It's been a strange old week.
Seven days ago Colonel Gaddafi was still at large, the travellers at Dale Farm were defying the law and staying put and being made redundant was still at the forefront of my mind.
Since then things have progressed somewhat, Gaddafi is no more - allegedly - the travellers want to disperse with the "Great" from Great Britain and looking forward with a spring in my step has become the focus of my attention. It's funny how systems and circumstances can change.
I've been using the phone an awful lot this week, so much so that a certain company comprising of a letter and a number were delighted when I had to change my tarrif. But in this technological age it seems strange to me that the good old dog and bone is still the best way to communicate.
In a profession such as mine getting your name out there is the only way to get exposure.
Last weekend I was fortunate enough to be invited to a swish do at Ribby Hall in Wrea Green by the team at Huddle Media for a charity ball in aid of the Rosemere Cancer foundation. To see so many familiar faces was a joy and every one of them asking how I was getting on since the "R" word.
Whether by seeing me and knowing my expertise they can push some work my way, who knows, but the point is by getting out there you can give yourself a gentle shove in the right direction.
Picking up new talents is also going well. A week ago I had heard of Wordle but never used it, now I see it as a new acquaintance - I won't say friend, not yet anyway.
The new talents are adding strings to my bow to help me help businesses across Lancashire, and why not, it's what I have done for the past decade or so.
New projects too are coming along nicely. My work with Abbey Telecom and Excellent UK Enterprises is bearing fruit and will hopefully lead to new and different challenges. The latter of the two is gaining momentum and shall be unleashed soon, so take note.
You may think I am playing my cards rather close to my chest when it comes to Excellent UK Enterprises and there is a very good reason for that. It's a project which is building momentum by the day and will change hundreds, if not thousands, of small businesses across Blackpool for the better.
I didn't like what happened to me, who would? But by cracking on with what I know I am good at, making new contacts and keeping things fresh I know the future is that bit brighter than it was seven days ago.
Showing posts with label Lancashire. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lancashire. Show all posts
Thursday, 20 October 2011
Wednesday, 12 October 2011
Just another statistic....for now
The figures make for grim reading.
Between June and August 2011, unemployment in the UK went up by 114,000.
That's 114,000 individuals, many of them with families, who are no longer bringing home the bacon to support themselves and their loved ones - I too am now one of those individuals.
One of the most shocking stats from the latest unemployment figures though is that there are almost 991,000 16 to 24-year-olds on the dole, almost a million. Just think about that for a minute.
It's the worst unemployment figures for 17 years. Back then I was listening to the debut Oasis album, Britpop was in its infancy, John Major was PM and England failed to reach the World Cup in the USA. Scary.
Seventeen years on and we have seen the boom and experienced yet another bust, only this time it feels a lot worse.
At present 2.57m people are out of work and while we have a way to go till that figure reaches three million, should unemployment continue the way it has gone we could be there in just 12 months.
Yet the Con/Dems continue on their path of economic growth and are convinced that the economy will grow if the private sector continues to take over where the public sector is cut.
Small businesses are being seen as the saviour to the ongoing crisis and we all have to hope that the more small businesses that are created the better. But where's the help for them?
David Cameron says every job lost is a "tragedy for the individual and their family." He's not wrong.
For six weeks now I have been re-inventing myself after a successful 10 years as a journalist with The Gazette in Blackpool and latterly as editor of Lancashire Business View. Every month I received a wage and thought the career path I had chosen was a pretty safe one, despite the stranglehold the recession placed on advertising revenue.
I couldn't have been more wrong.
Here I am, a day before my birthday, still looking and still re-inventing myself but looking to the future with renewed hope having spoken to scores of people who are in the same boat, trying to keep their head above the water and various other cliches.
"Things will change," they say, " a person with your experience will be snapped up," say others. It hasn't happened yet but I am sure it will. I have to be sure, otherwise, I have been defeated and I cannot let that happen. Neither should the 2.57m people who are in a similar situation.
I mentioned small businesses before and a good contact of mine, Steve Pye, chairman of the Blackpool and Fylde branch of the Federation of Small Businesses, chatted to me over several brews about the current economic situation.
"It's a major concern," said Steve. "The latest announcement shows that small businesses are being unable to grow and are being forced to make cut backs when really they should be maximising what they have and marketing their products for the betterment of their business.
"Growing a small business needn't be a hardship but some bosses are failing at the first hurdle by not using the tools that are at their disposal."
Stay tuned over coming blogs for some news on how small business owners can help maximise their products and how they can be helped.
There's some exciting news on its way.
For now though, life doesn't have to stop just because someone has but a redundant obstacle in your way.
Think on and crack on with what you are good at.
Between June and August 2011, unemployment in the UK went up by 114,000.
That's 114,000 individuals, many of them with families, who are no longer bringing home the bacon to support themselves and their loved ones - I too am now one of those individuals.
One of the most shocking stats from the latest unemployment figures though is that there are almost 991,000 16 to 24-year-olds on the dole, almost a million. Just think about that for a minute.
It's the worst unemployment figures for 17 years. Back then I was listening to the debut Oasis album, Britpop was in its infancy, John Major was PM and England failed to reach the World Cup in the USA. Scary.
Seventeen years on and we have seen the boom and experienced yet another bust, only this time it feels a lot worse.
At present 2.57m people are out of work and while we have a way to go till that figure reaches three million, should unemployment continue the way it has gone we could be there in just 12 months.
Yet the Con/Dems continue on their path of economic growth and are convinced that the economy will grow if the private sector continues to take over where the public sector is cut.
Small businesses are being seen as the saviour to the ongoing crisis and we all have to hope that the more small businesses that are created the better. But where's the help for them?
David Cameron says every job lost is a "tragedy for the individual and their family." He's not wrong.
For six weeks now I have been re-inventing myself after a successful 10 years as a journalist with The Gazette in Blackpool and latterly as editor of Lancashire Business View. Every month I received a wage and thought the career path I had chosen was a pretty safe one, despite the stranglehold the recession placed on advertising revenue.
I couldn't have been more wrong.
Here I am, a day before my birthday, still looking and still re-inventing myself but looking to the future with renewed hope having spoken to scores of people who are in the same boat, trying to keep their head above the water and various other cliches.
"Things will change," they say, " a person with your experience will be snapped up," say others. It hasn't happened yet but I am sure it will. I have to be sure, otherwise, I have been defeated and I cannot let that happen. Neither should the 2.57m people who are in a similar situation.
I mentioned small businesses before and a good contact of mine, Steve Pye, chairman of the Blackpool and Fylde branch of the Federation of Small Businesses, chatted to me over several brews about the current economic situation.
"It's a major concern," said Steve. "The latest announcement shows that small businesses are being unable to grow and are being forced to make cut backs when really they should be maximising what they have and marketing their products for the betterment of their business.
"Growing a small business needn't be a hardship but some bosses are failing at the first hurdle by not using the tools that are at their disposal."
Stay tuned over coming blogs for some news on how small business owners can help maximise their products and how they can be helped.
There's some exciting news on its way.
For now though, life doesn't have to stop just because someone has but a redundant obstacle in your way.
Think on and crack on with what you are good at.
Tuesday, 27 September 2011
An introduction to me
Well, it had to happen sometime.
For years I have been mulling over whether or not to give this blogging malarkey a try and, after a coffee with a business associate I thought, 'what the hell, what have I got to lose.' And at the moment it seems as though nothing is the right answer.
You see, it's been a pretty tough few weeks for a hard-working business journalist such as myself. While the rest of the world has been wondering what the future (if any) of the Euro Zone is, I have been frantically searching the internet and my contacts to get myself a new job. Having been made redundant from a publication a few weeks ago I have been busy re-inventing myself as a writer for hire, with some interest.
My personal inbox has never been busier, or should I say my sent items folder has never been busier, with hundreds of new-and-improved-after-not-being-touched-for-years CV being sent out to hundreds of prosepective employers and plenty of interest coming back.
But (and I know you will have heard this hundreds of times before) but times really are tough out there. Anyone who says the recession is over is living on Mars, quite frankly. Recession as a technicality may well be a thing of the past but the re-building of a shattered economy is not built in a day, or a week, or a month for that matter. It can take years. Much like building up a successful career.
This is part of the reason blogs can be a good thing for a person looking for a new career. While there has been interest in my work, there is still a chance to stake your claim to a new audience.
So, here I am. Nick Hyde, almost 34 (which is still late twenties/earlies 30s at a push), happily married zebra finch and gecko owner, living on the Fylde and the world still very much at my feet.
I'm blathering, probably because this is my first blog and I am still getting my head around it all.
Here is what I know at this moment. The UK manufacturing has been dealt another nail in its coffin after hundreds of jobs in Warton and Samlesbury in Lancashire were chopped by BAE Systems today. A company myself and my family have an affiliation with due to it being the reason we left the south of England and settled "up north". I know only too well what it's like to lose your job so my heart goes out to those who have been threatened with the same thing.
I also know that while redundancy can tear your life apart it can also be the start of a new chapter in your life. While the job offers might not be flowing in I am in the process of carrying out new projects, making new contacts and frequenting with old ones.
Only last week I had a meeting with Excellent UK, a well-known brand on the Fylde and am helping them launch a new product which, when it is a success, will change the outlook for hundreds if not thousands of companies and individuals across Lancashire. Watch this space.
Right, I have blathered on long enough, time to sign off, for now.
If you have got this far then please check out my online CV here www.jasoncurtis.co.uk/nik
and also this little ditty http://www.discount-deal-of-the-day.com/dashboard/blackpool
Cheers for now.
Nick
For years I have been mulling over whether or not to give this blogging malarkey a try and, after a coffee with a business associate I thought, 'what the hell, what have I got to lose.' And at the moment it seems as though nothing is the right answer.
You see, it's been a pretty tough few weeks for a hard-working business journalist such as myself. While the rest of the world has been wondering what the future (if any) of the Euro Zone is, I have been frantically searching the internet and my contacts to get myself a new job. Having been made redundant from a publication a few weeks ago I have been busy re-inventing myself as a writer for hire, with some interest.
My personal inbox has never been busier, or should I say my sent items folder has never been busier, with hundreds of new-and-improved-after-not-being-touched-for-years CV being sent out to hundreds of prosepective employers and plenty of interest coming back.
But (and I know you will have heard this hundreds of times before) but times really are tough out there. Anyone who says the recession is over is living on Mars, quite frankly. Recession as a technicality may well be a thing of the past but the re-building of a shattered economy is not built in a day, or a week, or a month for that matter. It can take years. Much like building up a successful career.
This is part of the reason blogs can be a good thing for a person looking for a new career. While there has been interest in my work, there is still a chance to stake your claim to a new audience.
So, here I am. Nick Hyde, almost 34 (which is still late twenties/earlies 30s at a push), happily married zebra finch and gecko owner, living on the Fylde and the world still very much at my feet.
I'm blathering, probably because this is my first blog and I am still getting my head around it all.
Here is what I know at this moment. The UK manufacturing has been dealt another nail in its coffin after hundreds of jobs in Warton and Samlesbury in Lancashire were chopped by BAE Systems today. A company myself and my family have an affiliation with due to it being the reason we left the south of England and settled "up north". I know only too well what it's like to lose your job so my heart goes out to those who have been threatened with the same thing.
I also know that while redundancy can tear your life apart it can also be the start of a new chapter in your life. While the job offers might not be flowing in I am in the process of carrying out new projects, making new contacts and frequenting with old ones.
Only last week I had a meeting with Excellent UK, a well-known brand on the Fylde and am helping them launch a new product which, when it is a success, will change the outlook for hundreds if not thousands of companies and individuals across Lancashire. Watch this space.
Right, I have blathered on long enough, time to sign off, for now.
If you have got this far then please check out my online CV here www.jasoncurtis.co.uk/nik
and also this little ditty http://www.discount-deal-of-the-day.com/dashboard/blackpool
Cheers for now.
Nick
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