Britain's Got More Talent

Did you see my brother Joel Elnaugh on Britain's Got More Talent Last Night?

He was the stand up comedian with the guitar...

The Bitch List

It seems like everyone is revelling in delight at the fact that billions have been wiped off the fortunes in this year's Sunday Times Rich List.

I am left wondering what it is about our society that absolutely loves to hear about other people's failure and misfortune.

Perhaps to make them feel better about their own miserably unsuccessful and uneventful lives?

Why bother?

Several of you have been complaining to me that I'm not blogging as often as I used to. Frankly I didn't know that you cared - and since the departure of Stephen, C & Mr A Dragon, and we lost our acerbic comment strings, I thought why bother if no one is interested.

That's a feeling I think most entrepreneurs share at some point isn't it?

You're there plugging away at your business, believing you're doing great stuff, and some days - typically those days when nothing's cooking, or you're let down, or people don't bother to reply to your calls, or you get no sales in, or the phone doesn't ring a single time, or only 7 people register for a webinar where you called in a big favour to get someone you thought might be really interesting for your network - you do just sit there and think 'Why do I bother?'.

But then there are the days when the invitations flow and the opportunities arise or you gain some great inspiration or energy or a big deal breaks or that money you've been owed for 8 weeks now lands in your bank account - and you're back in flow again.

I guess it's just a case of when the 'Why Bother?' days overtake the 'Back in flow' days you need to consider giving up and doing something else...

So let me know what type of day you're having.

And if I don't get any comments I will know not to bother!

Signs of Recession

I took an Easter stroll down into Bakewell this morning - packed with tourists at the moment, we get 2 million of them every year - yet the thing that startled me is just how many shops are now closed and empty around town.

One delightful little picturesque cobbled shopping arcade was completely shut - a fashion shop, brasserie, gift shop and art gallery all closed down, the restaurant with a sign in the window selling off all its furniture.

And all this in a town which is always swarming with people.

It really feels we've only just seen the start of this recession biting.

Even super-optimistic me was left wondering exactly what shops COULD open here and make a success of it.

I said it in my last post and I'll repeat it here - it really seems that we are seeing a tidal change away from old style consumerism - and it's going to take a lot more than a 'fiscal stimulus' to revive it.

Rachel

Why we must kill old style Capitalism

Well that's a relief then, all the major countries get together and agree a fiscal stimulus package aimed at getting money moving and everyone spending again. So let's all relax and get back to our rampant consumerism of the past couple decades.

The only problem is - and what everyone has failed to notice or debate (except perhaps the City protestors) - is that this old style Capitalism is simply unsustainable - both financially and environmentally.

We simply cannot continue to plough on burning up the world's resources at the rate we are.

Has no one realised that the warnings we are being given - the ongoing evidence of global warming, not least today's reported crumbling of the ice shelf in Antartica, and the meltdown of the banking system - are signals that WE NEED TO CHANGE.

I am all in favour of enterprise and empowerment, but it needs to be conducted in a different style system which is much more collaborative and in harmony with all the world's people and the planet. Harmonism.

The 'much to few' old style Capitalism - driven by money power and greed - simply has to end. Before it is too late.