, bесоmе thе marketing mаn wrіtіng рrеѕѕ rеlеаѕеѕ before nооn, mаkе sales саll in thе аftеrnооn, аnd bесоmе a bооkkеереr before уоur closing hоurѕ. Imagine if you аrе ѕеllіng рrоduсtѕ аnd уоu ѕtіll hаvе to сrеаtе thе рrоduсtѕ, dеlіvеr and fulfill thе оrdеrѕ, ruѕh to the bank tо саѕh the сhесkѕ. Lots оf jobs fоr a ѕіmрlе hоmе-bаѕеd buѕіnеѕѕ! Nо, you dоn’t hаvе to be a superman (оr ѕuреrwоmаn). Yоu ѕіmрlу have to knоw hоw to mаnаgе tіmе аnd prioritize уоur tasks.

Onе dіffісultу оf working from hоmе іѕ thаt уоu can nеvеr seem tо stop. Thеrе are simply too mаnу thіngѕ to dо, as іf work nеvеr stops (аnd it dоеѕn’t!). Part оf having good time mаnаgеmеnt ѕkіllѕ is knоwіng whеn to ѕtор аnd whеn tо leave work, аnd begin doing уоur other roles іn уоur fаmіlу ¬ аѕ the huѕbаnd, wіfе, mоthеr or fаthеr. Yоu muѕt bе able to know hоw to keep your home lіfе separate frоm your work lіfе, аnd ensure thаt thеrе еxіѕtѕ a bаlаnсе bеtwееn the two.

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ADMINISTRATION SKILLS If уоu саn afford to hіrе аn аѕѕіѕtаnt who wіll organize your office space аnd fіlе уоur рареrѕ аnd mаіlѕ, luсkу уоu! However, most start-up еntrерrеnеurѕ саnnоt аffоrd ѕuсh luxuries. Ovеr аnd above the tasks оf mаnаgіng, mаrkеtіng and planning your business, you аlѕо need tо роѕѕеѕѕ a lоt of аdmіnіѕtrаtіоn skills. Yоu nееd tо fіlе your receipts ѕо tаx time wіll not bе a trip tо Hаdеѕ. You need tо dо all thе wоrk іn tеrmѕ оf bіllіng, рrіntіng іnvоісеѕ, collecting payments, аnd mаnаgіng your rесеіvаblеѕ.

FAILURE MANAGEMENT Stress саn bе... wеll, ѕtrеѕѕful. But fаіlurе саn bе dеvаѕtаtіng. Mаjоr fаіlurеѕ саn оblіtеrаtе your mоtіvаtіоn and аffесt уоur mentality fоr wееkѕ, months or еvеn уеаrѕ. Just like mаrrіаgеѕ and Hоllуwооd саrееrѕ, buѕіnеѕѕеѕ fаіl аll the tіmе.

Thе secret tо success аѕ an entrepreneur іѕ tо gеt bасk оn уоur feet again, рісk uр thе pieces аnd аррlу whаt you’ve painfully learned ѕо thаt you’ll gеt different rеѕultѕ thе nеxt time.

Every nеw уеаr, entrepreneurs look bасk оn their accomplishments and plot a new соurѕе wіth thе gоаl оf еxсееdіng the рrеvіоuѕ year’s реrfоrmаnсе.

Thеrе аrе mаnу ways tо рlаn for future buѕіnеѕѕ ѕuссеѕѕ, but investing іn yourself bу buіldіng nеw ѕkіllѕ оr improving еxіѕtіng ones, rеmаіnѕ оnе оf thе smartest decisions уоu саn mаkе аѕ an еntrерrеnеur. Whісh ѕkіll dо уоu think wіll dоmіnаtе уоur industry іn 2018? 

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5 Ways to Improve the Quality of Your Marketing Videos THE IDEA What’s the idea? Whatever it is, you need to be creative.

It is important to start with a plan or even a script. One that gets viewers engaged from the beginning and is not too obviously selling your product or service.

Having an end goal to keep the audience engaged and with a desire to want to share the video is great for marketing.

Ideas that usually work include incorporating drama, comedy/humour, audience interaction, good music etc.

By incorporating some or any of these, your videos will have depth.

THE VISUALS A properly done video is more pleasing to the eye.

Even when done in-house, you should still aim for quality.

Not only for your audience, but if you are in the business of selling or providing quality products/services, your video should reflect this.

You could use visuals that psychologically draw audiences into the story, the plot, or the actors. Simple art direction on costumes, colours, set and stills are some of the ways you can pull your

audience into the story.

In addition, when posting your video onto social media platforms, chose thumbnails that are eye catching and intriguing, so that your video has a better chance of being clicked on.

THE CONTENT The length of online videos is very important.

In addition to the fact that we are spoilt for choice with online videos, the attention span of your audience may be limited to their busy lifestyle.

It is therefore advisable to keep videos between two to three minutes long, (there are exceptional cases, where longer versions could work) or perhaps release them in a series.

Music is also very important to keep the tempo high. Music gives your video atmosphere, you might be surprised at the impact music has on your audience.

THE TECHNIQUE Sound is 50% of a film.

You might get away with bad picture, but never bad sound. There are two options here, a lapelier or a directional mic, like a shotgun. A lapelier should be clipped onto

clothes and be either visible or hidden. A shotgun mic can be suspended overhead.

With lighting, it’s good to have at least one light on the subject’s face. A soft light is best placed at a 3/4 angle to one side of the face. If you have a second light this can be placed behind the subject as a rim light to give separation from the background.

With the Camera, you should place it at eye height, if that most suits the look you’re trying to achieve, and get a nice frame on your subject keeping them a little off centre. We would recommend that you do a bit of study on camera, composition, camera angle, and codecs etc CALL TO ACTION There is no point to your video if your audience is not engaged.

Incorporating a call to action into your video will not only help achieve a good ROI but will also help you to monitor its impact. What do you want to happen when people watch your video?

There are various ways you can incorporate a call to action depending on your audience.

For example, if your call to action is aimed at wanting a group of people to participate or engage with your brand, you could direct them via your video to a ‘landing page’ where they could contribute to, or participate with your project.

If the budget allows, you could integrate a direct response into the video where users can perhaps vote on say, how the story ends? These are just a few examples, there are many more!  entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

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CEO Case Study:

Marcus Taylor, CEO at Venture Harbour E&I regularly interviews inspiring CEOs to discover their top tips and advice for others on entrepreneurship in general - and on key industry topics. Marcus Taylor, CEO of Venture Harbour looks at the benefits and issues around automation, and how to make it work for your company.

WHAT IS YOUR BUSINESS, AND WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION BEHIND BECOMING AN ENTREPRENEUR? I am the founder and CEO of Venture Harbour. We build tools and services that help companies and entrepreneurs grow their success online. These range from lead generation software (Leadformly) to AI chatbots that help startups find the right web host for them (Web Hosting Insider).

I became an entrepreneur because I wanted the freedom to turn several of my ideas into reality. I enjoy the early stages of designing a business then the process of figuring out how to make it a functioning company that can turn a profit.

That’s why Venture Harbour is essentially a collection of different businesses in different industries.

Rather than being constrained to a single project, it lets me explore my ideas and turn them into reality. Then I work out how to design them to run on autopilot, so the Venture Harbour team can focus on growing the overall business through the launch of new ventures rather than having to sustain our existing ones.

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HOW HAVE YOU MANAGED TO AUTOMATE MANY BUSINESS PROCESSES? We adopt an approach called “growth on autopilot.” We don’t just build online businesses that can maintain themselves through automation, we also put systems in place that drive their organic growth. This means we’re able to leave one of our ventures for months or years at a time before coming back to find its significantly more successful than where we left it.

Because of this, we can spend almost all our time being proactive and building new systems, rather than being reactive and constantly putting out fires.

WHAT IMPACT HAS THIS HAD SO FAR? It’s freed up the team to be truly entrepreneurial by focusing on growing and developing new ventures and ideas rather than merely looking after the nuts and bolts operations for the businesses already under the Venture Harbour umbrella.

Personally, it’s had an impact on how I manage the business too.

We made big strides towards full automation last year, which had a

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bearing on how we spend our time and how we go about driving business growth. In 2017, the Venture Harbour team had fewer meetings, calls, business trips, or days where we had to work late than any year before it, yet the company grew by 750%.

HOW CAN OTHER ENTREPRENEURS INTRODUCE AUTOMATION, AND WHAT PITFALLS SHOULD BE AVOIDED? Our general process is we try to eliminate, automate, and then delegate.

We have a saying that anything you do more than three times you should just automate, and a good place where any business could start is by removing time-sapping team meetings and conference calls.

Ultimately, though, you can only automate tasks that are repetitive in nature. So, you have to start with the boring bit – getting a process to work effectively manually. The second step is to document that process in a flowchart or some kind of standard operating procedure. This lets others can follow your plan with a high level of consistency. Only at that point can you begin to think about automating your process with a level of confidence that it's going to be successful.

The major pitfall with automation is automation for automation's sake.

Some things are easy to automate, but that doesn't mean they should be automated after all. Focus on automating the things that either save you time, money, or energy. If there's a task you can't stand doing, or one that wastes a lot of time, that’s where you should start. A side effect of automation is that it has no emotion or agenda, so it's often a great solution for removing yourself from the tasks that may create tension or stress.

WHAT WILL THE FUTURE OF WORK LOOK LIKE FOR START-UPS AND SMALL BUSINESSES? For any startup, acquiring and retaining

talent makes a huge difference. A team that shares your passion and can bring new skills to the table is essential. As an entrepreneur, you naturally have to be involved in all aspects of the business, and that often extends to your team. However, if they have to adopt the all-hands-on-deck approach that’s typically required in a startup, the talent you work hard to bring on board can sometimes go to waste. The future looks very different. The ability to automate menial but essential tasks means small businesses will be able to make the most of their hires from the get-go.

Cost is also going to become an even bigger consideration for the future of business. Many entrepreneurs think they need huge amounts of capital to get started. Our most successful early ventures cost less than £500 to develop the minimum viable product.

Even today, we rarely spend more than £2,000 developing the MVP for a new idea. Build the smallest version of your idea that adds value and ship it quickly to see if someone is willing to pay for it.

If not, iterate and try again. If the idea is validated by having paying customers, that’s when you should invest more into it.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A START-UP ENTREPRENEUR IN 2018?

The best piece of advice I can give is not to raise funding unless you absolutely have to. It focuses on the wrong things, teaching you to become good at spending someone else’s money and to waste time on pitch decks and cap tables rather than learning how to build a sustainable business.

Venture Capitalists don’t want you to build a sustainable business. They want you to build a unicorn. I’ve never met an entrepreneur who regretted bootstrapping (Venture Harbour started out that way too) but I’ve met more than I can count who regretted raising money.  entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

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6 Top Tops for E-Commerce Success As e-commerce store owners or managers, the to-do list can always seem a little daunting. Whether you’re looking at a series of small incremental changes or a full site-wide re-design to boost your store’s performance in 2018, there are always improvements to make.

At Rotate° we work with luxury and lifestyle e-commerce brands, helping them convert more customers through continually refining the shopping experience. There are many ways that brands can improve their website in-house, so if you only do six things to your website this year, do these and you’re sure to get positive results.

TEST, TEST AND A/B TEST AGAIN E-commerce never stands still and neither should your store. Through a continual testing and optimisation process, called A/B testing, you can gradually improve your site-wide conversion rates and increase sales.

There are a number of apps available to help you test things like the colour of buttons, copy and descriptions, through to product page layouts. Services like VWO or Optimizelywork well for this. Always experiment these small tests to a small percentage of your audience before making site-wide changes to your store.

BETTER BRAND STORYTELLING THROUGH HIGH QUALITY IMAGERY Many store-owners overlook the need for high quality images to sell their products. This not only means crisp images but also ones that highlight any details, give a sense of scale, show how to be worn/used and even the lifestyle associated with your brand. When shopping online we buy with our eyes, so check that the images really showcase your products.

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PLUG THE HOLES IN THE SALES FUNNEL In 2017, more than 75% of customers abandoned their carts, but there are steps you can take to minimise this.

First, ensure there are no surprises when customers reach the cart by displaying delivery costs and dates on the product pages themselves. Once a customer is at the checkout stage keep the user experience as easy as possible, with optional account creation, only ask for essential information and ensure that the cart webpage loads promptly.

SHIP IT FREE, AS STANDARD Whenever consumers are surveyed, free shipping regularly comes out as the number one incentive to shop online. It may mean increasing your prices slightly to cover costs, but offering free shipping either across the board or above a certain basket value can convince that first-time customer into making a purchase.

TEMPT POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS WITH REMINDERS AND INCENTIVES If you’re using a hosted e-commerce solution such as Shopify or BigCommerce, the ability to email customers who abandon their cart before purchase comes out of the box. Test what time delay from cart-abandonment provides the best results. Similarly a discount offer can also be effective at converting customers. But make sure that any data-collection you perform on the website isGDPR compliant ahead of this being enforced from May 2018.

BRING PERSONALISATION TO LIFE IN THE BROWSER If you sell products that can be personalised, a way to improve conversion rates is to provide a visual for how the personalisation will appear on the final product. We recently helped Not-Another-Bill increase performance by 39% with a site-wide re-design that included a personalisation visualiser with a number of options, all of which update in the browser in real-time. ď Ž

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Benefits of Chinese Market for Retail Brands

BY JAMES HEBBERT UK Managing Director of Hylink, China’s largest independent digital advertising agency

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new high-tech business is founded every hour in the UK said the Chancellor Philip Hammond in his Autumn Budget speech. His pledge to invest more than £500m in a range of initiatives from AI to 5G and full fibre broadband is part of a strategy to ramp up the rate in which these businesses are founded to every half hour.

The UK is the birthplace of some of the most innovative emerging companies in the world, with London remaining a magnet for entrepreneurial talent. Even in the face of a looming Brexit where restrictions on free movement of both goods and people threatens to stymie the aspirations of overseas growth, British brands have all the ingredients to achieve commercial success despite 22

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the economic uncertainty.

It is of course encouraging to see that the government is putting in considerable investment into supporting tech operations from an operational perspective, but I believe they’re missing a fundamental trick by overlooking the importance of investing in businesses from a consumerist viewpoint.

For the last ten years, the retail scene has been beleaguered by lacklustre sales, prompted mainly by the credit crunch but deepened significantly by its lack of innovation and inability to keep up with the digital behemoths. More needs to be done to digitialise the high street and enhance the e-commerce experience using social strategies that make the browse-to-buy process both engaging and seamless.

There is no better example of the way in which technology drives and facilitates retail sales than in the way China deals with Singles Day. Since it was conceived in 2009 as a shopping bonanza specifically for lovelorn singletons, the event has grown fast to become the biggest shopping festival ever, dwarfing the collective revenues of both Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

E-commerce behemoth Alibaba’s approach to the phenomenon of ‘new retail’ – a strategy that involves using technology to radically optimise China’s $4 trillion retail market – is a best in class example, from which the West should learn from.

Harnessing the power of brand influencers, employing live streaming tactics that enable purchases to be made in real time, and using the

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e-commerce space as an opportunity to cross-sell has enabled China’s digital retail industry to flourish like nothing before. According to sales analysis by Alibaba, Singles Day sales have exponentially risen over the past seven years. In 2016, sales were up 32% from the previous year alone and in November 2017, Singles Day had generated a recordbreaking revenue of $25.3bn.

Where British wages have stagnated, China’s burgeoning population of middle class consumers is growing, alongside its proportion of ultra rich.

According to UBS and PWC, China gets a new billionaire every five days, while the number of middle class consumers is expected to hit 550m by 2022.

This represents a uniquely interesting opportunity for British businesses seeking to reach out to the new and independently wealthy Chinese consumer – whether they be expats living in the UK or indeed consumers residing in mainland China.

Of all the international trade relationships that UK has in play, its particular relationship with China will be critical to the country’s economic growth, post-Brexit.

There is an advantage.

British institutions, businesses, talent and products continue to remain indisputably desirable

to international consumers – not least the Chinese. It is probably why the lure of ‘Brand Britain’ has attracted considerable overseas investment over recent years.

Whether, however, it is best poised to stay an attractive and relevant trade partner to one of the biggest economic powers of the world and respond efficiently to the vast commercial opportunity at hand remains to be seen.

Alibaba, China’s tech giant, announced it is investing $15bn to innovate its platform for an AI led retail proposition. From a

customs to the way in which business is conducted.

This is no mean feat. Fail to do this and you, at best, waste time and money failing with ineffective campaigns. Do this badly, and you’ll cause offense, not to mention untold damage to your brand. You only need to look Nike’s limited edition Air Force 1 trainer, launched to commemorate Chinese New Year to understand that, when done wrong, campaigns of this kind can be both patronising and alienating to the very demographic you are trying to woo and embarrassing to the brand at hand.

This particular example is doubly ironic because the specially embroidered character on the back of the left shoe, “Fa” – which translates as “getting rich”, and the character embroidered on the back of the right shoe, “Fu” – translating as “fortune arrives” actually means “getting fat” when the characters are combined together.

That kind of messaging is not a good look for a sports brand.

One of the most important things that British businesses must do as part of their strategic engagement with China is to leave all previous misconceptions about who the Chinese are and what they like at the door. President Xi Jinping has worked hard at cultivating the kind of “soft power” that Britain takes for granted in order to garner

“For British brands to respond to the opportunity at hand, they must be both digital savvy and ready” technological perspective, the UK can nowhere near match such an investment in R&D to fuel this level of innovation at breakneck speed. But what it can do is get the elementary basics right. This involves tightening up e-commerce propositions so the shopping experience is slicker; it requires a deep understanding of how marketing content is consumed (by Chinese consumers) and how this heavily influences purchasing decisions; and it demands a crucial sensitivity to the cultural differences between the Chinese and British – right from social

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international prestige, and this has meant distancing itself slowly from the copycatting, mass manufactured “Made In China” badge it has become bequeathed with to reinforcing a fresher image – one that posits it as a world innovator and a formidable economic power with an ever-growing population of discerning consumers. China is, if you like, undergoing a ‘consumption 1ade’. These are consumers that favour quality, luxury, authenticity and exclusivity over value and the massproduced.

This shift is, in many ways, causing somewhat of a design revolution in bricks and mortar retail signage.

Where Chinese brands have previously given little regard to brand differentiation through visual assets, commercial competition has flourished.

Effective branding has since become a persuasive tool for attracting custom.

All the usual mechanics for driving brand engagement still of course rings true – having compelling design, a meaningful brand narrative communicated via engaging storytelling, and the leveraging of influencers remains some of the vital commandments to follow in not just captivating Chinese consumers but all consumers in general.

Furthermore, although British brands have gone to great effort to abandon the hackneyed visual clichés of “Brand Britain”, many Chinese consumers still have affection for these old visual indicators. Ditching these altogether would harm the emotional connection that 24

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many Asian consumers have for quintessential Britain.

Instead, British brands must emphasise and communicate their provenance in ever more engaging ways. It is, afterall, precisely because of its Britishness – a label that not only comes with all the valuable equity of provenance, craftsmanship and quality but also encompasses the indelible quirks and eccentricities of what it means to be ‘British’ – that really makes it so beguiling and attractive to the Chinese consumer. British businesses must play to this strength.

Finally, western brands must develop online content that brings these narratives to life. Five years ago, if you were a retail business, you had to have bricks and mortar to have a shot at being a success in China. Today, Chinese consumers like to shop on their smartphones and on the go. Live streaming has become a powerful marketing tactic used by retailers and fashion brands like Michael Kors, who streamed a live fashion show across its platforms that enabled consumers to shop in real time while they watched the event. Influencers like bloggers have likewise been using live streaming technology in their review of products, providing an additional avenue for consumers to familiarise themselves with a brand and instantly shop. In fact, live streaming has become such a phenomenon in China, it’s now predicted to be an industry worth $5bn. Virtual reality has compounded this space too; Macy’s, for example, used virtual reality so that

online shoppers can ‘walk’ through their store and make purchases.

For British brands to respond to the opportunity at hand, they must be both digital savvy and ready. This doesn’t mean just upscaling an e-commerce platform to incorporate all the latest AI and VR bells and whistles.

But at the very basic level, it means ditching the halfhearted pixelated thumbnail product images, facilitating swift multi-platform processes from browsing to transaction and exercising with proper regard the power a digital presence may wield in driving meaningful engagement, winning consumer loyalty and delivering sales.

For now, trends are pointing towards an increasingly intuitive retail experience driven by technology. Imagine a world where brands and retailers become so attuned to the wants and needs of their consumer that they are able to promote relevant wares simultaneously across both physical and virtual platforms, carry out transactions quickly and then conveniently dispatch the goods to their customers’ doorstep within minutes - thus eliminating the need to carry shopping bags at all. It’s a big vision that China is virtually on the cusp of realising. British brands must likewise be bold and visionary in its outlook for the retail of tomorrow.

Whatever this might be, the on and offline worlds must fuse together if it's to ever resonate with consumers and achieve longevity. 

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Boost your Business Innovation with Grant Funding Vic Mistry, Head of Innovation Partnerships at Ixion, explains how grant funding can be the catalyst for growth in your business.

WHO ARE IXION INNOVATION? Ixion innovation is a team of experts that helps Innovative businesses win major grant funding to support their growth ambitions. Last year we helped businesses secure funding for projects worth £32 million.

SO WHAT IS GRANT FUNDING? The UK government and EC have both recognised that just 5% of SME businesses drive 50% of economic growth. Innovative SMEs grow twice as fast as those that don’t innovate, so are vital to the UK’s economic strategy. However, access to finance is the biggest barrier to SMEs innovating, so billions of pounds have been set aside to co-fund the development and commercialisation of novel technologies and business models. In the last 18 months, the funding body Innovate UK has given £307m to start-ups and small businesses, with a further €45m given to UK SMEs by the EC last year. Grants can range from as little as £20k all the way up to £2m and beyond.

SHOULD ENTREPRENEURS AND INVESTORS BE APPLYING? Absolutely. Grant funding can deliver vital funds at the point they are most needed. For example, the EC’s Horizon 2020 SME Instrument is specifically designed to help companies cross ‘Death Valley’ – the funding gap between prototype and market. Crucially, grants do not have to be repaid and do not dilute equity – hugely attractive for businesses already receiving investment.

Clearly, this benefits investors too. It de-risks their investment and the credibility grants give a business is a vital boost to commercialisation.

SO HOW DO BUSINESSES GO ABOUT ACCESSING THIS FUNDING? Both Innovate UK & Horizon 2020 publish calls for proposals, which are listed on their websites (see links below). However, applying for grant funding is not for the faint-hearted. As you can imagine, the promise of

equity-free investment makes these programmes extremely popular. Creating a winning bid is complex and timeconsuming. In fact, the odds of success for a first-time applicant to the Horizon 2020 SME Instrument are less than 2%!

IS THIS WHERE IXION CAN HELP? Yes. We specialise in supporting established and start-up businesses to identify and win the most suitable grant funding for them. If you’re an entrepreneur or investor, we can help you validate your project idea, find the best funding opportunity, and prepare and submit your bid. With a track record stretching back 20 years, our team of bid writers, scientists and engineers are uniquely equipped to understand your needs, eliminate the burden of bureaucracy and maximise your chance of success. 

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Cryptocurrency and Tax:

A Complicated and Evolving Relationship

BY ARIANNE KING Managing partner at London based commercial law firm, Al Bawardi Critchlow

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itcoin’s value may have slipped since its December 2017 peak, but it is still piquing the interest of the investment community.

Many commentators believe that 2018 will be the year when cryptocurrencies finally establish themselves as mainstream investment opportunities. That said, the legal and regulatory status of cryptocurrency is still being established and varies greatly between jurisdictions. This includes the way they are taxed.

TAX IN THE UK It is likely that the UK Government will soon introduce stricter regulations around the use of cryptocurrencies.

Its primary aim is to prevent

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money laundering, tax evasion and other illegal activities. How far these laws will stretch is still unknown; they may or may not impact the way investments are taxed. However, as a starting point, here is an overview of the Treasury’s current regime.

HMRC bases its decision on whether tax is paid on crypto gains on the personal circumstances of the individual involved. If the individual is trading merely as a hobby, any profit falls outside the tax regime so are currently exempt.

This also means that any losses are ineligible for tax relief.

If the use and value of digital currency continues to rise, HMRC could be tempted to take a slice of the pie.

However, its current stance

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is consistent with the way it treats other speculative activities, including FOREX and gambling. It recognises this is a hugely volatile market, if tax was levied on profits and then the value of coins plummeted, personal investors would be hit with a tax bill on gains they no longer have.

UK TAX REGIME FOR PROFESSIONAL INVESTORS If HMRC considers that the investor (whether an individual or corporation) has a professional interest then taxes would be payable and the general rules on foreign exchange apply. The profits and losses of a company entering into transactions involving Bitcoin would be reflected in accounts and taxable under normal Corporation Tax rules.

This could apply to those trading, mining or processing payments, as well as those providing related services.

The difference between a hobbyist and a professional investor isn’t clearly defined; the onus is on the investor to prove their status. If they are deemed to be a professional trader, then income, corporation and capital gains taxes would all apply, just as they would on normal currency transactions.

Unless visible in the company’s books following sale of cryptocurrency for fiat currency, with no visibility into cryptocurrency trades, HMRC is wholly dependent on businesses and professional investors disclosing any income generated. This is a similar situation to cash. Just as it is illegal not to disclose cash

income, the same is true for digital currencies.

ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD: TWO EXAMPLES In the US, the IRS treats Bitcoin as property rather than a currency. Related income is subject to short-term income tax rates or long-term capital gains tax rates. Every tax payer is required to declare all cryptocurrency transactions in their annual tax returns, with the applicable tax applied to each deal.

In Germany, Bitcoin is classified in a similar way to stocks and shares. Capital gains tax is applied to profits made within the first year of ownership. After this point, they are no longer subjected to taxation and their transaction will fall within the scope of a non-taxable ‘private sale’.

These are just two examples; globally there are great variations in the way tax regulators treat these currencies.

WHAT NEXT? To add to the complexity, the varying compliance and regulations laws around the world are constantly under review, reflecting the pace of change in the market, the growth in market participation, and each individual country’s appetite to incorporate cryptocurrency into their financial systems.

Expect to see considerable changes to tax regulations as the global cryptocurrency markets continue to mature and develop into the mainstream. 

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The Essential Monthly Checklist for Good Business Health

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ood business practice can make or break a small business. It involves performing and identifying tasks that must be done to keep your business healthy. These tasks should be carried out regularly and consistently.

Keeping a monthly checklist to remind you to perform important business tasks will put you in a good position to manage and grow your business no matter what hurdles you face.

It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day running of your business, pushing tasks aside that can “wait for later”. Often, “later” becomes tomorrow, then next week, and then next month. Before you know it, you are struggling to catch up.

Our 10-point monthly checklist for good business health will help ensure your limited company is well run in the long run.

The benefits of a monthly checklist to stay on top of your business are obvious. Businesses who comply with this good practice: • Reduce the pressure at the end of the financial year to get facts and figures ready all at once • Are more likely to improve their cash flow and operate with smaller financial risk • Are attractive investments for prospective buyers • May find it easier to secure external finance • Are in a good position to respond to future opportunities and/or challenges

Here is our 10-point monthly checklist to help you put in place and maintain good practices to stay in control of your business.

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PERFORM FINANCIAL TASKS A tight grip on finances is crucial for any business to survive, but even more so for small businesses. Waiting until the end of the financial year to perform the financial tasks needed to prepare annual statements will not only put you under unnecessary pressure but may also reduce the quality of your financial data.

Financial tasks include the following: • Up-to-date cash flow statements.

They are critical to making everyday business decisions.

• Keeping track of expenses and paying bills on time. The latter promotes good business relationships.

• Chasing debtors through an efficient invoicing system.

• Updating payrolls as soon as staff changes occur.

• Filing tax and VAT returns and paying your dues on time.

• Review and compare sales figures • To know where you’re going, you must know where you come from.

Have sales figures ready and available for comparison once a month.

COMPARE THE LATEST SALES FIGURES WITH THE PREVIOUS MONTH, THE PREVIOUS QUARTER, AND THE PREVIOUS YEAR What do you see? Analyse the patterns to determine which products

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are performing well, which are underperforming, and why.

Don’t forget to check individual client performance at the same time.

Are some clients not spending as much as they used to or have some even dropped you completely? The sooner you pick up on this through your monthly business checklist, the bigger your chance is to win the client back through discussions and negotiations.

By knowing what influences your sales figures you are in the position to adjust your business plans and projections.

KEEP TRACK OF YOUR INVENTORY Inventory is the lifeblood of a manufacturing or retail business. You must know how much stock is available at any given time. Inventory tracking will tell you when to order more or prevent you from selling products that have run out of stock.

Even if you have an inventory manager, you must keep your own finger on the pulse of your stock at least once a month. Proper inventory management can lead to big savings and maximum profits.

And while numbers are important, don’t forget to keep an eye on other important factors such as safe and secure storage. Know the products you are manufacturing or selling. Are they perishable? Do they need special storage facilities? Losing a whole batch of stock because of a small oversight can hurt your business a lot.

REVIEW YOUR MARKETING STRATEGIES Remaining visible to your customers in a crowded marketplace is crucial.

Without something to make you stand out, you will quickly drown in a sea of similar looking companies.

Your monthly sales figures and performance review should serve as a good indicator of the effectiveness of your marketing strategy. Even if

it’s working for you, it’s never a waste of time to go over it once a month for full optimisation of the marketing opportunities out there.

How do you benefit from regular reviews of your marketing strategies?

• It increases your chance of success • You’ll know what works and what doesn’t • You’ll know which marketing efforts to spend more money on • It will make you a better marketer in the long run REVIEW WEBSITE TRAFFIC AND OTHER ONLINE ACTIVITY It’s hard to run a successful business without an online presence. Even if you’re not selling anything online, you need a website to communicate with customers and to market your product or service.

To know how effective your website is, your monthly business checklist should include reviewing traffic and conversion levels. Use Google Analytics and read your product performance reports on third-party websites such as Amazon or eBay where applicable.

Test all the internal and external links on your website and make sure the contact details are up to date. If you are highly dependent on SEO, a monthly review of your performance in the SERPs is equally important.

POST REGULAR UPDATES ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS ON SOCIAL MEDIA Social media is a powerful business tool if you use it wisely and regularly. Decide which social media channels work best in your market and set up a monthly publishing plan for each.

Some of the most efficient social media channels for small businesses are: • Facebook • LinkedIn • Instagram • Twitter

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Post regular updates to show your clients or potential clients you are on top of your game. Review the results at the end of each month to determine which social media channels are giving you the greatest reach.

STAY INFORMED ABOUT YOUR INDUSTRY No man is an island. Neither is a business. If you don’t stay on top of industry news, you will lose out sooner or later. Here are some ways to stay informed about your industry: • Subscribe to the monthly newsletter of an authoritative publication in your niche market.

• Set aside at least 30 minutes a week or 2 hours a month to review industry news.

• Read and contribute to forums and discussions, online or elsewhere, in your industry.

• Sign up to receive Google alerts about industry related topics. This means any news related to certain keywords selected by you will land straight in your inbox.

KEEP YOUR IT SYSTEMS RUNNING SMOOTHLY Ensuring the safety of all business data is a key point of any monthly checklist for small businesses. If you don’t do it yourself, appoint someone to maintain your IT systems and manage automatic backups. It’s too risky to rely on your hard drive only. Burglaries, fires, and other natural disasters do happen.

Hold your IT person accountable by demanding monthly proof of the latest backups. Backups to both an external device and online are preferable.

Apart from backing up your systems and files, you should also invest in the latest anti-virus software. A breakdown in technology can instantly cripple your business and cost you thousands to recover.

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MEET WITH INTERESTED PARTIES Interested parties in your business may include your bookkeeper, investors, a board of directors, or even your bank manager. Getting in the habit of having a fixed monthly meeting with them is one of the best things you can do for your business.

Not all meetings with bookkeepers or investors need to be boring or dragged out. It can be a 20-minute Skype call or a coffee date away from the office. The important thing is that you touch base once a month to timeously pick up on possible problems.

Investors and directors are also excellent sounding boards. Regular conversations with them can highlight areas where your business can improve or expand.

PRIORITISE YOUR TIME Time management is an integral part of any monthly checklist for good business health. Not only should you know how to allocate your time while running your business, but you should also know when it’s time to stop working.

That’s right, maintaining a healthy work-life balance should be something to constantly strive for. There are many ways to achieve this: • Set fixed working hours • Put away digital devices when taking meals • Spend uninterrupted time with family and friends • Get enough sleep • Take breaks to exercise or go for a walk Whether your business is weak or strong, a checklist can help you feel more in control of the everyday running of it. However, it should not be definitive. Each business owner must adapt it to suit his or her own needs.

This 10-point monthly checklist for good business health should get small business owners thinking about the specific actions they need to take at regular intervals to put their business on the right track and keep it there. 

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How to Create a Successful Health & Fitness Business As the 2017 State of the UK Fitness Industry Report revealed, “the UK health and fitness industry continues to grow, being mainly driven from the private sector, which has more clubs, more members and a greater market value than ever before”.

BY TOM COWAN Head of Operations, Vyta App

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So, in such a heavily contested market place, how do you get ahead of the competition and create a successful health and fitness business?

According to David Walmsley, Senior Leisure Analyst at Mintel, “Flexibility and technology are two important emerging forces in the private health and fitness market”. The recent surge in the number of low-cost gyms has brought a greater degree of flexibility to the consumer, which has encouraged more users to enter the health and fitness market, drawn by the offerings of flexible payments and affordable personal training.

Technology, on the contrary, has trickled down from the premium sector, as clients demand more sophisticated training programmes and a more enjoyable, interactive experience, such as with the use of virtual reality treadmills and exercise bikes.

At Vyta, we have brought together these two aspects to create a service that is

fundamentally built around both flexibility and technology, in order to appeal to the modern health and fitness user. As we know, trying to arrange a session with a personal trainer can at times be a difficulty just in itself, with the client often having to fit around the trainer’s schedule and existing clients, and they may then still need to travel to the gym, which for some people is a big ask in our increasingly busy lifestyles. This is where the flexibility can sometimes be lacking and one reason why initially keen gym-goers may not be able to sustain their fitness regime, leading to a potential loss of momentum, lack of progress towards their goals and resultantly becoming demotivated and giving up before often then entering a repeating cycle of starting and stopping their fitness regime.

We think that we have the answer.

As an app, we revolve around the use of technology and as four out of five UK

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“We’ve given the client the power and made everything flexible to their needs”

adults now own a smartphone (Deloitte, 2016), we are becoming ever more centred around booking things onthe-go, on-demand from our fingertips. Booking a training session is a slick process, taking just 20 seconds, and can be made just one hour before you would like to train. We even have intelligence within the app that tracks your trainer’s location for the thirty minutes before your session, allowing you to maximise your time and be as productive as you can right up until your trainer arrives.

We’ve given the client the power and made everything flexible to their needs, somewhat turning the industry’s usual trainer-client dynamic on its head. From the Vyta app, you can choose when and where you would like your training session and our trainers come to you at your home, park, hotel or office; taking flexibility to a whole new level. We essentially fit training into your lifestyle rather than trying to make your lifestyle fit around your training, to maximise your chances of sustaining your fitness programme and minimising the risk of dropout. Clients also get the chance to browse our trainers’ profiles and have a look at their experience, qualifications and areas of expertise before selecting their favourite trainer for their session.

This is another benefit of Vyta. The health and fitness industry has an abundance of personal trainers, so how do you know which one to pick, who is going to be right for you

and your needs? Most people start with a personal trainer through a recommendation, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that they have the skills to meet your requirements or that you’ll find that their style suits you.

Through the Vyta app, we bring clients and trainers together to provide the client with a whole host of trainers to choose from, all in one place so they can quickly and conveniently pick out the one who they think is best suited to them. However, we aren’t a marketplace, all of our trainers have been handpicked following a rigorous recruitment process, selected for their expertise, including industry-recognised qualifications, their style and personality.

The whole Vyta training experience is personalised for each client. No matter which trainer you select, they will perform a consultation to fully understand you and to be able to tailor your programme to your needs and objectives. You will also be provided with a team-to-one approach, backed at all times by a dedicated support team to give you added motivation and input to keep you on track.

We hope that Vyta will be successful as a business and become a model example for the agile, modern health and fitness company but also to be a successful solution for our clients, giving them a more sustainable way to train that brings them a much more realistic way of achieving long-term health and fitness improvements.  entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

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How to prevent poor communication holding back your business I n business the illusion of communication can waste time and risks creating longterm problems.

Frequently we experience miscommunication where part of the information is lost or misunderstood by the other person. We might think that communication has occurred, but in actuality, it has not. In a business meeting both parties may think they understand what has been passed between them, but the ideas they take away are different.

This is where the illusion of communication can be most damaging.

Have you ever been on the receiving end of someone misinterpreting your words?

Have you ever been at a meeting with your colleagues only to realise afterwards that their interpretation of that meeting is very different to yours?

Perhaps you have sent a perfectly innocent email or text, and realised that the

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email recipient took offence - their interpretation was not your meaning!

Being misunderstood happens more frequently at work than perhaps we are aware of - and can often lead to wasted time and increased costs.

What goes wrong?

In conversations, the words that we hear and their meanings, are all filtered through our own unique context grid which is made up of our strongly held opinions, beliefs, and attitudes which have been shaped and reinforced over a lifetime. This results in us all unknowingly, putting our own interpretation or spin on the words of others.

Often, this results in words being misunderstood, meaning getting misinterpreted, feelings getting hurt and potentially people walking away from business opportunities.

In your own business when you are dependent

on someone to get a task accomplished, it is essential that you build a relationship with colleagues that will lead to open task-related communication.

Traditional conversations tend to be defined by what we tell rather than by what we ask.

Yet all my coaching experience has taught me that what builds a relationship, what solves problems, and what moves situations forward, is asking the right questions.

In order to enhance our relations – and our communications – we need to adopt The ABC of Courageous Conversations; the art of ENQUIRY: Asking questions to which you may not already know the answer; Building a relationship based on curiosity and interest in the other person; and Clarification seeking clarification so as you understand what is being said.

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“Courageous conversations can enhance your working relationship” An objective of every courageous conversation is to enhance the relationship – whether it’s with a work colleague, family member or friend. With courageous conversations we can connect, communicate and collaborate more effectively at a deep level of understanding.

All Courageous Conversations starts will selfenquiry, which follows the WOW approach: What happened Without an overlay of our assumptions, what actually happened and how does that make you feel?

Who else is it effecting – family/work colleagues/business contacts?

Own It How might you have contributed to this situation?

Something you did/did not say or do?

Win-win it for you and the other person When it’s resolved, what positive implication will it have for you/other person and family or work?

How does it make you feel?

Who else will benefit from this resolution – family/work

colleagues/business contacts?

Once you are clear on where you stand with this issue, is there someone you need to have a courageous conversation with? Is there anyone who can influence the desired outcome?

Before you start your courageous conversation with this person, do bear the following in mind: Tip 1 – park your emotions on the shelf. If you are in an emotional state, this is not the time to have the conversation…

WAIT. Instead come from a place of curiosity.

Tip 2 – Have the end in sight.

What is it you want to achieve in this conversation?

Tip 3 - Be patient and Listen.

Slow the conversation down.

And listen. We all like to be heard - really heard. They may well have insights you hadn’t counted on.

Courageous conversations can enhance your working relationship.

Making room for courageous conversations can deepen that connection, communication and collaboration.

Communication is vital in all aspects of work. When communicating – not only in presentations but on a day-today basis with work colleagues, be crystal clear. Where it is appropriate, seek clarification that what you meant was actually what was understood!

“Let me clarify, I’m not sure I explained well. What did you hear me say?”

The skill of Enquiry is necessary to identify needs for collaboration among interdependent work units and to facilitate such collaboration.

In the role of leader or manager, it is needed to create the relationships and the climate that will promote open communication.

Aiming to understand as well as to be understood can only bring business benefits! 

BY KAREN O’DONNELL Toastmasters International Karen O’Donnell is from Toastmasters International, a non-profit educational organisation that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of meeting locations.

Headquartered in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, the organisation’s membership exceeds 352,000 in more than 16,400 clubs in 141 countries.

Since 1924, Toastmasters International has helped people of all backgrounds become more confident in front of an audience. There are more than 300 clubs in the UK and Ireland with over 7,500 members. To find your local club: www.toastmasters. org Follow @Toastmasters on Twitter. entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

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How will large scale shocks impact the future of your business?

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hocks are something we’ve come to accept whether it’s a reality star as US President or the vote for the UK to leave the EU. Alongside accepting them preparing for shocks is important for us as individuals, businesses, governments, or society. Many such shocks can be anticipated which, of course is a core part of the work we do as futurists. In our forthcoming book 500 Futures, we introduce a range of these future factors and potential disruptions which could shape the next decade and beyond. Here we highlight six possible shocks that could have a truly transformative impact and which every entrepreneur needs to consider for existing and future ventures.

TOTAL RECALL LITE - EXPERIENCE DANGEROUS AND DIFFERENT WORLDS FROM THE COMFORT OF MAIN STREET? With rapidly rising rates of retail closures around the world, they could be replaced by technology rich experience centers offering the promise of plugging in, zoning out of daily life, and tuning in to a range of other worldly experiences. A new type of leisure agent could start appearing in shopping districts and malls around the world.

Where once travel agents provided their clients with a one stop holiday shop, they could in increasingly be joined, and even replaced, by experience agents.

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the heat, humidity, rain, and sounds of the Amazonian rain forest. For a drier experience, why not try the intense heat, blinding sun, and shifting sands of the Sahara Desert. For those seeking otherworldly experiences, why not select the haunting sounds of wind passing across the Elysium Planitia in the near vacuum of the Martian atmosphere. Building on the trend of experience gifting from the noughties, the popularity of this new retail phenomenon could grow exponentially.

DEATH OF THE SCREEN AND THE SPOKEN WORD A decade from now computers, smartphones, and tablets might be replaced by the projection of data and images directly onto our eyes. Virtual reality projections might be overlaid onto our eyeballs to influence and enrich our experience when interacting with the world. When coupled with thought transfer via our headsets, we might never need to speak to another human again.

We could interact silently with a friend´s avatar instead of having to type the text on a screen.

Mixed reality could become our daily experience of life. Those living in this mixed reality existence might choose not to interact with humans that don’t use eyeball projection and thought transfer and still require us to make the effort to speak.

UNPLUGGING: THE OFF-GRID HOLIDAY? The rise in workplace stress, and the pressures of 24/7 availability for the modern employee,

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could see employers, doctors, and even the state mandating that people deliberately take an unplugged break to rediscover and rejuvenate themselves. The desire for privacy and the need to unplug and go ‘off grid’ are also likely to grow as we become ever-more deeply enmeshed in the matrix of always-on, ever-present digitally enabled objects and sensors that connect and monitor humans virtually.

Today, some retreats offer Wi-Fi-free zones as an amenity, others promote themselves as a tech-free haven. In the near future, guaranteed off-the-grid, fully disconnected ‘sanctuaries’ may become the next hottest vacation destination to escape the fast paced, constantly observed modern lifestyle. Governments might be forced to act to mandate such breaks because of the rising costs to society of poor mental health, and the potential loss of tax revenues from people who take long-term sick leave, or simply quit their jobs due to stress.

THE END OF AGING? Manipulation of our cells at the genetic level using ingestible nanobots could help reverse or retard the aging process quite dramatically.

Nanobots are capable of moving through our bodies and blood stream to perform specific tasks such as removing or repositioning molecules from one place to another. The development of this technology might have dramatic effects on the of future human health.

Based on the patient’s health requirements and their genetic predispositions, the nanobots could be designed to fabricate required medicines autonomously. Whenever certain disease starts manifesting, such as cancer, nanobots could deliver the medicine needed to fight it.

BREXIT BRINGS DOWN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY? A badly managed and chaotic Brexit could drive a prolonged global recession.

Foreign companies may opt to move key operations out of the UK to ensure continuity of access to European markets. The pace of automation may accelerate as firms seek to reduce their risks by cutting staff costs and replacing humans with machines. The prospects of an uncertain transition period and protracted post-transition rebalancing of the UK economy

could spook markets, driving down share prices and the value of the pound. Collectively, these measures could lead to massive job cuts in both the public and private sectors, declining spending, higher import costs, and a significant reduction in government tax revenues. The UK economy could nosedive into a prolonged recession that lasts several years with a contagion effect that sweeps across the planet and drives a global downturn.

MANUAL CARS BANNED FROM CITY CENTERS? The days of taking a drive into busy city centers could be numbered. With the transition from petrol and diesel cars to electric, the precedent was set to accept new technologies in personal transport. Electric cars sought to keep people safe from polluting petrol and diesel engines, and the promise of autonomous cars is to eliminate human error; the major cause of road traffic accidents and the resulting injuries and deaths. With the development of artificial intelligence in vehicles and the connectivity with traffic signals, city authorities might begin to ban manually driven cars from city centers, almost totally eliminating accidents.

Large scale shocks will continue to arrive.

We all need to anticipate those which impact our current businesses and take action in response.

We also can anticipate to help shape our next business ideas. 

BY ROHIT TALWAR, STEVE WELLS, ALEXANDRA WHITTINGTON, APRIL KOURY, AND HELENA CALLE Fast Future The authors are futurists with Fast Future a professional foresight firm specializing in delivering keynote speeches, executive education, research, and consulting on the emerging future and the impacts of change for global clients.

Fast Future publishes books from leading future thinkers around the world, exploring how developments such as AI, robotics, exponential technologies, and disruptive thinking could impact individuals, societies, businesses, and governments and create the trillion-dollar sectors of the future. Fast Future has a particular focus on ensuring these advances are harnessed to unleash individual potential and enable a very human future. See: www.fastfuture.com entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

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Investing in the future and the importance of giving back

BY DR. JOHNNY HON

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n entrepreneur and investor by profession, I set up my angel investment and venture capital firm, the Global Group, a little over 20 years ago, but I am a philanthropist at heart. I have no doubt that giving back has ultimately made me a more successful, well-rounded businessman.

My company was founded just after I completed my Ph.D. in psychiatry at the University of Cambridge, specialising in the link between Down’s Syndrome and Alzheimer’s.

While I was studying, I realised that I could ultimately help more people as a successful businessman rather than as a doctor. Philanthropy and social responsibility have therefore always played an integral role in my business dealings they have kept me motivated, 38

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grounded and inspired over the past 21 years.

Investing in the future is of fundamental importance – as leaders, we have a responsibility to ensure that our investments are sustainable and ultimately help make the world a better place.

I was born in Hong Kong, educated from secondary school to my Ph.D. in Britain and now operate my business worldwide.

My global upbringing informs all areas of my life. My business focuses on facilitating relationships, trade, investment and entrepreneurial collaborations between the East and the West, and my philanthropy looks at building a better world for those in most need.

In practical terms, I’ve contributed to several hundred charities over the last 21 years

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“I make sure I spend a considerable part of my time on philanthropic pursuits” and have served on 30 major charities in senior management and advisory positions. I think it is crucial that I continue to spread the word about the work I do and the foundations and good causes that my company supports, with the aim that other business leaders might also follow suit.

To me, philanthropy is not just about numbers, it’s about making time.

That is the most important message I want to share with other entrepreneurs and investors: time is your most valuable commodity. As a global businessman, I’m travelling most days of the year.

Despite my hectic schedule, I make sure I spend a considerable part of my time on philanthropic pursuits and am always looking for inspiration when I attend networking events, marrying business with social responsibility.

One such organisation that I actively support is the Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust (HART), founded by the Baroness Cox. I have accompanied the Baroness on visits to countries like Armenia and South Sudan, to explore initiatives for economic development, to provide hands-on support to help disadvantaged communities, and to ensure I experience the positive impact of the Trust first-hand.

They say you should stay true to your roots and this certainly applies to

the relationship between my medical training and my philanthropic efforts.

I have been a long-serving committee member and Chairman of the Lok Sin Tong Benevolent Society, one of Hong Kong’s leading charities, and my greatest achievement was to set up the most modern elderly residential home in Hong Kong, applying an innovative service model I devised during my Ph.D. studies.

Indeed, much of my philanthropy relates to my life experiences and my awareness of my fortunate position as a leading global businessman. I personally benefited from the UK education system and with that in mind, I established the Johnny Hon China Scholarship for International Relations at Oxford University and the Johnny Hon Peking University Scholarship at Hughes Hall, my Cambridge college.

I truly want to provide others with an opportunity to experience and benefit from these world-class educational institutions – and to support the next generation of leading entrepreneurs and investors.

In my family life, I am passionate about teaching my four daughters the value of philanthropy. I have an overwhelming love for my family – and I want them to have respect and understanding of just how fortunate they are. I often take them to care homes to learn the meaning of compassion and service – you truly cannot start this education soon enough.

Philanthropy, therefore, runs through the core of my business and, indeed, my life. When looking back on 21 years at the helm of the Global Group, I see some of my greatest achievements as the immense and tangible impact I have made on other people’s lives through charitable endeavours.

As business leaders, we have a great responsibility to invest in the future and to ensure we are supporting the development of the next generation of entrepreneurs.  entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

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Moving from evaluator to developer - the 5 crucial conversations managers need to be having

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aking a position as a manager for the first time could be compared to becoming a new parent: Nothing prepares you for what’s to come! Most neophyte managers have little relevant experience; many lack any formal training in the essential management skills.

A manager’s success is often largely down to trial and error and the ability to be open to and reflect on opportunities for learning. The lucky ones might have some good role models and ideal staff to enhance their chances of success.

Just as parenting approaches have changed - for example, from disciplining to explaining, so the theories of management have changed from an emphasis on the manager as command and control to a focus on employees. These days there’s less micro-management and more empowerment; less stick and more carrot.

What’s remained consistent, is the premise that the role of the manager is to get work done through others. What’s changing however, is the way in which managers engage with employees, and thereby create a motivating and productive environment.

The most recent shift in management focus is the move from evaluator to developer. The simple interpretation of the neuroscientific rationale behind this, is that the perceived fear

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of evaluation interferes with the brain’s capacity to take on new information, resulting in what Dr David Rock refers to as an ‘away-response’ – minimising danger. Development, on the other hand, fosters a ‘toward-response.’ – maximising reward. An indication of this change of focus is the abandonment of traditional performance management systems in many leading businesses. And with good cause, since research highlights that as few as one in ten employees felt the system improved their performance (e.g.

Pulakos, 2004).

The presence of a system per se is immaterial – even though your organisation may have invested several thousands of pounds in the latest People Factors, Success Force, Super Duper, Whizz Bang, All-Singing, All-Dancing, Cloud-Based Solution. The fact is, the system tends to offer more complexity than value. What matters is the nature of the conversations that take place between manager and employee, face-to-face, eyeball-to-eyeball, and how well the manager brokers employee development aspirations with business needs.

The notion of the manager as developer depends on five crucial conversations that pepper the working day, week, month and year:

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SETTING GOALS Sadly, in many of businesses, performance goals are relegated to a cut and paste list of tasks that need to be performed, aka ‘the job’. Instead, goals should provide a focus for developing performance. Too many goals and it’s difficult to prioritise where to focus your effort. Too few goals and it can feel like you’re not making progress. It’s important to identify the 2-4 challenging goals that will have an impact. Learning goals, defined by psychologist Carol Dweck as “goals in which one pursues mastery and growth” are more motivating than performance goals – those goals that secure positive judgements about your achievements. Specific goals work better than generalities. Also, the harder the goal, the more it motivates.

Wherever possible goals should help employees see ‘what’s in it for them’.

FEEDBACK Feedback is the fuel for performance.

Without it, the employee’s engine will stutter. Too much of it – especially negative feedback – and the engine gets flooded and stalls. Feedback doesn’t have to mean a big, set-piece conversation. Indeed, it’s more valuable if feedback is frequent, balanced and intermittent. Frequent feedback develops people faster because it shortens the performance development cycle. Balanced feedback means that people get the recognition they crave for a job done well, or effort made, as well as constructive comments on how to do better. Intermittent feedback is useful in strengthening desired performance.

Think of feedback as a ‘gift’ – if what you want to say to someone isn’t something they’re going to perceive as valuable, then it’s probably more for your benefit, so zip it! Recent research from the Neuroleadership Institute shows that feedback has more value when the employee asks for it, so it’s helpful

if managers can model this and create an expectation that employees will actively seek feedback from colleagues, managers and customers. What they gather is a great source of learning.

COACHING Coaching is all about helping someone to improve their performance. Managers should be coaching most of the time if they are to achieve the double header of getting work done through others and developing people. The coaching could be reactive, and short-term, focussing on solving a problem, or tackling a tricky task. Coaching conversations can also take account of the longer-term job and career development of the individual.

Coaching relies on the manager being able to assess the resourcefulness of the individual through their conversation. Someone who’s struggling may need more direction. A highly-motivated, proactive team member is more likely to both accurately diagnose their needs and identify potential solutions.

If conversations 1-3 are happening regularly, both the manager and employee know where they’re headed, what help they need and if they’re on track. There are two other conversations that fall to the manager on a less regular basis: APPRAISAL This is the year-end review. In an ideal world, this conversation is a mere formality, tying up the threads of conversations that have taken place throughout the year. It’s an opportunity to review and celebrate what went well, providing recognition for a job well done and/or effort applied. It’s also the chance to reflect on what was less successful and why that might be.

The purpose of the conversation is to learn and confirm. There should be no surprises.

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REWARD The fifth and final conversation in the development cycle is reward: pay, bonus, and other types of remuneration, e.g. financed study, sabbatical etc. Reward heavily influences an employee’s sense of fairness – is this reward commensurate with my performance?

There’s a much greater chance of alignment if the previous conversations have happened regularly and honestly.

The success of these conversations lies in the manager having skills of inquiry, listening, and learning.

Regrettably, these skills are in short supply. Reliance on systems also risks these skills heading towards extinction. If the manager acts as judge, pronouncing on an employee’s performance, there’s no conversation, only a monologue. Instead, if the manager leads with questions, exercising her curiosity, she’ll engage the employee, discovering much more about him and how best to help.

Darden professor Ed Hess, in his book: “Humility is the New Smart”, talks about the importance of listening to learn, not to confirm your existing preconceptions. Actively listening also sends a positive message to employees, that you value them and that you want to understand them.

The skills of inquiry, listening and learning are the conversational skills for smart managers, who can develop staff for now and for the future.

Conversation matters. 

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BY ALLY YATES Author of ‘Utter Confidence: How what you say and do influences your effectiveness in business’.

Ally Yates is author of ‘Utter Confidence: How what you say and do influences your effectiveness in business’ and an expert on Behaviour Analysis and the interactions that define us. She combines a deep understanding of people and how to achieve results, based on her many years’ experience working with large corporate clients around the world.

Since 2000 Ally has been working as an independent consultant, facilitator, trainer and coach. She has collaborated with international business schools and has received national and international training awards.

Web: www.allyyates.com

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Sole trader/ partnership or limited company

What will work best for your business?

BY VANESSA PARNELL Partner at Thomas Westcott Chartered Accountants

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e are often asked to consider what the best trading structure for a business might be, and with that the tax benefits of trading through a limited company can be a major influencing factor.

While incorporation is still beneficial, with changes in dividend taxation over recent years the tax benefits of trading through a limited company have slowly been eroded. And, from 6th April 2018, the benefits will be eroded further as the £5,000 tax-free dividend allowance is reducing to £2,000.

This reduction in the tax-free threshold from 6th April 2018 will cost individuals in receipt of £5,000 of dividends an additional £225 (or £975 if a higher rate tax payer) for the tax year 2018/2019 compared to 2017/2018.

However, even with this increased personal tax charge, this does not necessarily mean that it is no longer tax efficient to trade through a limited company.

There are many other factors to take into account when considering the best trading vehicle for your business and we would always advise that full consideration is given to these before making a decision.

A few of the other considerations that should be borne in mind when looking at the best trading vehicle are: • Will you want to extract all profits from the business each year? Using a limited

company can allow profits to be retained within the business, where they are only subject to tax at 19% (reducing to 17% in 2020). If you have taken on debt this can mean that a limited company can repay the debt quicker. For example, for every £10,000 of profit earned a limited company would have £8,100 to repay the capital on debt, whereas a sole trader/partnership would only have £7,100 if a basic rate tax payer or £5,800 if a higher rate tax payer.

• Although the personal tax cost is increasing the rate of corporation tax is gradually falling, which to an extent offsets the increased personal tax cost.

• A limited company may commercially be a much better trading vehicle, as it offers limited liability, whereas in general the risk of trading as a sole trader/partnership is greater, with all your personal assets at risk.

• Some industries or customers will only contract with a limited company from a risk and compliance perspective.

Consideration should also be given to the nature of your business and what enhanced tax reliefs may be available to you.

For example, if you are likely to be undertaking significant Research & Development work then a company structure may be the better trading vehicle to access reliefs only available to limited companies.  entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

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The Changing Digital Marketing Landscape: What you need to know Digital marketing never stays static. So, what do you need to know to stay ahead of your competition? How do you separate the facts from the fads?

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE Artificial intelligence, or AI, is a significant force in marketing now. AI works by learning and responding and this power is being used in a number of marketing areas. Machine learning – the ability for AI to learn and improve itself without explicitly being programmed has seen the functional scope of what is possible expand rapidly in recent years. Marketing is at the forefront of AI use. Google’s AdWords and Facebook both use AI to refine who is shown what adverts. AI goes even further beyond this in marketing.

VOICE SEARCH & DIGITAL ASSISTANTS The most commonplace use of AI is in the digital assistants like Amazon Echo’s Alexa, Google Home’s Google Assistant and Apple’s Siri. The rise of voice search is something you need to be aware of due to the pace at which it is growing.

There are an estimated 50 billion searches per month now activated by voice.

The searches are on both Voice First devices (those that do not have a screen, meaning all interaction is through audio, like Amazon Echo and Google Home), mobile phones and increasingly desktop devices that have voice search capabilities.

The main impact areas from voice search are:

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1. No screen for results – only the first result is read out by devices so being number 2 in the results now has little benefit. The fight to be the number 1 search result is going to become increasingly intense for marketeers going forward.

2. Longer and question based search queries Voice searches tend to be longer and more sentence based than typed search queries.

The impact here is that you need to start optimizing your content for themes, not rigid sets of keywords.

3. Retained context & personalization – The AI is retaining the context of what has been said before, which means that the results provided are dependent on this and increasingly granular personalisation.

4. Local & mobile bias – a large majority of voice searches are being done on mobile devices. Google has said that 20% of its mobile device / app based searches are now done by voice. Searches like ‘find a coffee shop near me’ take into account the user’s geo-location data to provide results.

5. Dis-intermediation – Voice search is facilitating greater disintermediation. If you ask Amazon’s Alexa to order you a large peperoni pizza one will arrive from Domino’s. You do not get the choice. Being the chosen supplier or being number one in results gives massive market power when voice search is going direct to transaction.

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CHATBOTS Helpful chat boxes in the corners of websites have become increasingly popular. Often when discussing their use with clients over the past few years the issue has been manning these chat systems, so that web visitors have someone ready to interact with, especially in smaller businesses and outside of normal hours. This problem is ceasing to be a problem through the application of AI. Chat systems powered by AI can understand the conversational tone and like search algorithm changes, hold previous data to form context. Good bots can provide personalised responses to people’s questions.

This year we’ll see better chatbots as the technology becomes more mainstream and mistakes that have come before are learnt from and improvements are made. The other big difference is the way that bots can integrate with existing messaging Apps such as WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger by inviting the Bot to join a conversation. This will make bots much more prevalent in 2018 and just like voice search make their use by people habitual not exceptional.

SMARKETING No, it is not a typo. The Smarketing theory is that businesses need to stop thinking about Sales and Marketing as two separate functions.

This can be easier said than done, especially with established hierarchies and managers protecting self-interest, but it makes sense. To a potential customer they view a potential supplier in singular terms. To them the experience they have with that business should be consistently good throughout their buying journey. So, they should not experience a dramatic change in tone, approach, content or even offering when they move from browsing a website to being contacted by a sales person.

There is a benefit for businesses acquiring new customers by taking an Smarketing approach. If you have a joined up Smarketing team you do not face the issues of marketing pushing the wrong types of leads, or the wrong level of seniority, or too many / too few leads

into the sales function.

A seamless Smarketing team leads to better customer experience, which is likely to improve close rates and reduces internal business inefficiencies reducing cost and improving output.

RISE & RISE OF INBOUND Inbound marketing has been around for some time. Since John Deere started the Furrow Magazine in 1895 if you include the offline approach. However, digital inbound marketing continues to gain ground and is set to become as mainstream as having a mobile friendly website for B2B companies.

Inbound also feeds into the trends from search engines to look for content and optimizing for themes. Building great content is great for your visitors, the search engines know this, but inbound marketing and content marketing places the emphasis much more on getting this content to achieve the business goals.

If you follow inbound marketing techniques you create your content in a much more structured way. Content is focused on specific audience groups, personas, and their needs.

Their need for information changes through their buying journey and good inbound marketing addresses not only the differing content needs at different stages, but crucially also moves the prospect along the buying journey. ď Ž

BY TIM BUTLER Founder of Innovation Visual Tim Butler is founder of Innovation Visual, a digital marketing consultancy specialising in digital effectiveness. Recognised by Google as one of the top 30 digital agencies in the UK, Innovation Visual uses the latest techniques in SEO, PPC and online content creation, and is an award-winning Google, Bing and Hubspot Partner. Innovation Visual works to increase website visibility, lead generation, customer acquisition and developing competitive advantage digitally. entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

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The importance of purpose for successful leadership

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he notion of leadership and what makes a great leader have long fascinated the academic and business world alike. The styles and approaches of great leaders such as Nelson Mandela and Winston Churchill have been endlessly analysed and explored to try and capture exactly what it is that makes for successful leadership.

Indeed, researchers and practitioners have identified a vast array of leadership theories and frameworks to help us identify, select and train leaders. Leadership styles including ‘authentic’, ‘ethical’ and ‘valuesbased’ have been much discussed and examined. However, they are largely concerned with describing the characteristics of leaders rather than successful outcomes and the role an organisation can play in achieving them, and do not fully explain leadership success.

Something which has not been explored in-depth, however, is the role and importance of ‘purpose’ in leadership. An evidenced-based leadership model – the result of research as part of a unique collaboration between Kingston Business School’s Wellbeing at Work Research Group (part of Kingston University) and Adastrum Consulting – looks to provide a clear, evidenced-based foundation in

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understanding the process involved in leading with purpose and why it is key to success.

The notion of purpose is, of course, not a new one and has received recent interest in the business and HR world.

Yet limited academic research into ‘purpose’ in leadership exists. What is distinctive about this research is that the focus begins with understanding how leaders with purpose define success – and how they use this as a means for guiding their approach, and against which they rate their progress.

What does this mean for established and up and coming leaders?

Key findings from the research and resulting model show how focusing on a sense of purpose can lead to success.

The research shows that a sense of purpose is created throughout life’s journey and encapsulates one’s personal values, goals and identity.

This allows the leader to see meaning in their purpose; meaning that often comes from having overcome significant challenges and as a result of being influenced by significant others in their life and career to date. A sense of purpose is personal, internalised and self-imposed, it cannot (like goals and objectives) be given to you!

What is distinctive about this research is that the focus begins with understanding how leaders with

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purpose define success, and how they use this as a means for guiding their approach and against which they rate their progress. A leader with purpose defines success in terms of the legacy they will leave, the impact they intend to make in achieving both financial and business objectives and more widely in terms of impact at the team, organisational and stakeholder level. A leader with purpose is also concerned to align their own personal values with their own definition of success, and achieve a sense of meaning and wellbeing in attaining their goals.

as a complex structure, unsupportive culture or lack of focus and limitations of the team including inadequate resources and calibre, and other external factors such as the economy.

The findings also highlight that a sense of purpose is time bound and there will come a point when a leader’s purpose within a role is fulfilled and their job “done”. To remain successful and effective, they need to either find a new sense of purpose –which may come through a promotion or new role – or exit the organisation and find it elsewhere. This obviously has huge

“success in leadership is dependent on conceptualising purpose and having the facilitators in place to realise this” Instead of being reliant on a set of specific characteristics, the new model clearly shows that success in leadership is dependent on conceptualising purpose and having the facilitators in place to realise this. However, a leader’s sense of purpose is much more likely to translate to success if certain key facilitators are present – such as behaviours. As such, key characteristics, such as being transparent, consistent and passionate are important.

A leader’s sense of purpose is also much more likely to translate into success if certain barriers are overcome, which exist both internally and externally to the person. These can include limitations of the job role, such as a lack of overall responsibility, limitations of the organisation such

implications for how leaders view their current and future roles, as well as succession planning in general.

In addition to turning much of established thinking around leadership on its head, this research also highlights that a fresh approach to identifying, assessing and validating success in leadership is needed. Organisations and individuals alike need to rethink their approach to leadership, to include a renewed focus on the importance of purpose and providing facilitators and removing barriers to success. 

BY CHRIS UNDERWOOD Managing Director at executive search and leadership development firm Adastrum Consulting entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

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Top Tips for Entrepreneurs

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he idea for VITA came from personal experience. Perhaps not surprising when you consider what it is! It was towards the end of the Summer in 2016 and at the time I was spending a lot of time with some friends on a boat off the coast of Ibiza. It was a beautiful summer, but I felt that drinking regularly had started taking its toll on my appearance and my health. I thought about the lack of healthy mixer-drink options and decided to make a vodka that was designed specifically to taste great when mixed with just water. Fizzy or still.

FIRST STEPS Almost immediately playtime was over and I had started my search for the best ingredients, the best team, and the strongest infrastructure in the whole of the Mediterranean region. Admittedly these were my first steps into the spirits industry, but I knew I had a great idea that filled a gaping hole in the market. And that confidence was helped by the incredible team we came to have. The spirits veterans bring a wealth of experience and fantastic connections within the industry, whereas

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the young entrepreneurs bring energy (and keep us grounded in our Millennial target market).

THE RESEARCH STAGE - THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF BEING AN ENTREPRENEUR That search was also the beginning of what was about to be a long process of researching, reading and re-researching. I dug into the market, got under its skin, and kept digging until I knew it inside out. It seems obvious, but this research stage is unequivocally the most important.

Once you know your market, it’s time to get to know your competitors; how did they start, where did they go wrong, what did they do right, and how can you do it better? Also, through understanding your market and the competitors that already inhabit it, you’ll see time and time again the value of relative trends reports.

Yes, more reading, but it’s incredible what these reports can confirm, suggest and accurately speculate.

CRUNCH THE NUMBERS Once I felt like I must know the answer to every question about the product and the

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“I consider myself lucky to be in a position to bring this worldwide first to the market; and you need that same certainty” market it inhabits, I was ready to prepare a business plan.

The most important thing was just to make sure that it all actually made financial sense!

Also I utilised all of my new expert contacts and asked for their comments. An expert’s perspective is there to be utilised.

ASK THE EXPERTS If you start to feel like you’re turning into a hermit with all the reading and research, don’t worry, talking to the right people is also invaluable.

Whether these are other entrepreneurs in similar or alternative categories to yours; experts specific to your market, your USP or your aim; or key investors with the kind of wisdom and knowledge that only comes with experience.

Talk to them all.

I’ve already mentioned the incredible team behind VITA, but to reiterate, the biggest factor behind the success of any business is the team driving it. Go and build up your team of experts, each one an authority in their particular relevant field. There’s no way

you’re going to be able to know everything, so you’re going to have to get comfortable relying on the knowledge of others.

TEAM + IDEA = EVERYTHING! It was around this time I was then able to start looking for investors and eventually starting to sell. Again, the team’s combination of experience, connections and drive really came into its own here. We got ourselves established, got some great media coverage around the product and its revolutionary thinking, tested VITA in the Spanish market and it was successful enough to become the top selling vodka on Amazon Spain. This reaction meant that we were able to sign an exclusive deal with leading Mexican spirits retailer La Europea, cementing us in the Mexican market as well. This in turn lead to a great recommendation to the purchasing manager, which (after some great persuading skills) our team handled perfectly. And now, VITA has just launched in the UK, where vodka consumption is 15x higher than in Spain(!) - to be

distributed by Drinks 21, who are also taking VITA to Italy and France.

Young entrepreneurs need to have confidence in their ideas. I consider myself lucky to be in a position to bring this worldwide first to the market; and you need that same certainty. If you put your passion to the test and research your industry inside out (I know, I know), you’ll eventually start to make an impact, and all those hermit nights and long days will pay off. 

BY VICTOR RUIZ LAFITA Co-Founder and CEO of Vita Victor Ruiz Lafita is the Cofounder and CEO of Vita, a spirits brand founded in 2016 and based in Madrid, Spain.

Vita is best-known for creating Vita Vodka Water – the world’s first vodka designed to be mixed with water, which allows drinkers to enjoy alcohol without the sugar, gluten and additives prevalent in soft-drink mixers.

When coming into contact with still or carbonated water, Vita releases a burst of natural scents, flavours and freshness, creating a lowcalorie, refreshing vodka drink that offsets dehydration and eliminates the need for sugary mixers.

After a strong reception in its native Spain and significant interest from international distributors, Vita is set to launch in the UK – via spirits distributors Ooberstock and Drink21– where vodka consumption is 15 times higher and health trends are far stronger. entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

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Effective Leadership Skills How can entrepreneurs ensure they and their organizations are fit for the future?

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ne answer is handling the biggest challenge: leading in the rapidly evolving, complex, global landscape.

A “futurist mindset” will be needed for successful leadership.

Successful entrepreneurial leader will need the ability to look over the horizon and continuously adjusting in response to the new risks and opportunities that are seen.

Our forthcoming publication, The Future Leader’s Handbook, is intended to help address these challenges in a highly practical manner. In this extract from the book, we highlight some of the key principles for ensuring that we are leading into the future and not clinging on to the past.

Continuous Foresight and Experimentation Cycles. The old planning model has been overturned. An annual or bi-annual long-term planning exercise to guide strategic leadership just won’t cut it, when sectors are being disrupted on an almost quarterly basis.

The emerging best practice model is to scan continuously - looking far, wide, and into the shadows for what might be coming towards us.

These scenarios and scanning

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insights should help us iterate our way towards the future using rapid idea testing experiments around possible new products and services, processes, channels to market, business models, and customer engagement approaches. The goal here is to help us learn key information rapidly, develop new knowledge and capabilities, fail fast when appropriate, and progress quickly.

Maintain a Constant Dialogue with Key Stakeholders – The leaders who are least surprised by the future tend be those with the broadest radar. They are always exploring both the issues of today and the factors that could shape and disrupt the future. They do their data gathering in the most natural way possible – by talking constantly to customers, prospects, suppliers, partners, shareholders, competitors, industry associations, business networks, advisors, industry analysts, commentators, journalists and - most importantly – their own staff. They probe for ideas and developments that could accelerate quickly and for weak signals of potentially big changes to come.

Learn Something New Every Day, Then Watch it Grow. Don’t leave scanning just to the futurists. Allocate at least a couple of hours a week to exploring what’s coming next. Good future leaders learn quickly to establish the habits of a trendspotter and seek out new information at every possible turn. Subscribe to newsletters, follow thought leaders on social media, join webinars, and work daily to widen your media diet to include information that broadens your mind. Seek out diverse information sources and cultivate your findings on a link-sharing or social media page of your own. Watch and learn as your observations go from fringe to mainstream.

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Define the Present Broadly.

Study history and archaeology to cultivate and enhance understanding of time and progress. The best future leaders have a sense of context – a solid grasp of civilizational rise and collapse, failed societies, and gaps in the scientific understanding of the past. Consider future generations as stakeholders for whom you are accountable. Envision the great-grandparent holding the newborn baby, and all the past and future the image conveys: that is the present.

Shape a Forward-Looking Culture. Look at the dominant behaviors and stories around the organization. Who do we make heroes of? Are we celebrating and rewarding those who scout out emerging change and seek to pioneer new ideas?

How are we using public spaces – are staff surrounded by constantly changing images, icons, and questions of what’s next – or charts of past performance, safety notices, and policy statements?

How is our appraisal and bonus system designed – are innovation and challenging the “system” encouraged and rewarded?

Rebalance Technical and Soft Skills. If we accept that in the past our success as leaders has been based on our technical knowledge, then acknowledging the pace and scale of emerging change should lead us to conclude that softer skills will become increasingly important.

Presuming that automation takes away the need from some technical knowhow, perhaps future leaders will be required to demonstrate a tolerance of uncertainty, the ability to cope with complexity, to exhibit empathy within our organisations, and to value collaboration and relationship development.

All our stakeholders: from shareholders and stock analysts to customers, partners, and staff are all looking for reassurance that our decision making is based not just on the past but on our assessment of the future.

A future leader is someone with the quirky habit of being a trendspotter, someone who brings people together around new ideas, and someone who remains attuned to unique connections between ideas. Being a future leader is a learnable skill that enhances a highly innate tendency within the human spirit, which is to always look ahead. This capacity to learn about and experiment into the emerging future is one of the critical traits that will distinguish the best performers from the “could try harders”.

Fast Future’s forthcoming book, The Future Leader’s Handbook - A Guide to Leading With Foresight, is a resource for those at the helm of business who want to use insights on what’s next to ensure better decision making today. The book explains how to apply futurist perspectives and applied foresight approaches to future proof decision making in business, government, NGOs, non-profits, and academia. The book lays the groundwork for understanding and acting on the critical trends, forces, ideas, developments, issues, and forecasts influencing the next decade. The Future Leader’s Handbook - A Guide to Leading With Foresight is aimed at professionals at the sharp end of decision making, who are preparing organizations, communities, and their own lives for the arrival of a future that does not resemble the past. 

BY ROHIT TALWAR, STEVE WELLS, ALEXANDRA WHITTINGTON AND HELENA CALLE Fast Future Rohit Talwar, Steve Wells, Alexandra Whittington and Helena Calle are from Fast Future which publishes books from future thinkers around the world exploring how developments such as AI, robotics and disruptive thinking could impact individuals, society and business and create new trillion-dollar sectors. The latest books from Fast Future are: ‘Beyond Genuine Stupidity Ensuring AI Serves Humanity’, and ‘The Future - Reinvented: Reimagining Life, Society, and Business’. And their forthcoming book is ‘500 Futures’.

Web: www.fastfuture.com

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Tropical Island Private Residence Investments Have you ever thought about how wonderful it would be to have your very own place in paradise? Somewhere where you can visit with family, friends and colleagues whenever you wished? Intelligent Luxe pioneering resorts Soneva Fushi and stunning Soneva Jani offer the opportunity for you to co-design and purchase your own incredible eco-friendly and super luxe villa in what is considered by many to be the most beautiful place in the world.

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ocated in unspoilt atolls in the Maldives, both offer a limited number of Private Residences to discerning clientele. Whether your preference is for a spacious and grand 4-bedroom villa with large pool hidden way for privacy, yet just a few steps from a powder-soft white beach, or a spectacular over-water home in Soneva Jani’s turquoise lagoon complete with water slide, retractable roof, pool and spacious entertaining areas, Soneva can make it happen.

There are other benefits of owning a villa in these resorts too, including income sharing in the Villa Rental Programme, allowing for a return on your investment; discounts at high end Food and Beverage outlets, fight transfers and other leisure services; exclusive Soneva Club membership; special benefits at other Soneva

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properties; and exchangeability of owner days within all Soneva properties, subject to availability. Plus, all villa owners benefit from the services of Mr. or Ms. Friday private butlers, who are on hand to cater to your every wish.

In terms of financial benefits, the Private Residences achieve a strong cash yield when rented out when owners are away from the resort. Also, capital prices in the Maldives have been appreciating by around 8% to 10% per annum. And owners of course potentially save tens of thousands of pounds each year by staying in their own villa, rather than spending on costly luxury holidays elsewhere. ď Ž For more information on how to invest in your own slice of paradise, email residences@soneva.com or visit www. soneva.com/residences

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Blenheim Palace Classic & Supercar 2018 For those wanting inspiration as to which cars to invest in, this is an ideal event to see hundreds of supercars and classics in pristine condition, to help you create your wish list.

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lenheim Palace Classic & Supercar returns for its 2nd year on Sunday 2nd September 2018. Created by luxury automotive organisers, Salon Prive, the thrilling event was a roaring success drawing crowds of over 10,000 visitors to its first show.

The family-friendly day will showcase more than 300 of the world’s greatest classic and supercars in the stunning surroundings of the Oxfordshire World Heritage Site.

The Pirelli Prestige & Performance Competition is the focus of the day, featuring 80 sensational super and hypercars built 1977 from 1978 to the current day, hosted by prestigious Italian tyre manufacturer Pirelli within the Palace’s Great Court.

With eight pre-selected classes including ‘Hypercars’, ‘Super Roadsters’, ‘200mph Club, ‘Hybrid’ and ‘Open-Top Porsche 911 (1970 1989)’, it’s an exciting competition culminating in the Winner’s Parade later in the afternoon.

Details of the full classes will be available soon.

“This truly is a must-attend event for every car lover and enthusiast; it is an unmissable opportunity to see the most extravagant and

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spectacular hypercars, supercars and classic cars on the planet, all at the most affordable price imaginable,” David Bagley, Co-Founder of Blenheim Palace Classic & Supercar.

“Set against the equally spectacular backdrop of what is undoubtedly ‘Britain’s Greatest Palace’, this incredible show allows visitors to get closer than ever before to the world’s greatest automotive marques such as Aston Martin, Bentley, Ferrari, Koenigsegg, Lamborghini, Maserati, McLaren, Noble, Pagani, Rimac, Rolls-Royce, Zenvo and many others,” he added.

The public day is an extension to Salon Privé’s long-established ‘Pirelli Prestige & Performance Competition’.

Built in the early 18th century to celebrate Britain’s victory over the French in the War of the Spanish Succession, Blenheim Palace is the ancestral home of the Dukes of Marlborough and the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill.

It was officially designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.  www.blenheimclassicsupercar.com

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Bridging the gap Between the Crypto and Institutional Investment Worlds

BY ROBERT EDWARDS Founder, Bond www.bondonblockchain.com

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o the crypto community, the recent news that Barclays has established a banking relationship with a major Bitcoin exchange is further evidence of cryptocurrency’s increasing legitimacy amongst the professional financial community.

When considered that the move followed announcements late last year from Nasdaq, the world’s second largest exchange, and CME Group, an American financial giant, that they too will offer cryptocurrency derivatives, it would appear that institutional investors may finally be warming to Bitcoin’s offering.

Yet the reality is that most of the traditional investment world remains entrenched in its deep-rooted scepticism of cryptocurrency. In October

last year, for example, the former Chairman of the US Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke, said that Bitcoin is a ‘mostly speculative venture’ that will most likely fail.

These sentiments were echoed by the Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, who recently said cryptocurrency is a ‘poor store of value’ and an ‘inefficient and unreliable medium of exchange’. And whilst over 110 crypto hedge funds have now been launched, take up of cryptocurrency by the world’s main pension funds, insurance companies and mutual funds has been almost non-existent.

Institutional investors are, in the greater scheme of things, risk averse creatures, tending to seek stable longterm returns over a quick buck. The dramatic volatility of Bitcoin this year has

offered anything but. Coupled with ongoing concerns over cryptocurrency’s (albeit overexaggerated) connections to crime and the dark web, fear of the Bitcoin bubble bursting and a lack of regulation, transparency and liquidity, it is understandable why institutional investors, with their mindset and culture, have steered clear.

How therefore can the gap between the worlds of cryptocurrency and institutional investment be bridged?

The first gap to bridge concerns the issue of legitimacy. For professional investors to even consider investing in an asset class, it must be legitimate – and in the eyes of many in the community, cryptocurrency is not. The reality however is that although cryptocurrency

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“Bitcoin may be cryptocurrency’s notorious poster boy, consider that over 1,300 alternative cryptocurrencies are now in circulation” may be different, that differentiation doesn’t make it, as an asset class, any less legitimate.

Gold, fiat currencies, stamps, wine and tech stocks were at one point all new and different investment options.

As asset classes, they may not have played by the traditional rules, or at times even been liked, but that didn’t make them illegitimate. The starting point therefore requires an appreciation on institutional investors’ behalf, irrespective of volatility, decentralisation and risk, of cryptocurrency’s legitimacy.

The second bridge to gap is risk. The dramatic highs and lows of Bitcoin may to institutionalised investors stink of unnecessary risk; but whilst Bitcoin may be cryptocurrency’s notorious poster boy, consider that over 1,300 alternative cryptocurrencies are now in circulation. Many of these alternative currencies offer far 56

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more stable, longer returns, essentially operating as assetbacked securities whose value derives from traditional assets such as the US Dollar or gold.

This was the idea behind Bond, a new cryptocurrency that is 100% asset backed against both other cryptocurrencies but also real estate and property bonds.

By offering a cryptocurrency backed by a diverse pool of assets, including a traditional growth market that offers steady returns, the aim of Bond is to reduce risk and enable traditional investors to enter the cryptocurrency market with a greater degree of reassurance and confidence.

Finally, the third bridge to gap is trust. With cryptocurrency decentralised and essentially unregulated, the cryptosphere can, to traditional investors, represent something of a Wild West, populated by antiestablishment crypto-cowboys

roaming free willy-nilly. The onus therefore must be on the cryptocurrencies themselves to instil reassurance and trust.

Institutional investors are used to, and reassured by, regulation, framework and structure. And whilst these principles might seem at odds with the founding ideals of cryptocurrency, they needn’t be.

Just as with any other investment offering, cryptocurrencies need to transparently demonstrate their USPs, strategy, growth plans and risks from the off.

Once investors have bought in, the team behind the cryptocurrency need to offer ongoing support, advice and guidance.

Furthermore it helps if the cryptocurrency is available for purchase in conventional means, such as via bank transfer, so that investors can purchase with clarity and ease.

The mechanics, politics and indeed entire concept of cryptocurrency may currently seem alien and unappealing to traditional investment communities.

But with a greater emphasis on establishing legitimacy, lowering risk and building trust, a new relationship between crypto and professional investors can be born. Doing so will require changes in mentality from both ends, but it can be achieved. 

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Escape to the Chateau Have you ever dreamed of swapping your city pad for a fabulous property in the French countryside? Buying a castle or chateau can also provide great business opportunities.

FRENCH CHATEAU IN THE LOIRE-ATLANTIQUE, BETWEEN NANTES AND LA BAULE

CHARACTERFUL 19TH CENTURY CHATEAU IN NORMANDY

EUR 1,175,000

EUR 1,670,000

This charming chateau is situated 21 miles from the seaside, close to a small city with shops and services. Easily accessible by train or motorway, it benefits from a quiet environment, in the middle of its landscaped park. The property dates to the 19th century and is in coated stone and topped with slate roofs. Of about 450sqm of living space, over 3 levels, the property comprises dining room, sitting room, billiards’ room, kitchen, laundry, boiler room, cellar and storerooms. On the first floor there are five bedrooms, bathroom and shower rooms and laundry. Of about 4.4 acres of parkland, the property benefits from a wooded park with a pond, orchard and walled vegetable garden.

A lovely river runs across this beautiful property located in Normandy, on the edge of a small village, 15 miles from the city of Rouen. This 19th century château comprises small and large sitting rooms, small and large dining rooms, large kitchen, 17 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms and a cellar.

This château, with atypical architecture, offers very bright rooms with beautiful oak parquet flooring. The outbuildings are composed of a secondary lodge, two garages and a large building with workshop and barns.

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ELEGANT CHATEAU IN VENDÉE, LOIRE EUR 880,000 Situated at the exit of a village with shops and services, this 19th century property is surrounded by its beautiful park and benefits from a highquality environment. Covering a total of 500sqm of living space, the chateau comprises small and large sitting rooms, dining room, study, large library, kitchen, back kitchen, laundry, beautiful stairway with wooden banisters leading to six bedrooms, a boudoir, oratory and 4 bathrooms.

There is also an attic, cellar, outbuilding with garage, stable and a former caretaker’ s lodge.

AND FOR THE MORE ADVENTUROUS… A CASTLE FOR RENOVATION IN THE LIMOUSIN EUR 267,750 Perfect for renovation, the castle has been built in the 15th and 17th centuries. It used to be owned by the local priest and is set in a very calm village and with the surrounding 5.86 hectares of land. Built on top of the vaulted cellars, it comprises of 300 m² of habitable area and has been well looked after by the current owner of the property, the entire roof has been renewed. Two rooms in the oldest part of the castle have been converted into a kitchen and a bedroom with shower and toilet. The entrance hall has been totally renovated, opening out onto a lovely stone stairway. The property also comprises a barn measures 170 m² and another of 154 m². Fifty lime trees have also been planted along the driveway.

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Is Bitcoin too much of an investment risk?

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ore than three years ago, we asked the simple question: is bitcoin investment worth the risk? Well, if we had actually bought a bitcoin at that point in time, we’d undoubtedly say that it was.

At the end of the day on August 29, 2014 (when that article was posted), the price of a single bitcoin was $518.71. At the time of this writing, it’s right around $13,000 (which is actually down from around $19,000 toward the end of 2017) – though it’s moving constantly.

This shouldn’t mean that we all hop aboard and start investing in bitcoin. All it means is that if we had, we’d stand to profit significantly today.

But investments often look this way with perfect hindsight, and it shouldn’t necessarily affect how we trade in the future. Nevertheless, with bitcoin having surged powerfully in 2017, here are a few notes on how to approach investment in 2018.

EXERCISE CAUTION It’s easy to look at bitcoin right now as a lucrative asset, capable of massive gains. Actually, that is what it factually was in 2017, so it’s not just perception. But particularly for inexperienced investors, this is as much a red flag as an encouraging sign. The more important thing to recognize about bitcoin in 2017 is that it was incredibly volatile – more than capable of rising or falling over $1,000 in a span of just a few hours. The overall trend was still sharply upward for almost the entire year, but the volatility in most any other investing arena would spook a lot of investors. Bitcoin should be approached not as a free ticket to gains, but still as a risky and uncertain asset.

LEARN THE BUSINESS Learning to understand bitcoin can be a long and confusing process for a lot of people. For long-term investment, however, it’s also vital

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to learn more about the business, so to speak, of holding bitcoin. Most importantly you need to gain a firm understanding of your wallet options. You have to bear several universal risks in mind when choosing a wallet, and learn the differences between software, hardware, and paper wallets. To put it simply, you’ll be tempted to go for an app or desktop option out of sheer convenience – however, if you plan on holding bitcoin for a long time, other options that aren’t connected to the internet might be more secure. This is just one example of something you’ll have to learn if you’re to become a serious cryptocurrency investor.

KEEP AN EYE ON REGULATION People are still trying to figure out what factors drive the ebbs and flows of bitcoin’s price. The simple fact might be that investment itself drives investment right now; people are jumpy about such an exciting new asset, and many amateurs are buying in, meaning people are perhaps more liable to buy as it’s going up and sell when it shows the slightest hint of decline.

If there’s one overarching thing that affects bitcoin, however, it’s government regulation in larger countries. Much of the 2017 surge, for example, was credited to the Far East easing off of bitcoin restrictions. Thus, as you study bitcoin and consider managing an investment, be sure to tap into any and all news about regulation.

HEED PREDICTIONS CAREFULLY As we turn the calendars over to 2018, we’re seeing a lot of bitcoin predictions. It’s only natural to approach a new year looking ahead to how an asset will perform, particularly after such a lucrative past year. Looking through some of these predictions, we found a simple but powerful line from Yahoo Finance (which projects bitcoin growth toward $20,000 or $25,000 by the middle of the year): “any predictions beyond that are pointless.” This is something not too many analysts seem to be willing to admit, but it’s important to keep in mind. Right now you can find all kinds of predictions, from a total crash to a boom toward $100,000 – and it’s important to take them with a grain of salt. There’s logic to all of them, but the truth is we’ve never had an asset like this and everyone is guessing to some degree. Yahoo Finance has a point.  entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

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Raising money or investing?

Make the most of the tax reliefs available

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here are four venture capital schemes on offer in the UK – that provide investors with attractive tax reliefs against their income tax bill.

If you’re an investor these reliefs can make a potentially risky investment less so, and as a company, if you qualify for these schemes than you will find it easier to attract inward investment.

company’s permanent establishment in the UK includes having an office of factory or one of the following: • a place of management • a branch • a workshop • a quarry, mine, oil or gas well, • a building site, such as a construction or installation project.

THE FOUR SCHEMES • Social Investment Tax Relief (SITR). This allows individuals to claim relief on £1m of annual investment and provides 30% of income tax relief.

• Venture Capital Trusts (VCTs) allow an annual investment of £200,000 on which they can claim 30% tax relief.

• The Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) is for early-stage companies raising funds to help grow the business. EIS is for those seeking funding of up to £5m and gives investors 30% upfront tax relief and must have less than £15m of assets and up to 250 employees.

• The Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme (SEIS) is designed to help a company raise money when it is starting to trade, or has been trading for less than two years.

The businesses must have assets of no more than £200,000 and fewer than 25 employees. Businesses raising money under SEIS can receive a maximum of £150,000 through the scheme, offering private investors 50% up front tax relief – hugely attractive although the amount of investment is relatively small.

This is not an exhaustive list, but the type of business a company carries out will be the deciding factor in what premises and facilities are required to meet the conditions for investment.

In this article, I am focusing on SEIS and EIS. HOW TO QUALIFY In order to qualify for EIS or SEIS the company must be based in the UK. HMRC says proof of a 62

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APPROVED VS. UNAPPROVED Two types of fund invest in companies seeking SEIS and EIS money – HMRC “approved” and HMRC “unapproved”. Both spread the risk over numerous companies which is important.

Unapproved does not mean the fund is dodgy. All it means is that HMRC has not given its structure prior approval. Approved does not mean “protected” or that HMRC has approved the quality of the investments – but there are tax planning differences between the two.

With approved funds the ability exists to “carry back” for income tax relief purposes and treat the investment as if it had been undertaken in the previous tax year Money raised by a new share issue must be spent within two years of the investment or, if later, the date the company started trading.

It must be used to grow or develop the business and must not be used to buy all or part of another business.

QUALIFYING Most trades qualify but there are exceptions if most of a trade includes coal or steel production, for example, farming or market gardening, leasing activities, legal or financial services, property development, running a hotel

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or nursing home, and electricity, heat, gas or fuel generation.

Apart from being established in the UK, they must not be trading on a recognised stock exchange at the time of the share issue and they must not have any arrangements in place to become quoted.

For start-ups, SEIS is an attractive way to target much needed funding. Just because a company has availed of SEIS funding does not mean it cannot go on to raise further funding from an EIS, although the amount it can raise from this will be reduced to up to £4.85m.

Companies raising money under EIS must do so within the first seven years of its first commercial sales. If you did not receive investment within the first seven years, or now want to raise money for a different activity from a previous investment, you will have to show that the money is required to enter a completely new product market or a new geographic market and that the money you are seeking is at least 50% of the company’s average annual turnover for the last five years.

INVESTORS If you are an investor, you have to source the entity or entities you are going to invest in which you might do through a trusted fund manager, or you might find a corporate finance house that has an opportunity.

You would need to get out into the market and network, and identify what it is you would like to invest in. Investors need to look at the investments and make sure they are sound. It is all too easy to get distracted by the tax relief. The tax relief is great to have; it is obviously hugely advantageous. But what is the point of tax relief if the investment is rubbish?

The business still has to have the necessary fundamentals. You still have to assess it. Is the management team any good? Are the businesses you are investing in worth it? Remember it is your cash you are going to have to invest. The tax relief should not blind you to good commonsense investment practice.

COMPANIES If you are a company seeking investment, you have got to get a specialist tax adviser to help you acquire the necessary approval to do so,

the tax relief accreditation letter and advance assurance.

You have either got to market it through a fund manager or a corporate finance house to high-net-worth individuals who are qualified to look at it.

For most of the EIS opportunities you need an introducer or specialist finance companies that will manage everything and probably have a roster of companies for which they want to raise money.

You must complete a separate application for each share issue and if your application is successful, HMRC will confirm the decision and send you compliance certificates to give to your investors.

Your investors cannot claim the tax relief until they receive their compliance certificate.

SUCCESS STORIES Since EIS was introduced, 26,355 companies have received investment and almost £16.2bn of funds have been raised.

More than 1,800 of these companies raised funds under SEIS for the first time in 2015-16, representing £154m in investment.

CONCLUSION Investors: do your due diligence – don’t be seduced by a tax break, the investment still needs to ‘add up’.

Companies: get expert help. HMRC stresses that tax reliefs will be withheld or withdrawn from investors if companies do not follow the rules for at least three years after the investment is made. 

BY CLIVE HYMAN Chairman and CEO of Hyman Capital Clive Hyman FCA is founder of Hyman Capital Services offering expertise in due diligence and managing change in business including raising equity and debt capital, mergers and acquisitions, interim management, board management and governance, deal structuring, and company turnaround.

See: www.hymancapital.com

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How to Spot a Watch Worth Investing In Are you looking to make an investment in something beyond your usual stocks and shares? Then it might be the right moment to sink your teeth into the luxury watch market.

In this article, Michael Ayres, from watch and jewellery specialists Est.1897, shares some of his 27 years' experience in the field to help you start a collection with your first investment timepiece.

YOU NEED TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK If you're new to the world of luxury watches, it's important to know you can't just pick something from one of the top brands and expect its value to grow. Like any market, there are trends you have to learn before jumping in.

Some brands will be on an upward spike, others will find themselves on a slope, and even within a watchmaker's range, there are lines that are a safer bet than others. Take the time to track who the movers and shakers are and you're likely to make a better decision.

KNOW WHICH BRANDS ARE SAFE BETS It's likely that you'll want your first investment watch to be a solid bet that isn't in danger of depreciating. There are two go-to watchmakers for this: Rolex and Patek Phillipe. Both have a long and storied history in making fine timepieces and both brands have regularly been seen on the wrists of the rich and famous, which makes them highly desirable.

Rolex is far and away the most popular investment watch brand: their Daytona and Submariner lines are iconic and a great choice for the first-time collector. Patek Phillipe have a higher price point than Rolexes, but you're paying the cost of their incredible exclusivity

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and investment potential. Which brand you choose will probably depend on your budget, but you can really bank on these brands.

There are also other Swiss brands that represent a fairly low-risk investment, such as Omega, TAG Heuer, and Breitling, though it's best to do some research into particular designs to find the one that can deliver the best return for your price point.

BUY FROM A TRUSTED SECOND-HAND DEALER If you're looking for the perfect timepiece, you don't need to confine yourself to the new watch market. As we've mentioned, many watches hold their value, which makes a second-hand purchase a viable option too. However, there is a huge global demand for replica watches that are good enough to fool all but the most trained eye, so it's vital that you shop through a reputable dealer.

There are even premium watches out there that started out life as the genuine article, but may have had their parts removed or replaced with nonofficial components.

You should be able to ask a trusted dealer about the history of a watch, but if they can't supply sufficient details, you should think twice about investing.

“If you're looking for the perfect timepiece, you don't need to confine yourself to the new watch market”

RECOGNISE THE FEATURES THAT MAKE A WATCH SPECIAL When you're starting your watch collection, it pays to develop a real eye for detail. Often, a model with unique features, such as a special dial or one-off movement, will become highly sought after in the future. A famous example, as reported by Haute Time, was the Rolex Daytona Reference 16520 that featured a Patrizzi dial that became discoloured over time. This unique feature made the model highly sought after among collectors and incredibly valuable.

So, as you’re looking to expand your portfolio, it's well worth staying on top of the news within the watch industry and talk among the collector community. You might just pick up on a particular special edition being released or discover a model with a story worth investing in.

Take my advice on board and you'll be in a great position to get your investment watch portfolio off the ground. However, remember to always keep your own personal taste in mind too, especially if you plan on wearing any of your timepieces. Then, even if a watch does depreciate, you'll still have something that you will love to wear in your collection. 

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What you Need to Know About Angel Investing

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f you’ve got a little cash burning a hole in your pocket and you’re looking for ways to get it working, you’ve probably come across the term angel investment. Or, you might have heard it in connection to getting funding for your startup.

Maybe you’re not entirely sure if it’s a road you want to go down, or you just want a better grasp on the concept. If that sounds like you, then you’re in the right place. Over the next few minutes you’ll learn everything you need to know about angel investment.

WHAT IS ANGEL INVESTING? Angel investing generally refers to an individual investing a portion of their own finance into a new business to help it get off the ground. Angels tend to invest in fields that they have previously worked in, or have a deep knowledge of. This not only lets them more accurately decide which businesses are likely to succeed, but it also allows them to offer their experience, as well as with their money, to increase the likelihood of their investment paying off.

There are no rules when it comes to angel investing. The amounts involved can be as large or small as the investor likes. At the end of the day, the investor is free to do whatever they want, and strike whatever deal they like with their startup of choice.

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HOW IS THAT DIFFERENT FROM VENTURE CAPITAL? Angel investors can form groups to raise more money and diversify their investments, but they’re still far away from being called a venture capital firm. Venture capital firms tend to have far more investors, as well as dedicated board members whose sole job is to ensure the investments being made will pay off. Angels have to make those decisions by themselves, and will typically consider the capability of the management team above all else.

Since angel investors get involved with a business in the very early stages, the sums of money involved are much smaller than those which venture capital firms will deal with. But by functioning as an individual, these smaller investments can still be worthwhile. A venture capital firm has staff to pay, so any investment has to be large enough to justify everyone’s time.

Venture capital firms will go through a long vetting process where they research the company and take as much time as they need, to be confident in their investment before putting any money on the table. This process can take months. An angel investor can make a decision in a day if they want, since they don’t have a board of directors to answer to.

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WHAT’S EXPECTED OF THE ANGEL? As an angel investor you would obviously front cash for the business, but you might want to play a more active role if it’s in a field you’re familiar with, since it’s in your best interest to make sure it succeeds. Exactly how involved you get is a decision to be made between you and the owners of the startup, and if you want to take a backseat and offer your money alone, that’s perfectly acceptable too.

WHAT MOTIVATES AN ANGEL? Well first of all yes, the money is important.

Indeed, as Angel investors are committing their own cash there are some things that they’ll demand of your business before they’ll sign off on their investment…

But that’s not all there is to it. Since angels tend to invest in fields they have experience in, it can be a way to give back, and help people who are in a position they were in a long time ago. It can be a charitable act as well as a financially sound one. It’s tough for small businesses owners and the more they succeed the better it is for the economy overall.

Some people just can’t stop working after retirement and angel investment offers a way to keep in touch with the industry they have spent so much time in, and put their connections to use in a low-stress way.

Why become an angel instead of a partner in a venture capital firm? As far as expected return on investment goes, you will see conflicting figures depending on where you’re looking. But since your personal risk is higher, the potential earnings of angel investment are also much greater.

capital firm does. If your investment portfolio isn’t very diverse and one of your businesses goes under, it can cause you major problems. Even if you have your money in multiple businesses, but they’re all in the same industry, you’re highly susceptible to anything that happens within that industry.

To account for these drawbacks it’s wise to limit the amount you invest, and spread your investments across at least 10 startups at a time. Chances are, over 50% of the startups you invest in will fail, so spreading your risk reduces the chance of you getting unlucky and losing out big time.

For startups, the flexibility of angel investment funding makes it exciting, but it’s also a potentially volatile way of raising capital. With little rules and a big emphasis on personal choice, there is scope for investors and companies to come to disagreements on business direction.

Now you know what angel investment is, what’s expected of the investor, and what the pro’s and con’s are compared to other forms of investment. If you’re willing to take a risk and like the idea of going back to your roots, but this time with all the experience you gained throughout your career, then angel investing might be for you. 

“Since angels tend to invest in fields they have experience in, it can be a way to give back”

WHAT ARE THE DISADVANTAGES OF ANGEL INVESTMENT? Since angel investors operate as individuals, and use their own finance, they open themselves up to significantly more risk than a typical venture

BY VICTORIA GREENE Victoria Greene is a branding consultant and freelance writer. On her blog, VictoriaEcommerce, she shares tips on how new businesses can take the next step in their development. She is passionate about using her experience to help entrepreneurs grow their business.

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Luxury Lifestyle SS18 Edit

Image courtesy of konradlew - istock

HOT NEW HOTELS TROPICAL TRAVEL SPA TIME CARS & YACHTS LUXURIOUS OUTDOOR LIVING WATCH EDIT SUMMER STYLE

FORTUNE & LIFESTYLE

Greek Island Odyssey For stunning crystal clear sea, picture postcard beaches and fascinating culture and sights the Greek Islands are hard to beat. We’ve hand-picked some extra special resorts definitely worth seeking out.

MarBella Nido Suite Hotel & Villas, Corfu

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estled into the SouthEast corner of Corfu in Agios Ioannis Peristeron, this new adult-only property is situated adjacent to sister property MarBella Corfu Hotel. With the hotel name ‘Nido’ deriving from Italian meaning ‘nest’, the hotel reflects this in its warmth and intimate environment.

MarBella Nido will offer a range of individually designed 70 junior suites, deluxe suites and luxury villas all with stunning views across the glistening waters of the Ionian Sea. This brand new luxurious accommodation stays true to Corfu’s heritage. All suites and villas will be contemporary in design with neutral tones, offering sleek and elegant furnishings combined with the local Corfiot aesthetics.

In addition, MarBella Nido proudly announces a gastronomic collaboration for 2018 with the Michelin-starred chefs Georgianna Cheiliadaki & Nikos Roussos, owners of the 2* Michelin awarded Funky Gourmet restaurant in Athens and the Michelin Plate awarded Opso restaurant in London, UK. www.marbellanido.gr

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Daios Cove Luxury Resort & Villas

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his wonderful five-star Beach Resort in Crete is nestled on a hillside overlooking its very own private tranquil bay and sandy beach. Ideally located in the North-East part of Crete, it is the perfect luxury base to enjoy idyllic beaches and some of the world‘s most important archaeological sites – including Knossos Palace, the remnants of the great Minoan kingdom. The resort offers luxurious accommodation - with spectacular views and many with private pools. To really

spoil yourself, book The Mansion, an exclusive three-bedroom villa complete with state-ofthe-art design, large outdoor heated pool, indoor heated pool, in-house spa, gym and staff quarters.

Guests enjoy gourmet Mediterranean cuisine from its first class restaurants. If feeling active, make the most of the water-sport and diving centre and tennis courts, or relax in the state-of-the art spa. www.daioscovecrete.com entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

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The Royal Blue

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et on Cretan’s northern coast between the picturesque towns of Rethymnon & Heraklion, recently reopened The Royal Blue has recently benefited from a very swish renovation with muted tones, natural woods, clean lines and crisp whites. The perfect balance of sophistication and natural elegance the five-star hotel has 190 elegant rooms, luxurious waterfront suites and exclusive villas offering mesmerising views of the stunning coastline.

With a pure luxury and sophisticated character, which also maintains the authenticity of local Cretan culture and heritage, The Royal Blue is the ideal setting for guests to relax, unwind and enjoy the ultimate serenity in a home away from home. Offering its own small private beach with a panoramic view over the Cretan north coast and exceptional dining; with chefs delivering great tasting food based on local Cretan fare. Locally sourced meat, vegetables and olive oil make everything taste good. Restaurant wise there are two standouts. www.royalblueresort.com

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FORTUNE & LIFESTYLE

Cavo Spada Resort & Spa

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ollowing renovations and a complete redecoration, the stylish wellness resort, Cavo Spada Resort & Spa is an extraordinary destination, set to be one of Crete’s most exciting hotel’s this year.

Stepping inside this 5-star beachfront resort, the buzzy atmosphere and chic surroundings make strong first impressions. Sporting clean lines and a striking, minimalistic design, the bright and airy rooms of this 150 room resort exudes a cool and calming feel.

Room options range from Deluxe Doubles to family suites with pools, all offering spectacular views onto the wide swath of a

milky white beachfront. And learning holiday seekers will find nirvana. Holding weekly wine and olive oil tasting classes, cooking lessons and cultural concerts, every stay at Cavo Spada is an immersion into the spectacular Cretan culture.

The resort’s wellness facilities are also a big part of the appeal. On top of the tranquil spa, with its hydro-massage facilities, Turkish Bath and extensive range of ‘Ultimate Facial' treatments for both men and women, the beautiful seaside and the evergreen gardens are ideal for private yoga lessons. www.cavospada.gr entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

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Gennadi Grand Resort

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new design resort set on the coastline overlooking the Aegean, Gennadi Grand Resort opens this May and will set a new standard for five-star hospitality in the Greek islands. Part of Lindos Hotel Group, this environmentally sensitive resort redefines modern luxury. With 266 stunning rooms and suites, most with equal space outside and in, each room offers sophistication and tranquil beauty and creates a holistic hideaway experience.

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Blending into its surroundings, the resort will feature a sloped sustainable green roof; this eco-friendly green roof will not only welcome in the natural elements of the landscape, minimise the sunlight reflection and improve the overall microclimate but will also be used as an open air public space for walking, yoga, and jogging with views of the island beyond. www.gennadigrandresort.com

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Santa Marina Beach Resort

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picturesque, modern resort, located on the Cretan coast, East of Chania, Santa Marina Beach Resort is perfect for those that like to mix a bit of adventure into their holiday. The resort’s location allows for a variety of experiences, utilising some of the islands areas of natural beauty. With diving in the warm Mediterranean Sea on offer, guests can chance a meeting with one of the area’s local turtle population.

For those that prefer land-based activities, breath-taking trekking and cycling routes are

available to explore the mountainous, local countryside, even to the UNESCO protected Samaria Gorge – the longest and most impressive gorge in Europe. With 212 rooms, including those in the brand-new luxury ‘Pearl Wing’, 4 restaurants and two pools to choose from, the Bright and airy resort exudes a relaxed and calming feel, perfect to kick back and relax after exploring the local area. www.santamarinabeach.gr

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Elivi Skiathos

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livi Skiathos is a brand new independently owned five-star hotel opening 1st June 2018 . This will be the most high-end luxury hotel in Skiathos located in the best area of the island with offerings including private pools, a sea-facing elegant four-bedroom villa, a spa and panoramic views. Perched on a hilltop on the Pounta Peninsula overlooking the azure waters of the Aegean Sea, the 213,000m² hotel is surrounded by a wildlife refuge and offers direct access to four of the most beautiful beaches in Skiathos: Koukounaries, Ambelakia and Banana and Little Banana Beach.

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The hotel will feature modern spacious rooms and suites only a few steps away from the shore, with private pools and courtyards integrated into the area’s existing natural beauty and walking paths enveloped by forests of olive and pine trees. The hotel is home to the Swan Villa, the most impressive hotel villa on the island, spanning across two floors and measuring 200m². The seafront villa accommodates up to eight adults featuring four en-suite rooms, a kitchen, dining area, living room and a private spacious pool. www.elivihotels.com

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Ikos Dassia

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kos Resorts, the best rated all-inclusive luxury resort brand in Europe and worldwide*, is delighted to announce that it is adding a third property to its portfolio with the launch of Ikos Dassia, Corfu, opening May 2018. The luxury all-inclusive resort will boast 403 bedrooms, suites and villas, all set within lush gardens and with views across the Ionian Sea. The elegant new resort will elevate the traditional, all-inclusive experience by offering exceptional quality and choice with no hidden costs.

Guests will be spoiled with luxuries including à la carte menus curated by Michelinstarred head chefs, complimentary mini-bars, kid’s clubs, an array of sports activities, branded spirits, 300 local and international wines

selected by the Ikos Sommelier, 24-hour room service and much more. A 600m long private sandy beach set beside the crystal-clear Ionian Sea is reserved exclusively for hotel guests. Here they will find complimentary, luxurious sun beds and umbrellas with a food and beverage waiter service, 30 minutes free beach childcare for kids over the age of 4 and a designated adults-only area. www.ikosresorts.com/resorts/ikos-dassia *The multi award winning Ikos Oceania and Ikos Olivia were voted as the best luxury all-inclusive resorts in Europe & worldwide in the 2018 Trip Advisor Travellers’ Choice Awards.

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Maldives Highlights Luxurious favourites and exciting new openings – the Maldives is the place to be this year.

Embrace the Power of One at Mirihi Island, Maldives

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ollowing its success in 2017, Mirihi Island, Maldives, is reintroducing a Solo Travel Offer from 20th May-30th September 2018.

With solo travel booming, this stunning island retreat is harnessing the trend by removing the single supplements on rooms that often sting this market.

Guests can enjoy some time away from it all in their private water or beach villa, on a secluded beach, or whilst enjoying a pampering spa treatment.

Alternatively, travellers looking to socialise and meet like-minded people can book sunset sailing trips, whale shark safaris, diving trips,

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group yoga classes, visits to a local island and sessions tasting the most comprehensive selection of fine Rum in the whole of the Indian Ocean.

Solo guests can also enjoy complimentary weekly beach cinemas, board games, table tennis, football and more. Mirihi is a bare-foot luxury, boutique hotel located in the South Ari Atoll, only a 30 minute sea plane from Male, Maldives. A private island fringed with white sand beaches and crystalline waters, Mirihi Island has just 37 villas - creating a haven of peace and tranquillity. www.mirihi.com

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View the Stars in Style at Anantara Kihavah

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nantara Kihavah Maldives Villas has unveiled the new SKY, the Maldives’ only overwater observatory combined with a luxury cocktail bar, a resident story-telling Sky Guru and housing the most powerful telescope in the Indian Ocean. Situated in a prime location in the Maldives’ Baa Atoll, the luxury five-star resort has long been renowned as ideal destination to explore the underwater world of the stunning Indian Ocean.

With the new SKY, let the resident SKY Guru, Ali Shameen, open your mind and your eyes to the secrets of the stars and constellations through his extraordinary storytelling. With minimal light pollution, you’ll be greeted by striking vistas of the planets and moons on perfect display. www.anantara.com

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Anantara Dhigu Maldives Resort

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ituated on Dhigufinolhu Island in the South MalĂŠ Atoll, is Anantara Dhigu Maldives Resort, where luxury meets simplicity.

The resort comprises of the most spacious of luxury villas coupled with private plunge pools and provides a harmonious combination of both the romantic, adventure and family friendly.

As the calming sounds of the Indian Ocean envelop your soul, there’s no better place to unwind and enliven your spirit with the luxury spa at Anantara Dhigu. Escape every day cares with indigenously inspired luxury over-water treatments. Choose between nine sumptuous spa suites, each perched over the lagoon on Dhigufinolhu and enjoy holistic therapies designed to enrich and detoxify, all while you relax and take in your perfect island holiday. www.anantara.com entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

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JW Marriott Maldives Resort & Spa – Opening November 2018

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he impressive 61-villa property will be headed up by renowned General Manager Marc Gussing and will bring fierce competition to the Maldives with highlights including a private pool with every villa, a treetop restaurant, an expansive wine cellar, a vibrant house reef rich in marine life, a Kid’s Club by JW and Spa by JW. Guests will have a choice between five villa categories ranging from 234sqm to 638sqm, all of which come with private pools and spacious wooden decks.

There will be 29 secluded oneand two-bedroom beach villas nestled amongst the island’s lush greenery, each with its own private beach area.

For guests who like to fall asleep to the sound of the ocean there will be 32 villas standing majestically on stilts over the glistening Laccadive Sea and one spectacular four-bedroom Royal Water Villa that will come complete with nanny’s quarters. www.marriott.co.uk/hotels/travel/ mlejs-jw-marriott-maldives-resortand-spa

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New for Later this Year Introducing JOALI

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esigned as a sophisticated globalista’s luxurious island retreat, JOALI is set to launch towards the end of 2018. The resort’s elegant 73 private beach and water villas and residences are the epitome of sustainable glamour, whilst four restaurants provide inventive fusion cuisine from several corners of the globe and a liquid nitrogen ice cream corner surprises even the most discerning of foodies. JOALI’s imaginative offerings, including exquisite architecture and interiors by Autoban and Tokyo-based Studio Glitt and works of immersive art by celebrated young designers including Misha Khan - many using recycled materials – as well as dedicated Art Studio and Gallery, wellbeing programme in collaboration with ESPA and impeccably-curated in-room libraries, provide a showcase for a new form of unconventional luxury that celebrates craftsmanship and artistry.

Located at Muravandhoo island on the

Raa Atoll in the northern Maldives - one of the largest and deepest atolls in the world home to a myriad of sea life for epic snorkeling and diving.

Guests will enjoy pristine white-sand beaches surrounded by brilliant blue waters and fringed by coconut palms.

Each of the 73 villas at JOALI have been designed with sustainability firmly in mind – as well as being decorated with artistic treasures.

Taking centre stage is the Private Ocean Residence and Private Duplex Beach Residence.

Covering over 500 sqm of opulent living space across three bedrooms and three dressing rooms – complete with two walk-in closets each – and two living rooms. Two striking infinity pools, butler and valet service and an on-call Dhoni completes the offering.

Foodies will be delighted with a range of excellent restaurants, and treats like the Chocolate and Ice-Cream Store. www.joali.com entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

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Fairmont Maldives Sirru Fen Fushi

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he newly opened Fairmont Maldives Sirru Fen Fushi is a truly special addition to an area already famed for its natural beauty.

Located in the Shaviyani Atoll offering 120 luxury villas on one of the largest resort lagoons in the Maldives, the stunning new property will feature the Maldives’ first underwater sculpture museum, created by British artist, Jason deCaires Taylor. One of the world's most celebrated 'underwater naturalists', Taylor's work has been recognized by National Geographic as one of the top 25 Wonders of the World.

Sirru Fen Fushi, which means 'secret water island', is set on an exceptionally spacious

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and pristine stretch of white-sanded beach, peppered with opulent water villas overlooking an endless turquoise sea. This all-villas resort is ideal for both couples and families – and includes luxury tented villa accommodation in a verdant, star-lit grove.

Fairmont’s passion is to connect guests to the very best of the destinations, and its new Maldives’ offering will bring a new level of beauty and luxury to the region. Through exceptional service and experiences, Fairmont Maldives promises a focus on its strong connections to the earth, the community and ourselves, bringing the essence of this secret water island to life. www.sirrufenfushi.com

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Kudadoo Private Island by Hurawalhi

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rought to you by Crown & Champa Resorts, ‘Kudadoo Private Island by Hurawalhi’ is one of the most highly anticipated openings in the Maldives this year. Designed by the worldrenowned Yuji Yamasaki, this adultsonly private island features just 15 super luxurious and expansive over water villas with one or two bedrooms, complete with world class amenities and service, only 40 minutes seaplane from Male.

When it comes to dining guests have the option to dine at the superb restaurant at Kudadoo Private Island by Hurawalhi. The blissful spa and endless activities on offer mean everyone will be kept entertained and guests are invited to visit and use all the amenities at the nearby Hurawalhi Island Resort, a five minutes’ boat transfer away, including Hurawalhi’s undersea restaurant, ‘5.8’ – the World’s largest all-glass undersea restaurant. www.kudadoo.com

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Far East & Africa Highlights Akyra Sukhumvit Bangkok

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he iconic AKARYN Hotel Group’s highly anticipated akyra Sukhumvit Bangkok opens this year. This luxurious boutique city hotel located in the happening hub of Bangkok will be made up of swanky rooms designed for admiring the city’s captivating landscape and an extensive rooftop terrace for enjoying cocktails and entertainment through the day and into the night.

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The latest addition to the three akyra sister properties, akyra Sukhumvit Bangkok will offer re-imagined urban accommodation for savvy travellers in the heart of the Thai capital’s most dynamic city. The 50-room akyra Sukhumvit Bangkok will offer guests stylish accommodation with incredible cityscape views only found in Bangkok. www.theakyra.com/bangkok/sukhumvit

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Santiburi Koh Samui Launches New Grand Reserve Pool Villas

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ntroducing a new era of refined private living, Santiburi Koh Samui –­ the island’s only member of Leading Hotels of The World – has launched a collection of spectacular new Grand Reserve Pool Villas offering bespoke comfort and luxury living in complete tropical privacy.

From floating pool brunches on one of the villa’s private pools, an exclusive villa menu of spicy Thai favourites, private spa treatments and concierge services - the 19 new Grand Reserve Pool Villas at the elegant luxury retreat on Koh Samui’s pristine north shore create ‘a luxury resort within a resort’. Offering discerning couples and families personalisation and privacy they ultimately seek, each exclusive new villa is nestled within its own tropical walled garden.

Covering an expansive 250 square metres, each Grand Reserve Pool Villa is blessed with a private pool, contemporary interior design, custom lighting schemes and plush designer furnishings. Understanding the imperative importance of sleep - the large master bedroom comes fitted with a carefully selected, ultracomfortable bed, pillow menu and soundproofing for the most peaceful night’s sleep.

The bedroom opens directly onto a spacious outdoor deck and turquoise pool, while guests also enjoy a generous en-suite bathroom with standalone tub and powerful rain shower.

The new Grand Reserve Pool Villas also provide guests with an exclusive private vacation experience thanks to the resort’s Reserve Host service which includes in-villa check-in/out, private spa treatments and concierge services.

Under the Reserve Dining concept, guests are also offered a choice of exclusive in-villa meal options such as a floating pool brunch, special Thai dishes to share, family garden barbecues and more. A curated in-villa cocktail menu and wine list is also available for guests to select the perfect drinks to pair in an environment they will never want to leave.

Santiburi Koh Samui is offering a number of additional benefits to guests who stay for 10 consecutive nights or longer, such as special rates for spa treatments, reduced green fees at Santiburi Samui Country Club 18-hole championship golf course and a complimentary Royal Thai meal at Santiburi’s exquisite Sala Thai restaurant.

Set within a garden oasis and framed by azure seas and soft white sands, Santiburi Koh Samui is a genuine tropical paradise. The resort features an array of leisure options, including a 50-metre swimming pool, sports centre, luxurious spa, kid’s activity centre and ecofriendly water sports. www.santiburisamui.com entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

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uxury resort REVĪVŌ officially opened on the 30th March on 3 hectares of lush land in Bali. Meaning “I'll live again”, the concept of REVĪVŌ is to soothe the spirit and rejuvenate the body through enriching the mind with a complete journey including relaxation activities, spa and holistic medicine treatments, and a personalised nutritional programme. The resort offers 16 Balinesestyle suites, including two 4-bedroom villas that can be booked for more exclusive retreats, a restaurant, bar and pool side lounge, spa, hybrid fitness area and events space.

Located amidst the breezy hills of Nusa

New Luxury Wellness Resort, REVĪVŌ, Bali Dua in south Bali, REVĪVŌ is surrounded by teak forest, dense tropical rainforest and the Indian ocean for the ultimate decompression from bustling city life. The resort offers bespoke programs based on each individual's needs, with the goal of achieving holistic “healing” through mind training and self-awareness, as opposed to treating specific illness or injuries. While each retreat can be tailor-made to suit individual goals, there is a regular schedule of immersive programs lead by experts in each area, which range in duration from 3 to 14 days long. www.revivoresorts.com

The Royal Livingstone Hotel by Anantara

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verlooking the spectacular Victoria Falls, the Royal Livingstone Hotel by Anantara is named after the legendary explorer who named Zambia’s iconic waterfall in honour of his queen. Three riverside spa gazebos for individuals and couples afford the rare opportunity to enjoy treatments immersed

in the idyllic beauty of the Zambezi River, with rushing water, chirping birdsong and the calls of wildlife providing an uplifting soundtrack.

The beauty salon offers grooming treatments in opulent colonial style. www.anantara.com entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

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The Anam, Vietnam Launches ‘The Anam Art Trail’

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ive-star Vietnamese beach resort, The Anam, which celebrated its grand opening in April 2017, has just launched ‘The Anam Art Trail’ for 2018. It is a new initiative allowing guests to uncover the country’s culture and history through its artwork.

The Anam Art Trail will see guests journey through the picturesque Khanh Hoa province by car or Vespa, visiting the villages, homes and workshops of talented local artists, which are otherwise inaccessible to tourists.

Art enthusiasts will have the chance to

meet each artist over a glass of wine, or an iced Vietnamese coffee, discovering each artist’s individual story, their experience of living and working in Vietnam and the inspiration behind each piece. The experience can be tailored according to taste, with guests able to choose three artists from a carefully-curated list of over a dozen of the area’s greatest painters, sculptors and photographers including Mai Loc of National Geographic fame. www.theanam.com

Anantara Tozeur Resort, Tunisia

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nantara Tozeur Resort will present a brand-new luxury retreat in the splendid southwest Tunisian city of Tozeur. A hub for Saharan adventures, the oasis city is renowned for its architecture and vast fields of palm trees, and rose to fame as a film location for the original Star Wars movie. Offering convenient travel from the international airport, as well as by road or rail, easy access to cultural and desert intrigue will be enjoyed from a unique oasis. The stunning newbuild property epitomises Anantara’s essence of authentic luxury – from its exquisite design to rich indigenous experiences.

This new-build Anantara will offer 93 luxurious guest rooms and villas, including pool villas, a selection of restaurants and bars, meeting and business facilities, kids and teen’s 90

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clubs, a health club and an Anantara Spa. Travellers can savour the rich flavours of the destination, or broaden their culinary horizons with exotic Thai cuisine. A luxury spa assures prestigious pampering with six massage rooms, a hammam, steam, sauna and salon beauty. For business and celebrations, stylish meetings and lavish ballroom events are enhanced by tailored services. www.anantara.com

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Exclusive Luxury Property & Travel Club Thirdhome Thirdhome is an exclusive luxury property and travel club that enables second home owners to exchange time in their home for stays in spectacular destinations around the world. The company is launching a rental side of business at the end of April, so that non-members can also start to rent and enjoy some of the incredible properties available on the website – including these below:

VILLA DOLCE VITA, MYKONOS GREECE Perched on the crest of a hill overlooking the splendid Agrari Beach, Villa Dolce Vita is perfectly designed and positioned for those looking for total privacy, luxurious decoration and large interior and exterior living spaces. The house has been carefully designed so that each room benefits from exceptional views over the beach and the nearby island of Naxos. It has 6 bedrooms and can sleep up to 12.

HENDRICKS HOUSE, STAATSBURG NEW YORK, USA A one km drive through the woods, past an old 1700s barn and pond and up to the main house, this home was originally an inn built in the 1700s and reputed to have had George Washington as a guest. A 29 acre estate with pool and multiple entertaining areas and a large country kitchen, the house is an expansive and unique home that provides the ultimate upstate New York living.

The 7 bedroom, 5 bath, 10,000 sq. ft. property is a piece of American history.

RANCHO PARADISO, PALM SPRINGS CALIFORNIA Located 2 hours from LA and 20 minutes from Palm Springs, this exquisitely decorated and well appointed four bedroom three bath home offers resort style amenities in this upscale getaway.

DAR ZITOUNA, MARRAKECH MOROCCO Only 28km from Marrakech this stylish and contemporary villa is furnished throughout in cool neutrals. It features flagstone floor, fourposter bedrooms, fabulous bathrooms, and a feast of carefully chosen pieces of art. Outside, a large swimming pool and poolside pergola form a focal point in manicured gardens of lawns, roses and citrus trees. ď Ž entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

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New UK Hotels Dorsett City, Aldgate

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orsett City is a 13-storey building formerly known as The Matrix, located next to Aldgate tube station and the 18th century St Botolph Church.

Dorsett Hospitality International’s first hotel, Dorsett Shepherds Bush, opened in 2014 and Dorsett City, London, further underlines the company’s vision to expand its affordable hotel portfolio in selected strategic regions in the United Kingdom and Europe.

Now fully open, the stylish Dorsett City, London, is a sleek and sensitively designed building located in London’s prime business hub, with 267 guestrooms and suites and will also house two restaurants, a rooftop bar, 24-

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hour gym and 1,600 sq. ft. of meeting space for the business community. Dorsett City brings two immensely popular restaurant concepts from West to East London for the very first time, with the opening of Shikumen and VQ (Vingt-Quatre).

Hotel guests and London locals can enjoy two diverse dining options at Dorsett City, from breakfast through to dinner, with Shikumen offering innovative Asian inspired dishes and the vibrant VQ providing a city hot-spot for classic comfort cuisine and cocktails. In addition to the two restaurants Dorsett City is set to up the ante on East London’s bar offerings and will play host to Jin Bow Low, a contemporary cocktail bar with stunning views over the city.

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The Grand Central Hotel Belfast, Northern Ireland

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orthern Ireland’s capital, Belfast is a must-see destination for 2018 with Northern Ireland’s largest hotel, Hastings Hotels’ Grand Central Hotel Belfast, opening in June 2018. The Grand Central Hotel will see an additional 104 bedrooms bringing the total number to 304 with the creation of over 150 jobs.

The original Grand Central was built in 1893 and was the thriving hub of Victorian Belfast as

well as the finest hotel in Ireland. As Hastings’ biggest single investment to date, the hotel will now feature over 300 luxury bedrooms, a restaurant, bistro, rooftop lounge, retail units and a range of superbly appointed offices. The hotel’s new branding will also incorporate the Seahorse, part of Belfast’s Coat of Arms which celebrates the City’s Maritime history.  www.hastingshotels.com entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

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Audi RS 5 Sportback Debuts in New York State-Side readers – you’re in for a treat as Audi launches its stunning and powerful RS 5 Sportback in the USA. Making its debut at the recent New York International Auto Show, this new five-door, five-seat Sportback version of 450PS Audi Sport super coupé proved a visitor firm favourite.

This latest high performance, high technology addition to the Audi Sport stable is set to take its place alongside the more familiar RS 5 Coupe, combining its arsenal of blistering 450PS bi-turbo V6 power and quattro all-wheel-driven tenacity with spacious five-seat accommodation and ample 480-litre luggage capacity.  www.audi.co.uk

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Infiniti QX50 – Super Stylish SUV Infiniti proves it’s more than capable of producing one of the best compact SUVs around with the launch of the new QX50.

This refreshing alternative to models from more mainstream marques is elegant yet muscular, has a super-ergonomic and luxurious cabin, super drivability and practicality, and is the car you wish you’d known about before buying anything else. Especially as it’s prefect for both city and country life.

As tech-forward as always, the model is also the first production vehicle ever to feature an engine with variable compression: Infiniti’s new VC-Turbo petrol engine. This is seen as the 96

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next major step in optimising efficiency and emissions of the internal combustion engine, literally transforming between power and efficiency on demand.

The QX50 has a front engine / front wheel drive configuration with an all-wheel drive option. Designed to set a new level of refinement, rigidity and interior space in the compact premium SUV segment. It also incorporates the company’s pioneering ProPilot autonomous drive support technologies to assist the driver when accelerating, braking and steering during singlelane carriageway driving, whilst still allowing them to retain ultimate control over the car. 

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Lister Thunder 200+MPH Supercar

The Lister Motor Company - a true all-British specialist sports car maker, takes on the glossy Italian marques with its most powerful, luxurious and fastest model yet – the Thunder.

Limited strictly to just 99, and priced from £139,950, this stunning model boasts a top speed in excess of 200mph, with a blistering 3 second 0-62mph sprint, powered by no less than 666 bhp.  entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

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Jaguar E-PACE – Sportscar Inspired SUV

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One of the latest models from this globally super-successful marque is the E-PACE, an SUV designed with a sportscar in mind.

The distinctive Jaguar grille, muscular proportions, short overhangs and powerful haunches – all alluding to ample power and strength - are instantly recognisable from the company’s stunning F-Type.

Slip Inside, and you’ll find more sportscar touches, and a cabin that’s superbly appointed and luxurious throughout.

Jaguar interiors always match the quality of those in models costing tens of thousands of pounds more, and this one is no exception. From ceiling to floor, every material and finish is top notch, and the ergonomic dash tech-rich - with the all

the latest infotainment, ambiance, safety and performance gadgetry right at your fingertips.

Roomy too – this model may be under 4.4 metres long, but has exceptional interior space and can seat five in comfort - as well as holding a weekly mammoth Waitrose shop and golf clubs in the boot with ease.

The E-PACe is available with a range of powerful and efficient Ingenium petrol and diesel engines. The 300PS petrol turbo version powers the sporting SUV from 0-60mph in just 5.9 seconds, and, for customers who want the ultimate efficiency, the front-wheel drive 150PS diesel delivers CO2 emissions of a respectable 124g/km. An excellent all-rounder guaranteed to please.  entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

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New Jaguar F-PACE SVR – Power, Pace & Space The Jaguar F-PACE, 2017 World Car of the Year and World Car Design of the Year, gets the SVR treatment to make it the fastest and most powerful F-PACE yet, with an enhanced chassis and aerodynamics for maximum driver reward in all conditions.

Engineered by Special Vehicle Operations (SVO), with a 44% uplift in power, the F-PACE SVR’s 5.0-litre V8 supercharged petrol engine produces 550PS and 680Nm, enabling it to reach 0-60mph in 4.1 seconds (0-100km/h in 4.3 seconds) with a top speed of 176mph (283km/h).

“The F-PACE SVR delivers the handling and agility to match its performance. Everything from the steering to the bespoke suspension set-up has been tuned specifically for our performance SUV and the result is a vehicle that lives up to the promise of both the F-PACE and SVR names.” Mike Cross, Chief Engineer, Vehicle Integrity, Jaguar Land Rover.  www.jaguar.com

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Ultimate Young Driver Experience from Jaguar

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aguar has created what has to be the best young driver experience ever. Its updated Jaguar First programme now enables 1117 year-olds to get behind the wheel of the company’s stunning and fast F-TYPE sports car, capable of 0-60mph in 5.4 seconds, and the powerful F-PACE SUV too.

Complete with kids, the E&I team went along to one event and were genuinely delighted and impressed. All the young drivers, including ours, thoroughly enjoyed themselves on the track, learning safe driving skills – even the most nervous returned at the end of their sessions brimming with confidence and with big smiles. Parents there thought it was a great initiative to offer something that is fantastically enjoyable and exciting, AND educational too.

It’s a fabulous gift idea – and not just for boys – the girls there loved it also.

Jaguar launched the original programme back in 2015, and since then, has introduced more than 5,000 young people not only to the joys of driving, but also to the importance of being safe behind the wheel.

Research has shown that learning to drive responsibly from an earlier age lowers the risk of accidents. No less than four hundred people are killed each year in the UK in accidents involving young drivers, and one in five newly qualified drivers will crash their car within six months of passing their test 1. By extending the period of learning with a qualified instructor,

and introducing the concept at an age when they’re more receptive to safety messages, this figure can drop by more than half.

Each lesson takes place in a dual-controlled car on a specially designed private road area with one of Jaguar’s expert instructors, and optional in-car filming allows the day to be shared with family and friends on social media.

The instructors are great with kids – patient and with a good sense of humour too.

Once they’ve mastered the basics, youngsters will progress to junctions and roundabouts, steering through tight cones, and practice bay and reverse parking. At some venues, there are also areas where drivers can safely experience handling of the car at higher speeds.

“Even the most nervous returned at the end of their sessions brimming with confidence and with big smiles”

All drivers must be 11 years old and over 1.42m (4ft 8) tall. The experience is available at: • Great Tew Estate, Oxfordshire • Dorfold Hall, Nantwich • Cheltenham Racecourse, Cheltenham • Lingfield Park Racecourse, Surrey • Ricoh Arena, Coventry • Molineux, Wolverhampton

Instructors are ADI-approved and DBS checked.

Jaguar First experiences are available for either 30, 60 or 90 minutes, start from £39.95 and can be booked at www.jaguarfirst.com.

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New Options Pack for McLaren 570S Track Racing Buyers McLaren 570S Spider buyers can now take advantage of a new options package that brings together a range of practical and visual features suited to circuit use in one pack.

The 570S Spider Track Pack, which can be specified only on new vehicle orders, is designed to deliver enhanced levels of driver engagement for owners interested in occasional track days, while still maintaining the daily usability of the McLaren Sports Series convertible.

In addition to reducing vehicle weight – in total by more than 33kg over the standard 570S Spider – the Track Pack brings a louder, more sporting exhaust note and further sharpens the appearance of the striking Spider.

The cockpit of a Track Pack car will benefit from one of six lightweight By McLaren Designer Interior Sport Design themes in Alcantara®, chosen by the buyer. Carbon Fibre Race Seats – which alone deliver a 13kg saving over the standard Sports Seats – and a Carbon Black Alcantara Steering Wheel put the driver in the mood for track action, the results of which can be captured using the factory-

fitted McLaren Track Telemetry (MTT) system that provides lap times and sector splits as well as post-drive analysis and datalogging with graphical plots of vehicle speed and time deltas.

Pack specification also includes a Carbon Fibre Interior Upgrade that sees door inserts, tunnel sides, extended gearshift paddles, steering wheel spokes, door and lower centre console switch packs and the McLaren IRIS infotainment surround finished in the lightweight material.

Exterior features are a Dark Palladium Roof and Super-Lightweight 10-Spoke Forged Alloy Wheels in Stealth Finish, shod as standard with Pirelli P-ZERO Corsa tyres and reducing weight by a total of 15kg compared to the standard wheel. Other options in carbon fibre are available if further weight reduction is desired.

A Sports Exhaust with Stealth Exhaust Finisher, which is both lighter and louder than a standard Sports Series system, completes the Track Pack.

The 570S Spider Track Pack is a £17,160 including taxes option at time of vehicle order.  cars.mclaren.com entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

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New Mercedes-Benz A-Class – Compact with Comfort & Class

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Mercedes-Benz’ reveals its latest model not only redefines modern luxury in the compact class, but revolutionises interior design too.

Ideal for city life, the new A-Class may be compact, but it’s spacious, luxurious and practical too, and fully loaded with an incredible amount of tech.

It’s even able to drive semiautonomously for the first time, and all models are powered by new, efficient diesel and petrol engines.

Bold and eye-catching with plenty of curb appeal, the new model features a host of visually appealing aesthetic touches. Longer and slightly wider than before, it looks solid and more squarely planted on the road. Inside, the cabin is far more fresh and futuristic looking, with many neat touches, including no less than 64 colours of ambient lighting.

Tech rich too and has free standing display variations, new multimedia system MBUX, Mercedes-Benz User Experience, which also ushers in a new era in Mercedes me connectivity. A unique feature of this user-adaptable system is its ability to learn thanks to artificial intelligence.

Further features include the highresolution widescreen cockpit with touchscreen operation of the media display, the navigation display with augmented reality technology plus intelligent voice control with natural speech recognition. A head-up display is also available.

More spacious than it looks from the outside, the A-Class has more shoulder, elbow and headroom plus easier access to the rear, and a larger and more family- and recreation-friendly luggage compartment. All-round visibility has also been considerably improved too.

Powered by range of new and efficient petrol and diesel engines, the lowest emissions are just 108g/km, and fastest speed 0-62mph in just 6.2 seconds. 

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Luxury Yacht Edit We’ve curated some of the latest and best yachts from three British companies – Sunseeker, Fairline and Princess. Imagine yourself enjoying our spectacular coast in style, entertaining guests and relaxing from your own deck watching the sun set with champagne in hand.

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SUNSEEKER PREDATOR 50 The Predator family is now joined by an allnew Predator 50, the new entry point for this definitive range. Setting a new benchmark for the smaller performance format, the innovative 50 is remarkable in offering both open and closed capabilities complete with tender garage; no compromises required.

Exemplifying the latest in Sunseeker’s cutting-edge design, every detail of the Predator 50 has been designed to perfection, but this new boat’s hidden treasure is the entertainment space that it affords. The Predator 50’s design is enhanced by the addition of a fully opening hardtop roof and beautifully executed cockpit glazing providing an open plan cockpit/saloon.

This is complemented by forward and aft cockpit seating which can be folded down to create an enlarged sun bathing area. The spacious saloon makes an equally idyllic setting for entertaining guests in opulent luxury with panoramic views.

This makes the Predator 50 a truly open or enclosed cockpit boat, unusual in this size of sports boat.

The interior is just as impressive, with a combination of fine materials and large windows ensuring the full-beam master stateroom, which comes with a generous en-suite, achieves the perfect blend of comfort and elegance. The forward VIP cabin exudes a light yet luxurious feel and features a scissor berth for complete flexibility. Up to four guests can be catered for in style and comfort on the water or an additional bunk cabin can be created in lieu of the lower saloon thereby providing accommodation for six.

Another key feature for this model is the ample exterior space. A stylish and highly sociable deck boasts a spacious foredeck seating and sunbathing area complete with optional retractable pram hood canopy. Moving aft, Sunseeker’s ‘Beach Club’ concept offers an inviting space for family and friends to enjoy the optional built-in BBQ, overhead shower and fold-down transom seating. Finally, but most importantly, the integral garage which is synonymous with the Predator can, where specified, accommodate a Williams 325 Jet Tender launched via the hydraulic bathing platform.

While the Predator 50 boasts truly classleading design and luxury, performance is still at the heart of this true sports cruiser which is fitted with the new Volvo Penta D8-600 engines mated to shaft drives with optional electric steering and joystick manoeuvrability. entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

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SUNSEEKER PREDATOR 74 Back with a vengeance, Sunseeker’s largest Predator model is back with a 40 knot capability.

Sporty and sleek, the brand new Sunseeker Predator 74 is crafted to perfectly balance style with practicality. Epitomising the latest Sunseeker design cues, the exterior boasts sleek, yet oversized pillarless’ windows down to the side deck which floods the interior with light and provides uninterrupted views from the saloon.

Central to its appeal, the cleverly engineered cockpit door mechanism allows it to open conventionally, but also lower itself into the sole of the yacht. Depending on the owner’s wishes, the Predator 74 can be transformed into an ‘open’ yacht in warmer regions or a ‘closed’ yacht in cooler climates.

The generous saloon includes a sumptuous seating area, ample storage and comprehensive port side bar console; all below an extraordinary glass sliding roof. Below deck from the saloon, there is a generous galley and three spacious ensuite cabins, comprising an aft master, starboard twin and forward VIP. The master cabin benefits from an optional walk-in wardrobe or office area. The below deck configuration offers complete flexibility for owners with an option to 110 | entrepreneurandinvestor.com

have an extended galley arrangement complete with lounge and breakfast bar seating or an additional twin guest cabin which would allow the yacht to accommodate up to eight guests in a four cabin arrangement.

The vast foredeck features a superb sunbed for soaking up the rays complete with optional pram hood canopy. Behind the Predator 74 transom, directly below the vast sunpad, the tender garage provides the space to house a new Williams 390 jet tender or Jet Ski with a hydraulic bathing platform to make launching effortless.

The transom area features an optional ‘Beach Club’ with parasol – an option first introduced with the Manhattan 52 in 2016 and now a Sunseeker signature feature. This area offers an inviting space for family and friends to enjoy the built-in BBQ, overhead ‘rain shower’ and fold-down transom seating.

Piercing through the waves, this yacht is powered by MAN V12 1550 horsepower engines which give an impressive top speed of up to 35 knots. Alternatively, for the thrill seekers the performance engine option with the MAN V12 1900 engines offers a breathtaking top speed of up to 40 knots. A true Sunseeker in every sense.

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FAIRLINE TARGA 43 OPEN The new Fairline Targa 43 Open will have the same innovative, versatile, light, bright and achingly stylish feel of the Targa 63 GTO. The luxurious sports cruiser will feature a choice of

either twin Volvo Penta IPS 500 or IPS 600, which is expected to achieve a minimum fully-loaded speed of 34 knots. Prices of the Targa 43 Open will start from £375,000 (excluding taxes).

FAIRLINE F-LINE 33 The new 33 draws on Fairline’s heritage of producing fun and exciting day boats. With a large forward sun bed and a spacious aft seating area, configurable to another sun bed, the 33’s deck is made for summer time entertaining.

An innovative drop down transom extends the usable space onboard and the lower deck features a mid-cabin with double bed, day head with shower, U-shaped seating with table

and bed conversion. Despite its compact size, the F-Line 33 features luxurious styling cues synonymous with Mancini. The entry-level model has twin Volvo Penta V6-240 petrol engines and for even greater performance, twin V8-300’s are offered. A diesel option utilising twin D3-220’s from Volvo is also planned. Priced, excluding taxes, from £220,500. Available to order now with deliveries beginning in early 2019. Launching at Dusseldorf 2019. entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

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FAIRLINE SQUADRON 64 Fairline’s new Squadron 64 combines grand proportions with a graceful profile. Built on the same Vripack wide chine hull of the Targa 63 GTO, the Squadron 64 features Alberto Mancini’s vision of strong, bold lines, exquisitely designed good looks and an abundance of space. The saloon flows elegantly around an open and aftfacing galley, adding to the overall sense of light 112 | entrepreneurandinvestor.com

within the boat. The yacht has multiple flybridge, main deck and accommodation configurations with a layout suitable for every global boating territory. Available with three or four cabins and an optional twin-bed aft crew cabin, the boat is powered by a choice of twin Caterpillar C18 1150 diesel engines or twin MAN V8 1200 engines. Price, excluding taxes, from £1,554,600.

Launching at Dusseldorf 2019.

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FAIRLINE TARGA 63 GTO The new Targa 63 GTO is the first of the new generation of models from Fairline Yachts - featuring the world class combination of Mancini’s styling flair, the rigorous, proven naval architecture of renowned Dutch firm Vripack and the hand-crafted, ‘Made in Great Britain’ quality of Fairline’s passionate and skilled craftsmen.

Mancini’s influence is clearly evident in the Targa 63 GTO, resulting in a sleeker style for Fairline.

Designed to suit Fairline’s varied global client base, this model offers complete flexibility of layout with a multitude of options to suit each individual customer. For example, the choice of

either an extended cockpit or extended saloon variants, the former offering large outdoor space, the latter for those where air conditioned interior space is more important. Maximising space and comfort are the key features of the Targa 63 GTO with every centimetre optimised.

Regardless of specification, owners will find a large saloon and cockpit as well as an impressive full-beam master cabin with adjoining en-suite.

The boat features a fully glazed ‘panoramic’ roof and a large sliding, glazed sunroof and powered patio doors that disappear through the cockpit floor transforming the main deck and adding to the overall sense of space and light.

FAIRLINE TARGA 63 GT The Targa 63 GT features the world-class combination of Mancini’s stunning Italian styling, rigorous and proven naval architecture by renowned Dutch firm Vripack, and the handcrafted, made in Great Britain quality of Fairline’s

passionate and skilled workforce. With a four-cabin layout, the Targa 63 GT on show is powered by twin Caterpillar C18 shaft driven engines and promises a top speed of 31 knots, with a range of 300nm at a cruising speed of 27 knots. This GT variant features an extended saloon for those where a light and spacious interior is paramount. The boat features a fully glazed panoramic sunroof adding to the overall sense of space and light. entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

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PRINCESS NEW V50 Following in the footsteps of the recently launched V40, the new V50 quintessentially showcases the dynamic exterior, exceptional seakeeping and voluminous space of our V Class range. Her striking exterior styling features port light windows which cascade the length of her deep - V hull, flooding the saloon and cabins with natural light.

The main deck exterior spaces feature the new V Class metallic grey and Graphite grey metallic finish across cockpit furniture including the wet bar, canopy and spider structure.

Flexibility is offered in abundance on the new V50 starting with the option of an enclosed or open main deck configuration with L - shaped seating or sunpad aft leading to the spacious and airy saloon and helm seating.

Innovative flexibility continues to the well appointed lower deck saloon which can be used as an entertaining space or provides the option to convert to a double berth. There is the added 114 | entrepreneurandinvestor.com

option of specifying this area with a third cabin.

The full beam master stateroom is an inviting sanctuary whilst the forward cabin enjoys the option of scissor berths.

Born from an obsession with exceptional seakeeping and voluminous space , the original V Class yachts delivered seemingly diametrically opposed characteristics, much to the delight of owners. Their sculpted form - shaped from lightweight, resin - infused composite material optimised for greater lift and less drag, leading to lower planing speeds and greater efficiency.

This ingenious design ensures it burns less fuel to achieve its maximum design speed. Such precision thinking gives rise to exhilarating speeds, defined by efficiency, agility and poise.

Take a spirited dash of speeds up to 32 knots †with twin Volvo IPS 600 engines.

The electro - hydraulic bathing platform ensures easy access to enjoy watersports and the garage can accommodate a 3.25m tender on the V50 Open.

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PRINCESS ALL NEW V65 The progressive sport yacht range is expanding following the success of the award-winning V58 and V40 to include the exciting all-new V65.

All of the traditional qualities of craftsmanship and refinement are displayed and reinvented in a deliberately more involving design concept. Clean flowing lines accentuate the spear-less double curvature deckhouse glazing and soft facetted geometry defines the interior joinery to create a truly captivating environment. The fluid exterior graphic of the silhouette is unmistakable, from the contemporary hull windows to the progressive new graphic language with feature coloured canopy styling blades.

Open boating can be enjoyed to its optimum with this exciting all-new V Class addition.

The spacious cockpit inspires relaxation

complimented with a sun pad and well equipped dining area leading to the fully equipped aft galley. This flexible deck saloon model can be climate controlled or opened to the elements via sliding doors and a retractable sunroof.

Below deck, guests enjoy beautifully appointed cabins each bathed in natural light from elegant hull glazing. 8 guests can be accommodated in 4 cabins – 3 ensuite with the starboard ensuite having day access. There is also the option of a further cabin aft for occasional guests or crew.

Enjoy a spirited dash across the ocean in the Princess V65 , a fusion of power and luxury.

Taking the helm, the variable geometry of the deep - V hull assuredly translates any surge of power into taut handling. This adrenalin fuelling sports yacht can reach speeds up to 38 knots. entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

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PRINCESS ALL NEW S78 This all-new model will take the mantle as the flagship of the Princess S Class range of exhilarating sportbridge yachts which perfectly balance luxury and scintillating performance.

From the moment you step aboard she impresses with her grand central access to the cockpit. The versatile modular seating and sociable galley-aft arrangement create a haven of relaxation whilst providing the perfect space for entertaining al fresco. This area is an audiophile’s dream with a specially designed sound system and acoustics from the world-renowned NAIM Audio.

A resin-infused hull delivers exceptional performance with breath-taking agility up to 39 knots. When at anchor, peacefulness descends onto her generously appointed deck areas whilst her hydraulic bathing platform and 4.45m tender garage with integrated tender launch system become the perfect base for watersports.

Her sportbridge inspires, with a range of unique furnishings to choose from and companion seating areas that convert into sun loungers. The foredeck area also features innovative seating with sunpads which can be converted to create additional aft facing seats.

Her cavernous main deck saloon with fluid lines and relaxed seating seamlessly connects to the world outside through full length side windows.

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in natural light from elegant hull glazing, with a further twin cabin aft for occasional guests or crew.

The very essence of S Class is powerful, exhilarating and precise yet timelessly elegant and sophisticated; S Class blends iconic design, exceptional engineering and unrivalled craftsmanship to create an unforgettable, emotional experience.

The S78 hull is optimised for greater lift and less drag, leading to lower planing speeds and greater efficiency. Fitted with the MAN 1900mhp engine option she will reach speeds up to a maximum of 39 knots.

The Princess Design Studio is synonymous with the creation of beautifully crafted interiors.

Each element of the S78 interior is designed with meticulous attention to detail – both in terms of form and function – and tailored to deliver creative, breath taking solutions for the ultimate experience on the water.

Clean lines, quiet tones, natural materials and luxurious but simple finishes are in perfect harmony. Instantly recognisable as a member of the S Class range, the S78 utilises the same design ethos as her smaller counterparts - the S72, S65 and S60 - through the same use of materials and timbers and by retaining the same overall design integrity. Stylish, contemporary, timeless, quietly confident, memorable, seamlessly executed and beautifully finished. 

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Lunch Break Body Contouring

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tubborn fat on the stomach, flanks, upper arms and thighs can be hard to shift, despite vigorous exercise and diet. The way we store fat varies from person to person with genetics, lifestyle and diet influencing how and where it is stored.

Always at the cutting-edge of the latest, evidence-based treatment innovations, the Cadogan Clinic offers a non-surgical solution to combat the fat with SculpSure™, the first FDA-cleared laser treatment for non-invasive fat reduction. The controlled light-based technology is a perfect solution for patients looking to eliminate stubborn fat fast, effectively and permanently.

Results are evident around 6 weeks post treatment with optimum results visible at 13 weeks. Whilst the fat cells are permanently destroyed, a follow up treatment is advised after 4 weeks in order to refine and achieve the very best results.

SculpSure can be carried out on most areas of the body with the stomach, flanks, upper arms and thighs being the most popular treatment areas.

THE SCIENCE The laser energy heats fat cells under the skin (known as lipolysis), which damages their structural integrity. These damaged cells are then processed and eliminated by the body’s lymphatic system.

THE TREATMENT Special applicators lie flat on the skin and heat the fat layer whilst also cooling the skin’s surface

for comfort. The treatment takes a total of 25 minutes, so it’s easy to fit into a lunch break and there is no down time, so you can return home or back to work straight away. It’s a great nonsurgical fat reduction treatment that will help shift stubborn fat.

THE TOLERANCE Whilst most people experience minimal pain throughout the treatment (intermittent warmth/ cooling, tingling sensations), this can vary from person to person. No damage is caused to the dermal tissue with SculpSure and the treatment is suitable for all skin types.

THE TEAM The Cadogan Clinic understands that each person is unique and has different treatment needs. The wide range of integrated procedures and medically-validated treatments available at the Cadogan Clinic are administered by the industry’s best doctors and aestheticians to optimise patient outcomes.

THE CADOGAN CLINIC The Cadogan Clinic is one of the UK’s leading cosmetic surgery and aesthetic treatment practices. The industry-leading team of consultants practice at the vanguard of clinical medicine, using the latest treatment and surgical innovations to deliver outstanding results.

Specialising in cosmetic surgery procedures, non-surgical cosmetic treatments, dermatology and Mole Check, the Cadogan Clinic is passionate about pioneering change.  www.cadoganclinic.com entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

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Dining Delights ROKA Charlotte Street’s Neon Cherry Blossom

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hochu at ROKA Charlotte Street is taking the concept of the sakura season even further this year, with a stunning canopy of cherry blossom covering the entire ceiling of the basement bar.

Shochu is celebrating spring in a bigger and brighter way with the return of the sakura cherry blossom installation. This year, there is also the playful addition of pale pink neon lighting throughout the display to highlight the delicate blooms and enhance the ambience of the bar.

Until 20th June, guests will be invited to dine on ROKA’s signature Japanese-inspired cuisine underneath a glowing blanket of blossom.

Furthermore, Shochu’s bar team have created three bespoke cocktails that play on the sweet flavours of spring. One favourite is set to be the Sakura Sour, where akashi-tai plum sake will be shaken with arbikie vodka, passion fruit and sakura paste to create the ultimate sakura serve.

Other cocktails available will include: • Morello Fizz: roku gin with morello cherry, red vermouth and soda top.

• Cherry & Tonka Manhattan: nikka from the barrel whisky stirred with oloroso sherry, sobacha and tonka Shochu will be adorned with pink-tinted sakura until June to pay homage to the Japanese practice of Hanami, the enjoyment and viewing of the transient beauty of flowers. The installation has been created by Veevers Carter, an events agency specialising in vibrant floral designs. For the duration of the installation, Shochu will also be open during lunch times on Saturday and Sunday only. www.rokarestaurant.com/home-shochulounge

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30th Anniversary of The Peninsula New York Exclusive Partnership with NYC’s Top Restaurants

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n celebration of its 30th year, The Peninsula New York is introducing its Keys to the Kitchen Program, a curated above-andbeyond culinary experience in partnership with New York City’s most coveted restaurants.

Exclusively available to Peninsula guests, the program provides insider access to some of the city’s upscale favourites such as: • DANIEL • Per Se • The Modern • Gramercy Tavern • Jean-Georges • Gabriel Kreuther Guests will enjoy an unforgettable meal complete with a bespoke experience ranging from a behind-thescenes kitchen tour, meet-andgreet with the Executive Chef, complimentary appetizer or a sampling of something new on the menu. www.newyork.peninsula.com

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New Gennadi Grand Resort

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idely regarded as the healthiest diet in on earth - opening in May, the new Gennadi Grand Resort will epitomise the famous Greek diet whilst highlighting the local gourmet traditions of Rhodes: Using the Mediterranean’s freshest produce from land and sea, the resort will present a gourmet portfolio inspired by centuries of Greek cooking and hospitality. From a mesmerising show kitchen, fine-dining destination restaurant and tavern specialising in Greek tapas dishes; the new hotel will open diner’s eyes to this worldrenowned cuisine with a portfolio of restaurants and bars that present regional specialties.

Gennadi Grand Resort’s Food and Beverage Director Mrs Anna Spanou outlines: ‘The resort’s culinary approach is inspired by centuries of Greek cooking and hospitality. From our live and interactive show kitchen based on Mediterranean cuisine to fine-dining destination restaurant and tavern specialising in Greek tapas dishes “mezedes”; our guests have the opportunity to discover culinary “secrets” from all regions of Greece, and experience creatively prepared local 120 | entrepreneurandinvestor.com

and seafood degustation menus that will re-define the traditional flavours that everyone associates with Greece.

Gennadi Grand Resort aims to open diner’s eyes to this world-renowned cuisine.’

The main restaurant Φiloxenia will play host to the live and interactive kitchens whilst Eδesma dish up a fresh and inspiring approach to Greek food with creative degustation menus that will redefine the traditional flavours that is associated with Greece. Ouζο: the traditional Greek Ouzeri, is a tavern specialising in small sharing dishes accompanied by Ouzo whilst other restaurants include the renowned STK, contemporary bistro Ten2One, pool restaurant Ble, a beach deli Aλati and Level 2 - an exclusive breakfast restaurant with enviable panoramic sea views.

A new design resort set on the coastline overlooking the Aegean, Gennadi Grand Resort opens in May 2018 and will Part of Lindos Hotel Group, this eco-friendly resort redefines modern luxury, offering a true sense of locality and with an emphasis on bringing the outside in. www.gennadigrandresort.com

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The Edible Resort The Ritz-Carlton, Bahrain

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he edible resort is set to be a major travel trend in 2018. With diners expectations higher than ever, from farm-to-table to ocean-to-plate initiatives filling our table tops, in 2018 travellers want to travel to a destination that not only serves fresh and sustainable food but that also features a wide variety of faraway flavours.

Catering to the discerning gourmet connoisseur traveller, The Ritz-Carlton, Bahrain is home to seven award winning restaurants and four lounges. From an Arabian-Mediterranean fusion at beachfront restaurant, La Plage to traditional indigenous Mexican cuisine at Cantina Kahlo, exquisite Indian dishes at Nirvana or the finest steaks at Plums there is something to satisfy all palettes.

Leading the way with gourmet initiatives, The Ritz-Carlton, Bahrain is dedicated to supporting local Bahraini farmers and educating

guests on The Kingdom’s culinary highlights. The hotel’s expert concierge can guide families to the nearby farmers market to help pick out the freshest of ingredients whilst back at the hotel, chef at fine dining restaurant; La Med will use the hand picked produce to craft a Family Lunch to remember.

Pivotal in the hotel’s diverse award-winning innovative cuisine, all the way from the legendary Harrod’s London is new Executive Chef Christian Knerr bringing with him an array of global experiences and influences firmly placing the hotel on the Middle East’s gastronomic map.

And located just three kilometres from the vibrant capital of Manama with its authentic and traditional dining destinations, The Ritz-Carlton, Bahrain affirms The Kingdoms mark as a foodie traveller’s haven. www.ritzcarlton.com/en/hotels/middle-east/ bahrain entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

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Exclusive Gourmet Festival at Elounda Mare Relais & Châteaux, Crete, Greece

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he Elounda Mare Hotel offers picturesque rooms that look out onto the cobalt waters of Mirabelllo Bay. Guests can choose from three different types of accommodation; rooms and suites in the main building, bungalows with a private pool and the Minoan royalty suite with a private pool.

All bungalows and Minoan Royalty Suites offer a small garden with private saltwater pool offering a sanctuary of peace and privacy to escape within. The height of luxury can be experienced with the King Minos Royalty Suite, which offers two bedrooms joined together by a spacious living room, two luxurious en-suite marble

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bathrooms, a private fitness room with sauna and marble steam room as well as a private furnished garden and large swimming pool.

This June Elounda Mare, the only member of the prestigious Relais & Châteaux group in Crete is offering a unique Gourmet festival for all food lovers and enthusiasts. Running from 8th – 10th June 2018, the gourmet festival at Elounda Mare Relais & Châteaux will consist of three days of culinary adventure, showcasing local Cretan suppliers and produce. Embark on a tasteful journey with the help of Xavier Mathieu, 1 étoile Michelin chef at Phébus & Spa, Gordes, and Elounda Mare Relais & Chateaux chef Antonis Petrelis and sommelier Babis Papadatos.

The Gourmet Festival offers guests the exclusive chance to taste local cheese, sip on local wines and the famous local drink “Raki”, as well as experiencing honey production from the local beehives. Guest chef Xavier Mathieu will also be conducting a cooking class in which he will prepare one of his speciality dishes, along with a wine pairing by sommelier Babis Papadatos. Guests at the hotel will be able to participate in the full three days of the gourmet festival or pick individual events.

GOURMET FESTIVAL OVERVIEW Friday 8th June: 12:00 -14:00 Cheese degustation paired with local wines, by Elounda Mare Relais & Chateaux sommelier Babis Papadatos 19:00 Cocktail buffet with local produce, variety of wine & “Raki” followed by Fish night at the Yacht Club restaurant Saturday 9th June: 9:30-13:30 Honey Production Bee Hive Visit and snack buffet offered on location 19:30 Four hands Relais et Châteaux Gourmet Festival Gala Dinner by Xavier Mathieu 1 étoile Michelin chef at Phébus & Spa, Gordes & Antonis Petrelis chef at the Old Mill restaurant Sunday 10th June: 12:00-14:00 Preparation of a speciality dish by Xavier Mathieu followed by 3 course lunch at the Yacht Club www.eloundamare.com

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Anse Chastanet, St Lucia, Introduces New Sustainable Treetop Dining Experience

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nse Chastanet, St Lucia, has unveiled a sustainable seafood dining concept at the resort’s iconic open-air Treehouse restaurant. Set amidst the treetops with breath-taking views of the Caribbean Sea below, this eco-culinary offering will feature fresh seafood that has been acquired and prepared responsibly. Each delicious dish will be served with local Caribbean ingredients that have been grown on the resort’s 600-acre estate.

Tapping into the resurgence of agricultural industries such as fishing, foraging and farming, Anse Chastanet’s culinary team has partnered with local fishermen and farmers to create this fresh, coastal menu that features fish and produce that are in season.

In keeping with Anse Chastanet’s eco-conscious philosophy, this mouth-watering new menu embodies the sea-to-plate, farmto-table philosophy which the hotel is renowned for. www.ansechastanet.com

Italian Hospitality Collection Launches the Equilibrium Cooking School in Three Tuscan Spa Properties

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talian Hospitality Collection has launched its very own Equilibrium Cooking School across its three Tuscan spa hotels, Grotta Giusti, Bagni di Pisa and Fonteverde.

On select dates in 2018, guests across the three hotels will be able to sign up for the School entirely free of charge, with the option to join five two-hour sessions from Monday to Friday.

The gut-health boosting cooking classes are the latest offering from Italian Hospitality Collection, best known for pioneering the award-winning Equilibrium wellness programme, a spa, exercise and dietary retreat

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targeting internal inflammation, the number one cause of life-limiting illnesses.

The School, which will be led by the head chef and leading dietician at each property, will cover a different aspect of nutrition every day, ranging from lessons in probiotics to highprotein, anti-oxidant foods and nutraceuticals.

The Equilibrium Cooking School at Grotta Giusti will be held on 18th – 22nd June, 17th – 21st September and 19th – 23rd November 2018. For further information or to book please email booking@grottagiustiapa.com.

New bottomless brunch launches at Radisson Collection Hotel, Royal Mile Edinburgh

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adisson Collection Hotel, Royal Mile Edinburgh has launched a new bottomless brunch packed with locally sourced ingredients, (including honey from the hotel’s roof top honeybees!) and each dish is carefully garnished with herbs from the restaurant’s EvoGro hydroponic systems.

Guests will be spoiled with the choice of a three-course meal with fizz or two to three course meals accompanied by wine chosen and served by the in-house Sommelier. Each dish pays homage to Scottish gastronomy and the whole menu is dotted with British classics.

The brunch kicks off with a delicate and varied selection of charcuterie, smoked fish, fresh breads and pastries. For the main event there will be a choice between a crumbly smoked haddock fish cake with a perfectly prepared poached egg and rich hollandaise sauce, a full Scottish breakfast complete with haggis and black pudding or roast ribeye of beef with all the trimmings. To finish puddings will include sticky toffee pudding drizzled in toffee sauce served alongside smooth vanilla ice cream or a creamy chocolate pave with peanut brittle. Sweet and fluffy waffles will also be on offer with a variety of classic toppings including banana, maple syrup or Nutella.

The three-course bottomless brunch with fizz costs £35 per person whilst the Sommeliers choice wine pairing £12 for two courses or £18 for three courses. Brunch will be served on Sundays from 12:30pm until 3:00pm. www.radissoncollection. com/en/royalmile-hotel-edinburgh. entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

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Amàre Marbella Beach Hotel Introduces Feisty Latin American Pop-Up Restaurant This Summer

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uests at Amàre Marbella Beach Hotel are in for a real treat this summer with the arrival of Hayaca Restaurant. A popup Latin American fusion restaurant, Hayaca delivers flavoursome specialities from Cuba, Argentina, Peru, Mexico and Brazil, with the unmistakable flourish of talented chef Mauricio Giovanini, whose Messina restaurant has been awarded a Michelin Star.

With a laidback, fun vibe, chilled Latin beats, colourful interiors and knock-out sea views, Hayaca is this summer’s hottest venue for cocktails and superb Latin cuisine. www.amarehotels.com

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Barista TS Smart® Super Coffee Maker

If you are serious about the quality of your coffee and love all things tech, the Melitta Barista TS Smart® could just be the very item you’ve been waiting for. We’ve been testing this and now simply couldn’t do without!

Super-clever and smart-phone operated, this bean to cup maker does everything from grinding and making thick creamy espressos, to frothing milk for your cappuccinos and lattes.

And with double cup capability – can make a delicious coffee for a companion at the same time too.

It has intuitive touch sensor controls and features the Melitta Connect App – ‘My Coffee & Smart Service’ – designed to get exactly the taste you are looking for and create and save delicious recipe ideas. You simply connect a smartphone to the machine via Bluetooth and you’re all set.

So that you never forget how your family

and friends have their coffee, the My Coffee memory function enables personal recipes to be saved for up to four or eight people, each under an individualised name whilst the recipe book function allows users to choose from 18 or 21 pre-programmed coffee variations.

It also features a super quiet grinder, touchbutton once a year descaling, Automatic Bean Select which always chooses the correct type of bean for your favourite coffee plus a three-phase aroma brewing process to give intense tasting coffee without the need to change the amount of coffee or water used. It also comes with a flexible plug in milk system for ease of use.  Barista TS Smart® (RRP £1,199). Available via Amazon, AO, Bella Barista, Currys, Dawsons, E-Cookshop, Hughes Electrical and Redber Coffee. Melitta.co.uk entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

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Spa Time Danai Beach Resort & Villas, Greece, Launches Brand New ‘Purity of the Alps

by Valmont’ Facial Hydration Treatment

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urrounded by the Aegean Sea and located on Sithonia, the second peninsula of Halkidiki, Greece, Danai Beach Resorts & Villas is immersed in natural beauty. With 64 individually designed suites and villas and the newly refurbished SPA, Danai Beach Resort is a haven for mind, body and soul. The resort has recently launched a brand new Purity of the Alps

by Valmont Facial Treatment which promises to purify and hydrate the skin using Glacial Spring Water from Switzerland.

The soothing Spring Water is pure, soft and perfectly balanced. Its ideal composition in minerals encourages tissue exchanges, revitalizes the cellular metabolism and stimulates the skin’s natural defence system, leaving the skin with a renewed freshness. www.danairesort.com

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New ESPA Sleep Ritual Spa Treatment, Hastings Hotels, Northern Ireland

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astings Hotels, Northern Ireland’s finest independent hotel collection, are thrilled to announce a NEW ESPA Sleep Ritual spa treatment at the Slieve Donard Resort & Spa and at the 5* Culloden Estate & Spa. New for 2018, the Sleep Ritual spa treatment is the ultimate 'unwind', allowing your body time to relax and renew; an essential element to living well.

Hastings Hotels recognise that sleep is vital for physical, emotional and mental wellbeing yet often its importance is underestimated in the rush of modern-day life. The tailor-made Sleep Ritual spa treatment is beautifully simple yet effective as it relaxes body and mind, helping to lull guests into a truly serene sleep.

NEW SLEEP SPA RITUAL Performed in calming, candlelit surroundings, the therapist will skilfully guide guests through breathing and visualisation techniques to release physical and emotional anxiety and restore energies. Switch off with an indulgent and warming deep tissue massage, releasing deepseated muscular tension, using a combination of hot stones and warmed fragrant ESPA oil gently poured onto the body. This deeply therapeutic massage is continued up through the body, promoting positivity to the mind, concluding in a soothing scalp massage to relieve any final signs of stress ensuring guests completely switch off.

Allow the mind to be cleared and give in to total relaxation in preparation for a truly serene night’s sleep. Leave the spa in a blissful state, calmed by the aroma of the ESPA essential oils and soothed by the warming effect of the hot stones.

Guests can enjoy full use of the Juice Bar, eucalyptus steam room and Jacuzzi before drifting off to sleep in the famous cloud beds at the Slieve Donard Resort & Spa or at the Culloden Estate & Spa. www.hastingshotels.com

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New Lunar Cycle Treatments at Marigot Bay Resort & Marina, Saint Lucia, Caribbean

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seaweed and eucalyptus salt scrub followed by a deeply stimulating seaweed wrap. To finish the treatment, guests are treated to an invigorating full body rosemary and eucalyptus massage leaving guests feeling energized and awakened.

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lending original personality, gracious design and personal service, the Auriga Spa at Marigot Bay Resort & Marina is delighted to launch a new line of spa treatments inspired by the Lunar cycles, using Organic Pharmacy products. As the moon’s mystical powers have influenced people for centuries, Marigot Bay Resort & Marina have been inspired to create a variety of treatments to help restore and revitalize the body. Providing the ultimate paradise for a calming and indulgent retreat, guests at Marigot Bay Resort & Marina will be able to connect their mind and body to the varying energies of the lunar cycles.

AURIGA SPA The Auriga Spa at Marigot Bay Resort & Marina is a sanctuary for guests to savour the natural restorative essences of the island. Situated on the shoreline nestled between lush, tropical foliage and the waters of Marigot Bay, this indoor/outdoor refuge is an oasis of privacy and relaxation. In the spa village, enjoy the outdoor ambiance at the steam inhalation room, Jacuzzi and sauna cabana. Continue this relaxing journey with a welcoming, grounding ceremony, employing carefully selected herbs designed to prepare the body for the spa ritual.

NEW MOON SPA TREATMENT A time for renewal and introspection, the New Moon spa treatment allows guests to meditate on who they are and who they would like to become. The treatment begins at the very foundation of the body with a foot massage, by anointing them with oils of Jupiter, rosemary and fennel to awaken one’s spirits. The body and mind are then thoroughly revitalized with a

WAXING MOON SPA TREATMENT The Waxing Moon spa treatment provides guests with a time to refocus on one’s energy, goals and maximum potential. The treatment begins with the feet, which are massaged with the soothing scent of jasmine using reflexology techniques to release any stress and tension. This is then followed by a restoring scalp massage, as well as a head and foot wrap using essential oils.

Meanwhile the therapist will stimulate and rejuvenate the skin’s texture with a luxurious petal salt scrub. To complete the treatment, a nurturing jasmine mask and enveloping full body massage leaves the body feeling grounded and full of creative energy.

FULL MOON SPA TREATMENT A time for one to realise their full potential and choose to live life to its fullest, the Full Moon spa treatment is focused around the revered scent of a rose. As nothing encompasses balance more than a rose, its scent has been carefully selected to help stabilise the body. The treatment begins with an anointment and massage of the feet with rose oil, while the body is exfoliated with rose petals and rose-oil-infused salts. Then, a deep, cleansing rose wrap nourishes the body with essential minerals, while the face receives a deep, relaxing massage and lymphatic facial.

As a result of the treatment, guests will leave feeling harmonised and rebalanced.

WANING MOON SPA TREATMENT With an initial foot massage featuring detoxifying oils and pressure point techniques, the body is set to feel restored with the Waning Moon spa treatment. The body’s systems are then cleansed of any pollutants with an exfoliation and lymphatic massage. To end the treatment, guests will enjoy a refreshing facial to ensure complete purification and will be left feeling fully revived and renewed. www.marigotbayresort.com or email spa. marigotbay@auriga-spa.com. entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

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Quirky SALVE-IN-TERRA Couple’s Experience at Myconian Collection, Mykonos, Greece

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hether you are seeking to sculpt your body, to relax your mind, or to light up your skin, the Myconian Collection Spa & Thalasso Centre offer heavenly retreats to escape to, to be transformed and to get permanent results. The island’s energy will maximize the experience, while the state of- the-art facilities will ensure long, comforting sessions of sheer pleasure.

Treatments based on the healing philosophy of Greek medicine and a range of holistic therapies, including Pilates, yoga and aquatic bodywork, known as Watsu (water shiatsu), are offered. In a seductive ambience of ultramodern facilities, experts at the top of their field deliver a number of exquisite sessions, which, combined with the salutary effects of the ionized sea air, saltwater and sun, immerse guests in a blissful sense of well-being. Spacious therapy rooms, heated indoor pools, steam baths and hammam, as well as high-tech gyms invite fitness conscious guests to work out. The products used for the treatments include the latest by Elemis – a world leading cosmetics brand in anti-ageing research, all designed to awaken the senses and to restore the body’s natural balance.

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With Myconian Collection’s new SALVEIN-TERRA skin care experience, couples can enhance their intimacy while enjoying a relaxing and stimulating treatment at Myconian’s Satori Thalasso Spa. The 25 minute experience is truly unique, offering couples the exclusive chance to choose their own scented oil mixture whilst creating an intimate atmosphere with a selection of music styles from a special cube.

The experience begins with a bathing pleasure as couples lay down on a heated bed, undressed, as a warm cream peeling mixture is applied and fragrant steam fills up the cabin. Adding onto the music and essences, a modern light system with Swarovski crystals creates a visual stimulus for the eyes. Next, as the bed rotates and moves around to each guest’s pleasure, the bed becomes a pleasing bath as couples enjoy a gentle touch experience. Finally, as the sides of the bed are lifted upwards, resembling the motion of a mussel shell, couples slip towards one another and relish in the treatment’s bliss while cleansing the skin with a tropical rain shower. www.myconiankorali.com

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Tivoli Spa at the Tivoli Avenida Liberdade

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esigned to provide an absolute state of relaxation and wellbeing, the recently opened Tivoli Spa Lisbon is an invitation to leave stress and day-to-day tensions behind in a setting of timeless authentic splendour. Located at the Tivoli Avenida Liberdade Lisboa Hotel, an elegant historical landmark known for over 80 years of superb hospitality, the Tivoli Spa is a refined oasis where holistic approaches and innovative techniques meet.

Step into the hotel’s iconic old world lobby and descend a set of stairs to a freshly designed wellness retreat, where soothing colour motifs and warm natural light will allow you to completely disconnect from the urban landscape and rebalance through highly sensorial spa surrounds. www.minorhotels.com/en/tivoli/tivoliavenida-liberdade-lisboa

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Aleenta Hua Hin Resort & Spa SLOW Down Week

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indfulness teacher, Masooma Kachelo and Mindful Movement Teacher, Caroline Combelles will colead a spiritual journey including 17 hours of wellness sessions enhanced by healthy Thai cuisine and luxurious accommodation at AHG’s Aleenta Hua Hin this May. The seven-night ‘SLOW Down Week’ package includes three days of classes on building resilience, conscious living, mindful healthy cooking and eating teamed with in-room massage treatments. Together, instructors Masooma and Caroline will balance stillness, laughter, movement and inward reflection to awaken the body and soothe the soul. “Our retreat offers a safe, loving space in a beautiful, luxurious natural setting that allows your body and heart to open in a way that best serves you,” explains Masooma. “Each participant can craft his or her own “spiritual” practice and awaken into deeper conscious living.”

Following a three-day blend of spiritual and psychological wellbeing guidance, guests are invited to relax at the beautiful secluded Pranburi Beach, practice their mindful training and enjoy the spa for the remaining four nights.

“The soft sandy beach at Pak Nampran Bay is gently lapped by the warm waters of the Gulf of Siam and provides the perfect place for peaceful contemplation,” explains Ms. Anchalika Kijkanakorn, Founder & Managing Director of Akaryn Hotel Group. “We look forward to welcoming people to our sanctuary by the sea.”

A sanctuary for mindfulness, (or the process of bringing one’s attention to experiences in the present moment without judgment), the tranquil, low-rise sanctuary, Aleenta Hua Hin Resort & Spa is nestled on the Pranburi Beach at Pak Nampran Bay in Thailand just three hours’ drive from Bangkok. The resort offers a ‘farm to fork’ approach to cooking, and many ingredients are grown organically on site, furthering a totally holistic experience at this special hotel.

The ‘SLOW Down Week’ runs on 14th – 21st & May 18th – 24th May 2018. www.akarynhotelgroup.com entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

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Dressing for Success How style affects business

BY IAN BLACKBURN Managing director of Hidepark Leather

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eing an entrepreneur and developing your personal brand is just as important as building your business. Your personal brand is built from online presence and in person human connections. These connections and business developments all stem from those initial meetings. Clothing and fashion plays a vital role in helping you literally dress for success.

This article seeks to discuss various ways individuals interested in boosting their business can use clothing to impact their performance. It’s all about knowing what clothes provide what perceptions in the eye of the individual you are trying to befriend, impress or perhaps even intimidate.

Hollywood stars donned all black in a powerdressing statement, but to take this to the boardroom you need suits, tailored skirts and blouses or other formal attire.

WHAT IS THE BEST THING TO WEAR TO A MEETING? Now we’ve asserted that to increase your cognitive prowess, formal attire is best, but there is also evidence to suggest that formal wear increases negotiating power.

A study in the Journal of Experimental Psychology found that people in suits and formal office-style clothes were more likely to be successful in negotiating. This would be advantageous in finance meetings, client pitches or just about anything to get your entrepreneurial effort off the ground.

“Ultimately, you need to wear whatever is comfortable for you and appropriate for the occasion”

CAN OUTFITS INCREASE INTELLIGENCE? Clothes obviously can’t have an affect on your actual intelligence, however, certain outfits can have positive cognitive implications. A study a few years ago, in Social Psychology discovered that formal dress increased abstract thinking and in the test, improved their scores on cognitive tests. In this sense, wearing a typical suit may actually be having benefits on the work you create.

When analysing their data, the researchers mentioned this could be relating to feelings of power. This is common and you’ve definitely heard of it before; power dressing. Recently, 138 | entrepreneurandinvestor.com

IS THE TIME OF THE SUIT GONE? A study published this year found that only 1 in 10 people wear a suit to work. This is indicative of the changing sphere of work with more flexible hours and laid back attitudes, but these people could be missing out on the potential benefits of power dressing. Newer methods are not always better, but they do have some advantages in today’s business world.

Workers in this study stated that dressing

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how they wanted over typical suits allowed them to express their individuality and made them more comfortable. These two points are crucial when deciding how fashion will impact your business acumen.

HOW TO FORMALLY EXPRESS INDIVIDUALITY If you’re in a formal meeting, dressing how you want may not be an option despite how comfortable you feel. If you want to express your individuality and help investors remember you, it’s key that you need to slightly deviate from the norm.

A study in the Journal of Consumer Research in 2014 found that people who wore red trainers were remembered and found to be positively received as they appeared to take educated risks. Take this into the boardroom, that’s where the idea of wearing a red tie or a something memorable comes about.

If you can wear casual wear, patches on leather jackets are ideal for staying in the mind of people you are meeting, as are colouredrimmed glasses; just as long as they aren’t counterfeit.

COUNTERFEIT GOODS It’s important not to wear fake designer clothes or accessories, like glasses, in case you get caught out. A study in Psychological Science 2010 found that women wearing fake sunglasses were perceived as suspicious and that the wearer’s perceived those around them also as suspicious.

It instills distrust in everyone in the room and is not something you want to bring into business meetings.

WHAT TO TAKE AWAY FROM THIS Ultimately, you need to wear whatever is comfortable for you and appropriate for the occasion. Formal meetings with investors mostly don’t call for trainers, unless that’s what your brand is trying to represent.

Suits may be outdated for some industries but they definitely still hold a place in many businesses and won’t be going out of fashion any time soon. Timeless pieces like leather jackets, jeans and boots are a good way to walk a smartcasual line if you feel you don’t need to go down the typical suit and tie route. Just remember, wear something comfortable with a memorable addition that’s definitely not counterfeit. 

SS18 Flintoff by Jacamo

Links of London 20-20 Silver & Onyx Chain Cufflinks £195.00

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Proper Suit Care: The Essentials That Every Man Should Know

BY EDWARD PRITCHARD Edward Pritchard is Manager of designer menswear retailer Pritchards. He shares his expertise on how to keep your suit in great condition for longer.

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sharp, well-tailored suit is likely to be one of the most expensive pieces in your wardrobe, so you'll want to do everything you possibly can to extend its lifespan. To help you get the most out of your pride and joy, I've compiled this guide to caring for your suits, including advice on brushing, hanging and washing your jackets and trousers. Just read on to learn the essential rules that every man should swear by.

BRUSH THEM AFTER WEAR Unless you've stained your jacket at dinner, or it’s starting to smell a little off, there's no need to wash your suit after every wear. In fact, taking them to the cleaners too often will actually damage the fabric, putting unnecessary strain on the fibres and seams and shortening the lifespan of your suit. Instead, all you need to do to keep your suit looking sharp is give it a quick brush down with a suit brush and lint roller, and then hang it up in the wardrobe to air out.

A quality soft bristle brush will effectively remove any dust and dirt from the fibres, and a lint roller will remove any hairs and prevent the fabric from bobbling. To make sure you're picking up all the dust and dirt, simply run the brush over your jacket in long gentle strokes, and make sure you brush in the same direction as the wool fibre.

You'll want to visit the dry cleaners only when it’s absolutely necessary, so sticking to a regime of brushing your suit down will see you through the time between visits.

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ROTATE THEM IF WORN REGULARLY If you need to wear a suit each day for work, then you should have a collection that you can rotate though. This way, you can wear each suit once or twice a week, and then leave it to hang, which will allow the fabric to air and the creases to drop out naturally. If you have seven or eight suits, then you can probably get away with visiting the dry cleaners just once or twice a month, rather than every week — saving you a great deal of time and money in the long term.

HANG THEM CORRECTLY Your suit will probably spend more time hanging up in the wardrobe than it will on your shoulders, so you'll need to pay special attention to the kind of hanger that you use.

Thin wire hangers might be cheap, but they will let the shoulders of your jackets slump, and they'll put creases in your trousers, so avoid these like the plague. Instead, opt for a thick wooden hanger that imitates the natural slope of the shoulder: the wood will help to absorb moisture, and the thicker shape will give your garment room to breathe. The Hanger Store offers a wide range of wooden hangers, available in a selection of different widths, so you can find a shape which offers the right support for your jacket.

USE A STEAM CLEANER TO IRON OUT CREASES Suits become crumpled with wear, and sometimes, despite our best efforts, creases will form as they hang in the wardrobe, too. But ironing your suit using a conventional iron can burn the fibres, giving your suits an unpleasant, plasticky sheen.

If you're a suit aficionado, then I'd certainly advise that you invest in a handheld steamer.

This will gently remove any creases and give your suits that freshly dry-cleaned appearance.

If you’re travelling without your steamer, you can still de-crease your suit by hanging it in the bathroom while running a hot shower: the steam will open up the fibres, removing creases and freshening up the fabric.

Every man should know how to care for a suit.

The correct maintenance routine will mean your suits look better during wear, and they'll last much longer, too.  entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

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Yachting Life 1

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1. SS18 Flintoff by Jacamo

2. Contrast Collar T-shirt Libertine, £70, House of Fraser 3. Fine Stripe Crew Neck Fred Perry, £45, House of Fraser

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Classic navy paired with crisp white – old school but never out of style.

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4. Front crease trousers Libertine Libertine, £120, House of Fraser 5. White Chino Shorts Libertine, £105, House of Fraser 7. Navy Backpack Eastpak, £55, House of Fraser

6. Stripe T-shirt, £35, Farah

8. Utility Shirt Jacket Libertine, £150, House of Fraser entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

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Sunglasses Edit

1. Dior Tortoiseshell Classic Women’s Sunglasses, £210.00 3. Paul Smith Men’s Aviator Sunglasses, £250.00 5. Prada Women’s Sunglasses, £250.00 7. Tom Ford Aviator Sunglasses, £260.00 144 | entrepreneurandinvestor.com

Our selection of some of the best eyewear around for the season. From Tom Ford’s take on the classic aviator, to statement cat’s eye sunglasses from Dior…

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2. Fendi Red and Grey Women’s Sunglasses, £260.00 4. Persol Tortoiseshell Sunglasses, £230.00 6. Roberto Cavalli Women’s Sunglasses, £280.00 8. Tom Ford Women’s Sunglasses, £270.00

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Watch Edit

Aero Watch Renaissance Collection - Lady Skeleton entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

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Best from Basel World 2018 Exquisite gems and jewellery to the world’s latest and best watches – our team went to this year’s Basel World to pick out some of the best.

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1. Mark Collection C184SWH

2. Aero Watch 1942 Collection Lady Squelette

3. Bering Colours of the Arctic

4. Anonimo Epurato Bronze Sunray

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5. Bering Slim Solar Collection Men

6. BreguetClassiqueTourbillonExtra-PlatAutomatique

7. Carl F. Bucherer Manero Tourbillon Double Peripheral

8. Fope The LadyFope

9. Grovana Novelty 2018

10. The Fifth Element entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

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11. The new Oris Divers Sixty-Five

12. Tissot Ballade

13. Tissot Heritage 2018

14. Tissot Lepine

15. Eagle Skeleton ES-8076B

16. Villeret Quantième Complet GMT

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17. LM Perpetual Titanium

18. LONGITUDE Shadow Automatic

19. Raider Bathy 120 MemoDepth

20. Padua Chronograph

21. Michel Herbelin Newport Chronograph Automatic

22. Raider Sea King entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

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ROBERTO CAVALLI BY FRANCK MULLER This elegant collection is a marriage of Swiss craftsmanship and fashion elegance. As you would expect from this notable designer, he has elevated the excellence of this recognised Swiss watchmaker to create a beautifully designed collection.

Prices range from £600 to £1,150 at selected retailers.

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FORMEX WATCHES Formex Watches are designed to withstand the most challenging of environments and their name is derived from the French “forme extrème” meaning extreme fitness or sport. There are four designs to choose from – Element, Motorsport, Diver and Pilot – their look and attributes inspired by the world’s they were named for.

Formex also sponsor some of the most exciting new talent in sport such as: Reubyn Ash - UK champion surfer, Marc Hauser - world record sky diver, Alex Toril - winner of the Dubai 24h and Le Mans Michelin cup, and Elias Ambühl champion free skier.

The watches are completely Swiss made and designed; a fusion of high performance materials such as stainless steel, titanium grade 2, ceramic, carbon-fibre and very reliable Swiss Made movements. One of the most unique aspects of a Formex is its case suspension system. Inspired by the world of high performance bikes and racing cars, this cushion concept protects the watch movement from strong impacts or vibrations and makes the watch incredibly comfortable to wear.

Only available exclusively through their online store, formexwatch.com, prices range from £329 for one of the Pilot models up to £1,220 for a Motorsport model. Their online buying experience with Formex’s Augmented Reality App allows you to try on all of the watches virtually on your wrist.

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Facial Serums

Which are the best for you?

Super-effective and light to apply, serums are a must-have for those who want to enhance their complexion without the heaviness of many creams. Our edit includes some of the very best we’ve tried – all wonderfully soothing, packed with the latest ingredients, and deliciously fragranced.

FARSALI ROSE GOLD ELIXIR A firm favourite is Farsali Rose Gold Elixir, a holy grail product for beauty bloggers and makeup artists across the globe. This serum – consisting primarily of Rosehip Seed Oil, Pumpkin Seed Oil and 24k Gold – is the perfect tonic for dehydrated, tired looking skin.

A product of many talents, the Farsali Elixir can also be used as a primer before applying makeup, or as an extra boost of dewiness by adding a few drops to your favourite foundation.

It has a delightful fresh orange scent too. £50.00 for 30ml.

PÜRE COLLECTION REVITALISING & INTENSE SERUMS This company offers a range of fantastic products. The first one we tested is the organic Revitalising Serum with prickly pear and marine phytoplankton to combat dry, flaky skin and repair tissue damage. Rich in antioxidants, it promises to improve skin elasticity and help to rebalance. £79 for 30ml.

Finalist of Pure Beauty Global Awards 2018, the Püre Intense Serum is similar to the Revitalising Serum, but with the added benefit of Sea Buckthorn and Rose Otto. Formulated to brighten and tighten the skin, it’s also rich in Vitamin E and fatty acids to help reduce signs of ageing. The product is just as beautiful on the outside as it is on the inside, with a luxurious gold packaging that’s fit for any dressing table. £89 for 30ml.

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EMMA HARDIE MIDAS TOUCH DUO Another product with beautiful packaging is the Emma Hardie Midas Touch Face Serum Duo. Similar to La Mer’s Regenerating Serum, this helps to blur the appearance of lines and wrinkles whilst boosting moisture and radiance.

Some of the ingredients include Avocado, Wild Banana Seed and Pepper Fruit Extract… it’s like a health smoothie for your skin. The serum is priced at £69 and comes with two 15ml tubes. A perfect handbag essential.

VINTNER’S DAUGHTER ACTIVE BOTANICAL SERUM Last but by no means least, a serum reportedly adored by both Gwyneth Paltrow and Amy Schumer is the Active Botanical Serum from Vintner’s Daughter. Also a 2018 Glamour Beauty Awards winning product. This serum promises to tackle just about any issue worth mentioning – from fine lines and wrinkles to pigmentation problems, it’s a true all in one. Available from Liberty London for £175.

BY KIRSTY PULLEN

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The Scent of Summer From the lightest of sun-kissed roses for picnics in the park, to tropical and heady Orientals perfect for evening cocktails, we’ve selected perfect summer scents for any occasion.

CREED - AVENTUS Distinctive and decadent, with notes of berries and stone-fruit expertly married with jasmine, vanilla and oak moss to create a fragrance that’s bold, contemporary, confident and luxe.

100ml at £230.

DÉCLARATION PARFUM

BY CARTIER For an unmistakable and unique night time fragrance Déclaration Parfum by Cartier is hard to beat. With cedarwood, leathery and spicy facets, softened with bergamot, cardamom and orange, this is a bold, sweet and sharp distinctive fragrance with uni-sex appeal.

100ml at £105.00.

L’EAU D’ISSEY PURE NECTAR BY ISSEY MIYAKE Fun, light and flirty Issey Miyake’s L’eau D’issey Pure Nectar is everything you could want from a feminine fragrance.

Honey pears, sweet rose, creamy sandalwood and pretty florals combine to create a signature scent that’s Spring in a bottle.

90ml at £78.

NUDE BY ALAÏA Featuring warming amber, tonka bean, cinnamon and rich florals, Nude is a velvety and seductive scent perfect for tropical island evenings. 100ml at £93.

ELLIE SAAB IN WHITE Classic and elegant, long and lingering – this heady yet soft fragrance features a masterful combination of white florals, orange blossom and jasmine with ripe red fruits. Perfect lunch by the pool. 90ml at £80.

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NARCISO RODRIGUEZ SANTAL MUSC Musky amber and sharp sandalwood combine with warm cardamom, florals and rich, heady ylang ylang in Narciso Rodriguez’ Santal Musc.

Intense, lingering and perfect for tropical island hot summer nights.

100ml at £135.

VIKTOR & ROLF FLOWERBOMB A veritable explosion of florals – rose, jasmine, and orchid to name just a few – all coupled with a rich almost toffeelike sweetness making Flowerbomb decadent and delicious too. 100ml at £99.

CARTIER LA PANTHERE Sharp, fresh and oh so sexy, Cartier’s La Panthere is a fragrance for the confident femme fatale out in a sultry summer’s night.

Elegantly designed too with the famous brand’s panther symbol providing artistic inspiration. 75ml at £110.

FREDERIC MALLE PORTRAIT OF A LADY Sophisticated yet feminine, a fragrance rich with notes of Turkish rose, raspberry, patchouli, sandalwood and frankincense.

A perfect Summer scent, with a mix of musky, floral and sweet aromas.

Liberty London - 50ml at £158

BELLA FREUD PSYCHOANALYSIS Romantic and yet distinctive, Bella Freud’s Psychoanalysis features notes of neroli and tobacco flower combined with exotic amber and cedarwood.

Perfect for a spring or summer shopping spree or stroll through Paris. £165 for 100ml.

ZARKO - PINK MOLÉCULE A perfect Spring fragrance, this Nordic inspired scent features fresh florals, pink champagne and elderflower. Light and refreshing and picnicperfect on a glorious sunny day. 100ml for £85.

VILHELM PARFUMERIE HARLEM BLOOM Delicious oriental floral for him and her, with hints of spiced damascena rose, violet, cedar and leather.

Perfect for a romantic roof terrace dinner in the city. Liberty London 100ml at £155.

NARCISO RODRIGUEZ BLEU NOIR Spice, leathers and cedar give Bleu Noir its masculine kick, whilst nutmeg and cardamom soften and warm.

Distinctive and elegant – a scent men wear that women love. 100ml at £66.

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Summer Evening Style Once the sun goes down, it’s great to dress up and head out to make the most of the warm evenings. Don’t be afraid to stand out and embrace bold colours and yes, darker colours can be word all year round.

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1. Vera Mont, 102 Dress, £230.00 2. Vera Mont, 105a Dress, £250.00 3. Vera Mont, 108 Jumpsuit, £230.00 156 | entrepreneurandinvestor.com

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White Heat Cool and crisp, little beats white when the sun bears down.

Pick the perfect, fuss-free white dress and pair with simple sandals and a casual but smart jacket for when the sun sets.

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1. Navabi Collection White Sleeved Dress, £159.99 2. Navabi Collection, £199.99 3. Dune Julietta, £140 entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

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1. Cane-line Moments 3 Seater Sofa £3,785, Houseology

2. Crane Garden Buildings £12,499, The Hub Studio FSC Certified Brand

3. Malibu Metal Bar Stool in Turquoise £109, Cuckooland.com

4. Samira Woven Rattan Armchair £295, Cuckooland.com

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Take the inside outside this spring and summer with these stylish items guaranteed to grace any patio, garden or courtyard in the sun.

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5. Eden 4-Seater Outdoor Lounging Set with Coffee Table £1399, Alpaca Throw Charcoal £195, Plain Velvet Cushion Storm £25, John Lewis 7. Leia Outdoor Dining Bench £215, Leia Dining Chairs (set of 2) £360, Large Metal Urn £60, John Lewis

6. Leia 6-Seater Outdoor Dining Table £569, Croft Collection Stratton Tapered Pots (set of 2) £20, John Lewis 8. Croft Collection Iona 4 Seater Outdoor Dining Table and Chairs Set £1,149, Croft Collection Stool £85, John Lewis entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

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1. A by Amara Beli Table Lamp - Gold £55, Amara

2. Abbys & Habidecor Golda Bath Mat - 70x120cm £27, Amara

3. Rose Gold Pendant Light £59.99, HomeSense

4. Pols Potten Semi Precious Stone Side Table - Blue Gold £255, Amara

5. MENU Echasse Vase Smoke - Small £119.95, Amara

6. Unity Side Table £135, Oliver Bonas

160 | entrepreneurandinvestor.com

FORTUNE & LIFESTYLE

To add a touch of opulence to your décor, it’s hard to go wrong with gold, silver and bronze furnishings. We’ve picked a selection of stylish pieces guaranteed to enhance any home.

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7. Silver Fretwork Mirror £129, JD Williams Home

8. Ceilo Black Table Lamp £55, Oliver Bonas

9. Metallic Round Tables Set £225, Oliver Bonas

10. Windam Gold Leaf £90, Vintage Cushions entrepreneurandinvestor.com |

161

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