Hi all,
I’ve been on holiday for the past week hence the brief suspension of service. I’m back now. Normal service is resumed.
1.We spent the week at in Fiji (threeish hours flight east of Australia) at a resort called Castaway. I realise this is a pipedream for most of my European readers, but I thought the Antipodeans would appreciate it. Castaway is a small island about 45 minutes boat ride from the main island and airport. The resort is made up of 60 individual huts spread across about 10% of the island’s coast and it is the closest thing to paradise I have ever experienced. It has an excellent Kids’ Club which caters for kids from three years old upwards (and cheap babysitters are available for those under three) which means the grown ups get a proper holiday. The resort offers the usual beach and sea activities and the food is excellent. All in all it’s everyone’s idea of a beach holiday and I would highly recommend whatever time you can get there.
2.I’m currently working with some people who are taking advantage of the fact that retiring baby boomers are wanting to sell their businesses but have no idea how to go about it. These businesses are usually ‘boring’ businesses like laundrettes or nail salons and one ex-investment banker is very happy with the fire alarm business he bought. They key to these businesses is a cash flow and an ignorance of the impact of the latest technologies and commercial thinking which means they have immense potential to make more money (rather than anything that looks like a turnaround). The boomer owners have often taken the businesses as far as they can and have made a very nice living, but there is potential to make more with the right skills and ideas. With this in mind I read a book on holiday called Main Street Millionaire by Codie Sanchez which is a practical, step by step guide on how to find and finance these businesses. Codie is clear that this is not anything like a ‘get rich quick’ proposition, nor is she trying to say it’s an easy path, but she is saying now is the time and you don’t need to risk everything (or even most of your wealth) to do it. Either way, it’s a well written book and if you had any ideas about buying a business rather than building one, this is the book for you.
3.I am surprised to see I’ve not yet recommend Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom on here. Sorkin wrote the West Wing (or at least the first four seasons) and therefore clearly can do no wrong. The Newsroom is a three season drama centred around a newsroom and bases the plot around real news events. The plot primarily revolves around the news anchor (played by Jeff Daniels) and his producer (played by Emily Mortimer) and the way they manage their attraction and getting the news out. Even if you don’t have the time or inclination to watch any episodes everyone should watch this snippet from the pilot episode when Jeff Daniels is asked why America is the greatest country in the world. It brings me to tears every time.
Look after yourself,
Ben