Choices Local issue 4 - Nov Dec 2019
Business and lifestyle magazine for Haringey. Helping you make the transition from employee to entrepreneur.
Business and lifestyle magazine for Haringey. Helping you make the transition from employee to entrepreneur.
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
Creating a<br />
HOME OFFICE<br />
on a BUDGET<br />
Issue 4 <strong>Nov</strong>/<strong>Dec</strong> 19<br />
MANAGING<br />
STRESS IN<br />
YOUR<br />
BUSINESS<br />
Write your<br />
first book<br />
NETWORKING<br />
EFFECTIVELY<br />
NEW HUB FOR<br />
BUSINESSES<br />
Mary Otumahana<br />
Tottenham's award winning entrepreneur on her music<br />
journey and business<br />
Helping you make the transition from employee to entrepreneur
Welcome...<br />
Welcome to our latest edition of <strong>Choices</strong><br />
<strong>Local</strong>; it’s been a while, but we are still in<br />
the game bringing you another snapshot of<br />
amazing people from Haringey and beyond;<br />
all taking that brave step to start and grow a<br />
business.<br />
In this <strong>issue</strong> we catch up with the busy<br />
Mary Otumahana; read her story on page<br />
14 and see how she has turned her love for<br />
music into a thriving business. Mary’s<br />
business is situated in the beautiful listed<br />
building at 639 Tottenham High St, called<br />
the Trampery; find out more about their<br />
launch event and what facilities are available<br />
to you on page 6.<br />
Our business will soon grow out of the<br />
back bedroom that we have built it in; as we<br />
look forward to the exciting challenge of<br />
finding a good workspace, for those of you<br />
still at the beginning stage, or simply not<br />
planning to move your business out of your<br />
home, go to page 9 and let Lisa Charles tell<br />
you how to set up that home office on a<br />
budget that suits you.<br />
Thank you to everyone who read about our<br />
challenges in our last <strong>issue</strong> and offered help<br />
and encouragement; it was very much<br />
needed and appreciated; I will update you<br />
on our progress in the next <strong>issue</strong>. In the<br />
mean time; for those of you going through<br />
some major challenges, go to page 27 where<br />
Adam Shaw has some very good tips on<br />
handling time, pressure and stress in your<br />
business.<br />
Don’t forget to read our inspirational quote<br />
on page 37. You can cut it out, keep it or<br />
display it however you choose. Why not<br />
build up a beautiful inspirational wall,<br />
surrounding yourself with positive<br />
messages to keep you focused and<br />
motivated on this fantastic journey.<br />
Before I go I would like to sincerely thank<br />
Hemant Amin, the Principal Business<br />
Growth Officer at Haringey Council; he<br />
supports so many business initiatives in the<br />
Borough, including Global Entrepreneurs<br />
Week, Haringey Bursary Program, which<br />
(this year) is a collaboration with Coventry<br />
University and Haringey Council and he<br />
successfully brought the Business Library<br />
into Haringey Libraries via the SiLL (Start<br />
Up In London Libraries) Program.<br />
I would also like to thank Simon Beer, the<br />
Head of Service for Haringey Adult<br />
Learning Service (HALS), who heads up an<br />
amazing team, providing a host of courses<br />
for adult learners.<br />
Without the support of these two people<br />
and many others, we would not be able to<br />
bring you <strong>Choices</strong> <strong>Local</strong> today.<br />
We love what we do and you our readers<br />
make us what we are; we especially love it<br />
when you interact and connect with us.<br />
Don’t forget to like us on Facebook, follow<br />
us on Twitter and Instagram and keep on<br />
being incredible.<br />
Speak soon,<br />
Anthony Charles<br />
<strong>Local</strong> Haringey 3
Inside this <strong>issue</strong><br />
6<br />
New hub for entrepreneurs<br />
In a beautiful listed building, The<br />
Trampery and Launch It open a new<br />
business hub in Tottenham.<br />
6<br />
9<br />
Creating a home office on a<br />
budget<br />
<strong>Choices</strong> <strong>Local</strong> co founder shares<br />
her tips on setting up a workspace<br />
at home.<br />
14 20<br />
14<br />
20<br />
COVER STORY: Mary<br />
Otumahana<br />
Anthony Charles speaks<br />
to Mary about her award<br />
winning music business.<br />
Write your first book<br />
Author Andrea<br />
Campbell shares her tips<br />
to get you started.<br />
24<br />
PART 1: How To Network<br />
effectively<br />
Deer in the headlights at a<br />
networking event? Or suffering<br />
from verbal diarrhoea? Andrea<br />
Osborne helps you brush up on<br />
your networking etiquette.<br />
24<br />
4 <strong>Local</strong> Haringey
27<br />
Editors<br />
Anthony Charles<br />
Lisa Charles<br />
Publishers<br />
Team Titanium<br />
Advertising & Distribution<br />
Anthony Charles<br />
020 8889 5363<br />
ads@choicesmagazine.co.uk<br />
27<br />
31<br />
32<br />
37<br />
38<br />
Managing Stress<br />
The heart guy, Adam Shaw shares his tips<br />
on managing time, pressure and stress in<br />
your business.<br />
Titanium Thinking<br />
Could flicking a switch<br />
change everything for you?<br />
Haringey Events & Resources<br />
Upcomning events and available resources<br />
in the borough.<br />
<strong>Choices</strong> Inspiration<br />
Quotes to get you inspired and motivated.<br />
Perfect for framing and putting up on your<br />
wall...<br />
37<br />
Last word<br />
Anthony Charles sums up this <strong>issue</strong>.<br />
www.choiceslocal.co.uk<br />
www.twitter.com/choiceslocal<br />
www.facebook.com/choiceslocal<br />
www.instagram.com/choiceslocal<br />
While every care is taken to<br />
ensure accuracy, <strong>Choices</strong> <strong>Local</strong>,<br />
the publishers, authors and<br />
printers cannot accept liability for<br />
errors or omissions. No part of<br />
this publication may be<br />
reproduced in any form.<br />
Opinions expressed in this<br />
magazine are not necessarily<br />
those of <strong>Choices</strong> <strong>Local</strong> or the<br />
publisher. All material in this<br />
magazine is intended to be used<br />
for information purposes only.<br />
You agree to perform your own<br />
due diligence and that <strong>Choices</strong><br />
<strong>Local</strong> or Team Titanium will not<br />
be held in anyway liable for any<br />
consequences without limitation,<br />
resulting from any action you or<br />
any other person takes or fails to<br />
take, whether or not based on<br />
information provided in this<br />
magazine or on any related<br />
websites, emails, newsletters,<br />
social media posts, texts or<br />
Whatsapp messages.<br />
<strong>Local</strong> Haringey 5
New entrepreneur hub<br />
launched in Tottenham<br />
The Trampery (formally the 639<br />
Centre) was officially opened by the<br />
Duke of York on the 11th July <strong>2019</strong><br />
in partnership with Launch It<br />
London (formally the London Youth<br />
Support Trust) and the London<br />
Mayor.<br />
Young and early stage entrepreneurs<br />
aged 18-30 have access to the<br />
Launch It 2 year incubation<br />
programme where these<br />
entrepreneurs will receive business<br />
planning advice, mentoring,<br />
networking opportunities, access to<br />
funding and a discounted incubator<br />
studio at The Trampery.<br />
There are plans to upgrade the<br />
facilities to make the building more<br />
accessible to the local community.<br />
The Mayor of London has<br />
committed £350,000 towards the<br />
fundraising goal of £750,000.<br />
Proposed changes to the building<br />
include an Entrepreneurs’ Lounge,<br />
community kitchen and co-working<br />
desk space on the ground floor, as<br />
well as the refurbishment of all<br />
meeting rooms and common areas.<br />
.<br />
6 <strong>Local</strong> Haringey
Trampery Launch July <strong>2019</strong> with the Duke of York, centre.<br />
Location: The Trampery Tottenham, 639 High Road, London N17 8AA<br />
Visit www.thetrampery.com/workspaces/tottenham<br />
For more information on the incubation programme contact Clifford Dobbs -<br />
cliff@launchit.org.uk<br />
<strong>Local</strong> Haringey 7
Creating a home<br />
office on a budget<br />
According to the office of national statistics; of the staggering 4.2 million people who work<br />
from home (the highest rate since comparable records began in 1998), two-thirds of these<br />
home workers are self-employed.<br />
Creating a productive and organised home office is of paramount importance and although<br />
there are costs that you cannot avoid, there are plenty of cost saving ideas that will help you<br />
keep more money in the bank. For some inspiration, check out my top tips for creating a<br />
space that you’ll love for a budget you can afford.<br />
BARE ESSENTIALS ONLY<br />
Don’t get carried away and immediately go<br />
shopping; buying things you don’t need,<br />
blowing the budget that you don’t have!<br />
Make a list of the bare essentials you need<br />
to do your work. Once you have been<br />
working from home for at least a few weeks<br />
you’ll have a better idea of anything you<br />
additionally need that will add to your<br />
productivity.<br />
LOCATION, LOCATION,<br />
LOCATION<br />
If you are amongst the lucky ones and have<br />
a spare room, attic or basement that you are<br />
going to transform into your office, you<br />
won’t have to spend any time thinking of<br />
the best location in your home. If not,<br />
you’ll have to think about the best place for<br />
you to work where you can have some<br />
privacy, sufficient space for you to make<br />
your home office mark and preferably<br />
decent lighting – near to a window is ideal<br />
if feasible.<br />
If you think you have absolutely no where<br />
suitable, put your creative cap on. You’d be<br />
surprised at where people have set up shop<br />
in their homes, albeit unconventional in<br />
some cases but you can make it work. You<br />
may have to forgo the idea of privacy and<br />
an idyllic window view with some of these<br />
ideas, but remember the end game –<br />
flexibility, independence and control of<br />
your time and life!<br />
Large landings can make a great space, as<br />
well as utilising that cupboard filled with<br />
things you no longer need.<br />
<strong>Local</strong> Haringey 9
See what you can get for free. Yes you read<br />
correctly, free! If you haven’t already, join<br />
one of the many recycling groups. I’d<br />
recommend either Freecycle or Freegle.<br />
Search for your area, join the group and see<br />
what people are giving away. Companies<br />
also use these networks to get rid of office<br />
furniture if they are refurbishing or closing<br />
down. You can also do a ‘WANTED’ post<br />
to ask specifically for what you are looking<br />
for.<br />
OPT FOR CHEAP AND/OR<br />
CREATIVE OFFICE FURNITURE<br />
The corner of a living room, kitchen or<br />
dining room are also useable spaces. If you<br />
are in a communal space, consider room<br />
dividers for some privacy and put together a<br />
timetable of your working hours so you can<br />
carve out some time where you are less<br />
likely to be disturbed, or distracted by other<br />
family / household members. If you don’t<br />
have enough natural light, make sure to<br />
brighten up your space with table lamps.<br />
If you do need to buy furniture and<br />
accessories stay clear of the specialist office<br />
retailers and opt for cheaper alternatives –<br />
check out places like Amazon, Argos, Ikea,<br />
Asda, Tesco and Homebase.<br />
At the lowest end of the market, you can<br />
get a very basic desk for under £30.<br />
DIG FOR THE FORGOTTEN<br />
I know there’s the temptation and want to<br />
go and buy new shiny things for your work<br />
space, but hold off and look around your<br />
home for items you can use. Check<br />
cupboards, attics and basements for things<br />
you may have forgotten about that could be<br />
put to use again. And if you think you have<br />
nothing of use, keep reading, you may well<br />
be inspired...<br />
ONE MAN'S TRASH IS<br />
ANOTHER MAN'S TREASURE<br />
Argos £25<br />
If you want something more robust without<br />
the cost attached, secondhand furniture is a<br />
great option. Have a look in your local<br />
secondhand store, check Facebook for any<br />
10 <strong>Local</strong> Haringey
local groups in your area selling unwanted<br />
items and of course, have a look on eBay.<br />
Alternatively, why not make your own desk?<br />
Either upcycle an old piece of furniture<br />
such as an old dressing table or use other<br />
unconventional items like an old door as<br />
your desk surface and purchase legs from<br />
Ikea. Have a look round your home with<br />
fresh creative eyes and search google images<br />
for DIY desk ideas – you’ll be amazed!<br />
Lastly, look for general household<br />
bookshelves and other shelving rather than<br />
looking for office specific items to keep<br />
costs down.<br />
GET CREATIVE WITH YOUR<br />
STORAGE<br />
‘I haven’t got any storage space!’ - This is a<br />
complaint I hear all the time from people<br />
setting up an office space at home and of<br />
course, it’s not surprising. As a family of<br />
five we have storage challenges, let alone<br />
adding an office into the mix.<br />
Create a shoe box stationery caddy<br />
(shoebox and toilet rolls covered with<br />
contrasting paper).<br />
Use jars to<br />
utilize the<br />
space under<br />
your shelves<br />
(glue the jar<br />
lid under the<br />
shelf).<br />
The good news – a little creativity goes a<br />
long way! Where you can, use your walls<br />
with well thought out shelving and you can<br />
use things like wire or wicker baskets<br />
instead of traditional office storage items.<br />
Shoe boxes covered with some nice paper<br />
also look great. Don’t forget doors either,<br />
they’re great for storing stationery items in<br />
an over the door canvas shoe rack, wire rack<br />
or a specifically designed office door storage<br />
product. Check out these fabulous ideas for<br />
some inspiration...<br />
Use your door to hang office<br />
stationery or use for filing papers<br />
(the possibilities are endless!)<br />
<strong>Local</strong> Haringey 11
EVALUATE YOUR IT<br />
REQUIREMENTS<br />
This is an area where low cost can often<br />
mean poor product, so you’ll have to do<br />
your research here. If you need to buy a<br />
laptop (for the small home office a laptop is<br />
usually more practical), seek some advice on<br />
the minimum spec you need for what you’ll<br />
be using the laptop for. If you’ll be using<br />
design programs, you will need a much<br />
higher spec than someone who just uses<br />
word processing software.<br />
Also, if you tend to work with many<br />
applications open at once along with a lot<br />
of internet tabs running, then you’ll need a<br />
laptop that can handle this level of<br />
multitasking well without freezing up or<br />
slowing down to snail pace.<br />
It's wise to invest in a backup drive or use an<br />
online cloud storage package (we use both).<br />
For an external drive, 1TB (terabyte) is a<br />
good size and will mean you won't be<br />
running out of space anytime soon. Make<br />
sure to backup at least weekly; a few years<br />
ago we lost half of our drive due to a virus.<br />
After a frantic search I found a program<br />
that managed to restore some files, but we<br />
lost years of work - make sure that doesn't<br />
happen to you. We use Backblaze, who are<br />
extremely reasonable, but there are many<br />
other great alternatives.<br />
And if you need a printer, invest in an all in<br />
one model that includes a scanner – this is<br />
very useful for emailing documentation and<br />
replaces the need to fax documents – who<br />
faxes nowadays anyway? Be sure to check<br />
the cost of refill ink, especially where the<br />
initial cost of the printer is very cheap,<br />
guaranteed the refills won’t be!<br />
With regards to the internet, bear in mind<br />
that you’ll be using the internet more than<br />
you have ever used before, now that you’re<br />
working from home, so make sure you get<br />
an unlimited data package so that you are<br />
not hit with additional costs on your bill.<br />
DON’T IGNORE ERGONOMIC<br />
RULES<br />
You’ll be sitting at your desk for long<br />
periods at times, so make sure you avoid any<br />
health problems by adhering to the<br />
guidelines on correct posture, chair height,<br />
screen distance and eye level. Search<br />
‘wikihow how to set up an ergonomically<br />
correct workstation’ for a step by step<br />
tutorial.<br />
Lastly, save and create where you can but<br />
invest in a good chair that you’ll be<br />
comfortable in; you’ll be more productive<br />
and your back will thank you!<br />
Bare Essentials Checklist<br />
Laptop / PC<br />
Desk<br />
Chair<br />
Good lighting<br />
Unlimited data internet<br />
Backup drive<br />
For more ideas, follow our home office<br />
Pinterest board for endless creative ideas<br />
https://www.pinterest.com/choicesmag/<br />
home-office-ideas/<br />
12 <strong>Local</strong> Haringey
Mary Otumahana<br />
14 <strong>Local</strong> Haringey
Mary Otumahana is a rap artist and entrepreneur. She's the founder of The Record Shop; a<br />
free recording studio program for young people and the independent record label Prodigies<br />
of Nature. She performs under the alias of 'wonder woman' and 'the girl next door that raps'<br />
and is an experienced business owner songwriter and performer. Her experience includes<br />
music consultancy, project management, filmmaking and youth work.<br />
The Tottenham based entrepreneur is the winner of the 2017 Basic Business Initiative UK<br />
award for New Entrepreneur Mind of the Year’, she was a nominee for the 2018 Precious<br />
Awards for ‘Young Entrepreneur of the Year’, she’s the winner of the Mayor of London's<br />
2018 Cultural Seeds Awards for ‘People Powered Culture’ and she's the winner of the <strong>2019</strong><br />
Anjool Malde Memorial Foundation 'Young Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award'.<br />
Anthony Charles caught up with Mary to have a chat about her journey so far...<br />
Where did it all start for you?<br />
I would say that my whole journey started<br />
from my early interest and passion for<br />
music. Growing up loving music gave me<br />
a way to express myself. I worked as a<br />
youth worker at the time, which I really<br />
enjoyed, so I just felt like the perfect thing<br />
to do was to set up a platform that<br />
combined the two things that I was very<br />
passionate about; so in 2015 I set up The<br />
Record Shop.<br />
At the time, there was an organization<br />
called Somewhereto who provided free<br />
spaces all over the UK and one of the free<br />
spaces they had was in Tottenham, and as<br />
I don't live too far away it was perfect for<br />
me. When I went to visit the space, I loved<br />
it; I would bring my equipment from<br />
home and set it up. It was a social action<br />
project giving upcoming artists the<br />
opportunity to perform for free. Through<br />
that I applied for further funding and then<br />
in 2017, I officially set up as a community<br />
interest company; and from there on, the<br />
business started to take off. I also<br />
participated in the Haringey Bursary<br />
Programme, which really helped me to<br />
refine my business model and gain the<br />
necessary experience I needed to develop<br />
as a social entrepreneur.<br />
Is that the free weekly course run<br />
by Dr Jane Chan and Ainurul<br />
Rosli?<br />
Yes<br />
How was the course?<br />
The course was great because no matter<br />
where you're at with your business,<br />
whether it's just an idea or you've been<br />
<strong>Local</strong> Haringey 15
unning your business for a couple of<br />
years, it's a great space for you to learn<br />
about other businesses and get advice<br />
from the different coaches. You get a<br />
mentor as well. And just to have that<br />
support network is great. We met every<br />
single week and presented our ideas and<br />
got feedback straight away. You learn<br />
about how to pitch your project, about<br />
crowd funding, how to refine your<br />
business model and explore different<br />
income streams as well, so there is so<br />
much you can learn. We had a<br />
graduation at the end of it and<br />
visited Westminster University,<br />
which was really nice.<br />
Taking part in different<br />
programs like this has really<br />
helped with my own personal<br />
business journey because the<br />
information is so crucial and<br />
key for you setting up your<br />
own business. I would<br />
definitely advise any businesses in<br />
Haringey who just want that extra support<br />
and experience, to register and get<br />
involved.<br />
watching and enjoying my mum's favourite<br />
songs. I loved the melodies and<br />
harmonies because I felt as if the audience<br />
or the listener could connect with the way<br />
the artist expressed themselves through<br />
their music.<br />
Did you have instruments when<br />
you were young?<br />
I really wish I had instruments. I would<br />
say my connection was through song<br />
I think at the<br />
time I was quite<br />
shy and an<br />
introvert, so the<br />
way that I<br />
expressed music<br />
was mainly<br />
through writing.<br />
writing. I really loved<br />
poetry and creative<br />
writing when I was<br />
younger, so the way that<br />
I would translate that was<br />
either through song<br />
writing or poetry. I think<br />
at the time I was quite<br />
shy and an introvert, so<br />
the way that I expressed<br />
music was mainly<br />
through writing.<br />
That's great. Now, you called your<br />
business The Record Shop. Tell me<br />
about the name.<br />
What was your first experience with<br />
music?<br />
I would say when I was very young, maybe<br />
between five and eight years old, my mum<br />
would play music videos from a VHS tape<br />
and there were so many different music<br />
videos of different pop artists from the<br />
eighties and nineties, like Michael Jackson<br />
and Madonna; I was so intrigued by all this<br />
music and I'd just be watching and<br />
It says exactly what it does, but in some<br />
ways it doesn't, because a lot of people<br />
always assume that we sell vinyl’s, records<br />
and things like that; which is cool because<br />
eventually that's something that I would<br />
like to do. But The Record Shop is based<br />
on my vision. I always pictured the shop<br />
being somewhere accessible for young<br />
people; for example, like a shop front on<br />
the high road where school kids after<br />
school would be walking by and if they<br />
16 <strong>Local</strong> Haringey
wanted to record a track they could pop<br />
in, record something very quickly and then<br />
leave with an MP3 or something to<br />
demonstrate what they had created. So it<br />
was based on the whole concept of having<br />
a recording studio in a shop on the high<br />
road, that would be accessible to young<br />
people.<br />
of it. I've always wanted to set up my<br />
own record label, be an independent artist<br />
and release my own music; even when I<br />
had my home studio, I was learning about<br />
sound engineering and production. I<br />
pretty much did everything independently;<br />
so when I set up my own label I decided<br />
to use Prodigies of Nature as the name.<br />
Fantastic; how does somebody go<br />
about doing that?<br />
So at the moment we have a website<br />
which is therecshop.co.uk and a young<br />
person if they're interested in recording<br />
can sign up online. When we run our<br />
youth projects, which are usually 10 weeks<br />
long, I send out an email to everyone who<br />
registered and if they’re interested, they<br />
can express their interest and can come<br />
along to have a free recording session.<br />
The sessions are usually<br />
three hours long and in that<br />
time they can record their<br />
track and we'll also mix it; so<br />
they leave with an MP3 at<br />
the end of their session.<br />
Tell me a bit about the<br />
record label Prodigies<br />
of Nature and also the<br />
name; where did the<br />
name come from?<br />
Prodigies of Nature is actually from a<br />
book that a friend gave to me; it was the<br />
autobiography of Mozart. In the book<br />
Mozart and his sister were describing<br />
prodigies of nature. That really stood out<br />
to me and I really liked it so I made a note<br />
I can hear the passion in your<br />
voice; it’s like music. I'm taking it<br />
that you love what you're doing?<br />
Absolutely!<br />
I've always<br />
wanted to set<br />
up my own<br />
record label, be<br />
an independent<br />
artist and<br />
release my own<br />
music...<br />
You're based in the Trampery,<br />
which is an amazing building in<br />
Tottenham. Would you<br />
recommend the space?<br />
Absolutely; I feel sometimes you just need<br />
that professional<br />
environment where you can<br />
meet other businesses to<br />
motivate you to complete<br />
any work that you have<br />
going on; it’s so important<br />
to be in the right space with<br />
the right people and the<br />
Trampery Tottenham is a<br />
beautiful building with a lot<br />
of mentors and support<br />
available. They have<br />
programs to help businesses<br />
and they do offer desk space as well. So<br />
I'll just say that anyone local or that's<br />
interested in starting up a business, this is<br />
a great space that's available and you<br />
should definitely get involved.<br />
<strong>Local</strong> Haringey 17
Who are your heroes Mary?<br />
There are people that I really admire like<br />
Tupac Shakur. When I was around 14<br />
years old, l really loved the way that he<br />
used the music to address the serious<br />
<strong>issue</strong>s to do with politics and society. I<br />
loved the fact that he was an individual<br />
and he was expressing himself using his<br />
platform to highlight important <strong>issue</strong>s.<br />
And definitely my mum; her whole<br />
journey is an inspiration.<br />
She raised four children,<br />
and being such a strong<br />
woman she showed me<br />
that the potential of what<br />
anyone can achieve is<br />
limitless. She taught me<br />
to be strong minded;<br />
consistent and to just<br />
keep going.<br />
What was some of<br />
the toughest things<br />
that you faced?<br />
Just setting up the whole business, because<br />
to be honest, when I was younger I never<br />
saw myself being a business owner. I<br />
didn't think business had anything to do<br />
with creativity or the arts.<br />
I guess even that transition before I set up<br />
as a business was really hard; I was<br />
working part time as a teaching assistant<br />
and youth worker, so just taking that next<br />
step, allowing myself to be the leader,<br />
having a manager role and being confident<br />
in my decisions was a challenge.<br />
Don't give up,<br />
just be resilient<br />
and persistent<br />
because<br />
sometimes you go<br />
through the ups<br />
and downs before<br />
you see the best<br />
outcome towards<br />
the end.<br />
Give me one piece of advice that<br />
you would give to a new<br />
entrepreneur?<br />
You shouldn't assume that you're going to<br />
see the results that you want straight away.<br />
Don't give up, just be resilient and<br />
persistent because sometimes you go<br />
through the ups and downs before you see<br />
the best outcome towards the end. Just<br />
don't give up and just keep going.<br />
Tell me a little bit<br />
about your vision for<br />
the future. Where are<br />
you going to take this?<br />
My vision is to grow<br />
everything I'm doing and<br />
really demonstrate how<br />
even as an individual, if you<br />
do have a vision from when<br />
you are a kid, it is<br />
achievable. There are<br />
definitely challenges, but<br />
being resilient and<br />
persistent can help you go far. It's just<br />
one of those journeys that has its ups and<br />
downs, but it's really about how you cope<br />
with those ups and downs.<br />
www.therecshop.co.uk<br />
18 <strong>Local</strong> Haringey
Write your<br />
first book<br />
Whether you choose to write fiction or nonfiction,<br />
depends on personal choice and<br />
your natural orientation. In my case I chose<br />
to write non-fiction, but would not rule out<br />
attempting fiction at some point.<br />
There are different strategies that can be<br />
adopted when writing and while they differ<br />
according to the genre of writing you have<br />
chosen, there are some basic principles that<br />
are common to both:<br />
1) Choose an appropriate subject<br />
One of the challenges that awaits the<br />
unsuspecting writer is what is referred to as<br />
writers' block – a period when ideas simply<br />
refuse to flow. Most writers experience that<br />
moment at some time, but it is far worse<br />
when you are writing on a subject about<br />
which you are not passionate. Your main<br />
aim of writing should be the drive to share<br />
with the world a piece of information that is<br />
interesting and relevant, not just to write a<br />
book. For example, I wrote 'Jamaican<br />
Proverbs, People and Places', because I<br />
believe that the proverbs are very powerful<br />
and practical and that the younger<br />
generation is missing out on important<br />
truths and a part of their culture. I am keen<br />
to ensure that this part of our culture does<br />
not disappear and I thought I could do that<br />
by documenting the information in the form<br />
of a book.<br />
If you have decided to<br />
write a book, write it!<br />
Allocate time to writing and<br />
keep a note pad on hand to<br />
chronicle those fleeting ideas<br />
that come to mind.<br />
2) Research<br />
Both fictional and non-fictional writers<br />
conduct research for their work. It is<br />
particularly important that you gather<br />
relevant information and have a good<br />
knowledge of your chosen subject. Nonfictional<br />
writing in particular requires<br />
accuracy and validity. Ensure that from the<br />
20 <strong>Local</strong> Haringey
your readers, for example, if you are writing<br />
for children between the ages of say 7-12,<br />
you should use clear, simple words without<br />
patronising them. If, like I did, you draw on<br />
the experience of people, presenting them<br />
in case studies to support your arguments,<br />
do ensure that you include a bibliography<br />
and that in the text you credit those<br />
individuals appropriately. Ensure that your<br />
paragraphs flow and that you arrange the<br />
material into bite-size chunks. It is usually<br />
better to write concise, clear sentences than<br />
long, potentially confusing ones.<br />
beginning you take note of any material<br />
taken from other people’s work. Use the<br />
research you have done to help you organize<br />
the chapters and sections of your book. In<br />
researching you should consider your target<br />
readers - Who are they? Why would they<br />
want to read your book? Do they have a<br />
problem that you will help them to solve?<br />
How big is the market? Which publishers<br />
will you approach? Will you consider self<br />
publishing?<br />
3) Planning<br />
A good structure is based on a good plan.<br />
In order to appeal to a publisher and to<br />
target readers, your work should be<br />
presented in a logical, systematic order,<br />
using good grammar and syntax. The level<br />
of writing should take into consideration<br />
In structuring your book bear in mind the<br />
following 5 Cs:<br />
i) Correctness – ensure your facts are<br />
accurate and that your use of English is<br />
good.<br />
ii) Clearness – avoid ambiguity by ensuring<br />
that your readers can clearly understand the<br />
text.<br />
iii) Conciseness – don’t ramble or use<br />
unnecessary words; avoid long-winded<br />
explanations.<br />
iv) Coherence – check to ensure that your<br />
information is presented in a logical, orderly<br />
manner.<br />
v) Completeness – All relevant facts must<br />
be in place and any additional reading<br />
should be optional.<br />
4) Time management<br />
If you have decided to write a book, write<br />
it! Allocate time to writing and keep a note<br />
pad on hand to chronicle those fleeting<br />
ideas that come to mind. When I was<br />
writing 'Practical Business ABC' I would get<br />
up in the wee hours of the morning to jot<br />
down ideas that came to mind. Whenever I<br />
experienced a situation that I thought would<br />
<strong>Local</strong> Haringey 21
add value to the material, I would stop and<br />
document it to remind myself to include<br />
that information later. Don’t aim for<br />
perfection in the first go; a manuscript is<br />
reviewed several times. Just write down<br />
what comes to mind. Don’t be too hard on<br />
yourself if you experience extended periods<br />
of writers block; it happens! Just start<br />
writing again when you feel inspired.<br />
Sometimes you may need a trigger to give<br />
you a jump start; learn to recognise useful<br />
triggers and act on them. For example, you<br />
may find that you are able to think when you<br />
are in a particular place or when you are<br />
alone. Create opportunities to facilitate your<br />
trigger if you are keen to make progress in<br />
writing your book.<br />
5) Back-up your material<br />
I have a friend who constantly laments on<br />
how he lost his material – years of work that<br />
he spent compiling to eventually write a<br />
book. Be aware of the fact that technology<br />
sometimes fails and ensure that you backup<br />
your material and reduce the possibility of<br />
loss. One cost effective way of ensuring<br />
that you do not lose the information is to<br />
email it to yourself. Bear in mind however,<br />
that some email addresses will not accept<br />
large files. Either break it down in sections<br />
or acquire software that allows the<br />
transmission of large files.<br />
6) Have the book proof-read<br />
Don’t assume that you know everything<br />
about anything. Have some objective people<br />
give you a fresh eye view of your work.<br />
They may take a long time to come back to<br />
you depending on their personal workloads,<br />
but this review stage is very important and<br />
will no doubt help to enhance the material.<br />
Be patient; you may need to nudge your<br />
reviewers from time to time and some may<br />
never come back to you. When you do<br />
receive the (hopefully objective) feedback,<br />
accept it and take it into consideration when<br />
conducting your final review. There is no<br />
point asking someone to read the material if<br />
all you want from them is praise.<br />
When I wrote my business book I had it<br />
proof-read by 2 people who had significant<br />
experience in business. Needless to say the<br />
publishers also scrutinised the material in<br />
great detail and all parties made<br />
recommendations for improvement.<br />
'Practical Business – ABC' is a better text<br />
because of it and those who have a copy will<br />
note that I have acknowledged their<br />
contribution in the text.<br />
Fictional writers have more leeway to create<br />
appeal and to be more spontaneous and<br />
humorous. Those who write non-fiction<br />
must also appeal to readers. The material<br />
must be able to hold the readers’ attention.<br />
Whichever genre of writing you elect to<br />
pursue, ensure that it fits together nicely and<br />
that it provides the target reader with a<br />
pleasant read and hopefully, learning<br />
experience. As the saying goes, there is a<br />
book in every one of us. Start writing yours!<br />
Andrea Campbell, MBA, MA<br />
Social Entrepreneur, Linguist, Published Author<br />
of Practical Business – ABC and Jamaican<br />
Proverbs, People and Places<br />
22 <strong>Local</strong> Haringey
ADVERTISE<br />
YOUR<br />
BUSINESS<br />
HERE
How to<br />
network effectively<br />
PART 1<br />
Networking is a great strategy for<br />
small businesses; you can make<br />
friends as well as develop<br />
relationships which can generate<br />
referrals or business.<br />
It can seem odd suddenly talking to<br />
strangers when you probably wouldn’t<br />
if they were sitting next to you on a<br />
train. If it seems insincere, sometimes<br />
it can be, but ultimately networking is<br />
about building genuine, mutually<br />
beneficial relationships. It works but it<br />
takes time and effort.<br />
Think positively about<br />
networking<br />
It might not be natural to you, but<br />
unless you dislike people, there is<br />
usually someone interesting at any<br />
networking event. You need to find<br />
them, kiss those frogs (you don’t have<br />
to take that bit of advice literally) and<br />
find that person. Use networking to<br />
meet people and as importantly, to<br />
extend relationships with people you<br />
have already met. Until people know,<br />
like and trust you, they’re less likely to<br />
do business with you.<br />
Sharpen your elevator<br />
pitch<br />
Make sure you can get across what<br />
you do in an interesting and concise<br />
way, preferably not more than 30<br />
seconds. Practise on friends and<br />
family.<br />
24 <strong>Local</strong> Haringey
Try different groups<br />
Not all networking groups are the<br />
same, if you don’t like getting up<br />
early in the morning, breakfast<br />
meetings might not be for you so try<br />
different times of the day but also<br />
different types of groups, there are<br />
lots out there catering to different<br />
business sectors and interests.<br />
Be focused<br />
Don’t try and meet everyone. If<br />
there’s a delegate list read it and try<br />
to meet the people you are more<br />
interested in, but don’t be blinkered,<br />
you never know who might be there.<br />
Don’t sell<br />
Obviously you’re there for new<br />
contacts and hopefully business in<br />
the long term, but don’t hard sell to<br />
people. You don’t like it so why<br />
would they?<br />
Ask questions<br />
People are often uncomfortable or<br />
shy on these occasions as<br />
networking doesn’t come naturally to<br />
many. People like being listened to,<br />
so ask open ended questions about<br />
their interests as well as their job. If<br />
you’re sincere they’ll remember you<br />
more than the person who thrusts<br />
their business card at them and<br />
drones on about their own business.<br />
Be generous<br />
Think of ways in which you can help<br />
the person you’re talking to, if you’re<br />
not sure how, ask. It’s not always<br />
about direct client referrals; it’s about<br />
building relationships, even<br />
friendships.<br />
Follow up<br />
Don't take someone's business card<br />
and forget about it. Keep in touch by<br />
phone, email, follow them on<br />
LinkedIn or social media such as<br />
Twitter. Whatever works for you, but<br />
maintain your network, otherwise all<br />
your hard work will be wasted.<br />
Networking is a necessary and<br />
essential part in any business.<br />
Become comfortable meeting new<br />
people and putting yourself and<br />
company out there. Remember you<br />
are looking to develop mutually<br />
beneficial relationships and never<br />
forget the central part of any<br />
network is “how may I help you”.<br />
Networking is just about getting on<br />
with people, and we can all do that.<br />
www.cushiontheimpact.co.uk<br />
Part 2 in the next <strong>issue</strong> - You’ve<br />
Networked Effectively, Now What?<br />
NETWORKING<br />
<strong>Local</strong> Haringey 25
Managing<br />
Time,<br />
Pressure and Stress<br />
in your Business<br />
As a business owner life can become<br />
overwhelming at times. Between admin,<br />
marketing, planning, networking, IT,<br />
systems, accounting and delivering your<br />
service, life can be hectic. Add<br />
running a family, relaxing<br />
“<br />
and<br />
spending quality time<br />
outside of your business<br />
to the mix and you may<br />
find yourself thinking,<br />
“I don’t think so!”<br />
If you are starting a<br />
business whilst holding<br />
down a job as you make<br />
the transition, you may<br />
well have a recipe for<br />
disaster if you do not<br />
manage your time and stress<br />
effectively.<br />
Balancing work and life is one of the<br />
trickiest areas to negotiate for most business<br />
owners, professionals and entrepreneurs.<br />
With so many tasks to do and not enough<br />
hours in the day, it’s easy to spend every<br />
waking hour doing the increasing tasks to<br />
I wish that I could tell<br />
you that this is an<br />
easy thing to do but<br />
the cold, hard fact of<br />
the <strong>issue</strong> is that it<br />
takes discipline, focus<br />
and a strong desire to<br />
value your wellbeing<br />
above all else.<br />
make your business work. Meanwhile, your<br />
social life suffers, your family suffer as they<br />
see you stressed and unable to turn your<br />
mind away from work when you are<br />
spending time with them and your<br />
life starts to slowly fall apart as<br />
your sleep, diet, weight,<br />
anxiety and blood pressure<br />
all slip out of harmony.<br />
Doing everything on<br />
your own, staying<br />
focussed and managing<br />
your time whilst working<br />
on your own is one of the<br />
trickiest paths to negotiate.<br />
”<br />
I have personally lost<br />
contracts, relationships and<br />
aspects of my wellbeing in the past<br />
as a result of the stresses that can<br />
accompany running my own business – and<br />
I am a stress management expert! What this<br />
means is that I have had to adapt my life<br />
and reprioritise my time commitments<br />
during my day. I wish that I could tell you<br />
that this is an easy thing to do but the cold,<br />
hard fact of the <strong>issue</strong> is that it takes<br />
<strong>Local</strong> Haringey 27
discipline, focus and a strong desire to value<br />
your wellbeing above all else.<br />
In this article I will offer you the tools that<br />
have helped me to use my time more wisely,<br />
sharpen my focus and value my wellbeing as<br />
my top priority. After all, if you do not have<br />
your health and wellbeing then what is the<br />
point of having a business?<br />
TIP 1: Start each day by planning<br />
what you HAVE to do.<br />
Write down the tasks that simply have<br />
to be done and commit to doing<br />
them. By doing the task that you<br />
least want to do first thing, you will<br />
improve your energy and<br />
motivation for the rest of the day.<br />
Do this before ANYTHING else.<br />
You may be tempted to check your<br />
e-mails or social media accounts<br />
before you begin and before you<br />
know it, you have eaten into an hour<br />
or two of your day. Don’t, this will<br />
increase your stress as you start to<br />
feel guilty and sets your day up<br />
badly.<br />
TIP 2: Start your day with<br />
some form of exercise.<br />
Whether it is a few stretches for 5-10<br />
minutes or a walk around the block,<br />
get active first thing in the morning.<br />
This prepares your body for a more<br />
dynamic day. You may well be looking<br />
at this and thinking, “No thanks.”<br />
28 <strong>Local</strong> Haringey
That’s understandable. When time pressure<br />
enters the equation, it’s increasingly<br />
common for people to drop anything that<br />
could improve their health and wellbeing as<br />
the pressure mounts. I go walking to start<br />
my day and return home feeling grounded,<br />
focussed and ready for work.<br />
Even by committing to do just 1 minute of<br />
stretching when you get out of bed, you<br />
can set a platform to improve with time.<br />
The trouble is that the idea of a 1 hour<br />
yoga or meditation class can be<br />
outside of most business owner’s<br />
time allowance, but a minute of<br />
stretching is accessible to everyone.<br />
Even the most apathetic<br />
entrepreneur is likely to be able to<br />
stretch out for a minute each<br />
morning.<br />
It’s ok to start with just a minute<br />
and build on that over time. The<br />
important thing is that you add<br />
some time to work on your<br />
wellbeing and stretching is a nice,<br />
gentle way to start your day. By all<br />
means add exercises to this routine<br />
as you feel motivated to do so but<br />
be gentle and allow yourself to find<br />
your natural flow and rhythm.<br />
TIP 3: Look to outsource or<br />
swap services with people to<br />
do the tasks that you hate.<br />
If, like me, there are certain tasks<br />
that even thinking about them<br />
makes your stomach tight with<br />
<strong>Local</strong> Haringey 29
anxiety then this needs to be addressed. For<br />
me it’s admin, accounts and the IT aspects<br />
of my business, which I have had to learn<br />
whilst working on my own with a tight<br />
budget. When I started swapping services<br />
with IT and admin people I was able to get<br />
my website built and optimised as well as<br />
receive a ton of free consultation from<br />
experts on all aspects of my business.<br />
Just because you cannot afford certain<br />
services, doesn’t mean that you can’t be<br />
resourceful and get others to help you out.<br />
I have also asked people to mentor me and<br />
it never ceases to amaze me how generous<br />
other people have been to me with their<br />
time and expertise. I always look to see how<br />
I can help them and since stress is an area<br />
that most people struggle with, people<br />
usually help me and do so feeling glad that<br />
they did. Finding win-win relationships is<br />
crucial.<br />
TIP 4: Have a switch-off time or<br />
day.<br />
Set a time of day or a complete day<br />
(possibly Sunday) to turn your thoughts<br />
away from work. If you are in a<br />
relationship then ban all talk of work and<br />
give your family/partner permission to stop<br />
you in your tracks if they find you talking<br />
about work. Nothing will sabotage your<br />
relationships and life more than not being<br />
able to turn off your business-mind.<br />
Yes, your family and partner probably want<br />
to support you in any way they can but if<br />
you can’t learn how to be present and<br />
interested in them and what is happening in<br />
their lives then you will lose them<br />
eventually. If not by the lack of attention<br />
but by the lack of your own wellbeing,<br />
which always leads to an eventual health<br />
decline.<br />
Adopting deep breathing techniques,<br />
attending yoga or meditation classes or<br />
walking are some ways that you can learn to<br />
train your mind to let go of your anxieties<br />
which come with running your own<br />
business and live a more relaxed, rewarding<br />
and happy life.<br />
Adam Shaw is the Founder of Adam Shaw<br />
Heart Wellbeing Ltd and Creator of The Active<br />
Energy System. For free resources to manage<br />
your stress and increase the health of your heart,<br />
visit his website www.adamshaw.co<br />
30 <strong>Local</strong> Haringey
Titanium Thinking<br />
On a particularly hot afternoon<br />
during the summer, I popped by a<br />
close friend’s home and stood<br />
talking to them in their front room;<br />
as we talked I couldn't help but<br />
notice a large fan fixed to the<br />
ceiling, spinning very fast silently<br />
above us.<br />
I moved<br />
slightly<br />
forward,<br />
intending to<br />
benefit more from<br />
the breeze, even if it was<br />
just going to be warm<br />
air. I eventually<br />
found myself<br />
standing directly<br />
under the fan and I<br />
could feel nothing; then I noticed<br />
nothing in the room was being<br />
affected by the fan which was<br />
spinning at top speed. Not the<br />
curtains, plants or anything and this<br />
was a seriously large fan.<br />
I asked my friend if I could check<br />
the fan out as something seemed<br />
wrong; long story short, as I<br />
switched off the fan and it<br />
eventually came to a stop, I looked<br />
at the way the blades were tilted and<br />
concluded that the fan was spinning<br />
backwards. I noticed a small switch<br />
on the side and enquired what it<br />
was for; my friend did not know, so<br />
I flicked it and switched on the fan.<br />
Gosh, we were immediately<br />
bathed in the lovely breeze; as<br />
the fan sped up the curtains<br />
danced discreetly and the<br />
magazine on the side waved.<br />
The difference was incredible;<br />
and to think for more than a decade<br />
my friend did not realise that the<br />
fan was not blowing, but drawing<br />
air upwards and circulating it.<br />
How many times in life are we<br />
going round and around in circles,<br />
moving things around but not<br />
making much of a difference?<br />
Doing things differently can blow<br />
huge results your way; it starts with<br />
a change of perception or paradigm<br />
and in many cases, it can be as easy<br />
as flicking a switch.<br />
Anthony Charles<br />
<strong>Local</strong> Haringey 31
Haringey Events & Resources<br />
Start-ups In London Libraries (SiLL)<br />
New three-year project, led in partnership<br />
by Haringey Council and the British<br />
Library’s Business and IP Centre (BIPC).<br />
2 day workshops, held quarterly in Haringey<br />
libraries. Learn from industry experts about<br />
what it takes to start or grow your business.<br />
Workshop topics include intellectual<br />
property and patents, marketing and<br />
branding and financial management.<br />
One-to-one support with SiLL Start-up<br />
Coordinator, Nicola Moore is available<br />
following workshops. Additionally, access<br />
the British Library’s vast resources and<br />
business advisers.<br />
For more information and workshop dates<br />
contact Nicola Moore, Project Coordinator:<br />
Email: startups@haringey.gov.uk Tel: 020<br />
8489 6939.<br />
Global Entrepreneurship Week<br />
Running from Monday 18th – 24th<br />
<strong>Nov</strong>ember <strong>2019</strong>.<br />
A week of free workshops across<br />
Haringey to increase your business<br />
knowledge and skills to help grow your<br />
business.<br />
Sign up to the <strong>Choices</strong> <strong>Local</strong> newsletter,<br />
‘Inside <strong>Choices</strong>’ to get full details of all<br />
workshops, talks and activities in Haringey<br />
once information is released.<br />
Small Business Saturday<br />
Make a special effort to only shop local and<br />
support Haringey’s independent businesses<br />
on Saturday 7th <strong>Dec</strong>ember <strong>2019</strong>. Show your<br />
high street, side streets, malls and markets<br />
some love.<br />
Sign up to the <strong>Choices</strong> <strong>Local</strong> newsletter,<br />
‘Inside <strong>Choices</strong>’ to make sure you don’t miss<br />
out on special discounts from your local<br />
shops on the day!<br />
32 <strong>Local</strong> Haringey
Over<br />
30 local<br />
businesses<br />
Get your<br />
xmas orders<br />
in now
Competitive prices<br />
for your festive<br />
shopping<br />
Make the market<br />
hall part of your<br />
shopping<br />
experience
Huge variety from<br />
fashion & beauty,<br />
electricals and<br />
homewares to<br />
delicious food<br />
Market Hall<br />
The Mall Wood Green,<br />
High Rd, Wood Green,<br />
London N22 6YA
Blessed are those who<br />
dream dreams and<br />
are willing to pay the<br />
price to make them<br />
come true.<br />
Henry Viscardi<br />
CHOICES INSPIRATION
Last word...<br />
Well it’s a wrap for another <strong>issue</strong>. We<br />
started the idea of <strong>Choices</strong> <strong>Local</strong> as a way<br />
to share experiences and insights from<br />
Haringey’s entrepreneurs and business<br />
people with those who were ambitious<br />
enough to take the steps to join them. It’s<br />
been a real challenge and indeed a labour<br />
of love producing the magazine; we have<br />
made every mistake that you can imagine;<br />
we have missed some targets by a mile<br />
(that’s being conservative) but we have<br />
learned changed and grown from this<br />
experience.<br />
After all it’s not how you start, but how you<br />
finish.<br />
Speaking of finish; the year is nearly over;<br />
gosh the next time I write to you for<br />
<strong>Choices</strong> <strong>Local</strong>, it will be 2020.<br />
We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a<br />
prosperous New Year; we do love<br />
Christmas time, but we know that it can be<br />
a challenging time for many. There is a lot<br />
of pressure to spend money over<br />
Christmas and if you are struggling<br />
financially, it can weigh on you. I’ve<br />
teamed up with Marie Henry from<br />
Breadline London to support her events<br />
that help those in the borough finding it<br />
hard to cope financially. After being<br />
homeless in my twenties and after my long<br />
battle with lack of finances, I’m looking<br />
forward to giving some practical help to<br />
those struggling and to let them know that<br />
if I can turn things round, so can they. If<br />
you or anyone you know can do with some<br />
practical help with finances then, make sure<br />
you join our mailing list or follow us on<br />
social media and we’ll keep you updated<br />
about upcoming events.<br />
I hope you take the time to set some<br />
business and personal goals for 2020. I<br />
know for some, things may not have<br />
turned out the way you planned in <strong>2019</strong>, so<br />
you may be inclined to avoid making any<br />
major plans or setting specific goals. We<br />
haven’t hit all of our goals for <strong>2019</strong>, but if<br />
we didn’t set any, we would have nothing to<br />
focus on and work towards, plus no way to<br />
monitor and track our progress; so we will<br />
be setting even bigger goals for next year.<br />
Our focus on supporting Haringey<br />
businesses remains the same and in order<br />
to be better, we must simply do better. We<br />
will do this be providing a better quality<br />
and more frequent magazine for you.<br />
We have found that the marketplace pays<br />
for value and the more solutions we are<br />
able to solve, the more clients we get. So<br />
keep on adding value to you and your<br />
brand, always seeking to creatively solve<br />
bigger and better problems for your clients<br />
and customers.<br />
Wishing you the very best for 2020 and<br />
beyond.<br />
.<br />
Anthony Charles.<br />
.<br />
Sign up for the Inside <strong>Choices</strong><br />
newsletter at: www.choiceslocal.co.uk<br />
38 <strong>Local</strong> Haringey
The business club for<br />
businesses and<br />
entrepreneurs in Haringey<br />
Head over to<br />
www.choiceslocal.co.uk for<br />
full details and event dates!