Spotlight Magazine June-Jul Issue 4 Vol 5

MAY/ JUNE 2020 • ISSUE 4

SME PROFILES

SPOTLIGHTING INNOVATION OF 5 GLOBAL EMERGING THOUGHT LEADERS Audra Lamoon's

Blonde in Business...

Talking toilet rolls

By Ceri- Jane Hackling

the star in you #2020VisionAwards

LAUNCH

How we pulled back the curtains on TLC: A GLOBAL PHENOMENON

A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO BECOMING A THOUGHT LEADER

Great cooking & baking tips while self-Isolating

Dineo's Top Tip to Protégés: Don't be a Miss Know-It-All GBP $2.50

CONTENTS R E G U L A R S Introduction Exclusive Features Discover Cover Story The Scoop Ask the Editor

EXPLORE: EXCLUSIVE FEATURES Our beginners guide to Thought Leadership provides ethical survival toolkit of techniques that SME business owners can adopt to sustain and scale up in any type of business environment. By Ceri- Jane Hackling, Founder and Director of Cerub Public Relations agency

TLC Profiles PR Trends Explore The Protege Careers Advertisements Contact Page

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DISCOVER Our Discover section is a movement to take our readers to relatively distant geographical locations that they wouldn't normally dream of. We find spaces and places that help business to thrive.

ON THE COVER

on 5 global emerging THOUGHT LEADERS with disruptive and innovative start-up business strategies

Our Editor shares our behind the scenes of how as a start-up magazine, we pulled the curtains on launching a global Thought Leadership Club... acknowledgement page 1

Life of a Blonde in Business.

Audra Lamoon bares all in a tell-

Plus Dineo dishes up her Top

all exclusive on how to to

Tip to ProtĂŠgĂŠs p15

overcome stereotype. p1o -11

Chef Tips for Eating Well with Fast meals from pg 19

A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR A formal introduction to Spotlight, acknowledgements of our fabulous team. + Meet Jennifer Nash the mind behind Spotlight. Using a drop of ink to make a million think, has been Jen's motto since she learned how to write professionally.

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The View

We illuminate a SPOTLIGHT

PAGE 1- 2

Denise Edwards takes our minds off self-isolation with some colourful, chocolateful baking tips p22

PAGE 26 THRIVE This is where you'll find your takeaway self-care or work-life balance productivity and doodle hacks for small business owners to live a healthy and sane life!

Acknowledgement: This is how we pulled back the curtains on TLC:

EXPLORE DISCOVER

THRIVE

Welcome to our first edition of Spotlight magazine (issue 4 Volume 1) . It comes with immense pleasure and gratitude to all our clients and small but mighty army of contributing editors who put their faith in us with their content. Together we are happy to be navigating these uncharted waters of the first ever Thought Leadership magazine owned by a startup for the Startup audience which includes but is not limited to SMEs, Artisans, Freelancers and every type of small business that perhaps doesn't fit into the categories we have named above.

It is with great pride and joy that we bring you this global phenomenon with exclusive content for you to Explore what it means to be a Thought Leader in this complex and cluttered digital space where everyone is a prosumer.

We hope you can Discover tools and insights that will help you to sustain and scale up your business, but much more so, amplify your voice as an expert in your industry.

Again, massive thanks go to our fabulous contributing editors: Ceri-Jane Hackling, Adriana Wright, Audra Lamoon, Dineo Mabena, Denise Edwards, Tim Nash and Benno Spencer for 'your faith' by being our first adopters. As Nelson Mandela once said; "It is always impossible until it's done".

More than anything else, we want to grow with you all our readers as we share and interrogate what it means to be a Thought Leader. Our expert articles and advice will do just that. So take the front row seat enjoy the view and Thrive.

THE VIEW WILL PROFILE EMERGING THOUGHT LEADERS. WHILE OUR CONTRIBUTING EDITORS WILL SHARE THE SCOOP IN THEIR AREAS OF EXPERTISE. TOGETHER WE ILLUMINATE A SPOTLIGHT ON WHAT MATTERS TO US AND THRIVE PAGE1 | SPOTLIGHT | ISSUE 4 VOL 1

A NOTE FROM

THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

你好

Hello, Ciao, , здороваться, Bwanji, Jambo everyone! I am Jennifer Nash, editor in chief Spotlight, heading up all the departments of the the Magazine. I am accountable for all the content of this publication. I'm open to receiving input from reviewers on a basis of relevant expertise, so feel free to reach out.

Spotlight Zine is here to serve the Small to Medium Enterprises, be it startups, sole proprietors and artisans to support you as emerging Thought Leaders by telling your stories through interview profiles called The View (Profile). The magazine also includes The Scoop: Our top tips on gaining publicity and how-to productivity hacks kindly shared by our contributing editors who themselves have 20 years' plus industry experience in their fields of expertise.

Our Op-Eds are opinion editorials on trending topics which we hope will benefit our readers globally. We round-up top tips that we hope will provide our readers with uncluttered content that is up their street without having to waste time researching the internet.

Our icing on the cake is the Ignite Awards which in essence, exists to annually recognise the hard work of all our content contributors as our partners and co-creators. Further afield, Spotlight explores PR Trends, media coached expert news and reports; bringing in Exclusive Features helping readers to Discover hidden gems of global innovation, spaces and places which have the best business or leisure incentives. Not forgetting you - our keen readers in Q&A you have an opportunity to 'Ask the Editor' any question on current, previous or future topics.

In The Protégé section, we aim to mentor young and upcoming professionals in their areas of interest; from career coaching to tips on how to become a sought after professional to nailing an entrepreneurship journey. Our KuzyaHub Careers section will have current job and volunteer listings. This includes, work-experience, Internship, Volunteer and many other non-paid job opportunities supporting candidates build up their employability skills enhancing their CVs / Resumes, All while offering your business the manpower you need to scale up or fulfill their work-overflows.

Finally but not least, our Advertisements banner ads are available only to small businesses offering specials or launching new products or services and are looking to test the market. The Black book list can be found in our Contact Page. It has clickable links to everyone in the current issue as well as helpful FAQ contacts, Non profits, Clubs and Societies and free service providers to help our readers navigate content on and off line.

I trust you will enjoy our intrepid cover to cover mesh of business and pleasure content to help you live and enjoy a work life balance, without fear of losing your will to live. We also look forward to having you on the front row seat at our upcoming Ignite #Vision2020 events so you can continue to thrive.

Jennifer Nash

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PRESENTED BY ARK & BROOK

Join the conversation at

ARKandBROOK.Com

SMALL MEDIUM BUSINESS OR ENTERPRISES

THE VIEW

SPOTLIGHTING INNOVATION OF GLOBAL EMERGING THOUGHT LEADERS Spotlight magazine is a new and disruptive magazine here to expose hidden talent and showcase undiscovered innovation. As we all know it’s a cluttered world out there, getting listed in Forbes or FT takes some doing, and there is a GAP in the market for middle – Csuite level innovative people like us to get our voice heard. Spotlight’s mission is to illuminate the light on your innovative work.

We take the road less traveled too as we are especially looking to partner with successful female professionals. (of course men are welcome too) Therefore, our primary focus for the magazine is promoting women (Pros, Start-ups, SMEs, Freelancers and Artisans) to support them as emerging Thought Leaders.

This is not to reinvent the wheel, but to push the envelope to ensure women’s voices are heard as authorities and experts in their area of expertise and ultimately act as your lobbyist too.

In each issue (6 times a year or bi-monthly), the magazine will interview profile these people and tell their stories from an authentic narrative. Featuring a unique, specific and exclusive article to help our Spotlight readers of adults 18 – 99 - who are also SMEs, Artisans,Freelancers and young professionals looking for inspiration within their industry. Our distribution is circa 30k globally via an integrated marketing SaaS platform which helps drive traffic to your owned platforms and captures insights in real time that your CRM and sales team can covert into social or hard currency.

Spotlight magazine is supported by other publicity events. Thus the magazine’s year end is celebrated in style by hosting #IgniteAwards to push the Spotlight mission into the media, through Paid, Earned, Shared and Owned (PESO) channels. That way it can become recognised as a Thought Leadership magazine in its own right. Over 15 Award categories will be given in each department, so that all our content contributors can stand a higher chance to be recognised earning them a prestigious IGNITE accolade while benefiting from our PR publicity and much more.

To be featured in the next issue, simply click here and arrange your interview before 5th of every month.

Why The View?

It's a play-on title. The meaning is derived from The Interview, or our editor being given a view into the subject's narrative or our readers developing a point-of-view from what they read

Thought Leaders are informed opinion leaders and the go-to experts in their field of expertise. They are trusted sources who move and inspire people to innovate ideas into reality and know and show how to replicate their success.

DENISE BROSSEAU

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BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO THOUGHT LEADERSHIP WRITTEN BY CERI-JANE HACKLING Did you know that you’re a Thought Leader?

They say you can’t see the wood for the trees and as a business owner this is probably an accurate way to describe how you work. You’re so focused on the bottom line, your product, your service, your customers and your business you fail to notice one important factor: you have become an expert in your own field.

Whether through modesty or too close a perspective, most business owners don’t see their own knowledge as particularly interesting or insightful and would baulk at the idea that they could call themselves a ‘thought leader’. It makes them reluctant to stand up and confidently voice their opinions which means that they are missing great opportunities to make themselves more prominent to existing and potential customers.

To stand out from the competition as a business leader you need to raise your profile and shape your reputation to become known as thought leader in your field which means authoring articles, offering tips, commenting on current industry trends and sharing their voice through a number of platforms.

The first challenge is to realise how much you already know. If you want to reap the benefits of standing out in a crowded marketplace and generating a connection with your brand as your customers come to recognise you as an authoritative individual or company, put aside your misgivings on how underqualified as a ‘thought leader’ you think you are and consider the following: The difference isn’t expertise, it’s delivery It’s very easy to assume that the industry ‘expert’ used in the article you just read or interviewed on the radio programme you just heard has views that are more important than yours, and that’s exactly what your customers will think as well – assuming that the ‘expert’ in the media is the one who will sell the best product or offer the best service. The truth is that all that separates you and that ‘expert’ is the fact that they have found a way for their voice to be heard and you haven’t. You’re both professionals in the same industry – the difference is that you just haven’t built a platform for spreading your message yet. Journalists call on experts who have made themselves known to them, or publish articles from experts who have bothered to pitch an interesting idea.

There’s no mysterious, magical equation that gives them more right to be in the spotlight than you. The difference is that they offered and you can too.

You know more than you think you do When you’re surrounded by people in the same industry as you, who all have a similar knowledge base, speak in similar terms and have a common understanding, it’s very easy to assume that the knowledge you have is commonplace and, therefore, unimportant. It’s only when you start discussing ideas with people outside your industry that you realise your views and expertise have value.

Sometimes it helps to take a step back and try to see your knowledge from an outsider’s perspective. It’s difficult to do, but you’ll realise you know more than you think you do.

It’s all about the angle One of the skills within PR and journalism is to find the best angle for a particular story. This is especially true when pitching yourself as a thought leader. You need to adapt the way you view the information and skills you have. For example, very few people would be interested in an article or blog post entitled ‘My Personal Thoughts on Sales’ but if you were to pitch the same piece as ‘The Top Five Ways to Increase Sales’ you would suddenly find people were interested. Same content, just angled slightly differently.

Likewise, you’re shouldn’t feel that you’re limited to only comment on topics directly relating to your own industry. By thinking more widely you’ll increase the opportunities for you to be seen as an expert in your business by more potential customers. For example, a body language expert can comment on a celebrity break-up story, a public speaking trainer can comment on how politicians deliver their message, a pet product manufacturer can comment on how pets behave when they’re scared. It’s important to widen the reach of media coverage by appearing in media your customers consume rather than industry-specific titles.

Positioning yourself as a thought leader is one of the most effective ways to stand out among your competitors and build a reputation with your customers and potential customers as a knowledgeable and authoritative human ‘face’ of the business.

Customers will come to associate your brand with quality and expertise and your company name will be foremost in their mind thanks to increased media exposure. The first step is to change your perspective and see things from our view – you absolutely are a thought leader in your field.

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THE VIEW

PROFILE

RAFFLE HOUSE SME PROFILE Benno Spencer bares it all on your gateway to owning a piece of London's Real Estate

By Jennifer Nash Who needs an alarm bell to ring when you have a four-legged friend called Peanut to give you a rising nudge every morning as she nuzzles your senses to awaken you? Lucky for most, like Benno Spencer the WFH phenomenon is not new to him.

After working and living in the city for last 15 years, Benno is now founder and owner of Raffle House.

The 33-year-old country boy at heart, traded his corporate career in London 3 years ago in favour of running a social good organisation that helps him define his work-life balance on his own terms.

Way before the self-isolation buzz term was even a thing, Spencer has been accustomed to a noncommuting work pattern which begins with rising around 7 a.m. taking Peanut for a walk, showering and taking a whole of 7-second very hectic commute to his home office desk to start his day.

They say, being an entrepreneur means you cannot stop, that in fact it means you mostly work 12-hour shifts, however, if you are working on something that you are passionate about, it always seems like a labour of love. Which is exactly what Benno likes about running his own start-up. A business which was established out of compassion for his younger three siblings (a lawyer, a teacher and a salesperson) who have no chance of escaping the rental generation spell cast on them by the prohibitive cost of climbing onto the property ladder for first time buyers living in London or anywhere else in the UK.

“But none of them will be able to get onto the property ladder because they’re priced out.”

Benno, a property lover by design, after a chance encounter with Dunstan Lowe who raffled off his property in 2017 as a new way of selling property.

This got Benno thinking...M'mm - raffles, who would have thought it?’ After spending a lot of time online admiring what he terms ‘property porn’ -

Benno decided it was time to establish Raffle House to bring both his passion for real estate and desire to help others to have every chance at securing a property without the off-putting barriers of cost. That is how the idea of offering an all-expenses paid London flats arose. For just £10, buyers stand a chance of winning a £500,000 home to get them off to a good start. As a company, Raffle House is the first in the UK’s history and Prize Competition industry to offer a guaranteed prize of a house.

“I thought, wouldn’t that be a great way to help out Generation Rent out. So I started to work out how to build a business around it to give people with little-to-no-chance of owning a home that chance.”

This trendsetting phenomenon is also a world first. It can only be matched by Benno and his business partner’s desire to make the deal even sweeter. In the next two years or so, the duo have an ambitious plan to make the sweepstakes into a weekly one, where 52 home prizes will be drawn for lucky winners. The philanthropic pair currently make donations to Gambleware as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility agenda and give a stipend (off every ticket sold) to two homelessness charities. For April, readers can enjoy a generous free gift from their timely response to the COVID-19 global crisis is to give away a £5,000 cash-prize to ease the burden of one lucky winner struggling to make ends meet in these hard times. The £5,000 giveaway is FREE to enter and open to everyone. Simply create an account and get your unique referral link here; the account holder to refer the most people to Raffle House in April will scoop the £5,000 prize.

Learn more.

Thought Leader's Quotable quotes: The Prize Competition business is a tough environment for anyone. If you’re courageous enough to want to give it a go, Benno advises that there is a of huge amount of data and compliance sinkholes that one needs to navigate before attempting this business.

They must do their due diligence research with a fine tooth-comb.

Whatever you do, be aware that there is a high level of trust your brand needs to build before you can get established.

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Deverell Smith calls stakeholders to do-some good: UK Real Estate Industry COVID19 Outreach for Support

We stopped in our tracks during this publication to select and highlight our Thought Leadership action of the month for a good cause because at the very heart of this publication is advocacy for social good. That is why we are sharing this news: In a send-to-all email sent by Andrew Smith, CEO of Deverell smith wrote: "I hope this email finds you, your family, and your team safe and well. I also hope you can take 30 seconds to read this note – it has nothing to do with recruitment, fees or such like… I’d like to tell you about Do Some Good: https://do-some-good.co.uk/ We at Deverell Smith are determined, collectively, to make a difference during this time. The one thing we are, above all else, is a huge network; we are connected in excess of 300,000 people within the UK property market, and if you work the 1 degree of separation theory, that’s a huge number.

We, the property industry, have the power to support people hugely through this crisis: we have skills, influence, assets and even a little cash. Never have I written to our entire network asking for support before – but I feel that, on this occasion, it’s the right move.

Deverell Smith has joined forces with Greystar, SAY Property Consultancy and Be Original to repurpose the Do Some Good website, which launched earlier in the year when MIPIM 2020 was cancelled. Do Some Good encouraged delegates to use the extra time not attending the event for charitable endeavours. The website will now act as a one-stop-shop for businesses to offer space, supplies, manpower and other resources that will help the NHS to tackle the outbreak.

THE

In addition to this, our team at deverellsmith have pledged to each donate 1% of their monthly individual salary towards the cause perhaps you can inspire your team to do so, too!

The Real Estate industry has always had people at its heart and this is an opportunity to come together as a community with the right resources to truly make a difference.

The immense traction we have received so far is truly moving: we’ve already had offers of face masks, operational support and even the foyer and kitchen facilities at The Bridge Theater for storage and potentially food preparation. A number of developers have offered apartments, houses, parking and construction. Can your business do the same?

Can your business offer more?

We understand that not everyone can offer assets or products, but that doesn’t mean you can’t help. We’re supporting ‘NHS Charities Together’ by donating funding and encouraging our colleagues in the industry to follow suit.

This is where it comes down to you - How do you help, now?

Email volunteer@do-some-good.com and one of our volunteers will contact you and connect you with the relevant contact or charity.

Thank you so much for your time in considering this email. We have dozens of our team currently furloughed signed up to volunteer for Do Some Good. We really can and already are making a massive difference.

Speaking on behalf of my team and I, our mission is simple: to make a positive difference in our country’s hour of need, and from a business perspective, we simply want this to blow over and to get back together (physically) and back to work.

If you would like to join us, and many great companies who’ve already committed to help – please do. Together we can have a huge impact.

Stay safe, soon.

thank

you,

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Yours sincerely, Andrew Deverell-Smith CEO and Founder Deverell Smith ds.deverellsmith.com +44 (0) 207 426 8945

DONATE HERE

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D I S C O V E R BUCKS & TAKE A BREAK WITH A VITSA VIEW As the saying goes, for buying a new car there is MasterCard, for everything else - Priceless: Country life in Buckinghamshire is just that priceless - ahem- well depending on who you ask as it is home to some of England's most expensive real estate.

Aptly called Bucks, it is nestled half way between Oxford and London and is fast becoming a haven for tech Start-up and communication agencies among others. In the aftermath of Covid-19. we can anticipate most people might be hesitant going back to the city rat-race. To this end, working in the countryside might be an option.

Some of these companies have Barns, Vistas and Ranches as their lunch break views. Working in serene and scenic neighbourghoods like these is believed to improve overall employee-happiness index and retention.

With this in mind, we thought Brand Recruitment can virtually show you around the county to discover some hidden brands that call these green pastures their HQ literally.

On the healthy side of things we also have the predominantly pesto associated brand Sacla in Beaconsfield, Kiddylicious the children’s health food brand in Amersham, Natural Balance Foods (Trek & Nakd Bars) in Worminghall, and finally, every child’s not-so healthy guilty pleasure Slush Puppie in High Wycombe

THE VIEWS ARE ESPECIALLY BREATHTAKING WHEN YOU'RE WORKING ON A DIFFICULT CAMPAIGN DEADLINE PAGE 7| SPOTLIGHT | ISSUE 4 VOL 1

THE SCOOP

GATHER AROUND OUR WATER COOLER

The Scoop: Our top tips on gaining publicity and how-to productivity hacks kindly shared by our contributing editors who themselves have 20 years' plus industry experience in their fields of expertise.

THE SCOOP

Global crisis Management: How to handle it!

We gathered some useful nuggets from around the world...

By Leadership First Have confidence in yourself, don't allow anyone to define who you really are; believe in yourself because when you know your worth, you will find it harder to stay around people who don't.

Wiki says: Survival skills are often basic ideas and abilities that ancients invented and used themselves for thousands of years.

Crisis planning is no different. It is a skill that needs to be honed to prepare for the inevitable.

Ark & Brook is on-boarding startups on the self-service online Reputation Management platform created to help small businesses survive the transition from the high-street to 100% online e-commerce,. Even though the two are different in space, they require many of the same skills - being , customer centric , selling and ensuring your stock levels are sufficient is key.

By manic Creatives

The Time for Digital is Now It is impossible to deny that the COVID-19 health pandemic has disrupted business in a fundamental way.

Entrepreneurs, shareholders, investors, and managers alike are all confronted with the same challenge of meeting the bottom line during these uncertain times. Find out how we can help you.

Everybody is on the Internet. Think about the one thing people cannot live without today.

It’s their phone but most importantly the internet too!

Social distancing has revolutionalized just how much content is being consumed on smart devices to facilitate a human connection. Social interaction has transformed from physical to virtual on the largest scale ever. What are you doing to reach and engage with your customers today?

By Simon Sinek

Relationships matter. It is those around us that have the power to inspire us to keep going.

Your Thought Leadership Quote here: Spotlight’s mission is to illuminate the light on your innovative work.

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CONTRIBUTOR PROFILE

Audra Lamoon Chief Happiness Officer Livewire Performance

AUDRA LAMOON: BLONDE IN BUSINESS…

by Audra Lamoon Blonde in business, talking toilet rolls…Yes it's a mad, mad, mad, mad world…and being part of this transition is both fascinating and frightening…or is it? “What frame of mind do I need to adopt?” That was the first question I asked myself…then I could decide on action or inaction.

So, I’ve gone from hoarding toilet paper to taking myself back to the beginning and remembering how I set about my new business, 20 years ago! I work from a place of action, not inaction; and believe that with every crisis comes a blessing; and for me it means embracing technology and turning my live learning consultancy into an online company also. I have always been afraid of technology and so used the excuse that I never had the time – but now I do right?! We all have time….what are you doing with yours? Now is the time to work on your business, or self, or family, rather than in it. So, no more buying up toilet rolls …face it, make a list and get into action!

What frame of mind do I need to adopt?” That was the first question I asked myself…then I could decide on action or inaction.

Take a peek into the life Audra Lamoon the blonde that prooved the stereotype wrong as she reinvented herself as a-togo to expert in customer service

So what’s my background? A failed stewardess on Hoverspeed, I was rubbish at customer service as we flew across the English Channel.

Yes, we flew 8 inches above the water…but the sea was so choppy we were very often in the middle of a swell and being thrown all over the place. I did have some fun however…I would tell tall stories to the gullible tourists and answer their questions about how the white cliffs of Dover were not so white because we hadn’t painted them yet! I would tell them how we had 100 cyclists pedalling like fury under the skirts of the craft to get across the channel! I’m probably going to hell!

I was always told off by the CEO for not wearing my uniform correctly and how it was forbidden to close down the bar just because I was sick!! But he saw something in me and told me to “Bugger off for 2 years” and come back and see him then! He saw something in me but wasn't sure what…I did not think it would be hospitality…funny how things change! ...Continued on next page.

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CONT'D

I spent time in the US and swung from fascinated to shocked at the customer service I experienced. Day 1 and I saw a hold up at the 7-11 “corner shop”.

The next day my friend took me to McDonald's, (don't judge me I didn't eat the food I only liked the milkshakes) and so I politely asked for a chocolate milkshake and thanked him; he told me “Forget your please and thank you’s and just gimme your order”….I was in shock! That was it right there…I wanted to get into hospitality…I didn't want to feel humiliated again and I never wanted to make others feel like that…suddenly a wave of guilt came over me as I remembered not selling drinks to happy go lucky tourist’s, throwing up in a bag as they asked me stupid questions…and me ignoring them as I clung tightly onto the drink lockers as the waves hit 5 feet. I now spend most of my work in the US, designing hospitality strategies and programmes for companies there.

When I got back to the UK my focus was on customer service and I was poached from one ferry company to another, moved into retail, hotel and then corporate life.

Based in London for 7 years I was seconded to great company’s like The Walt Disney Company, delivering learning, performance and consultancy. I was sent to New York, Ireland and even ended up in Croatia in the war, which was a mixture of fear, frustration and disgust...But that's another story…

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP QUOTE

I wasn't taken seriously…although playful I was productive, but they saw me as a silly blonde! I’d hit the proverbial glass ceiling and felt I could do a better job, in faster time and with the exact quality, if I went alone. My boss told me it was career suicide to leave the job and London (and all it’s fabulous trappings; car, flat, BUPA!) but my mind was made up.

20 years ago, I had hit a plateau…I wasn’t going any higher in the company…can you guess why? I wasn't taken seriously… although playful I was productive, but they saw me as a silly blonde! I’d hit the proverbial glass ceiling and felt I could do a better job, in faster time and with the exact quality, if I went alone. My boss told me it was career suicide to leave the job and London (and all it’s fabulous trappings; car, flat, BUPA!) but my mind was made up.

I was reading a brilliant book called Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Dr. Susan Jeffers. It really focused me; I did all the exercises until there was no other way but to jump! With no job to go to I had planned my escape and wanted to work from home and for myself, delivering, you guessed it, hospitality!

However, Presentation Skills was what I became known for initially and so perfected that for my clients…and still deliver that to this day to help clients pitch for $/£ billion projects.

So back to sunny Kent I went and began my business from my dining room, with pooch and pussycats at my feet, the beach a 5-minute walk away and countryside behind me. I earned a fraction of what I was on in London but had a fraction of the bills too.

Balance of life was more important to me and being my own boss enabled me to be flexible, work at my pace, do a great job, get a great rate and still be with amazing clients – The Walt POSTMODERN PAINTING. Disney Company in fact, became client number 1! So, I’ve beenStella alternately paints in working from home, doing flexible hours and collaborating with oil and watercolor wonderful experts for 20 years…wasn't such a bad choice huh?

Now look at the world! That’s why I’m not suffering from cabin fever…(yet)! If I do, I have enough toilet rolls and just need to top up my wine and chocolate stockpile! Happy Spotlighting!

ASK AUDRA

As our regular contributing editor, Take a peek into a day Audra will be be offering readers with in the life of budding customer service tips in her area of artist Stella Young, expertise. When asking questions, and how she improves make sure you mention Spotlight so her craft that she can add your response in the next issue! Feel free to drop her a line here.

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CONTRIBUTOR PROFILE

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Tim's work is hand illustrated and professionaly rendered

TIM NASH: LIFE OF AN ILLUSTRATOR Born in a leafy English village, I began drawing before I could even write. My aptitude for being creative was soon recognised by those attempting to knock some education into me when my first work, an abstract watercolour (really just splodges on the canvas) "The Dragon & The Waterwheel" was exhibited at my Infant School Parents evening.

My inspiration has come from many different cartoonists and illustrators such as Don Martin, Bill Amend, Jim Borgman and my ultimate influence, Charles Schulz.

In 1989 I turned my passion into a profession and have developed a wide and diverse portfolio with a cast of 100's of characters and storyboards spanning every genre and medium from children's books to greeting cards.

I have created short animations for big blue chip companies such as DHL and HP that are screened across the globe, and worked in my local Infant School where I have taught children to express themselves through expression and the freedom of drawing cartoons.

Whether illustrating the front cover of a poetry book for a local authority schools project or developing a campaign for an African literacy charity I am passionate about conveying a message through cartoons and illustrations because I fully subscribe to the adage,

"A picture is worth a thousand words" In this illustration he expresses the 'i want it yesterday' state of mind

That's what all creatives have in common!

The unrealistic delivery expectation from clients!

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Ed pO

SUBURBAN ALIENS WRITTEN BY JENNIFER NASH In this article we discuss the life of living in the diaspora as a professional or international student.

With the global village becoming ever so much more smaller; most people anticipate there will be an exodus of people immigrating from one country to another , more so in anticipation of the economic crisis ahead.

Most will be finding themselves in 'forced' economic immigration or international student status.

Either way, what both these groups have in common is the fact they both left their home countries in pursuit for greener pastures or change of scenery. But what exactly do greener pastures look like? To most it means finding a different lifestyle from what they know - be it academic or professional...

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM EXPAT EXPERTS According to Wikipedia, “an expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country other than that of the person's upbringing. But that is not the case in reality; expat is a term

reserved exclusively for western white people going to work abroad. Africans are immigrants."

(Disclaimer: Wiki is an unverified source!)

Through the Diaspora lens Immigrants vs Expats!

Using the above as a framework, this articles comments on the Oxford University TMO survey report, that in England, depending on which country one immigrates from; this; can attract positive or negative attitudes and behaviours. On the other hand, the rest of the world has historically regarded expats as bigoted foreigners living the bourgeois lifestyle on the locals' sweat and toil. (the jury is still on this one).

Whichever side of the coin we find ourselves in; one thing for certain is that there are disparities in what this means to different nationals. TMO report says while 'existing evidence clearly shows that levels of opposition to immigration in the UK are moderately high' whereas third world public opinion says expats are often out of touch with host country locals. The report brought an interesting point of view. whose main takeaway is. 'Interpreting social survey data always requires care and caution, for they have important limitations and flaws.' says TOM. Meantime, whatever your situation, don't be disheartened, the most common thread of all these scenarios is that 'you're a 'suburban alien.' it takes a long time to adapt.

Notwithstanding, the culture shock. The best way to blend in and adapt is through social or professional networking because both have the same principal.

Bottom line, lets just get along; respect and learn the local culture, by all means refrain from 'insulting' your hosts!

PAGE 13| SPOTLIGHT | ISSUE 4 VOL 1

I EXPLORE, I DISCOVER, I BECOME. PRESENTED BY ARK & BROOK

TAKE THE FRONT ROW SEAT YOUR TICKET TO OUR INAUGURAL #2020VISION AWARDS EVENT TO IGNITE THE STAR IN YOU IS HERE

PROTEGE PROFILE

THE SCOOP

Dineo Mabena, a first-class degree Public Rellations & Advertising 2019 mum-graduate says it like it is...

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Emerging Thoutht Leadership Quote: A fancy gown, scroll, and cap do not signal the end of the learning process.

And thank God for thatt"

PAGE 15| SPOTLIGHT | ISSUE 4 VOL 1

Imagine if they stopped designing shoes at the kitten heel? Doesn’t bear thinking about.

-Dineo Mabena

PAGE 16| SPOTLIGHT | ISSUE 4 VOL 1

T H R I V E IN YOUR WORK-LIFE BALANCE

Work-life balance may sound alien, especially if you are a small business owner who is used to working 12-hour days.

Even so more daunting for those that work 9-5, if you have been working from home in the last 4 weeks or so.

However, there are a lot of tricks you can learn from experts who have tried and tested the tricks of the trade. We spoke to two of them who gave us their best tips to balance work and life literally enabling you and your loved ones to thrive...

"Taking frequent timed breaks works wonders for me, says Dr. Laura Niada, who is a Senior Learning Adviser at the University of Westminster, in London. she adds, 'I arrange my work days in two hour chunks. That helps me have a start and end to each task. This technique is derived from the primacy and recency effect. Learn more here Tm Nash, a cartoon Illustrator gives a creative approach and says, 'make your work space into a 'work space' separate from your normal living space so that it us distinguishable from the rest of your home. Be less rigid with routine, e.g. be prepared to attend to attend to 'family' or loved one whenever appropriate as long as you make mental note to make up that time. ' Tim also relaxes with his creative doodles after hours.

PAGE 18| SPOTLIGHT | ISSUE 4 VOL 1

Lifestyle

mixed graze

QUICK DINNERS| RESTAURANTS STANDARD RECIPES TO TRY| BAKE UNTIL YOU MAKE IT

PAGE 19| SPOTLIGHT | ISSUE 4 VOL 1

The Secret Ingredient to home-made open burgers BY

HENRY

ELLIOT

I always look forward to a home-made burger ever since my wife introduced me to this secret Mex-Tex recipe, I have lost the appetite to try anything else. I finally convinced her to let me share her recipe with Spotlight. This mouthwatering burger is a welcoming mid week treat in our household. Here is what you will need is: Serves 2 - 2 x 200 grams beef burgers - 2 small fresh corn on cobs - 160 grams Peppery or aromatic garden salad - 1 x Ciabatta buns cut in half makes 2 - 2 slices of Cheddar cheese - 2 teaspoons of Jack Daniels Smokey barbecue sauce - 150 g Lightly Seasoned Potato Wedges (can reduce portions according to family preference) Fan Assisted Oven: Preheat oven to 200°C, 400°F. Remove all packaging. Spread the Wedges evenly on a foil lined baking tray. Create an envelope space with another layer of foil to place two burgers on (this prevents the oil from the meet transferring onto the wedges as this may make them soggy.

Place the tray in the center of a preheated oven and cook for 18 - 20 minutes until crisp and golden. 5 minutes before the alarm goes for the burgers and wedges, slowly melt the two slices of cheddar in a frying pan, while you cook the corn in the microwave per packaging instructions (usually its 4 minutes).

In the last 2 minutes of the cooking move the main baking tray from the top to second level of the oven so that you can lightly toast the Ciabatta buns under the grill. By the time the alarm goes off, you should have all the elements ready to start layering up. Start by spreading the Jack Daniels sauce onto the toasted bun, lay the burger on top. then slap the melted cheese on. Add a drizzle of ketchup if desired. (my wife prefers the ketchup to go on before the cheese).

Serve with a side of the garden salad, corn and the potato wedges. Recipe can be adapted to the appropriate family size i.e. number of adults and children etc.

Enjoy your mid week treat. With a fruit salad for dessert to alleviate the high density calorie guilt, and oh, don't forget a glass of vino to wash it all down!

PAGE 20| SPOTLIGHT | ISSUE 4 VOL 1

The Italian 'Job' 15

MINUTE

DINNERS

Trying out new recipes and things we normally would not dare to is a 'new normal' way to explore and discover some new recipes to make our food stock-ups less monotonous. As most families are now having more meals at home than usual, Spotlight asked a few house-bound folks to share there favourite recipes or new ones they may have just come up with. Here is a round up of what we got.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE & HAM TORTELLONI

By Faye Morrison: Serves 4 - 300Â grams of fresh Italian sausage and ham Tortelloni (can alternate for Tortellini) - 80 grams of young spinach - 1 large (pre grilled) chicken breast - 2 teaspoons of pure virgin olive or rapeseed red oil - pinch of salt - a teaspoon of green pesto - grated parmigiano reggiano / Parmesan for sprinkling Add 1 teaspoon of oil to the pasta and bring to boil (3 minutes chilled) or 4 minutes from frozen. Once boiled - drain the fluids into another sauce pan and soak in the baby spinach while you cut up the warm chicken breast into small thick strips. Return the drained pasta to a hot hob, add chicken, drained spinach, second teaspoon of oil pesto and the salt and mix gently ensuring not to break the pasta. Dust over with the parmigiano reggiano and serve. Voila dinner is served.

PAGE 21| SPOTLIGHT | ISSUE 4 VOL 1

Bake it; Until you Make it! #quarantinebaking (ou

BY

DENISE

f t o

kloc

dow

n!)

EDWARDS

Denise a recently relocated expat from Oklahoma, USA and EA at the Office of Naval Research Global by day, shares how she coped home alone in the UK during her quarantine.

One Bowl Chocolate Cake Prep: 20 mins Cook: 30 mins Total: 1 hr Additional: 10 mins Servings: 24 Yield: 2 - 9 inch round cake layers Ingredients Ingredient Checklist 2 cups white sugar 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 2 eggs 1 cup milk ½ cup vegetable oil 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions Instructions Checklist

Step 1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two nine inch round pans.

Step 2 In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, mix for 2 minutes on medium speed of mixer. Stir in the boiling water last. Batter will be thin. Pour evenly into the prepared pans.

Step 3 Bake 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until the cake tests done with a toothpick. Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

Partner Tip Reynolds® Aluminum foil can be used to keep food moist, cook it evenly, and make clean-up easier.

PAGE 22| SPOTLIGHT | ISSUE 4 VOL 1

Toasted cheese sandwich or Peanut butter and jelly (jam) are some of the all time favourite sandwiches for children. However, as with most generations, time will tell how long this will last as food craze rumour has it...Gen-Z is a healthy

Preparing the Best out of School munch-box BY

AMAL

HANSSAN

PAGE 23| SPOTLIGHT | ISSUE 4 VOL 1

bunch. So now that parents have more time at home; we thought these additional recipes can help elevate the good old ones to a healthy masterpiece. It can also help you pack in some now popular nutritional goodness that are normally a trick to pull off during the school rush daily routines.

Try a Trio Shred-Sandwich : This shredded Tuna broccoli and raisin mix in mayo is a simple balanced row ingredients sandwich that has all the best nutrients even fussy kids love.

For a vegetarian version, replace the Tuna with mixed nuts. Also lightly blended in a mayo mix.

Just spread on toasted or fresh bread and serve with their favourite drink.

CLICK LINKS TO VIEW BIOS OF OUR SPOTLIGHT | ISSUE 4 VOL 1

contributing editor's galleries

Dineo Mabena Campaign Executive Manifest

Audra Lamoon Managing Director Livewire

Image of a fashion model

Cer-Jane Hackling Managing Director Cerub PR

Andrian Wright Fashion Consultant Bloomingdales

Tim Nash Illustrator Chestnut Grove

Jennifer Nash Editor-in-Chief Sotlight Magazine

Denise Edwards Executive Assistant Of Office of Naval Research Global

Benno Spencer CEO Raffle House

Your name here Future Thought Leader Global

PAGE 24| SPOTLIGHT | ISSUE 4 VOL 1

Ad

New in town!

The new Huddle in town for food lovers with their best friends!

5 Station Rd, Gerrards Cross (UK) SL9 8ES Phone: +44 01753 883943

PAGE 25 | SPOTLIGHT | ISSUE 4 VOL 1

Hours: Mondays 8:30am–4:30pm Tuesday8:30am–4:30pm Wednesday8:30am–4:30pm Thursday8:30am–4:30pm Friday8:30am–4:30pm Saturday8:30am–5pm Sunday10am–4pm Advertisers email to jennifer@arkandbrook.com

C A R E E R S CURRENT VACANCIES Advertisers email to jennifer@arkandbrook.com

Post and find current job and volunteer listings. This includes workexperience, Internship, Volunteer and many other non-paid job opportunities supporting candidates build up their employability skills enhancing their CVs / Resumes, All while offering your business the manpower you need to scale up or fulfill their work-overflows.

coming in the next issue

PAGE 26| SPOTLIGHT | ISSUE 4 VOL 1

t is eL Th

C O N T A C T S

THE BLACK BOOK OF CREATIVES USEFUL CREATIVE AND MEDIA CONTACTS; CLICK LINK TO ACCESS Advertisers email to jennifer@arkandbrook.com Ark and Brook Bubble Public Relations (UK, USA, Dubai) DML Marketing City Media (Zambia) Cerub PR

Cuban Eight (Bicester) Livewire Performance

Manifest (London)

Manic Creatives (Zambia)

MetOne Riding High Styles (New York, USA) Redline Public Relations (Oxford)

PAGE 27| SPOTLIGHT | ISSUE 4 VOL 1

Q&A your questions answered in real time & also published in our knowledge bank...

YOUR BUSINESS IS OUR BUSINESS! HELPING YOU REACH YOUR POTENTIAL

so ask away PAGE 28| SPOTLIGHT | ISSUE 4 VOL 1

E S C A P E ...UOY SPLEH ENIZ THGILTOPS

Next Issue out June 2020

SIGN UP HERE TO BE NOTIFIED AS SOON AS IT POPS OFF THE PRESS! JOIN THE CONVERSATION NOW. or RFP to jennifer@arkandbrook.com

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