Category

People Focus

Category

If you’re looking for some book inspo to level up your wellbeing here’s my round up of the best of the best.  Whether you need tips to manage stress, make life changes or easy hacks to feel good, I’ve got you covered. 

Thrive, Richard Sutton

This perfect book for anyone feeling stuck right now.

Richard has worked with some of the world’s top sports stars such as Martina Navratilova and Maria Sharapova on performance and unlocking their full potential.  In this book he shares unique practical skills and tools that are easy to apply to help you develop and harness your resilience and to realise your fullest potential. 

Available from Watkins Publishing, RRP £18.99

Choosing Me, Kelly Weekers

This is for anyone who needs to take back control of aspects of their life.

Reading this book is like having a chat over a cuppa with a wise best friend.  Psychologist, Kelly Weekers who specialises in authenticity, shares her advice that not only will empower you, but remind you that you are allowed to put yourself first and are capable of living a life of greater fulfilment. However, in order to make the changes, you must first get clear on your true desires. Choosing Me is packed full of easy to digest tools and prompts to make the reader pause, reflect and self-enquire so they can move forward with clarity.  

Available from Amazon, RRP £18.24

The Queendom Within, Heidi Hauer

If you’ve fallen to the bottom of your ‘to-do-list’ you need this book.

Heidi Hauer is on a mission to help every woman realise that she has choices in her life and that everything she is seeking is already within her power to fulfil.   Heidi’s book, “The Queendom Within – Rewrite Your Fairy Tale and Create Your Own Happily Ever After” is a practical and explorative guide for women to reclaim their energy, rediscover who they are, decide what they really want and take tangible steps towards it, with or without a romantic partner by their side. Practical, reassuring and truly inspiring, Heidi’s book encourages you to invest your time and energy in yourself.

Available from Amazon, RRP £12.99

A Year to Change your Mind, Dr Lucy Maddox

Tips and advice from a therapist without getting on the couch.

Dr Lucy Maddox takes you through typical highs and lows of an average year, month by month introducing helpful ideas and tools to help you survive.  Whether you struggle with change in January or find the summer holiday season stressful, she provides solutions to manage everyday dilemmas, spot repeating patterns and make shifts to help us feel better and improve situations.

Available from Waterstones, £16.99 (Hardback)

Calmism, Dr Alex Willett

If life is getting on top of you this will give you solutions.

Dr Alex walks you through developing eight habits for complete rest and wellbeing, based on science and personal experiences.  Packed with simple activities, Calmism takes a fresh look at the essential habits for rest and offers a menu of easy-fit options to give you the variety that’s key to overall wellness. With just a few minutes’ attention each day, you can cultivate positive, daily habits that stick, to help you feel ultimately revitalised.

Available at Waterstones, RRP £12.99

If you haven’t heard of renowned Colombian chef, Juan Manuel Barrientos, you will very soon. He is affectionately known as ‘Juanma’ by locals and at the very young age of 40 is already the founder of a hospitality group that includes restaurants and hotel across the Americas. He was named one of the 50 best chefs in Latin America and there is no doubt you will see his empire extending into Europe in the not-too-distant future.

His original restaurant is based in Medellín. It is now situated inside his boutique El Cielo Hotel. You can appreciate his popularity with a visit to his fabulously inventive restaurant there. With an open kitchen, you can see all the staff in action. They are all dressed in white lab coats with hair nets and meticulously beavering away at their workstations. You can be excused for thinking you’ve walked into the world of Willy Wonka and his chocolate factory.

Their tasting menu includes more than 15 courses or ‘moments’ as they like to call them in the restaurant. They like to create a sense of mystery with their menu. If you look online, you’ll find a long list of mostly single words, which don’t describe the ingredients of the dish. They are in fact, different regions of Colombia and your gastronomic journey at El Cielo is a whirlwind tour of the different regions of the country. What is important to note is this tasting menu is only available at the Medellín branch. If you visit their Michelin-starred restaurants in Miami or Washington DC, only some of the highlights might be on their menu.

The moments are designed to stimulate your senses. The restaurant is well-known for its choco-therapy, so for one course, you’ll be crushing a chocolate truffle ball with your hands. Then you will be enjoying the delights without the use of cutlery. It will bring back innocent childhood memories when dining was less rigid and formal.

This is also the case for another course, where diners are offered edible balloons with helium inside. That is the cue for a chorus of Donald Duck voices reverberating around the restaurant. What makes their concept so successful is they take the seriousness out of fine dining and with every course, they bring a heartfelt smile to everyone’s faces.

Although not advertised on their website, they do cater for dietary requirements. They can readily prep for a vegetarian version of the tasting menu. For example, when they present locally cured charcuterie, they can offer smoked peppers instead.

Dishes are nevertheless always exquisitely presented. The “tree of life” is a case in point, it’s a crunchy canopy of yucca bread presented in a tree trunk structure that made it resemble a bonsai tree.

You might have thought the “tree of life” would represent the Amazonas course. Instead, it is the fish course that contained arapaima. It is the largest freshwater fish in the world and is found in the Amazon River. The dish is presented with burning charcoal and you do wonder whether it is intentional to represent the long-suffering rainforest. The Arapaima has a rather firm texture reminiscent of cod. Another seafood course is the Cartagena-inspired sausage course that is made with crab meat and white fish.

If you are a meat lover, your main course will be paradise. It’s a confit duck served with a peach sauce along with a duck reduction sauce. It’s a surprise you see a lot of menus offering duck and orange but rarely see duck and peach paired together.

The meal is also interactive. For one of the dessert courses, you are a paleontologist looking for an ammonite, as you brush away the edible powder to reveal your dessert. History is never far away from your experience. With the petit fours, it is presented alongside a replica of the Muisca raft, which is the most famous artefact from the Gold Museum in Bogota.

Coffee is an integral part of the Colombian dining experience. The cafetal course includes the use of liquid nitrogen before your coffee is served to resemble the misty conditions of the coffee-growing regions of Colombia.

Throughout the meal, the kitchen excels in showing its mastery of molecular gastronomy. The full experience generally takes at least 3 hours, so make sure you plan either a full afternoon or evening for your meal. ‘El Cielo’ means heaven in Spanish and you will be in gastronomic heaven by the end of your meal.

For more information on the restaurant, please visit –

Home

Patric is the brainchild behind Santa Ana, a sports and streetwear brand that is set to make waves in the industry. Founded because of his love of sports, Patric has used social media to his advantage and here he tells us more…

Tell us about the journey that lead you to launching Santa Ana…

I have been interested in sports and streetwear from a young age. When I grew up, it was crucial to wear trainers from one of the big sportswear brands. Then there was the rise of skate and streetwear, followed by premium lifestyle brands, and the sportswear industry shifted towards more technical fabrics. Focusing on social media, we then saw another generation of streetwear brands and over the last couple of years also the athleisure trend. So, after playing around with the idea for quite a while now, I thought it might be fun to join the industry as a side hustle, which is why SANTA ANA ultimately entered the arena. SANTA ANA combines streetwear design elements with highly functional sportswear fabrics. This is what we stand for.

Who is your ideal client?

Our ideal client is a person that dreams big and then takes continued massive action to reach his or her goal. For example, this goal could be a fitness goal or a creative goal, like becoming a DJ or an actor. We want to encourage as many people as possible to believe in themselves and start doing. Dream big, guys! And who knows? Maybe you start as a customer and turn into a collaboration partner! We have seen this a few times in the past already.

You’re targeted towards urban, athletic males. Do you plan on launching new products in the future?

We plan to increase our product range step by step. We are also going to restock some of our most wanted classics. In addition, we are working on a little special series of items that will be offered during 2020 via selected distribution channels. If you want to learn more about the special series, send an email to sales@santa-ana.co.uk. First come, first serve guys.

What does a day in your life go like…

Running a start-up means every day is different – it never gets boring. Often times, you plan A, but then B happens and then you have to prioritize. So, I usually start with a look at my prioritized to-do list, and then try to execute as much as possible. A start-up entrepreneur has 3 roles: you must be a CEO creating visions, a manager that can break down the vision into prioritized packages and then motivate, delegate and keep track, and last but not least you must be a busy worker, executing the managed vision in a pragmatic way. During the week I am like 80% worker and 20% manager. Towards the end of the week, I try to reduce the execution part to ideate and update the vision.

What sets your label apart from your competitors?

Our competitors are legion, in perfect shape, and many of them get up at 5 am. So it’s definitely a tough challenge to stand out. On the other hand: I think we have quite a competitive team. And with Knight, Wilson and Plank some fat cats have retired – so let’s see what we can pull off

In 2020, what are your plans for the brand?

To switch off marketing mode for a second, we are currently still more or less at “family and friends” stage, and preparing the next stage. Our main focus remains on truly understanding the business and the clients. In parallel, we will try to further build our cross-industry-network. My personal background is banking and consulting, and we also have quite good connections to some advertising companies. We hope to leverage this at a later stage, with the help of our media partners. But first we must gain a bit more local experience and distribution traction. After that, we are going to selectively scale. This might not happen in 2020, but as soon as we feel ready, based on our metrics.

For anyone wanting to launch a label, what advice would you offer?

Dream big. Hustle hard, do more than necessary. Take ownership, blame yourself first. Fail cheap. Practice makes perfect. Create value, never stop. Challenge everything, don’t buy at face value. Build a great team. Be a Sherpa for your developing team members. Trust your stars, give them freedom and they will go above and beyond. Put clients and business partners first. Be as agile as possible and as structured as necessary. Do not embrace change, only embrace improvements. Risk is not sexy. A positive expected value is. Hedge where necessary. Know the odds and how to bend them. Be known for being tight aggressive. Success won’t come linear. You will have to make sacrifices. I think Lionel Messi once stated: I would play football even if I was not paid for it. You must have this attitude at a start-up.

Looking back, is there anything you would do differently?

Nobody is perfect, so we continue to learn. There are three ways to learn: by reflection, by imitation and by pain. We try to avoid the last one as best we can.

Do you have a mentor?

I try to learn from a broad range of people and encourage the team to do the same. For example, I really like Patrick Bet-David’s content. I also follow Dan S. Kennedy, and try to learn from guys like Jordan Kensington or Karim Djeriou. From time to time I also take a closer look at sportswear giants like Chip Wilson. Please note that I do not know all these guys personally, of course. They are great to learn from though.

Our readers love to travel, what destination is at the top of your bucket list?

My personal top destination is SANTA ANA athletic apparel

Where can people find out more?

Take a look at santa-ana.co.uk and follow “santaanaathleticapparel” on Facebook and Instagram!

And last but not least: many thanks for this great interview opportunity. Really highly appreciate it!

Ask any Chapel Allerton local and they’ll know where you can get the best cheese. George & Joseph is a staple piece of this little Leeds high street – and for good reason. However, the man behind the (cheese) wheel, Stephen Fleming, hasn’t always headed up his own business.

Before venturing into the now-infamous George & Joseph, Stephen had worked in IT for 20 years.

“I’d always done what I was best at, at school. It was sort of ‘what are you going to do for A-levels, what are you doing to do a degree in – get a job in it. I did enjoy it but I just had a bit of ‘what if I’d done something differently?’”

Having toyed with the idea of owning some kind of deli, it wasn’t until he started going to a Leeds-based cheese club that the idea of opening a cheesemongers really took his fancy.

“There was nowhere to buy good cheese in Leeds – so [I thought] why not try it.”

After setting up shop just off Chapel Allerton high street, Stephen began selling quality, Yorkshire-based cheeses.

Four years of trading out of their tiny shop, the opportunity came up to move into a unit at the very front of the main high street.

“When we moved around here 2 years ago it just exploded.”

Having gone from selling just 30 types of cheeses to around 120, the business started making a name for itself in the Leeds area.

While the business continues to thrive, there have always been challenges to keep Stephen on his toes.

“When Aldi was built a couple of years ago some people would say to us ‘oh that’ll be terrible for you’ and we were like ‘no actually, it’s not’ – because it’s different to what we sell. I’d actually rather have them here [on the high street] than on an industrial park because that would pull people away from here.”

Stephen notes how local businesses in the area are far more supportive of each other than people might think.

“We look out for each other – you can imagine sometimes having a small business can be quite a lonely place but actually it’s nice to compare notes. If we get stuck with something, we can always bounce it around one of the neighbouring business – usually the greengrocers or butchers – and usually we’ll get some ideas or solutions. It’s that reassurance that everyone’s in it together.”

In terms of the high street’s legacy, Stephen has noticed a shift in how people are shopping nowadays. “We have an awful lot of repeat customers. But then every week we get people in who haven’t seen us before that have either read about us or heard about us from friends – lots of word of mouth stuff. Because we don’t have much in the way of budget to do big marketing – word of mouth is great.”

As with many local businesses, owners are looking at ways they can adapt and keep up with the interest and engagement of their customers. At George & Joseph, they’ll be starting training courses for people to get a certificate accredited by the Academy of Cheese.

“It’s good fun, you learn about cheese, you learn about how it’s made, you get to try lots of cheese and there’s a little online exam at the end of day and you get a badge and a certificate if you pass.”

Alongside this, George & Joseph are participating in a local business run event called The Chapel Allerton Indie Trail. A whole host of local business are part of this ‘trail’ whereby people can collect stamps from shopping at the participating businesses. Once someone has collected seven stamps, they will be entered into a £150 prize draw.

It is hoped that this will encourage people to explore their high street and pop into places they might not have done otherwise.

Even with all of these exiting things going on and business booming, Stephen still has time to appreciate his main passion amongst the paperwork – the cheese itself.

“I’ve always liked a harder or crumbly cheese – I was fed a lot of Cheshire when I was little and I’ve still got a soft spot for Cheshire, Lancashire and Wensleydale type things.”

George & Joseph, 140 Harrogate Rd, Leeds LS7 4NZ

While the humble high street is rumoured to become a thing of the past, this couldn’t seem further from the truth considering the number of people who stopped in to say hello when we met with Leeds’ independent cafe owner, Carole Taylor.

“[if I were a plant] I’d probably be a something like a Eucalyptus tree – simply because they’re really hardy, they last for years and they make people feel so good because they smell amazing.”

Part of the bustling Chapel Allerton high street Carole’s unique florist come cafe, The Perfumed Garden, is part of a wider local business community.

Having previously owned six shops, Carole and her husband, Robin, decided to sell up and go travelling. However, fate had other ideas and they ended up taking over Robin’s mother’s florist shop which needed serious modernisation.

After redesigning and developing the shop one of her corporate clients, who knew about Carole’s love for coffee, offered her a coffee machine in exchange for three large bouquets. Once the order was completed, both Carole and Robin were shocked when a van turned up to unload a professional barista machine.

It sadly wasn’t until Robin’s mother passed away that the coffee machine got some proper use. They held the wake at the shop and invited all the guests and the florist’s regulars to join. When their hired barista cancelled last minute, they both jumped behind the counter and served coffee until 7 o’clock that night.

“[all customers were saying] We should serve coffee all the time. It would be really nice in this space, it makes you feel really calm – it would be nice to have a drink.”

Carole, who doesn’t eat dairy, had long since noticed that there was a gap in the market for something special.

“Everything we do is vegan – I won’t say I’m vegan – I’m plant-based. Because there was nowhere else around here doing this, and we’re a flower and plant shop, it makes sense to serve coffees with non-dairy and have cakes made from plants – because that’s what we are.”

Flash forward 18 months and The Perfumed Garden is delighting both plant and coffee lovers alike under one roof. However, Carole has noticed the change in the local high street. “It’s not the same at all – we’ve got 3 supermarkets within a really tiny space.”

With an Aldi, a Lidl and a Tesco all on The Perfumed Garden’s doorstep, competition is hard to keep up with. But Carole, who has an infectious positive personality, see’s the brighter side of things.

“The good thing about this is it’s stopped people coming in here and spending £2.99 on a bunch because for us that’s a lot of money – to buy those materials to make that tiny bunch.”

While the shop does have a lot of loyal, repeat customers, Carole has noticed a drop in those one-off shoppers.

“People will pick a supermarket over a small indie shop.”

“Because we’re retailers ourselves, we go to other retailers because we know what situation they’re in. We know how difficult it is to get that customer to actually come through your door and part with some money.”

She does, however, think that selling the coffee has made a difference to her business.

“The good thing about the coffee for us is that most people know that they can afford a cup of tea or a coffee. So, even if they haven’t been in before they’ll come in and buy a drink then have a look around and go ‘oh, actually – you’re not very expensive.

They might not buy anything there and then we know they’re going to come back because they’ve been in and kind of broken that barrier”

Looking to the future, Carole is confident that things are looking up for local business owners.

“I do feel like this year, more than any other year, people do seem to be making more of an effort to spend their five or ten pounds in a smaller shop.

People are really starting to think ‘hang on a second, your high-street is going to look really ugly if all us little independents can’t pay our rents. So, fingers crossed, next year I’m hoping will be a cracking year.”

The Perfumed Garden, 19 Harrogate Rd, Leeds LS7 3PD

A lot of traders must have heard about the Timothy Sykes Millionaire Challenge and how it has successfully made millions of students in the program. Nevertheless, is it worth giving it a shot? Do you think you have what it takes to get on the Challenge? Tim has been successful at turning the trading careers of his students around, with no doubts. However, should that make him eligible to be your mentor? Before we dive further into the Millionaire Challenge, let’s take a look at some of his astonishing accomplishments.

While studying Philosophy with a minor program in Business at Tulane University, Timothy Sykes made over $1.65 million in trading profits from $12,415 in Bar Mitzvah funds. He further went on to establish a hedge fund to enhance his trading career, which later led to him being featured on “Wall Street Warriors,” a popular reality TV show. Ever since, Tim has published his book: An American Hedge Fund: How I Made $2 Million as a Stock Operator & Created a Hedge Fund, and also created an educational service known as Profitly. For close to two decades Tim has recorded all-round success in his trading career as a penny stock trader, raking in over $5 million in trading profits, while mentoring profitable day traders. A majority of his students have achieved the one million dollar threshold – with some even beating him to his own accumulated trading profits over the years. Amazed about how this notable trader has been able to transform the lives of people, a review has been made to understand what his services are all about and how they can improve a trader’s career.

What Is The Millionaire Trading Challenge All About?

As stated before, Tim has been trading penny stocks for two decades. During this period, he was able to gather valuable insights on how the penny stock market works. A significant number of these stocks are backed by scammy companies with no form of transparency. As a result, there has been a lot of negative impressions about penny stocks, with most traders seeing them as being of no value.

Having noticed the defamation and misleading information about penny stocks, Tim created Profit.ly to help filter the noise and distinguish real profitable traders from scam artists on the internet. Ever since it was created, Profit.ly has evolved into a dynamic educational hub where all types of traders are enlightened on various trading aspects, thereby advancing their trading careers.

With the top tier program being the Millionaire Challenge, Tim has been able to replicate his achievements in the lives of his students. What is the Millionaire Challenge all about? This Challenge is geared towards training and motivating individuals to become the next successful millionaire traders. However, Tim strongly advises his students on the realities of life. The Challenge is not a magical platform where you make a wish. Success isn’t achieved on a platter of gold, and definitely not with idle hands.

Nevertheless, the best place to jumpstart your learning curve and trading career is the Millionaire Challenge. The content embedded in the Millionaire Challenge is far more exhaustive than any other trading service content. This is because it combines two other training programs, plus other amazing features.

The Millionaire Challenge Features

Why is the Millionaire Challenge so unique? Why is it worth a shot? It will interest you to know that Tim exerts all his resources on his Challenge students – in terms of books, video content, webinars, alerts, and many more. As a result, the program is restricted to those students who are dedicated to taking their trading careers to the next level. Tim Sykes takes this very seriously as he doesn’t want his time to be wasted.

Being a student on the Challenge opens you up to various opportunities which include:

  • Access to over 6,000 video lessons
  • Webinars created by Tim and his top students exceeding 800 in total
  • Over three weeks of live webinars from Tim and his team
  • Tim’s Alerts and TimChallenge Chatrooms access
  • 14 trading DVDs with 300 hours of content

Having this plethora of content can be overwhelming for some traders. Nevertheless, each content contains valuable insights into the nitty-gritty of stock trading. With video lessons, DVDs, and webinars, you can be guaranteed a wonderful trading experience and an increased learning curve. Interestingly, Timothy Sykes had no mentor which makes him eager to get his students ready for whatever the market hurls at them.

How do you then get the best out of this Challenge? As a beginner, it is advised that you carefully study and practice the content available on Tim’s platform, before you start trading live. Success is not achieved on a whim. It takes a lot of diligence and commitment to realize one’s goals. Ensure that you digest a majority of the content if not all. That way you will be fully acquainted with how the market operates.

Beating The Millionaire Challenge

For newbies, Tim Sykes suggests a constant in-depth study, whenever and wherever they can. One amazing student who practically applied this rule is Roland Wolf, a 2017 Millionaire Challenge student. In one of the videos, Roland explains how he studied 17 hours daily for almost a year, before finding his place. He significantly limited the time he spent with his family and friends, in a bid to build up his trading career. With constant dedication and focus, he recently made $800,000 in trading profits.

Another notable student is Tim Grittani, one of the very few students who surpassed Tim Sykes, by turning $1,500 into an astonishing $8 million. To date, Grittani still studies and trades as he tries to move on to the next level of his trading career. As impressive as it sounds, Grittani spent a year trading before he could become successful.

With these examples cited, it is possible to become the next millionaire student. All you need to do is take the process with dedication one step at a time. Digest the video lessons and other resourceful materials before you start trading live. If you wish to learn more about how to become a part of this Millionaire Challenge, please visit this link: Timothy Sykes Millionaire Challenge Review

Dario Cucci learned from the best in the game, Anthony Robbins, when he sold his events at 100% commission, proving that he knows a thing or two about sales. It started in his twenties and he honed his skills over the following 15 years where he created his proven system for selling through relationship building.

Dario works with businesses to show them how to improve sales through building genuine relationships with their customers. he is committed to building true customer care that creates lifelong loyalty in the customer and long-term sales for the company.he has seen companies waste thousands of pounds trying to find new customers only to lose them with poor customer care within their first 12 months.keeping a customer happy and loyal is much less costly than finding a new one.dario teaches a simple and practical approach to building a better and more sale through true customer care and genuine relationships.

One Company he worked with increased their Monthly Sales by 300%, after following his sales system so we couldn’t wait to
find out more about not only his personal success but that of the companies that he has worked with. Here, he tells us more…

Dario Cucci, you are a brand in your own right. Can you tell us about the journey to get you where you are today…
The difference between me and other experts out there, is that before I started my own business and became a Keynote Speaker, I actually worked within the Self Development & Financial Education Industry in Australia for 10+ years promoting other Experts & Coaches, selling their Event Tickets, Programs & Coaching Services, not only that I was involved in providing sales training for the Live Crew at Events, did the sales at the Events when People ran to the back of the room table and further more did the follow up calls, to sell more over the phone or prevent people from cancelling their programs they signed up for at the Event.

But eventually I not only got bored with doing that, as well as frustrated and felt stuck of not being able to move forward, which caused me to get ill with bells palsy, that was a wake up call to me, to make changes happen for myself and I moved from Australia back to Switzerland, where after I settled in after 2 years working again for another couple of companies, I decided to start my own Firm.

Since then, I not only healed myself from having had Bells Palsy, but was able to be published in 2 Bestselling Books as a Guest Author “A Journey Of Riches Volume 3 – Making Changes & Activate Your Life Volume 1” and I am the Author of 2 Books I wrote myself “Turn Your Customers Into Profit & Crossroads To Clarity”, held my own Seminars & Workshops and helped many other Business Owners improve their own way of selling their Services, by improving their Mindset, Communication Skills & Sales Strategies.

And about 2 years ago created the Event “The Ultimate Entrepreneur” which helps Business Owners break out of their Ground Hog Day Routine of growing a Business, by learning & working with International Speakers & Coaches on Marketing, Branding, PR, Communication & Sales, Mindset, Leadership & Health, to be able to take their Business grow their Business into a Legacy without sacrificing their Health over it.

The next Ultimate Entrepreneur I will be holding, is on 2 & 3 November 2019 which I am very excited about and to ensure the quality of training & coaching during the 2 Days we have limited the Seating to a maximum of 150 Attendees.

What do you feel set you apart from other coaches?
My ability to intuitively adapt my experience and knowledge when it comes to selling, customer service and leadership to their Business, so they can apply it immediately and get Results, where as other Coaches fluff around and have not been able to help those Clients that come to see, I was able to help them to gain clarity, have Breakthroughs and increase their Sales Revenue. One of my most recent Clients told me “I been to a couple of coaches in the past, spent thousands on them and didn’t get anywhere in 2 years, with you I just had one Session and gotten more from that one Coaching Session than with the Coaches I had in the past”. That is not a one off but I hear that on a regular bases when I finally meet my Clients and start working with them, which is one reason why they end up working with me long term because they know that I can help them and care for their success.Is there anything you would have done different in your career?
Yes, I would of started sooner with my business to be able to help more people and turn people away when I get the feeling that they are not coach-able and ready to be their own Hero.What does 2020 look like for you?
For me 2020 is the year of my transformation & the transformation of many people I inspire to do better in business & life and that want to share that journey with me. My goal is it to hold The Ultimate Entrepreneur in Canada and the US in 2020 as well as start a Documentary Movie that goes behind the scenes of The Ultimate Entrepreneur and shares my journey and the journey of those that are involved to be part of the Event.Your job has taken you all over the world, where do you call home?
I know that sounds cheesy what I am about to say but “Home is where the one feels loved & connected to the People and place they are living at” I love Switzerland, yet I also can feel at Home in other Countries such as Australia, London or Italy, what’s important to me is Family & Friends, as long as I have those, no matter where I am, I will feel at home, knowing that I have love in my Life no matter where I am living.To date, what is your proudest achievement?
Ah, that’s a great question, I’ve got many achievements, but I’d say one of my proudest moments was when I held my 3 Day Serve & Sell Mastery Workshop and my Students at the end of Day 3 gave me a Thank You Card, each with their own reason to why they where grateful that I held the Workshop and what it did for them. For me getting that acknowledgement and love, felt overwhelmingly good and I felt very proud that I was able to transform those Peoples lives with my 3 Day Workshop.
Your strap line is ’sales isn’t a numbers game, it’s a peoples game,’ can you tell us more about what this means? That saying is a lie in itself that has been told over centuries by other Sales Experts, if Sales were a numbers game, all we had to do is be clever with accounting software, automation and everything is solved. But it isn’t that easy, sales is the outcome of a great conversation that leads to the lead becoming a customer, without the customers the company wouldn’t be able to hire a book keeper and it would close down the Firm. When people buy from people they trust and experience great service they tell others about it and the company makes more money as a result of that.For me Sales isn’t a Numbers game, for me Sales is a People’s game, because the outcome of making Sales is directly related to the relationships we build with the People we are selling to.My current website is: www.dariocucci.netPeople can book their Ticket to attend The Ultimate Entrepreneur Event currently via Eventbrite by clicking here.

John Tuton knows the value of a good night’s sleep, but his mission of creating the perfect mattress, actually came about through a fateful Rugby accident. His ‘Eureka’ moment came when struggling to sleep during his recovery. He asked himself, “Why should anyone wait until pain or poor health strikes to get maximum rest and recuperation from their mattress?” – and why should they? From then – John set out to create the perfect mattress that would help everyone sleep better and in turn lead better lives, and so Mammoth was born.

10 years down the line and John has never looked back since. Today, Mammoth is a leader in sleep comfort, recommended by health professionals and used by professional athletes all over the world. Mammoth ’s Medical Grade™ Foam mattresses has been scientifically tested and proven to improve sleep – and is a testament to John Tuton’s commitment to constant innovation and reinvention.

In our latest Boss Boy Interview – John Tuton looks back at the past decade of Mammoth on his 10 year anniversary. We discuss everything from the early days of his game-changing business, the moments that have stayed with him through the years, and some key advice for aspiring Boss boys.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and what inspired you to start Mammoth?

I’ve always had a passion for health and wellbeing. I used to work in healthcare, providing medical equipment for seriously unwell patients. During this time, I discovered how getting the right mattress can really make a difference to your life.One particular case still stays with me to this very day, and is a constant reminder of Mammoth’s driving purpose to help everyone make the most of life.

I had been called in by doctors to help an elderly patient in a critical condition due to severe pressure wounds caused by a fall and subsequent long period in bed. With traditional prescribed methods failing to help, the outlook was bleak. As part of her treatment, I recommended using a new technology within a pressure relieving mattress and cushion, proven to stimulate circulation and blood flow.

The results were amazing and within a couple of weeks she was out of bed and then shortly after that, she was enjoying days out with her children and grandchildren. The thank you letter from her family was so moving, it made me realise what I wanted to do for the rest of my career.

Around the same time, I was also struggling to get a comfortable night’s rest after getting injured playing rugby, and it led to me having a ‘eureka’ moment. I began thinking, why should anyone wait until pain or poor health strikes to get maximum rest and recuperation from their mattress. So Mammoth was born with the aim of helping anyone and everyone sleep better, feel better and make the most of every day. Now in our 10th anniversary year, we are proud that our award-winning technologies are recommended by health professionals, including the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, and used by professional athletes across a wide range of sports.

How important is sleep to our overall well-being?

We spend a third of our lives sleeping so it’s not surprising that sleep plays a vital part in our overall health and recovery. In modern life, sleep has never been more important. We live busy lives, spend too much time in front of our screens and all too often ignore our natural body clocks, so getting the recommended eight hours sleep isn’t always easy. But it’s a fact that good sleep improves our health, wellbeing and happiness.

A good night’s sleep is linked to learning faster, living longer, higher levels of creativity and performance, lower stress levels, maintaining a healthy weight and attractiveness. In fact, a good night’s sleep is even scientifically proven to extend life.

“We spend a third of our lives sleeping so it’s not surprising that sleep plays a vital part in our overall health and recovery.”

Sleep is also crucial for performance, which is why we are the ‘go-to’ provider for elite athletes and organisations, including the British Athletes Commission. We have several exciting partnerships including with the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP), the Rugby Players’ Association and we are the official mattress and pillow supplier of Tottenham Hotspur’s state-of-the-art, private player accommodation lodge, as well as the official mattress and seating partner for the Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA).

Could you tell us a bit about Mammoth’s Medical Grade Foam Technology and PostureCell technology?

At the core of every Mammoth mattress is our Medical Grade™ Foam and PostureCell® technologies which were designed specifically to help people enjoy better sleep. In fact, these technologies are scientifically tested and shown to improve sleep by the UK Centre of Sleep Research.

Evidence shows that a lack of proper support and overheating are the two biggest obstacles to getting an uninterrupted night’s sleep. So that’s why it was important to us to develop products that help alleviate these issues.

Our Medical Grade™ Foam was developed from healthcare to ease aches and pains, and return people to good health. Our mattresses provide plenty of pressure relieving postural support through our PostureCell® technology, and it is naturally cooling – so it won’t heat up and neither will the user. It’s also hypoallergenic. Our developments and innovation have meant Mammoth are now NHS award winners.

Our mattresses are recommended by health professionals to ease aches and pains, including back pain. They are endorsed by elite athletes, national teams and their governing bodies to help them sleep better, be better and perform better.

What has been the biggest challenge you have faced as an entrepreneur so far?

Life as an entrepreneur hasn’t been easy all of the time. In the beginning I had to spend my life savings and pay my mortgage on credit cards to set up the business. Everything I had was invested into the business and I even had to go on honeymoon on a shoestring budget. It wasn’t just making sure we had enough money to start operating, it was getting suppliers and manufacturers to take us seriously for prototyping. It was a long process and I had to go back to employment for an interim period to keep the business going.

We’ve also had to face navigating a changing retail environment and further challenges when the business plateaued. After re-investing in our brand and message, we are back in growth thanks to strengthening the team, resource and capability, identifying talent and lots of hard work.

Although we’ve had difficult times, the sacrifices have been worth it.

What advice do you have for other Boss boys just starting out?

Back yourself, work hard and make sure you are going into a sector you enjoy, because it is going to be big part of your life.

Be prepared to take a risk and realise that you might no longer be able to have the ideal work, life balance. Setting up your own business is tough, and it will always infiltrate your home life.

That’s why it is important to have time off, so when you do go on holiday, make sure your phone stays in the top drawer and that you switch off. In order to do that, you have to have the ability to delegate, manage and recruit the right team as all of these are essential to running a successful business.

MAMMOTHCOMFORT.COM

If you are looking to reflect and reset but struggle to find the time, then the Rest and Restore retreat at Huntsham Court is perfect.

Set in the rolling Devonshire countryside and easily accessible by rail or car, Huntsham Court is the retreat for busy people who are feeling a bit jaded, want to realign their energy and in need of some me time. House of Coco was invited along to experience this one-night mind break.

I arrived at Huntsham Court to be greeted by Anoushka Emson and her team. While this large, 19th Century gothic mansion is spacious and grand there is something cosy and welcoming that instantly hits you as you walk through the entrance. Many country piles give off that ‘look, don’t touch’ air however Huntsham has more of a ‘chill and make yourself at home’ vibe.

The ground floor is made up of a series of reception rooms, a dining room and a bar come social space. The house has been lovingly renovated by owners Christopher Badham and Damian Llambias. Each unique room has been designed by Llambias who has embraced the existing interior while adding a splash of personality by mixing up luxe fabrics (some which he personally wrestled out of the hands of Joan Collins and now adorn the main bedroom), with vintage wallpapers.

After a warm drink and a chance to take a breather we are given a tour of the house and it does not disappoint. High ceilings, dramatic sweeping staircases, big comfy sofas and roaring open fires are peppered around the house.

The bedrooms are all grand and luxurious, each one has its very own bespoke theme. I’m staying in The Baron, a spacious room with a big four poster bed and views across the grounds and sprawling countryside. All of the eclectic bedrooms mix traditional with a modern twist. There are 27 rooms in the main house and across the adjoining buildings there are 40 rooms in total.

Emson and her team have designed a 24 hour programme that combines restorative yoga, life coaching workshops as well as informative talks on nutrition and essential oils. While the retreat only runs across one day, Emson has successfully achieved the right balance between a full schedule and downtime, allowing you to get the most out of your stay as well as an opportunity to rest.

The group session with the life coach is a chance to reflect and process things. Paula Fenegan brings her reflexology practise to the retreat, I’m offered an in-room treatment that instantly reduces any tension I’m feeling and leaves me a little sleepy. The yoga sessions were delivered to suit any level, with lots of focus on breath technique and switching off a busy mind. I especially loved the Yoga Nidra which if you haven’t tried it, is a meditation and conscious relaxation practice that induces total physical and mental relaxation. Emson delivered the session at the end of the day which left me floating all the way up the grand staircase to my plush bed.

There’s no clock watching here, it’s all very laid back and if people are enjoying a glass of wine over dinner then there’s no pressure or rush to get to the next workshop. Because of the intimate group size, people get to know each other quickly and this supports a friendly atmosphere.

The retreat nutrition expert, Miranda Lewis, has teamed up with Sam the chef of 20ate to create a balanced vegetarian menu that’s jam-packed with taste and flavour. Sam has an open kitchen door policy and you can drift in and out throughout your stay helping yourself to healthy snacks and drinks or ask him any culinary questions.

In just 24 hours I left Huntsham Court feeling all zen and ready to take on the rest of 2020. Anoushka Emson is running the Rest and Restore retreat at Huntsham Court on 15-16th March 2020 and 11th–12th October 2020. The cost for a two-person shared room: £650 p/p, a two-person luxury shared room: £750 p/p and sole occupancy luxury room: £850. Prices include accommodation in one of Huntsham Court’s individually designed bedrooms, three nutritious meals a day as well as snacks and drinks, all expert workshop sessions, as well as take home nutrition and yoga e-guides so guests can continue their learning.

For more information email: enquiries@huntshamcourt.co.uk telephone: 01398 361 277 or visit https://www.huntshamcourt.co.uk/retreats/

There is nothing that quite says “Hong Kong is back” like the flurry of international exhibitions that has been hitting the town in recent months. The biggest of which is Art Central, a key cornerstone of Hong Kong Art Week that is happening at the end of March. This showcase event is in its eighth year and on display are the next generation of artists from the brightest and the best of Asia. It is also their largest gallery lineup since 2019.

Art Central

Discover the Unparalleled Artistic Offerings at Art Central

There will be 37 cutting-edge galleries from Hong Kong including the likes of Contemporary by Angela Li and Square Street Gallery, 60 renowned galleries from Asia such as 021gallery (Daegu) and K Gallery (Chendu), and 12 galleries handpicked from the rest of the world including MARC STRAUS (New York), VETA by Fer Francés (Madrid), and Guns & Rain (Johannesburg).

There are large-scale, immersive installations like Glows in the Night by Yang Yongliang. It will be a video artwork to be presented on an eye-catching scaled LED installation of 18 metres. Yang has a background in Chinese paintings, so he will use his knowledge to reconstruct and recompose urban images in the style of historic Chinese paintings. Ecological issues caused by urbanisation, commercialisation and consumerism are raised in a thought-provoking manner.

There is a ground-breaking group exhibition, Blue Throat – Start the Churning. It places the spotlight on sixteen Hong Kong artists. They articulate through their work the relationship between the individual and the collective, self and the modern world through the lens of art in the contemporary society of Hong Kong.

Exploring Themes of Displacement, Discovery, and Survival

A significant portion of Art Central is devoted to performance art. Three performance artists will deliver a series of intimate flows of movement that focuses on the themes of displacement, personal discovery, and survival. For example, Kensa Hung and Kiwi Chan will be exploring the theme of homelessness with their piece, Pack/Unpack. They will play out a contrasting performance of opposing actions in a journey of what it means to pack and unpack. Particularly poignant is the work of Natasha Cheung who draws from her overseas background living as part of the Chinese diaspora in She Taut. She highlights key elements of her identity that have built up over the years in her survival as a queer, Chinese woman. Themes that are touched on in the recent Oscar-winning film, Everything Everywhere all at once.

Nurturing Future Artists

Central to the philosophy of Art Central is inspiring the artists of the future so they have a wide-ranging educational programme that engages all ages during the fair. There will be educational tours, talks and workshops that are free of charge to Art Central ticketholders. The activities vary from workshops that are suitable for children from 4 to in-depth one-hour talks from featured artists which are aimed at university students. Art Central’s Children’s Education Partner, Art Loop, will be offering a unique hour-long immersion course with an art workshop and guided tour aimed at children aged 4 to 12 years old. Whilst the fair’s talk programme, not only includes artists but also collectors, academia, and leaders at art institutions. Art Central will be running small guided tours of the fair twice daily on a first-come first served basis.

Explore Contemporary Art from Anywhere in the World

You can take part even if you are not visiting Hong Kong this month through their exclusive online partner, Artsy. It is the largest global online marketplace for buying, selling and discovering art by preeminent artists. The commercial digital platform will feature handpicked works from each exhibiting gallery, thus they can showcase their virtual booths to a global audience.

Since its inaugural edition in 2015, Art Central has been growing from strength to strength. It is constantly pushing the boundaries of contemporary art, especially for the Chinese market. It is universally recognised as the place to visit for collectors and curators representing private, corporate, and institutional collections worldwide.

Home