5 posts tagged “king”
You have to admit that 'brand Beckham' is a phenomenon. BBC 24 gave nearly half an hour to his press conference at LA Galaxy, announcing his signing and intent to relish the new challenge. I actually quite like DB, like JT, he gets on with it, and its clear that he enjoys what he does.
Their match, a week on Saturday will be against Chelsea, captained by King of Shaves brand Ambassador, John Terry. Quite ironic really - the previous England captain (once brand ambassador for Gillette, now sporting a beard as they failed to agree to his profit share deal) playing against clean shaven John Terry, current England captain - our very own defender of the face and King of Shaves.
So, game on! Good luck David, but JT - Go on - be a King (and WIN!)
Along with some close friends of mine, I was lucky enough to spend last week in Valencia, sailing out each day to watch first hand the 32nd America's Cup showdown between Alinghi and Emirates Team New Zealand.
It was truly fascinating stuff, if you are into yacht racing in the way I am - one of the most sophisticated (and at times exciting, especially if you are watching SKY's coverage) sports with loads going on, and loads to deal with. Which is why a lot of entrepreneurs race yachts or sail. Wind - Weather - Crew - Sea - Sails - Competitors. Lots of complexity, lots of processing.
Anyway, I digress. For the third time running (and probably even more), Kiwi legend Brad Butterworth has been the power behind the winning team. Previously with the winning (New Zealand) team in 2000, then with Swiss team Alinghi and Russell Coutts in 2003 when she first wrested the Auld Mug from TNZ, Brad Butterworth is top of his game - an awesome and super confident man - probably the best skipper - navigator - tactician - leader - disrupter - sailor IN THE WORD.
No exceptions. Brad, you float my boat.
Come and sort out our England soccer team. Or in my King of Shaves business as non executive chairman (position - Brad? Seriously - email me. I can guarantee free King of Shaves forever plus the chance to go up against a real serious competitor, Gillette...!) Brad will be anywhere an inspiring, motivating, always-winning leader needs to be. Sir Keith Mill's Team ORIGIN - our nascent UK entry for the 2011 (or earlier) America's Cup - would dearly love to have him aboard with 'Moose' Sanderson. Fat chance of that, with Ernesto Bertarelli no doubt offering him whatever he wants to stay with Alinghi.So, although New Zealand, the country lost the America's Cup (slower boat, slower sailing, mistakes), New Zealand, the country won - by producing such an inspiring individual, one who draws gasps of awe and admiration where ever he goes.
Brad Butterworth. A Kiwi King amongst us mere sailing mortals.
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Or if you don't believe me, this is what herreshoff.org have to say on Bradley William Butterwoth, b1959-
Brad Butterworth
Bradley William Butterworth OBE (1959-) - In the Cup’s long history, no other afterguard member has won so many races in succession as Butterworth. As tactician aboard three winning boats (New Zealand’s Black Magic in 1995 and 2000, and Switzerland’s Alinghi in 2003), Butterworth set a new Cup record with 15 consecutive America’s Cup race victories. Born in Te Awamutu, New Zealand, Butterworth performed with distinction in junior sailing before graduating to big boats. He was tactician for both Chris Dickson in New Zealand’s first America’s Cup challenge in 1986-87, and for Russell Coutts aboard New Zealand’s successful trial horse in 1992, into the Louis Vuitton finals. After that, they were always in the number one boats while also winning world championships in match racing. Butterworth, watch captain for Sir Peter Blake on Steinlager II when she won the 1989-90 Whitbread ‘Round The World Race, was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) after New Zealand won the Cup in 1995. Butterworth is a Grand Master in the game of maritime chess that is the America’s Cup. “My job is to observe the other boats when racing,” said the always-understated Butterworth of his role as tactician. “I have to decide where we ought to be, in which direction we ought to go, given the wind and the adversary’s position.” Of course, there is a lot more to it than that, including having a sharp mind, a fierce competitive spirit, and intimate, trusting relationship with his helmsman. For all those reasons, and for his remarkable record, Brad Butterworth is elected to the America’s Cup Hall of Fame. |
This is a blog in two parts. Money. And Interesting. Read on...
I was interested to see an ad in today's Times for 'Tycoon' - the new 'reality' business TV show, modelled on The Apprentice no doubt, and sponsored by Gillette Fusion.
This should be a match made in heaven for Fusion. A massively wealthy company (P&G) with Fusion - a massively overpriced razor (is parting with £2 a razor blade really necessary to get a close, comfortable shave?) partnering with a multi-millionaire , who will no doubt be exhorting the six businesses to make money. Money money money - always sunny - in the rich man's world...
Is everything these days about making money? Making the rich, richer.
What about life?
On that note, my business partner, Herbie gave me a print out of the story of the Professor, the Mayonnaise jar and two cups of coffee. If you google it, you will probably be able to find the story, if you don't know it all ready. In short, a teacher fills a jar up with objects, which appear to fill the jar, but, of course there is always room for more. starts, with pebbles, then sand etc. You'll work it out. The moral was don't fill your life with one thing. Making money for instance. Leave room for 'other stuff'.
So, I went to Interesting2007 today - held at the Conway Hall, Red Lion Square in London (the Conway Hall is a pretty lefty, fabian society style place, but very good. Here, a chap called Russell Davies had gathered around him (using the Internet of course) a wide variety of people who simply talked about stuff that was 'Interesting'.
And mostly, it was! How to chop logs into small logs (i thought this was goiing to be about making weblogs smaller - a la twitter at the start) but no, it was a chap who lived in Wales who heated his house using the local forest. There was a talk about printing. About 'interesting places'. About chemistry & science in cooking. About the Muppets and Henrik Ibsen, the Norwegian playwright ( a somewhat tragic figure).
I laughed out loud at a German chap who had apparently come from Germany with his old school adidas bag, simply to be photographed with the audience behind it (you had to be there). And finally, I met some people about to launch a sort of folky, crafts base social networking 'ebay' style site called www.Folksy.co.uk But, they weren't raising money from VC's, the chap behind it was there making an ambient lighting system from a £10 Argos lamp.
Bizarre. But enjoyable nonetheless. So, remember. Don't fill your life up with money making schemes, and do interesting stuff. Balance, is important in life.
Thanks to Steve Bowbrick for inviting me. Enjoyed it, steve.
"Now It's War On Packaging"
You know Green is making money when a National Newspaper runs a lead 'Nose' "Now It's War On Packaging" on its front page, and a double page spread inside.
So, the Daily Mail has a new target. Not war on terrorism, or world famine mind, but over-packaged consumer goods, where the secondary packaging is clogging up a wheelie bin near you. Clearly packaging is often essential where goods are concerned, especially foodstuffs and where products may be tampered with. However, there is 'packaging' and there is 'PACKAGING". I'm pleased that where King of Shaves is concerned, we use the very minimal in functional, protective packaging, the vast majority of which is recyclable, unlike our shaving brand cousins, who largely use metal cans which put the fill into landfill a lot quicker than our small bottles of shaving oil, or tubes of AlphaGel. Indeed, where our shaving oil is concerned, we often hear that the container is reused.
Andy Hill, our Managing Director has led this 'Reduce to the MAX' packaging approach, and as well as King of Shaves being kinder to the environment (as well as kinder to your face), sales of our more recyclable products are growing - and it is the consumer driving this. With tens of millions of concentrated shaving oil bottles and AlphaGels sold since 1993, our products take up less space AND last longer. A good place to start, and we are continuing in this vein - watch this space!
Be sure to follow this headline - supermarkets will start rejecting unnecessary consumer packaging (because it is in their commerical interests to do so, otherwise consumers will vote with their feet and shop at the local Greener Grocer). Green truly is the new Black, but we're doing our bit to 'Shave The World'.
PS - Gillette's new Fusion razor was named as an arch culprit - surrounded with £2 worth of unnecessary packaging to try and get you to buy The Best A Man Can Get - maybe not the best the Environment gets though...you can bet your bottom dollar our King of Blades razor will be packaged with the environment in mind - sensitively (as sensitively as the shave it will deliver!)
As I'm not interested in playing the stock market or property development (intellectual property development - yes!) this blog is all about my recording detail about the new ventures I undertake, all of which I hope will be successful, but I'm guessing some won't make it along the way. This blog is completely separate to my one at www.shave.com (which is essentially KMI/King of Shaves related), What I hope to convey here is a sense of what can be imagined, then achieved as the internet makes things increasingly easier, quicker, faster.
Businesses and brands that I intend to write about here will include those owned by the recently founded Flop Flip LLP, my own ventures and other stuff I become involved in. I will also try to convey the sense of how things that appear at first glance impossible, may be achieved - sometimes I will be a Tigger (one person will know what that means), at other times I will try and share the downs as well as the ups, because being involved in entrepreneurial stuff is a complete rollercoaster ride.
So, Important: Enjoy! as I have written on all packs of King of Shaves since 1993, and to get you going, I list below the websites of the current businesses I am gradually spinning up (think like plates on poles). I currently believe in them ALL, but 100% success is a rare phenomenon so be prepared for some to fall by the wayside,to probably be replaced by others. For, like some people invest in the stockmarket, I invest in my ideas - whether self originated, or brought to me for launch.
Remember, a house isn't built in one day, and you have to dig strong foundations first before a building that will weather time will stand tall and strong for generations to come.
Sites below in no particular order, some are not yet live (but will be within the next 3 months from 10.10.06)
Enthuse, Exceed - but above all - Enjoy! Will
Flop Flip LLP:
www.willbar.com, www.o-lo.com, www.jodo.biz, www.twomo.com, www.jymvest.com,
Will's
www.planetsicknessbag.com, www.whitesmith.co.uk, www.corlus.com
