Category Archives: Business

Inflation and bankruptcy! Don’t panic.

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Don’t panic. Even if all todays news is very very bad: don’t panic, business and life keep going on! But let’s have a look at the 4 most read news stories of today from London about London:

  1. The collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings has brought several consequences: markets everywhere have never been so down, overnight the cost of borrowing in dollars has more than doubled to the highest since 2001 (from 3.33 percentage points to 6.44 percent today: the biggest jump, according to the British Bankers’ Association), 7000 bankers are now sending out their cv’s and hoping to quickly solve their personal situations.
  2. ‘Inflation surged above forecasts to 4.7 per cent in August to the highest rate since Britain’s last recession, after the price of food and energy rose. – Thetimesonline.co.uk says: – Households are now paying 27.7 per cent more on their gas bills and 18 per cent more for electricity. The cost of banking services also increased as lenders cut their mortgage arrangement fees by less than they did last year. Food prices also rose by 1.3 per cent last month and, in the year to August, by 13 per cent’.
  3. Problems in the City, at home and at City Hall: – David Cairns, Minister of State at the Scotland Office, believes Mr Brown is showing a lack of leadership and direction to the country -, says the Timesonline.co.uk – He is unhappy about the lack of direction and believes the leadership is all over the place and making lots of mistakes. He has been unhappy for some considerable time and could decide to go today.
  4. And in London the crimes are increasing. Spokesman Chris Huhne has set out his vision for tackling crime, calling for better policing rather than tougher sentences. He said people should not be sent to jail for minor offences when other punishments would be more effective. Resources must be directed towards more effective policing and detection rather than more prisons, Mr Huhne added.

But don’t worry life is an up and down of events, the famous destiny’s waves! Londoners (and not just them) have to try to resist, never give up and learn from the brave Lehman’s workers that kept going to work, knowing well what was going on and now are at work to find a new employer. Being up to date and connected is indispensable in order to succeed and to survive: for this reason London Presence continues to provide you with efficient customer service from Monday to Friday (9am – 5,30pm) and with a unique blog!

Lehman Bros & Co: a black monday

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It was a tough morning for many going to work in The City today; it’s Monday and it’s a black day for the Market. The fourth-largest U.S. investment bank has gone bust and all the front pages are dedicated to what could be the largest scale bankruptcy in history. Bloomberg.com explains in detail what is happening: “Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. succumbed to the subprime mortgage crisis it helped create in the biggest bankruptcy filing in history. The 158-year-old firm, which survived railroad bankruptcies of the 1800s, the Great Depression in the 1930s and the collapse of Long-Term Capital Management a decade ago, has filed a Chapter 11 petition with U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Manhattan today. The collapse of Lehman, which listed more than $613 billion of debt, surpasses WorldCom Inc.’s insolvency in 2002 and Drexel Burnham Lambert’s failure in 1990.”

Unfortunately the crisis is not limited to the Lehman collapse: the Bank of America has brought Merrill Lynch, and Wall Street is in crisis. Thetimesonline.co.uk says: “London woke up to discover that, overnight, two of the biggest pillars of Wall Street had either collapsed or passed into new ownership, the world’s largest insurer was forced into an emergency restructuring, and 10 banks put together an emergency fund to lend to any other ailing banks”. This bad news will probably not come as a surprise to many. But the problem is serious and involves all the Markets and a huge numbers of bankers, who can’t predict anything about their future. “One New York observer (thetimesonline.co.uk goes on to say) estimated that 40 per cent of Merrill’s workforce, or 24,000 people, could be out of a job. The situation at Lehman will inevitably be much worse”.

But, as Douglas Adams would say, Don’t Panic! “This is undoubtedly the worst banking crisis since the 1930s, but traders shouldn’t panic and start to sell shares of other leading banks. It doesn’t make sense. American, British and other global banks  are cooperating to make the transition as smooth as possible”, said Allister Heath, City A.M. editor.

Office work and home work: what is the best solution for you? – part 1

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The question of today is: if your career allows it, should you work in an office or from home? To help you to decide we have prepared a list of reasons to work from home:

1. Zero commute time: you can wake up at 7:55 and be ready at the computer at 8:00 a.m.

2. No time wasted: you can manage both your home life and your work life at the same time; Whilst your waiting for your project plan to be printed, why not do your laundry.

3. You can have a better lunch: you don’t have to worry about packing your lunch or spending money on that same sandwich from that same sandwich shop everyday.

4. Enjoy the peace and quite of working in your own surroundings, perhaps even listening to your own music and working however you wish.

5. Better and flexible schedule organisation: you can go grocery shopping, dentist visits or whatever you need to do.

6. No travel cost: This cost really adds up especially if you work in London (of course it’s also a bonus not to find yourself stuck beneath someone’s armpit on the tube twice a day.)

7. No time or money spent on babysitting, afterschool and camps for the children: they could stay home under the best babysitting control (yours).

8. You can work in pajamas and bunny slippers: no more homogeneous suites and ties or uncomfortable shoes!

9. No office politics or rules.

10. No boss looking over your shoulder!

What do you think? Are you convinced to move your office home yet? Well don’t make up your mind just yet – read tomorrow’s entry which explores the flip-side to this coin, so come back tomorrow.

Google Ads and Pay Per Click: What are they and why you should use them?

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Let’s get straight to business today with GOOGLE ADS!

Have you ever noticed that some Google results on the very top of the search results page have a subtle yellow background? That’s because they are payment positions called ‘Sponsored Links’. They are one of the several online ways to promote your business, and arguably one of the best because provided your keywords have been selected carefully, you can be at the top of the list. Think about this: if you want to find something, the first thing that you do is type a couple of words into the Google search bar. Google occupies more two-thirds of the search engine market so being on the first page of a Google search makes all the difference to your success, because you can reach people when they are actively looking for your product or service.

The AdWords cost-per-click pricing is cheap and easy to control, because you only pay when people click on your ad. Unlike more traditional adverts; you can measure its results highly accurately, easily amend it and only pay when a prospect clicks on your advert, rather than being charged on page impressions. There are two main categories of Pay per click (PPC) campaigns: keyword and content match. The first category involves the display of advertisements on search engine results pages, the second one, instead, involves the display of advertisements on publisher websites, newsletters and e-mails.

Why you should open a Google AdWords account?

– You can promote your business specifically to your prospective customers.
– You can save money (it’s very cheap), in comparison to traditional advertising.
– You can manage it easily.
– As a customer of the Made Simple Group you are entitled to a FREE £30 Google advertising AdWords voucher.

Our Top 10 Business Films

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10. Nine to Five (1980)

Perhaps more famous for its soundtrack than the actual film, Nine to Five should be known as “how not to treat your staff.” Jane Fonda, Dolly Parton and Lily Tomlin demonstrate what happens to the boss when the workforce loses faith. So to kick off our very own top ten list today, treat yourself to a bit of Dolly Parton…

9. The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)

The Coen brothers direct this tale of a naïve mail worker who works his way up to upper echelons of Hudsucker Industries and he soon finds out how hard it is to sell a brand new product. Although fairytale-like the film still manages to show the importance of innovation in the corporate world.

8. Ghostbusters (1984)

Cast aside thoughts of Marshmallow Men, Slimer and New York City. At its core the hugely popular 1984 comedy is about three men starting up a brand new business. From the initial business idea to advertising to finding a suitable office location, the Ghostbusters cover the lot.

7. Office Space (1999)

A cult classic and yet another glimpse at what happens when workers don’t feel the love. In a world where staff just want to hold onto their beloved stapler and remain at the same desk for a few months at a time surely keeping them happy is easy? Unfortunately not for the arrogant Mr Lumbergh.

6. Boiler Room (2000)

A college dropout (Giovanni Ribisi) becomes a broker to get on the fast track to success and starts at the bottom rung of the ladder in a suburban investment firm. However, he soon learns of illegitimate dealings by his bosses and discovers that his only way out is to sink the firm himself from within.

5. American Psycho (2000)

The excessive and superficial lifestyle of Patrick Bateman, a New York investment banking executive, takes it’s toll on his warped personality as he begins to indulge in twisted fantasies. On the face of it this movie is about that which the title suggests, but a closer look will reveal all the satirical poking at 80’s Wall Street bankers. Watch this classic scene for proof:

4. Trading Places (1983)

Oh the fickle world of business. One minute Dan Aykroyd is on top of the world living the dream as a wealthy broker and the next he’s lost it all and been replaced by a common crook. It’s tough at the top but tougher at the bottom.

3. Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)

An all-star cast delve into the murky waters of estate agents. Not the most interesting of topics you may think but the office has never seemed so chilling. Pressure reigns supreme.

2. The Godfather (1972)

Ok, the Corleone family may not be anything approaching squeaky clean but at the heart of Frances Ford Coppola’s epic is a family run business. The trilogy is rife with business deals (mostly shady) and power struggles. You certainly can’t doubt the Corleone clan’s dedication to their job.

1. Wall Street (1987)

It had to be! Gordon Gekko coined the phrase that epitomised the 80’s, “greed is good”. In an age when lunch was for wimps, Wall Street was the ultimate statement about the world’s obsession with money and business. So to finish our top ten treat yourself to one of the great movie speeches…

Postal procedure: all you have to know

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So you’ve signed up for a mail forwarding account with us and now you’re curious as to how exactly we handle your mail. Here you go:

  • Your mail arrives at one of our two available addresses, 145-157 St John Street, or 26 York Street (both in London).
  • Our dedicated post team then sort through the mail, separating it depending on size and weight.
  • All the mail is then sorted again and each piece of mail is stamped with the relevant 4-digit account number.
  • The mail is then placed in pigeonholes where it is ordered numerically. This is done to ensure that all your mail is sent out together rather than in multiple batches, saving on your postage costs.
  • Once ordered it is posted using our up-to-date database to your requested forwarding address, anywhere in the world. Once this is done we send you an email letting you know how many letters you are due to receive.

Remember, posting your mail isn’t the only thing we can do with it. If you are in the London area you can come and collect it (as long as notice is given to us) at our 145-157 St John Street address anytime between 9 and 5.30 Monday to Friday. If you choose this option we will email you letting you know that mail is ready to be collected. You can also have your mail scanned to your email address before we either post it on or you collect it. Finally, if you are not expecting a great deal of mail we can send it out to you once a week, also saving on the cost of postage. If in doubt, then browse the site or just email us at [email protected]. Ciao for now.

Hail to the mail!

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9am on a Monday and the Royal Mail bags come down. Not the most exciting occurrence you may think but these large grey sacks maybe, just maybe contain the hopes and dreams of a brand new company. A weekend’s worth of mail ready to be sorted and sent on to the rightful owner. It’s quite a responsibility.

Perhaps it was the business card given out at the conference last week, the pen left behind after a meeting, maybe even the website. Who knows? But somehow, someone has got hold of the business address and the company is now “live”, dealing in the currency of hard mail.

Now working in any postal department may not be the most glamorous job in the world (it did after all give birth to the phrase “going postal ”) but to see a company grow can give a real level of satisfaction. Once that business address is out there the floodgates are open and watching that trickle of mail turn into a torrent, feeding the company opportunities gives almost a sense of duty. If the mail is the lifeblood of a company we are the veins.

Okay, enough of the whimsy. The truth remains though that mail remains an integral part of any business so the importance of every piece of mail must never be underestimated. One man’s junk mail is another man’s unique business opportunity and with email accounts being clogged up with more spam than Tesco, operations are reclaiming direct mail as a tool to get across their product, engage their customers and make all new business connections.

So the moral of the story? Don’t underestimate the power of your mail, sending or receiving!

From London to Beijing and back

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Monday 18th of August 2008: only 4 days until the end of the Olympics in Beijing. Only 4 days to win the last medals. China is still at the top of the medal tally with 37 golds, 14 silvers and 14 bronzes – an insurmountable task now for any other nation to equal. Following USA, Great Britain have 12 golds, 7 silver and 8 bronzes, placing us on the third step of the podium, all the while studying how China is managing the Games and how the Chinese economy will be and is already growing on the Olympic wave. But the question is will the crest be as equally insurmountable for Great Britain when we are thrown in the deep end?

Some have marked this as the Asian Century – the Chinese power has grown and will continue to grow, followed by India and the countries of the Gulf. Though the Western powers are fast being overshadowed by the growth of the economies in the Orient, one way in which this has been marked is in the Occidental interest in Asian shares. Even if the market is volatile, Asiatic opportunities are new. And new spells potential for investors.

Open your eyes, be updated about new events and politics. The Times explored similar ideas in a recent article entitled ‘how to invest in China‘. We want to underline the importance of the Games and the broad importance of the next Games in London for London as well as for the Europe. Unfortunately we do not have enough column inches in our blog to go into the necessary detail appertaining to how your business will benefit from the Olympics come 2012. But take it from us, you do not want to miss out on not only being the host nation but the host city. Make damn sure your business is active from London and be ready for it!

For more information on the upcoming Olympics, here is the place to go: www.london2012.com. We’re going to be ready for it, make sure you are too.

Tesco: an example of British success

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Hello! Welcome back to our business blog. Do you need to do your food shopping? Here in London you can choose from supermarkets such as Sainsbury’s, Somerfield, Waitrose, Marks & Spencer and Tesco: there are stores everywhere, open everyday (also 24 hours per day). From getting to know London, it’s easy to understand that Britain’s largest supermarket chain is Tesco and why it has been able to spread abroad.

In fact, the UK company will open its first site in Mumbai by the end of 2009, investing millions to be able to open in Delhi, Bangalore and the surrounding areas as soon as possible. This news represents a new direction in the expansion of british businesses into Eastern economies.

Next to the big licensed chains, London also has Indian, Pakistan, Chinese and Thai shops to offer, and in the same way in few years the biggest Indian cities will host several british shops. So, European companies start to export their brand to developing countries. In our evermore globalised economy, these countries are rich markets into which new business can expand; Sir Terry Leahy, chief executive of Tesco, said: “This is another exciting development for Tesco. It complements our entries into China and the United States, giving us access to another of the most important economies in the world.”

100 days of Boris Johnson as Mayor of London in 7 points

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Boris Johnson is celebrating his first 100 days as Mayor of London today. How is his government? Has the blonde ‘Spectator’ editor been living up to his electors’ expectations? Is everything going smoothly?

The first 100 days of Boris Johnson’s government have, like every government, been full of ups and downs, criticism and praise. It’s time to see what he is doing because the City Hall decisions can make the difference both for you and for your business.

Here are the main policy actions from the period from the 4th of May to now in 7 main sections:

ALCOHOL

From the 1st of June drinking alcohol on the London transport network became illegal. The new law is now applied on the London Underground, Buses, DLR and Croydon Trams. This has been widely criticised as posturing on the part of the administration, though some do believe that this is one step closer to safer streets in London.

BUS

He has promised that the “bendy buses” will be off the streets for being too long and cumbersome for the city traffic. Instead Boris has promised that the old routemaster will be restored, even if it doesn’t provide access to the disabled. Promises, but this process will be long in the making as it will need years for this change to take place.

CITIZEN

Don’t be scared, assures Boris. Though knife crime has increased, the police are instigating Operation Blunt 2, the new plan to stop the terrible series of teenage stabbings.

DEVELOPMENT

The main news about development in London is that 10,000 trees will be planted and more drinking fountains will be built to make London more beautiful.

ENVIRONMENT

More trees will be planted- part of Boris’ election campaign was to make London the greenest city in the world. However, the contracts for a fleet of hydrogen vans, cars and motorbikes have been canceled… Maybe Boris wants all his Londoners to cycle…

FUTURE

The milestone in the future is of course 2012 when London will host the Olympic Games and with the Olympics on in Beijing, everyone has Olympic fever. The Mayor has ordered detailed reports on the work load and cost of the games (despite being unaware of such documents!) and he is sure that they will be the most wonderful Olympics in history.

GAFFES

Boris Johnson is woefully famous for his gaffes in every kind of situation and on every topic. Even he has confirmed to do four gaffes a day, but with genuine humour he soldiers on, riding his bike everyday to his office at City Hall.

To know more about Boris Johnson there is his blog and a rich selection of his most famous quotes. And you, what do you think?