Ron Ullah has a word of expert advice for husband and wife Colin and Chris Weir, Britain’s £161million EuroMillions Lottery winners — but first he must finish the delicate task of aligning the portholes of the Starship Enterprise.
‘The trouble is,’ says Ron, paintbrush hovering over his painstaking birthday cake creation, ‘there are only so many holidays you can take before it gets a bit samey. Blow a few million, by all means, but there will come a point when it all seems too easy.
‘Once you’ve seen the sunrise over the beach at Cyprus a couple of hundred times, it starts to feel a bit mundane.’
Simple life: Lottery winner Ron Ullah is happiest when at work in his cake shop
Simple life: Lottery winner Ron Ullah is happiest when at work in his cake shop
Ron speaks from experience. In October 2002, he scooped £5,177,425 on the Lottery and believed he’d been handed a golden key to paradise.
He was 57, had grafted since he left school at 15 and anticipated a long and much deserved retirement shuttling between homes in Florida, Cyprus and Essex. There were also his yachts and the Rolex on his wrist glinting in the sun.
So why, nine years on, is he once again back at work — running a successful cake-making business and working 12-hour days?
His daily commute from Wickford in Essex to his shop in Suffolk is a 100-mile round-trip. The Rolex is still on his wrist and there’s a sizeable diamond crucifix round his neck — but the rest of his outfit is distinctly High Street.
To be honest, he looks as if a holiday is exactly what he needs.
The answer is that Ron really loves creating cakes. The window of Carousel, his shop in Ipswich, is filled with gorgeous examples of his sugar-paste artistry.
Prime among them is a tiered jungle complete with waterfall and twining creepers — with every gorilla peeping from between individual leaves shaped by hand. The Starship Enterprise has been ordered for a little boy’s birthday.
But having invested wisely, Ron doesn’t have to labour for hours over marzipan for the cash — which, by the way, is coming along very nicely, thanks to some clever investments. He does it because he was bored simply by being rich.
Having ticked off the essentials on his fantasy shopping list, Ron looked round at his £155,000 Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph, his £1 million house, his en-suite bathrooms, the horses grazing in the paddock, the lake at the bottom of the lawns, and realised that life was empty without a job.
‘One thing you can’t buy is a sense of purpose,’ he says, perched on a stool in Carousel’s caramel-scented kitchen. ‘I’m very hands-on by nature and there I was, with everything my heart desired — except a goal to aim for.
‘If you’ve strived all your life and then, suddenly, what you were striving for is handed to you on a plate . . . it’s weird. It feels fantastic, yet at the same time there’s something missing.
‘When you first realise you’ve got all that money, you’re hit by about 100 emotions. I went cold — I still go cold thinking about it — then I was euphoric, but then immediately this dark cloud of anxiety came over me and I started to worry.
‘You try to be rational, but you can’t be when you’ve suddenly got £5 million in your account. And I went a bit silly.’
2011年6月26日 星期日
An Inside Look at Groupon from the Merchant's Perspective
Groupon is not the only Daily Deal site out there, in fact there are 500 worldwide, however Groupon is certainly the largest with 50 million subscribers and 22 million "deals" sold since November 2008, as of January 2011.
Before you decide this is the way to grow your business, McKeon shares some advice and information from someone who's been there, done that.
First of all, Groupon is very selective about merchants it works with. McKeon says that he's not sure if he'd even pass the vetting process now (but he got in early). Groupon looks at FaceBook, Yelp, and City Search to check out your business. They reject 85 percent of the merchants that apply. McKeon says that sometimes getting a response back after applying can be problematic. He suggests contacting a merchant who has run a deal recently in your area and asking for the contact information of the Groupon account manager they're working with. This can help you "get a foot in the door."
Even before you are approved, you need to make sure it is financially viable for your business. Groupon takes 50 percent of the total deal price. So if your product is usually $100 and you offer a Groupon deal for $50, you're actually only going to receive $25 for it. McKeon explains that you must be willing and able to sell your product for a 75 percent discount, or this is not for you.
You must also be able to provide the same product six months from now. You will likely get a rush of orders in the first week or two, but then they settle down to a steady flow. However, the customer has six months to redeem the coupon, so you must be able to provide the exact same product at that price six months from when you run the Groupon.
You must be set up to handle the influx of calls and emails on the day your Groupon runs, and the subsequent weeks as customers redeem their coupons. On the day it runs, someone needs to monitor the Groupon forum where potential customers post questions and comments. It's very important for your credibility to be able to handle the calls, emails, and forum quickly and efficiently or you may lose sales, and certainly will lose repeat buyers (which is the whole point of running a Groupon deal).
On a positive side, there is no cost up-front. McKeon recounts a time where he spent thousands of dollars on an airline magazine ad that generated one sale. The advantage of Groupon is you pay a portion of what you sell.
According to McKeon, approximately 20 percent of all Groupon deal purchasers never actually redeem their coupon. He adds that anyone who redeems their coupon are then your customers.
As an online retailer, he doesn't have concerns about people driving long distances to get the cheaper deal but never becoming a repeat customer. It doesn't matter where in the country his customers are (and in fact, McKeon runs Groupon deals in local markets all over the United States).
Since running his first Groupon, his customer base has gone from 8,000 to 60,000. He offers his printing services on other unusual materials (such as metal), so he finds he gets repeat customers purchasing different types of products other than the canvas deals he offers on Groupon.
Groupon's payment structure is interesting. They pay one third of the total sales one week after your Groupon deal runs. Then they pay another third one month later, and the final third comes two months later. This helps to even out the funds in relation to when the coupons are redeemed, but you may get more than a third of the orders within the first week, so you need to be prepared for that.
Groupon is certainly not for everyone, but for some types of businesses, even those online like McKeon's, it can increase business exponentially. You do really need to have a very detailed plan before taking on something like this. As McKeon shared, "Growing this fast just isn't natural!"
Before you decide this is the way to grow your business, McKeon shares some advice and information from someone who's been there, done that.
First of all, Groupon is very selective about merchants it works with. McKeon says that he's not sure if he'd even pass the vetting process now (but he got in early). Groupon looks at FaceBook, Yelp, and City Search to check out your business. They reject 85 percent of the merchants that apply. McKeon says that sometimes getting a response back after applying can be problematic. He suggests contacting a merchant who has run a deal recently in your area and asking for the contact information of the Groupon account manager they're working with. This can help you "get a foot in the door."
Even before you are approved, you need to make sure it is financially viable for your business. Groupon takes 50 percent of the total deal price. So if your product is usually $100 and you offer a Groupon deal for $50, you're actually only going to receive $25 for it. McKeon explains that you must be willing and able to sell your product for a 75 percent discount, or this is not for you.
You must also be able to provide the same product six months from now. You will likely get a rush of orders in the first week or two, but then they settle down to a steady flow. However, the customer has six months to redeem the coupon, so you must be able to provide the exact same product at that price six months from when you run the Groupon.
You must be set up to handle the influx of calls and emails on the day your Groupon runs, and the subsequent weeks as customers redeem their coupons. On the day it runs, someone needs to monitor the Groupon forum where potential customers post questions and comments. It's very important for your credibility to be able to handle the calls, emails, and forum quickly and efficiently or you may lose sales, and certainly will lose repeat buyers (which is the whole point of running a Groupon deal).
On a positive side, there is no cost up-front. McKeon recounts a time where he spent thousands of dollars on an airline magazine ad that generated one sale. The advantage of Groupon is you pay a portion of what you sell.
According to McKeon, approximately 20 percent of all Groupon deal purchasers never actually redeem their coupon. He adds that anyone who redeems their coupon are then your customers.
As an online retailer, he doesn't have concerns about people driving long distances to get the cheaper deal but never becoming a repeat customer. It doesn't matter where in the country his customers are (and in fact, McKeon runs Groupon deals in local markets all over the United States).
Since running his first Groupon, his customer base has gone from 8,000 to 60,000. He offers his printing services on other unusual materials (such as metal), so he finds he gets repeat customers purchasing different types of products other than the canvas deals he offers on Groupon.
Groupon's payment structure is interesting. They pay one third of the total sales one week after your Groupon deal runs. Then they pay another third one month later, and the final third comes two months later. This helps to even out the funds in relation to when the coupons are redeemed, but you may get more than a third of the orders within the first week, so you need to be prepared for that.
Groupon is certainly not for everyone, but for some types of businesses, even those online like McKeon's, it can increase business exponentially. You do really need to have a very detailed plan before taking on something like this. As McKeon shared, "Growing this fast just isn't natural!"
2011年5月15日 星期日
People in Business: May 15, 2011
Cathy Calfo has been named executive director of California Certified Organic Farmers in Santa Cruz, which certifies 2,400 organic farmers, processors, retailers and private labelers.
She has been executive director of the national Apollo Alliance, based in San Francisco, working to promote clean energy and good jobs. She was California's deputy state treasurer between 1999 and 2004, leading strategic initiatives and overseeing the department's legislative and communications programs.
Calfo is a founding member of the Santa Cruz Commission for the Prevention of Violence against Women and served on the city planning commission and the board of directors of a local homeless shelter for teens. She graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a bachelor's degree in American Studies. Calfo has lived in Santa Cruz since 1975 and has three sons: Kris, Kaj and Elijah.
Matthew Swinnerton has joined a local credit card processing company, Transaction.SC in Santa Cruz. His main role will be to acquire new clients and promote and market Transaction.SC's Santa Cruz brand. A 13-year veteran of the credit card processing/merchant account industry, he formerly was with Cruzio.
Matthew O'Brien, a Santa Cruz resident, has qualified as a "championship" agent by Farmers Insurance for his outstanding overall performance. He achieved a high sales volume for auto, home, life and business policies while maintaining high client retention and profitability. O'Brien will attend a conference in San Francisco May 22-26 to discuss new business strategies and issues affecting customers; only 199 earned the honor of attending out of more than 17,000 agents.
Eric J Costello, an Edward Jones financial adviser in Aptos, qualified for the firm's inaugural 2011 Financial Advisor Leaders Conference this month in St. Louis. Costello was one of only 290 financial advisers to qualify out of more than 10,000.
J.J. Kaye of Santa Cruz has been named to the HALO Branded Solutions President's Club for sales achievement. He is in the top 10 percent of the company's 800-person nationwide sales force. Kaye has been an accounting executive for HALO for nearly two decades.
Earthbound Farm in San Juan Batista has filled three new positions. Judy Chen was named chief marketing officer, Sandy Whitehouse was named chief human resources officer and Will Daniels was named senior vice president of operations and organic integrity.
Chen has more than 15 years of marketing experience. She was group leader, marketing and business development for Chiquita Brands. Before that, she was with Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream and Clorox.
Whitehouse has more than 15 years experience in human resources. She was vice president of human resources for Orchard Supply Hardware, and before that she was with Sears.
Daniels formerly was senior vice president quality, food safety and organic integrity.
VirnetX Holding Corp. in Scotts Valley has promoted three employees. Victor Larson was named vice president of research and development, Jon Weaklend was named vice president of finance and Greg Wood was named vice president of corporate communications.
Larson will continue to direct VirnetX's research and development efforts as it moves toward securing the emerging 4G mobile markets. He is a co-inventor of VirnetX's technology.
Weaklend has been VirnetX's controller since 2008 and has more than 30 years of financial experience.
Wood has more than 15 years of brand experience that includes McDonald's, Safeway, Nissan, Burger King, Taco Bell, Nutri-System, Supercuts and Pacific Gas & Electric Co.
Also, Dustan Sheehan has been hired as webmaster. A graduate of UC Santa Cruz, he has more then 11 years of design experience and will be responsible for VirnetX's web services and technical communications.
She has been executive director of the national Apollo Alliance, based in San Francisco, working to promote clean energy and good jobs. She was California's deputy state treasurer between 1999 and 2004, leading strategic initiatives and overseeing the department's legislative and communications programs.
Calfo is a founding member of the Santa Cruz Commission for the Prevention of Violence against Women and served on the city planning commission and the board of directors of a local homeless shelter for teens. She graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a bachelor's degree in American Studies. Calfo has lived in Santa Cruz since 1975 and has three sons: Kris, Kaj and Elijah.
Matthew Swinnerton has joined a local credit card processing company, Transaction.SC in Santa Cruz. His main role will be to acquire new clients and promote and market Transaction.SC's Santa Cruz brand. A 13-year veteran of the credit card processing/merchant account industry, he formerly was with Cruzio.
Matthew O'Brien, a Santa Cruz resident, has qualified as a "championship" agent by Farmers Insurance for his outstanding overall performance. He achieved a high sales volume for auto, home, life and business policies while maintaining high client retention and profitability. O'Brien will attend a conference in San Francisco May 22-26 to discuss new business strategies and issues affecting customers; only 199 earned the honor of attending out of more than 17,000 agents.
Eric J Costello, an Edward Jones financial adviser in Aptos, qualified for the firm's inaugural 2011 Financial Advisor Leaders Conference this month in St. Louis. Costello was one of only 290 financial advisers to qualify out of more than 10,000.
J.J. Kaye of Santa Cruz has been named to the HALO Branded Solutions President's Club for sales achievement. He is in the top 10 percent of the company's 800-person nationwide sales force. Kaye has been an accounting executive for HALO for nearly two decades.
Earthbound Farm in San Juan Batista has filled three new positions. Judy Chen was named chief marketing officer, Sandy Whitehouse was named chief human resources officer and Will Daniels was named senior vice president of operations and organic integrity.
Chen has more than 15 years of marketing experience. She was group leader, marketing and business development for Chiquita Brands. Before that, she was with Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream and Clorox.
Whitehouse has more than 15 years experience in human resources. She was vice president of human resources for Orchard Supply Hardware, and before that she was with Sears.
Daniels formerly was senior vice president quality, food safety and organic integrity.
VirnetX Holding Corp. in Scotts Valley has promoted three employees. Victor Larson was named vice president of research and development, Jon Weaklend was named vice president of finance and Greg Wood was named vice president of corporate communications.
Larson will continue to direct VirnetX's research and development efforts as it moves toward securing the emerging 4G mobile markets. He is a co-inventor of VirnetX's technology.
Weaklend has been VirnetX's controller since 2008 and has more than 30 years of financial experience.
Wood has more than 15 years of brand experience that includes McDonald's, Safeway, Nissan, Burger King, Taco Bell, Nutri-System, Supercuts and Pacific Gas & Electric Co.
Also, Dustan Sheehan has been hired as webmaster. A graduate of UC Santa Cruz, he has more then 11 years of design experience and will be responsible for VirnetX's web services and technical communications.
訂閱：
文章 (Atom)