10 tips for anyone changing their career path

Posted on by Clive Reffell

Last year’s Office of National Statistics figures revealed that just 53% of the UK’s working population are fulltime employees with a regular pay cheque. More and more of us are choosing, or being forced by circumstances, to adopt alternative ways of funding our existence by changing career. The outcome can range from worries over simply paying basic bills to affording an enviable, comfortable lifestyle.

I’ve learned that whether starting up in business as a small-scale entrepreneur of any age, or as a local provider of professional services, downscaling from a dazzling corporate career, or on the verge of what could be a great money-making venture, many of us all share the same feelings.

Much of my networking in the first few months of Comanche Communications & Marketing was at a local SME level. I met many people who are or have been in similar circumstances to myself, setting out in business as a sole trader and trying to carve out a modest niche among the opportunities available within the accessible business community.

Then I found myself networking among different company when I spent a day at the third annual Great British Workforce Revolution conference. These events are tailored around opportunities for former company directors who are changing career to ‘go it alone’. This can mean starting a new business, investing in other people’s new businesses, or taking interim roles to guide companies unable to afford their experience and knowledge on an fulltime basis.

A forum of former ‘captains of industry’ made some useful comments about the attitudinal re-think needed when making a career transition that are worth sharing with anyone who takes responsibility for their own destiny. Many people using crowdfunding hope it’s going to make a significant impact on their lives, but are they really ready for some of the consequences?

The key ten points the panel made were these.

  1. It’s scary to be in a new place. Doing new things, outside of a comfort zone that may have previously been full of support, is scary.
  2. Most of your previous contacts become useless after changing career because they were part of that former comfort zone, that former life.
  3. It’s difficult to achieve a target daily pay rate, so do what comes up that looks like it would be good to be involved with.
  4. Don’t forget that time is your most precious asset, particularly if starting a new enterprise later in life.
  5. Reconsider the people who you know. Build connections among a new group of people who are going to be able to help you.
  6. Think about how to help them, not only how they could help you.
  7. Remain curious and love learning, which is now easier than it ever was.
  8. Add practice to your knowledge, by simply getting out there to start providing others with the benefits of your knowledge and skills. Even do it free for a local charity rather than keep them to yourself. This will help teach you how to best present that knowledge in a way that builds confidence.
  9. Confidence is what your new customers or investors will recognise and buy in to.
  10. Work with people you like, who respect you and pay you on time. Life’s too short to do otherwise.

The Panel, left to right below: Steve Gilroy, Chief Exec at Vistage International (UK), the world’s leading Chief Executive organisation and main sponsors of the conference; Stuart Lucas, a former global finance high-flyer and Founder and Co-CEO of Asset Match which allows shareholders in unlisted companies to freely offer their shares for sale; Peter Collier, Executive Director and Founder of TCWM Ltd, held senior positions in the financial services sector until 2012 when after voluntary redundancy he started a business by taking small consultancy assignments; Robin Hill, Founder and CEO at Ruffena Capital Ltd, previously had senior positions in technology and media businesses. “It’s better to be more in control in a smaller company than lost in a big one,” he said.

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If you’d like to explore crowdfunding as a way to help you change your career path and want some objective advice and support then please get in touch. Drop a line to me at [email protected].

Crowdfunding and its use by the English wine industry

Posted on by Clive Reffell

English Wine Producers Trade Tasting, 11 May 2015

The English wine industry is facing several positive challenges, and some major players are turning to crowdfunding as a means to best take advantage of opportunities in a fast growing market.

The English Wine Producers annual tasting for the drinks trade and media took place on May 11 just off Parliament Square, Westminster. It is a major event for EWP directed at the wine trade prior to the English Wine Week consumer event, running this year May 23-31. I spoke with several industry leaders.

Some notable wine writers and reviewers were also present, including Oz Clarke and Jane MacQuitty, wine writer for The Times.

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Some quick background. 2014 was a bumper year for the English grape harvest, and production rose by over 40% to 6.3m bottles. Of which an estimated two-thirds are sparkling wines. Part of this growth is also because the amount of land under vines has doubled in the last seven years to around 2,000 hectares.

The largest English wine producer is Chapel Down in Kent. They reported record sales of £6.1m in 2014, and have recently secured a further 326 acres on long leases to plant more vineyards.

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Future plans are being financed with £3.95m raised against 14.1% equity through the Seedrs crowdfunding platform in three weeks last September. This made Chapel Down the first publicly listed company to use crowdfunding. They are also building a brewery, and preparing for a period of consolidation within the industry.

Frazer Thompson, CEO, told me one of the greatest benefits of crowdfunding was that he had acquired not only the money but nearly 1,500 brand advocates who will continually support Chapel Down, not only through future personal purchases but also gift purchases and relentless word-of-mouth support.

If you’d like further information and advice about using crowdfunding to generate an investment budget please contact me, [email protected]. Your plans don’t have to be as big as Chapel Down’s. For example, in the brewing business the Camden Town Brewery recently raised £2.7m. Yet the Hop Stuff Brewery in south east London launched after raising £58,000 through crowdfunding.

Favourable comparisons to Champagne helped English sparkling wine establish an early market position and a price point far removed from Prosecco and Cava. These days, some English producers are more keen for their products to stand on their own two feet. Simon Bladon, proprietor of Jenkyn Place in Hampshire, didn’t mince his words: “Why should I want my English sparkling wines compared to an inferior product?”


Brad Greatrix, NyetimberBrad Greatrix, winemaker at Nyetimber, at the top quality end of the English sparkling wine market, told me wine makers from Champagne are being brought in by several wineries to contribute and share their skills. “Chalky soil in southern England is very similar to the Champagne region, though they marvel at the better quality of the English grapes they are given to work with.”

He believes English sparkling wine producers also benefit from greater freedom to use grape varieties of their choice than their counterparts in Champagne.

Ian Kellet, Hambledon MD

Another producer using crowdfunding right now is Hambledon Vineyard, England’s oldest commercial vineyard (est 1952), in Hampshire. MD Ian Kellet worked in finance and the corporate food and drink industry before buying Hambledon. He has brought these  skills to bear with a crowdfund through CrowdBnk to raise a target of £2.75m through loans, rather than equity. Ian told me he saw no reason to part with any share of his company.

The minimum investment is £10,000 for a five year term. For a £10,000 investment after 5 years an investor will get their £10,000 principal back, plus a £4,000 lump sum, which is 8% interest per annum. They also receive 1/2 a case of Hambledon Classic cuvée every year and at the end of the term have the option to convert their principal into Hambledon shares at £2.20 per share and/or Hambledon wine.

At May 14, with 18 days to go, 20 investors have so far pledged £2,329,400, almost 85% of target.

A testament to the growing quality of English wines was the presentation of Sommelier Wine Awards 2015 to Gold Medal winners Wiston Wine Estate on the South Downs, and Sharpham Vineyard in Devon. These awards are internationally contested, and as well as being Gold Medal winners they received the added Critics Choice accolade as being particularly suitable for sale by the glass.

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Dermot Sugrue, left, and Harry Goring, right, winemaker and co-founder respectively of Wiston Wine Estate, receive the Critics Choice award for their Blanc de Blancs 2010.

It was certainly a very pleasant day for me to sample many of the splendid wines available at the tasting. My thanks to the EWP Marketing Team for allowing me to attend.

Picture-of-ClivePlease contact me for further information and advice about using crowdfunding to generate an investment budget, [email protected].

Crowdfunding London 2015 – brilliant one day conference

Posted on by Clive Reffell

The Crowdfunding London (#CFLondon) conference on 23 April 2015 served up a feast of information and inspiration for over four hundred people in The Crystal building at Royal Victoria Dock, East London.

The diverse nature of attendees spanned the full range from significant investors and business leaders running some of the biggest crowdfunding websites to individuals with a somewhat vague idea of a start-up business they want to launch.

First speaker was Luke Lang, CMO and Co-Founder of Crowdcube. Crowdcube is the largest of the UK crowdfund companies that enables funds to be raised in exchange for company equity. Their growth is representative of the whole industry. In total, 230 organisations have used them to raise £80m since 2011, and the industry is growing so fast that projects hosted by Crowdcube have already raised £20m in 2015.

Whilst crowdfunding may have started largely with attempts to raise relatively small budgets to launch start-ups that banks or other traditional lenders would not go near, the biggest individual amount raised on Crowdcube is £3.7m. The average investment made is £2,500, and the largest individual investments have been £0.5m on two occasions.

Luke’s two key pieces of advice to anyone who wants to raise an investment budget through crowdfunding are:

  • Work extensively on your own network of personal and business contacts. If you can’t convince them you won’t convince anyone else. And get them to make their investment as soon as possible because early support and momentum attracts other investors who don’t already know you.
  • Don’t forget that it’s all about delivering returns to investors and treat them with respect.

Next up, an expert panel chaired by the Sunday Times Business Editor Kiki Loizou discussed factors that have contributed to crowdfunding’s spectacular rise in the UK.

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  • Banks are reluctant to lend to small businesses, particularly start-ups with no assets
  • The growth of a stronger UK ‘entrepreneur culture’, and thus a demand for business investment
  • Low returns for investors from traditional opportunities
  • A ‘light touch’ by the financial regulators
  • Ease of use and trust in e-commerce
  • The democratisation of two-way communications with big companies through social media
  • The rise of popular online ‘sharing’ businesses such as Airbnb and Uber

People want to use the internet to do more than post personal content and maintain contact with friends and family, make purchases and let companies know what they think of their products and service levels. They are now ready to be part of something more solid. And it’s easy to build an investment portfolio. After a few clicks anyone can say they are a shareholder in a brewery, an ecological project or whatever else they choose. Crowdfunding has democratised being an entrepreneur or an investor.

Nicola Horlick, the international investment adviser once described as “Superwoman” for her skills balancing global business responsibilities and family life, brought heavyweight gravitas to the afternoon sessions. Her own crowdfunding company is Money & Co though she pointed out her ‘crowd’ was not a large number of people. They are a select group of seriously high net worth individuals looking to make equally serious business investments (known as peer-to-peer lending).

Nicola HorlickTo the previous reasons for the popularity and success of crowdfunding she added:

  • Fees to meet with financial advisers have created a new type of independent investor
  • Medium size businesses are vital to the recovery of the national economy because they employ 50% of the UK workforce, and maybe this has influenced the ‘light touch’ of the financial regulators

Business celebrity Michelle Mone, founder of the Ultimo lingerie brand, gave a very personal account of her life from a 15-year-old unqualified school leaver to founding a global brand and receiving her OBE.

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It was all here. The battles won by her personal drive to overcome doubters and break through the constraints of other peoples’ limited expectations of her. Creating stunts to achieve £multi-million media coverage. Breaking in to the American market through sending samples to Hollywood film set wardrobes. Then being swindled by her American distributors who robbed her of 10 months’ stock and £1.4m. Yet never giving in, never accepting “No”.

It was inspiring and punctuated with spontaneous applause. Thank you, Michelle.

The final session of the day was a guest panel of speakers being honest enough to admit some mistakes they had made in a quick-fire round of How NOT To Do Crowdfunding. I have been helping a project I found already being run by the Steam Tug Brent Trust. Their aim is to raise funds to restore the last steam powered tug, called the Brent, which had worked in London’s Docks. My sincere thanks to them for allowing me to go on stage and share some points with the audience about what could have been done better.