Are people really quitting their jobs en-masse? And if so, what are they doing when they leave?

It’s surprising how quickly rumour and anecdote become folklore. Never more so than in times of crisis or uncertainty; or when social and economic landscapes evolve in unpredicted ways.

For all its faults, representative democracy is still the best option for personal freedoms, human rights, and thriving economies.

The re-election of Emanual Macron to the French Presidency signals, amongst other things, a real sense of relief. For many of the French it reflects a deep suspicion for the beguiling simplicities of populism. The promises made by the (only just) unsuccessful candidate, Marine Le Pen, and other politicians of her ilk, have sounded warning bells across Europe. 

Mention the Internet and the chances are the initial response will be negative or circumspect. It’s easy to see why. The invasive nature of junk e-mails, probable scams and screen addiction are just a few of the latent menaces. Add to that the pain and abuse that come with trolling, cyber-bullying and pornography, and we could be excused for assuming that the web is a dark influence indeed.

The negatives should not be ignored. They really do cause harm and every society has a duty to control and limit those and other pernicious online behaviours.

However, we should be careful about letting the bad overwhelm the good. The huge majority of online activity is good and at worst it does no harm. On balance, the impact on the lives of millions, possibly billions, of people has been demonstrably positive.
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Here are some striking examples as to why we should be profoundly grateful for the Internet.

​A lady called Melanie contacted me recently.  She had seen some of our video animation work on social media.  Her animator had just let her down, and she was wondering if Future Point 4 Business could step in.  I asked where she was based – she said New Mexico!

The logo is everywhere. Almost everything we buy, almost every business we deal with, has a logo.

It’s that little symbol or design that represents a business, product, sports team or any other group
where identity is important.

The word itself is interesting too. More formally “logotype,” the word has its origins in the ancient
Greek ‘lógos’, which means ‘word’ or ‘speech’. That says a lot – a good logo says a huge amount
about the brand it represents.

Why securing good value requires more than a bit of bargaining.

Has a customer ever asked you for a discount? And what was your reaction? What did it make you think?

In some sectors, this is a regular occurrence but, for most suppliers of goods or services, accurate pricing is a carefully considered part of their business strategy. And for a supplier faced with this request, what goes through their heads? Doesn’t the client value what we do? I’m already competitively priced and I don’t want to cut margins. What is the longer term impact on business with this client if we reduce prices now?

The daily demands of running a business can be all consuming. Often, long term goals become fuzzy. This is dangerous – there is a real risk of losing direction and then momentum. Keeping this in mind, business success depends, at least in part, on our making time to step back from the hurly-burly.
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To reach that point in the future, where delivery meets vision and mission, we need time to evaluate where we are now, how we’ve got here, and where we’re going. Making time is something that must be done consciously and deliberately. It needs to be a high quality, high value opportunity that helps keep the individual and the business on track.

Hands up if you’ve ever switched brands. I know I have. Often the reason is trivial. It might be price, it might be convenience, and it might be that there’s a better choice online.
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On the other hand, to which brands have you remained loyal? And – this is much more interesting – why? Understanding this, you can take action with your own business to build brand loyalty, maintaining and strengthening it to the point that it becomes so deeply embedded it is more like an animal instinct.

When times are tough it is tempting to fall back on old certainties. And there’s a lot of comfort to be found in good old common sense, as well as traditional values which seem true and absolute.
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Unsurprisingly, it’s never quite that simple.