FOR LADIES UNDER 5' 4"

The ‘Make Under’ for the Office – using Bare Minerals

Apr 202012

Make up for work should look natural. Like you – but on a really good day! It has to be easy and quick to apply and not look, well, made up.

Bare Minerals in John Lewis Oxford Street gave me a ‘Make Under’ which was just that, makes you look good without looking overly made up. We want to smooth out and hide the blotchiness, the dark circles, pale winter skin etc but without looking like we’re going on stage at the Palladium!

Never having been a wearer of foundation (honestly, I never have) I was sceptical and wary….(and worried). But of course Ioannis from BareMinerals listened to what I wanted and created that look. I will need to keep practising how little product to use. Throw away those make up trowels. This is the definition of less is more. You won’t believe how little product you need.

The trick to looking natural is to choose foundation that is the same colour (ish) as your skin. The idea is to make your skin look smooth and clear. Don’t try to give yourself a tan with foundation. I took loads of before/after pics of my face – but without professional equipment and lighting it seems impossible to get pictures that really show it properly. You can book your own Make Under until 27 April at events_oxford_street@johnlewis.co.uk.

Start with the Prime Time primer.

I can’t stress enough how little is needed, just a ‘smaller than a pea’ amount. Smooth over your face and then feel how silky your skin feels. I was giggling at how silky my skin really did feel. This creates a smooth surface for the foundation so that you won’t have that awful look where people can see make up on the imperfections in your skin.

Now for the foundation.

I chose Matte, (for an ‘office’ look I didn’t want any ‘glow’ effect) but there is also Original. The pale tub is the foundation that I had, they have lighter ones too. The dark tub is ‘Warmth’ which I mention below.

Again, an incredibly small amount is needed. The brush doesn’t go into the pot of product. Sprinkle a tiny amount into the lid and swirl the brush into it. Press firmly as you do this. Tap off the excess powder and apply. You shouldn’t be able to see obvious powder on the brush. Ioannis showed me to make swirling movements to apply. This ensures no streaks or bits missed. As there is so little product on the brush try doing half your face at a time, then dispense a little more product – until you get the hang of it. I had to practice using less and less product.

Initially you might think that you used too little, but now look at the difference on your skin. Those blemishes are a lot less visible, your face will look smoother and clearer. Very importantly I didn’t feel as though I was wearing slap. Even touching my face didn’t feel as though there was make up there, my skin just felt smooth.

The foundation can be used as concealer as well, on specific patches and under the eyes – just use the small brush provided.

Incredibly (because I never believe such claims) after a few days of using this, my skin did feel smoother when not wearing it at all. How does that work?

Now for Some Warmth

This isn’t blusher, this is just a little bit of health colour to your face. The picture shows the ‘Warmth’ next to the foundation. Scary huh? The point is that sooo little is used that it doesn’t end up that dark colour when applied. Those little specks in the lid are what was used for one side of my face.

Apply to the top of your forehead, down the side and into the cheek and back out and down to the jaw. Make a big 3 shape around the side of your face. Again, you’ll probably have to practice using less and less product….

Of course they have blusher, the principle is the same, use a tiny amount.

I do like the way that the pots seal. They have little pepperpot holes so that it’s easy to dispense tiny amounts of product. Then by twisting the collar of the pot the holes are sealed. This keeps the pot tidy/clean – but also means it’s a lot safer to carry around in a handbag for emergency touch ups in the office.. Oddly, the blusher pot doesn’t have the sealing function.

To Get You Started……

There is a starter kit which contains everything you need to get going – even three brushes. This is what I’m using. My foundation is ‘Fairly Light’ because well, that’s the colour of my skin. If you buy the kit in one of their boutiques you can choose the exact colour of foundation that goes in it. It also has a DVD that shows you the application techniques. (It doesn’t mention the 3 shape – that must have been Ioannis’ idea). It covers the basics and then more advanced eye shadow etc. At £49 it’s a real bargain and the pots of foundation, Warmth and Mineral Veil (a finishing powder) are full size.

Bare Minerals is named such because it just contains minerals, no wax, no oil etc, only natural minerals. Considering how little is used each time, the price becomes a lot more reasonable.

Finishing Touches – Mascara and Lippie

I always wear mascara. I think it makes such a difference to how I look, without making me look made up. I rarely wear eye shadow for work events. I’m always looking for mascara that sits there all day and doesn’t smudge!!! Even smudgeproof mascara smudges! I want it to be water- resistant (doesn’t have to be totally waterproof) so that if an eye waters I don’t look like an extra from the Addams Family. I also (even more so) want it to be smudge proof. I used to carry make up remover with me because I constantly had dark smudges from mascara! Never having been a convert to wearing a lot of make up – I’ve never really graduated from using Rimmel products.

But wait! Here is it! A mascara that doesn’t smudge, is tear resistant – and has a really great brush. I used Flawless Definition Curl & Lengthen. Have a look at the shape of the brush. There’s something about the way that the bristle are arranged that makes it really efficient at getting the stuff onto the lashes. Even those annoying little ones at the side of the eye. I tried it on my Mum and she rushed out and bought one. (Now that’s something that I’ve never seen happen before). I used ‘espresso’ colour.

Lippie

Again, the trick with lip colour – for that perfect office look – is to find a colour that’s as close as possible to your lip colour – or maybe just one shade stronger.

For my makeover we used a liquid colour –Pretty Amazing, ‘Courage’ . It was the best colour match for me and I didn’t ant any extra gloss. But of course they have a whole range of lip colours and ways to apply it.

You don’t need to draw a definite hard line around the edge of your lips, just apply a few small dabs (with a lip brush rather than the applicator) in a line across the middle of your bottom lip. Then smudge your lips together. This gives a natural colour enhancement to your lips without them looking perfectly/overly made up.

Now – go to the office and have everyone wondering why you look so good, when you’re clearly not wearing tonnes of slap!

My work here is done.

Some Extra Help – from facial exfoliators…

Uncategorized No Responses »

Apr 022012

This week Vicki Day, of MrsD Daily lifestyle blog, continues with a post on some lovely facial scrubs (we like to call them exfoliators, it sounds much better!)

Some Extra Help ………
I have noticed after the winter months (and slathering my face in extra moisturiser and balms etc to compensate for the cold weather and the drying effects of the central heating), that my skin looks dull and also quite clogged up. So these last few weeks I have been exfoliating my face – testing some exfoliators and looking at the difference, along with some friends.
These are our favourites …..

Själ Pearl Enzyme Exfoliating Mask £138.00 Harvey Nichols (see more)

This is actually the Rolls Royce of exfoliators we tested – it not only exfoliates your skin but it also acts as an enzyme mask. I had never heard of the brand. It was founded in 2001 by mother and daughter duo, Karen and Kristin Petrovich. Sjӓl is a leading luxury skincare line that merges eastern and western technology. It contains two pearls – a micro pearl extract for brightening and evening skin tones, and crushed pearl granules for a gentle polish and exfoliation. The pearl mask incorporates enzymes such as mushroom, pomegranate, pumpkin and papain in addition to amber beads and a multi fruit extract for a deep, yet gentle exfoliation. Gemstones include diamond, sapphire, ruby, amethyst, citrine and smithsonite for vibrant energy, clarity and balance. Royal jelly and fennel aid in softening and soothing the skin. The results are smooth, polished skin with a bright, even and luminous tone. Sjӓl’s pearl enzyme exfoliating mask should be gently massaged onto slightly damp skin and left on for 10-15 minutes. It can be used 1-3 times a week or as needed. This mask is great for all skin types. Now if your skin is very sensitive or reddens easily, then this is fabulous as it does the job but isn’t harsh and it doesn’t leave your skin feeling taut or dried out – just cleansed and freshened. Afterwards, moisturiser soaks in and foundation glides on.

Guerlain Secret de Pureté – Gentle Polishing Exfoliator £31.50 John Lewis (see more)

This is very rich and is great if you have enlarged pores. Your skin feels cleansed and nourished after using this – our tester is a new convert to all things Guerlain, and says this is perfect if your skin is suffering with the menopause and hot flushes, this will make it look brighter and clearer.

Yves Saint Laurent Top Secrets Natural Action Exfoliator £30.50 Boots (see more)

Free from abrasive particles, the honey-coloured gel is comprised of sugars and ultrafine oils. On contact with the skin, it transforms into light oil and then into milk that gently removes dead skin cells and impurities during rinsing. The skin is smoother and softer; the complexion purified and brightened- the best way to use this is to put some on your finger tips and then rub them together, as it warms up apply to the face massaging in.

Modern Friction™ £30.00 Origins (see more)

Just loved this exfoliator, it’s so cooling on the skin , Rice Starch cushioned in cream, rapidly removes sluggish cells, uneven patches and signs of skin damage and discolourations. Lemon Oil kick starts the process of illumination. Vitamin C mops up skin-menacing free radicals, leaving skin cleansed and smoothed.

Lancôme Exfoliance Clarté £28.00 Lancôme (see more)

This is a lovely cooling gel which is packed with white wax micro-beads, ultra-fine exfoliating grains and a cocktail of Pineapple and Papaya extracts to gently slough off dull skin layers and remove impurities. Leaves the skin clean, smooth and toned for a simply radiant complexion. Feels wonderful on skin and leaves it smooth and brightened.

Decléor Double Radiance Scrub £27.50 John Lewis (see more)

For all the Decléor groupies – yes we know once you have tried Decléor you become addicted. This scrub is fabulous. It has three types of natural scrubbing particles, it is more than an exfoliator; it is a true radiance revealing treatment. The essential oil of Saro and Elemi boost the skin’s natural defences and activate the microcirculation so that the complexion is left re-energised, detoxified and radiant. This gets a huge thumbs up from everyone, a refreshing product.

Elemis Skincare Skin Buff, 50ml £24.60 Elemis (see more)

We love this brand as it never lets you down with any product. It’s always fabulous and this is no exception. It re-energises the skin using deep-cleansing Phytoplankton. The fine exfoliating granules slough off dead skin cells, leaving the complexion brighter and the skin better able to breathe. Extracts of Laurel, Hops and soothing Chamomile calm and enrich – leaving your face, smooth and clear.

Soap & Glory Scrub Your Nose In It™ £7.50 Boots (see more)

This is just fabulous , it does what it says and more on the tube – sloughing off the dead skin , brightening the skin and generally just clearing the daily debris from your face , use a small amount and work the t-zone and then work out – a big favourite with everyone young and old.

Get Your Skin Ready for the Summer – Buff that Body

Fashion No Responses »

Mar 272012

This lovely March weather has us thinking of summer, so let’s start thinking about preparing for it. Now, exfoliating products are something about which I know nothing – so I asked Vicki Day of MrsD Daily blog to tell us about some. Vicki blogs about beauty, fashion and other lovely things.

Yes, the winter months are coming to an end and you’re either planning a spring break or Easter holiday, or you will definitely be losing the heavy layers as the warmer weather comes. It’s time to expose the flesh.

So let’s get our skin ready for those moments when we wish to go bare legged or short sleeved and we don’t want our rough looking skin on display. First we buff, then we moisturise and then if you wish to really be ready – time to fake tan.

Buffing doesn’t just get rid of the dead, pimply skin, it also boosts circulation and gets the skin looking better. Now most people just grab a scrub off the shelf a week before an important event, and brush away. Then the rest of the year there’s that annoying tube in the cupboard which gets binned when you spring clean.

It should actually be part of your regular routine as it’s great for circulation. Your skin is better with regular exfoliation and it helps moisturiser soak into the skin more easily where it’s needed most.

All these exfoliators have been tried and tested by us and given the thumbs up…

Lime and Ginger Salt Glow £35.80 Elemis (see more)

Just love this jar, and the wonderful sea salt combined with an exotic trio of nourishing oils infused with stimulating ginger and lime exfoliates and tones the body, boosting metabolism. Energise your skin whilst leaving it silky soft. This scrub not only scrubs and removes the dead skin it also leaves the skin coated in a wonderful oil – your skin looks refreshed and invigorated. Elemis is a great range which produces fabulous results.

Real Luxury: Organic Body Scrub £30.00 Neom (see more)

A great scrub with a wonderful aroma, this is made with 97% certified organic ingredients. It’s sugar based and mixed with the finest oils including Safflower & Jojoba with added Vitamin E for extra skin softening. The pure essential oils are Lavender, Jasmine & Brazilian Rosewood. This is an effective scrub but very gentle and leaves skin feeling soft and gently coated with the essential oils.

Warming Eucalyptus & Ginger Body Scrub £29.00 Molton Brown (see more)

A very invigorating sea salt scrub with a blend of pure eucalyptus oil, root ginger. It leaves the skin feeling very energised and soft – plus with the heat of the warm water the scent is very refreshing and wakes you up in the morning.

Caribbean Therapy™ Body Scrub £29.00 Aveda (see more)

This is a mixture of sugar and salt which has been infused with coconut, avocado and passion fruit oils; so it has a delicious aroma and is very effective on dry flaky skin – but gentle. The scent on your skin is delicious but not over powering.

Hot Salt Scrub £28.60 Bliss (see more)

This is fabulous and everyone who tries this becomes addicted. It’s made of sea salt which heats up and releases eucalyptus and rosemary oils. This will make your skin very smooth whilst leaving you refreshed. It’s perfect for stubborn areas like knees and elbows.

Clarins Smoothing Body Scrub £27.00 John Lewis (see more)

Squeeze a blob into your hand, rub your hands together and attack the back of your arms, legs , thighs and bum – this is fabulous and really get the circulation going – this is a fine blend scrub and quite gentle if your skin is fragile.

Spice of Life – Lemongrass & Ginger Body Scrub £16.50 Angela Langford (see more)

A personal favourite of Mrs.D due to the fact it’s an amazing scrub – it really does attack the dead skin and get rid of it but also it’s got the most amazing oils infused into the sea salt – lemongrass and ginger. Your skin is gently coated and left feeling soft and nourished. Plus it’s made in the UK by a small company.

Tropical Bergamot Body Scrub £5.99 Organic Surge (see more)

This is in a handy tube and perfect for everyday, or if you’re going away and want to keep up the good work. It’s made from finely ground apricot stones and walnut shells, which gently exfoliate and smooth the skin while sweet almond oil softens and replenishes skin moisture. Enriched with organic bergamot and sweet orange essential oils, which eliminate toxins and help you to de-stress. A wonderful aroma and does really attack the knees and elbows.

Midi Length Skirts are fashionable? Petites Must Not be Tempted

Fashion 2 Responses »

Oct 052011

I know the catwalks are full of midi skirts. Call it midi, calf-length, below the knee,,..whatever! But beware Petite ladies, beware. This length works only on the very young and possibly the very tall.

Salma Hayek is sticking with this classic shift dress at knee length. Shift dresses are really on trend this season and you can see how the knee-length really works on Petites. See her here http://ht.ly/6N80O

For us shorties that left school some years ago….it’s a very aging length, and I’ve never me a woman that wants to look older. Some want to look taller. I don’t care about trying to look taller, I just want to look good.

Let’s not forget that those that dictate the latest fashions consider only women of 5’7” and above. They don’t stop to think what will suit a shorty – and a lot of what becomes fashionable needs to be scaled down (or up!) for us.

Keep those skirts at the knee or just above the knee. The more leg you show, the more the illusion of height but very importantly – this is a great, smart and businesslike length. Not at all dowdy. It also sends a message of confidence – which is great for work.

For anyone that is now thinking ..’ooh above the knee…ooh I’m not sure, I don’t think I could…..’ YES YOU CAN! And you must. You will look younger, smarter, businesslike and more confident.

Do it , and come back and tell me that you did it!

Oh, that’s not me in the picture, but it is a Short Couture dress.

Clothes Shopping Tips for Petites

Fashion No Responses »

Jun 022011

I know that sometimes we have to buy non Petite clothes and just live with the bad fit. Otherwise we’d have very sparse wardrobes. So when this happens there are things that we can look out for so that we don’t make things even worse for ourselves.

Prints are really on trend at the moment (thank goodness – it’s so boring when everything is plain) but we should choose the

: What did you buy- let me see.

smaller prints, they don’t have to be teeny tiny, just avoid the very large prints. A small amount of large print makes you look small. If choosing ruffles and frills, again get the smaller ones. Often these frills are sewn onto the top of the blouse fabric so can be unpicked and removed. If you can do this, consider it, it transforms an overly frilly garment. A heavily ruffled blouse on a woman on 5’9” may look great – but on a shorty it drowns us and all anyone can see is a mass of ruffles. Your body shape (and the rest of the top/blouse) is lost.

The rule of ‘smaller’ applies to most things – avoid masses of huge buttons, very wide trims etc, smaller buttons and narrower trims are best – they are more in scale with our bodies. On suit type jackets go for low buttoning jackets, rather than a row of buttons up to the neck. If you can wield a sewing needle a bit, you could consider changing overly large buttons, but remember to sew up the button hole a bit too!

Watch out for big pleats on skirts and gathering on waist lines – they can work, but be careful, they too tend to bulge outwards and can have a widening effect making you look wider and shorter.

The horizontal/vertical stripes debate? Horizontal stripes work if they are narrow, avoid very wide hoops & stripes.

Skirts are best just above the knee or full maxi to the floor. A lot of petite dresses are mid-calf – but this is very aging! Don’t be tempted, with some styles this length is nothing short of frumpy.

Be careful with brands that do sell ‘Petite’ – always try it on – a lot of them do this very badly, sleeves too long, rise and body too long. Several retailers only shorten sleeves and hems – that’s not enough to make something genuinely Petite.

And don’t forget the accessories – the rule of smaller applies here too. Those huge bags just make small women look smaller. If you must have a huge bag, carry it low down, not high up under your arm.

Remember the rule of ‘scaled down smaller’. We shorties are scaled down taller people, so the fashion that we wear has to be the same.

See clothes made for Petites by Short Couture

New Online Petite Fashion Brand for Working Women

Business Comment, Fashion, Startups No Responses »

Apr 122011

New Online Petite Fashion Brand for Working Women ShortCouture.com launched.

ShortCouture.com is a new fashion brand for style-conscious Petite / Short women aged 30+ that want fashionable clothes to wear to work.

Short Couture can proudly say that it is supporting the British fashion industry as everything is Made in England and is labelled so, but is still very affordable Prices range from £54 – £125.

ShortCouture was started by Hayley Chalmers who, being 5’1” herself, well knows all the problems of fit. Hayley explains “People think it’s just about long trouser legs but there are at least 5 areas on clothes that are too long that can’t be altered. A jacket or dress can’t be shortened in the body, altering sleeves will usually ruin the design.”

After being made redundant in 2009 she decided to do what she had always wanted, and spent her entire savings on setting up her own business.

Hayley explains: ‘I had the idea about 5 years ago but with no fashion experience it was quite scary. After being made redundant, one day I just felt that the time was right and thought ‘I’m going to do it NOW’.

40% of women are 5’3” and under, but most fashion is created on models of 5’7”. Shorter women have always struggled to find well fitting fashionable clothes. What there is on the High Street is mainly for the under 30s.

Market research carried out by Short Couture showed that short ladies are clamouring for smart trousers, and dresses with sleeves, so these are at the core of the first collection

The dresses and blouses can easily be dressed up for going from Desk to Drinks. With only small quantities of each line produced they are also quite exclusive.

< ENDS >

NOTES TO EDITORS:

ShortCouture.com is a new clothing site aimed at the Petite working woman. It was founded in 2009 and launched in March 2011 by Hayley Chalmers. She was an IT manager for 11 years and had no fashion industry knowledge at all. Hence researching and setting up the business took almost two years, but her 20 years business management experience is an excellent grounding for running the business.

Product shots are available in high or low resolution.

CONTACT:

NAME: Hayley Chalmers

Hayley is available for interviews, comment and opinion on Petite fashion and starting a fashion business.

Mob: 07876 507425, Landline: 01296 661041

www.shortcouture.com

EMAIL: hayley@shortcouture.com

Bank Holiday for Royal Wedding – who will mind the shop?

Business Comment, Startups 1 Response »

Apr 122011

Not everyone cares about the wedding and doesn’t need a day off to flag wave and celebrate.

Not all businesses want to be forced to stop trading for yet another day in April.

But staff feel entitled to the day off and you don’t want to be a rotten meany and hack them all off by not allowing it.

So, what to do? This:

Discuss with your staff that you want to stay open, that’s it good customer service, that you can’t afford the loss of trade etc – offer them the choice that, rather than have 29 April off – to have an extra day on their holiday allowance to be taken at another time. You may find that this is by far the more popular option. Some people that have kids may want the day off as their kids are off school – but even some of them may make other arrangements in order to get an extra day of holiday to use as they want.

Show the broadcast in the office so that people can keep an eye on it if they want to. Some will want to see the happy couple (and the dress!) but not spend several hours at home watching the whole thing.

Large firms sometimes show particularly important sporting events (England in the Rugby World Cup Final type thing). It’s good practice and prevents a lot of sickies.

Of you are not a big firm or don’t have a TV feed into your premises, it is likely to be broadcast as a live Internet feed – so you can show that. Don’t allow it to be streamed to a lot of PCs though – that will flood your Internet connection and no-one will be able to watch it.

Then everyone is happy and you have no arguments about recompense for working on a BH, because they have a day in lieu.

Selling on the Internet? Your customers must be protected from you!

Budget, Business Comment, Startups 3 Responses »

Apr 082011

I have no adjectives (that I can write here) to describe the new EU proposals to further increase customer protection when purchasing. If anyone is looking for some unnecessary red tape to remove – this is it.

In the UK we have long had the Sales of Goods Act (SoGA), and it’s been updated a few times to keep up to date. It has provided more than sufficient protection to consumers for all that time.

Then the government decided that they hadn’t legislated enough for selling on the Internet. They made up for that in a big way by giving us the Distance Selling Regulations.

I’m a very down to earth, cut-to-the-chase type of person, and I think we could have just added a few paragraphs to the SoGA to cover distance selling. But no. Only a government could make something so simple, into a complex, unintelligible and damn unclear document. Oh, and they made it unnecessarily over protective to the consumer, open to abuse and costly for the seller.

It’s so complex and unclear that large retailers are getting it wrong – let alone many small businesses. A lot of businesses are not even aware of the existence of the DSRs!

The idea of the Distance Selling Regs was to give the consumer (as close as possible) the same rights as in a shop, where they can examine products before buying. This point was partly lost in the DSRs and with these new proposals it has been completely obliterated. But I can’t see what goal it has been replaced with.

How can it be enforced? There are thousands of small/medium companies and sole traders on the Internet. I don’t want any of our tax sterling to be used on prosecuting a small startup sole trader who only ships to the UK (because that’s all they can afford.) This will just increase costs for those that can’t afford it – and where will those costs end up – on the price of the product. Nice one EU – you just increased our prices again and we paid you to do it.

To try to replicate on a website, the customer’s experience in a shop, yes we must allow the customer to examine the goods. So fine – they can examine them, decide they don’t want them and return.

But why does the retailer have to refund the carriage cost on a cancelled order? The customer CHOSE to buy from the website, they weren’t forced. They had plenty of time to browse, no-one was pressuring them (as with door-step or telephone selling). In the same way that they chose to purchase in High Street shop A and not B.

And why should the retailer have to refund BEFORE the goods are returned –and even if they are NEVER returned. This is not what happens when purchasing in a shop.

But the EU has decided that the poor consumer needs yet further protection from those rascally retailers. But those same retailers must offer their wares to the whole of the EU.

Now, unless the EU can point me to thousands, or even hundreds of cases, where consumers have complained that 7 days was not enough time for them to open a parcel and decide if they wanted the item or not; why are they doing this? What is driving it? Why do they think the customer needs extra protection?

14 days ladies and gents. They want the poor consumer to have 14 days to decide if they want the item or not. Who cannot decide within 7 days if they want to keep something that they chose to buy? How can anyone think that 7 days is unreasonable. We make these decisions in shops in minutes, but in our own homes need 14 days?

BUT – in a shop will spend 10 mins to an hour (depending on item ) choosing. Not 7 days. OK let’s be generous and say that 7 days is OK and we are all happy with it. The reality is, that usually when something arrives you open it the same day and decide pretty quickly. So 7 days is more than generous.

This will cause cash flow prediction to be even more of a crystal ball exercise. And is open to more abuse.

They want to force businesses to sell to all EU countries. I can only imagine that no-one who has voted for this has EVER been involved in running a company that sold products abroad to the public. Begs the question doesn’t it; ‘and what exactly qualifies these people to legislate on this then?’.

It’s not the same as selling to the UK. It’s not hard to think how retailers are open to even more fraud and abuse by customers cancelling orders and not returning goods (but the regs say that the retailer must refund anyway). The extra cost of replacing incorrect goods (more possible fraud here) and cost of return of these. The card processing systems still cause failure on some international transactions.

This is clearly another crazy idea that has been given no thought and is completely uninformed. More and more I think that the EU MPs have run out of things to do and have to find more crazy ways to ‘justify’ their expenses.

And making retailers pay for returns costs where they exceed €40? For goodness sake – the customer chose to buy the big/heavy item on the internet – usually because it was cheaper than in shops and because it was more convenient than traipsing around shops. They were not forced! So why should the retailer pay for returns for lazy customers/

Put these three changes together, sell to ALL EU countries and pay for returms over €40, and give the buyer 14 days to cancel the order, but not have to return the goods. That’s going to cost retailers a small fortune

Thousands of businesses exist ONLY because of the existence and wonders of the Internet. If we make it too onerous and expensive for them to trade, we’ll kill these businesses.

These proposed changes have to be stopped. It is yet another, completely pointless (and I mean pointless), expensive, unenforceable, unworkable piece of red tape.

Oh yoo hoo, Mr Cable!. Over here! I’ve found some.

Business Insurance? Ecommerce home businesses – please go away.

Business Comment, Startups No Responses »

Apr 052011

Dear Business Insurance Industry, Don’t be so scared of the Internet and that a lot of people buy things over it.

I thought that building a business was hard. Trying to get insurance for an online business is stupefyingly hard.

The business insurance industry appears to be hiding behind the sofa from the 20^th Century (the 21^stCentury must be scary nightmare). It doesn’t seem to know how to insure ecommerce businesses. Definitely doesn’t know how to asses the risk.

They’ve actually quoted me more to insure £10K of stock than I pay for buildings and contents insurance combined! Explain.

They don’t have an insurance policy (product) for e-comm home workers. I know it’s a new industry. But come on, it’s as new as mobile phones! It’s been around for 10+ years. You should have had specific products for it at least 5 years ago.

Isn’t insurance based on understanding the risk and on history of that risk? Seems not to be the case any more.

Did you hear the Chancellor and the PM talk about how small businesses can drive the economy? Did you see the StartUp Britain campaign? Small businesses are here to stay and a lot of them will be on the Internet selling stuff.

Business forums are filled with people asking where to get business insurance – or what type they need – or where to get it cheaper – because it’s £300!

Insurance is about assessing risk – likelihood of a claim, and based on the historic claims. I don’t see this happening here.

Where are the underwriters who used to make decisions and make a note on the policy file – we can’t do that now?

Why can’t you make a modular policy? Basics would be included of course but then just add in what we need/don’t need. I don’t need £2.5k of office equipment cover, I’ve got a laptop and a printer, £500 max.

Do I need £1m of public liability when I don’t see the public and no-one comes to the house?

Have you installed a new fangled computer system and over automated everything in the process? So now you can’t be at all flexible? Are you just a call centre now with standard products? If we don’t fit your ‘shop’ or ‘tradesman’ policy you just load the premium because you don’t understand the risk. You see the thing about automating/computerising a business, is that the computer systems should replicate you existing business processes. They shouldn’t change them.

You’ve even got online premium calculators – which are infuriating. If we don’t fit into your list of businesses (and I haven’t found one of these that lists e-commerce) then you can’t quote.

Why not just say ‘Ecommerce home businesses need not apply. You’re too modern, please go away. You make us feel uncomfortable.’

And yet – oh the irony is overwhelming. You allow us to buy all sorts of insurance online and pay online – so what has that made YOU?– yes, an ecommerce business.

So because I work from home you want to load the premium because it’s a house and I have £10k stock – you think that’s high risk. It’s a (not posh) 300 house village, no lorries come to the house, no customers, no couriers to collect/deliver. I don’t have a sign. Mention was made of where I am – if you’re using the postcode to rate it – don’t. Catch up with technology and use Google maps to see exactly where I am. You know that postcodes were allocated with no rhyme nor reason. Crime rates are very low here, mostly cars being broken into or yoofs kicking cans.

So you think that if someone were targeting fashion companies it would be easy to target my house. Do you think they’d bother breaking into an occupied property for £10k of unknown brand gear that only fits a niche market? Or might they hijack a high street store delivery? Or ram raid a brand store?

What about the company that can’t quote because I have oil fired central heating and it isn’t written into the policy. What the..? Oil fired central heating isn’t new!!!! If I can get house insurance on it (not a problem at all) why don’t you know how to add the wording into your policy. Walk across the office to the domestic house insurance team and ask them!!! How hard is that?

So if I opened a high street shop with £60k of stock that would be a lesser risk? That’s an easy one to quote for is it? Even though the public would be coming onto my premises. But little Johnny can poke his eye out with a broken hanger that was carelessly left on the floor – and that’s a better risk than a few garments in my house – which is always occupied? Explain.

The brokers can see how ridiculous a situation it is, but the insurance companies can’t.

Get a grip Business Insurance Industry – it’s 2011, working from home on the Internet has been a big thing for 10+ years. Catch up!!

Startup Britain – Response from a Penniless Startup

Business Comment, Startups 3 Responses »

Apr 032011

So they got 70+ big companies to pledge help to Startup Businesses. That’s nice and it might be useful.

But who are these companies and what have they pledged? Is it useful to someone trying to start a business? And erm..did they ask any new/struggling startups what they would have wanted?

What the organisers have done is laudable, but considering that they all started businesses, they seem to have forgotten their roots.

This is not a cynical yah boo post about Startup Britain, I think it’s a great idea. I’m told that it’s been organised very quickly, I absolutely appreciate that this kind of thing takes a lot of organising. It’s clearly been rushed out to be launched just behind the budget. Nothing wrong with that! This kind of initiative needs a lot of press coverage. Getting heavyweight multimillionaires’ and government backing is an excellent way to do it. Let’s not forget (as many people are doing) that this is a not for profit initiative.

It’s not finished so it’s hard to have a final opinion. And it’s not on exactly the track that I’d like to see. It’s very near the right track but has one wheel on the gravel.

Some of these offers are what the companies do all the time, anyway. They aren’t special deals. Blackberry, Instant ,PowWow, Regus – I’m looking at you but you are not alone.

O2 – one month’s free line rental – whilst stocks last? Which marketing whizz thought that one up? Sure you can afford it?

MOO.com with 50 free business cards. You’re starting to get it, but 50 cards isn’t enough.

Will 20% off a pair of glasses help me start a business? I really admire Jamie Murray Wells but that really smacks of bandwagon jumping-on, for the publicity. I know he’s one of the founders – but you can see how it looks.

Analyse the Microsoft deal, I bet it’s not them actually training people on IT. It will likely be a Microsoft training course if you use their products. Because that what MS does all the time anyway.

McKinsey are creating yet another scheme to get graduates to start a business. There are so many schemes for graduates already, that the website has a section for it.

Deals limited to 1000 hours, 5000 businesses won’t last long. Then what? If you’re not in that queue today, or make the decision to start a business next year, this deal is gone.

This is being billed as a £1500 package. I can’t see it. Not every offer is suitable for every business and there are a lot of offers that still need to be found.

I suspect that what happened was that companies were asked what they would offer to get on scheme, and they saw it as a free advertising bandwagon.

What these companies don’t seem to have looked at is how much new business they could win. Business that would stay with them, longterm. If someone helps you, when you really need, that tends not to be forgotten. This is art of gaining customer loyalty.

There is a big list of names that have pledged their support but we have no offer yet. I can see the deep ruts in the agreement made by the wheels as the bandwagon passed by.

The amount of free advertising that these companies are getting should shame them into a better deal. Did I say shame? Send dictionaries to each company please.

What I would like to see:

Start with a list of all the things that startups need. Again not all companies need the same things so it’s going to be a long list. A lot of those things are on the SUB list – but the offers are weak.

Instead of asking these national Megacorps what they can give (this isn’t a raffle prize) I’d like to see some guidance as to the type of deal that is being sought. Companies will want to calculate the cost (naturally), this is easy as there are plenty of figures on how many people do, or want to start a business. But they can come up with a deal.

These have to be real deals. 10% off is nice (all discounts are good) but it’s not enough to make it the best deal around. I could probably get cheaper insurance or printer by shopping around.

It has to be good deal. A deal to save money, a deal that allows you to afford something that you would have had to go without. A deal that will make a difference! For services the deals should last a year.

I don’t expect companies to make a loss on the deals that they offer. I don’t expect it because it doesn’t need to happen. They are clever enough to create good deals that aren’t loss making. They can do tie-in deals, that’s OK too, as long as the tie-in isn’t punitive. You an take off the frills to make it more affordable.

Presumably national companies won’t do great deals for fear of a lot of people taking them up. And being national that’s entirely possible. They don’t want small-beer accounts really, they want the big companies with their big budgets because they all look short term. If the big companies want to be a part of this I’d like to see them really look as though they are interested in nurturing the small companies to grow – to become bigger customers.

But come on big guys, if you’re going to be here, get creative with the deals. I’m not just saying give a bigger discount, but create a deal.

To give you an idea of what would help: a multifunction printer on 6 months interest free credit.

A heavily discounted broadband deal, 6 months half price– tie-in for 2 years if you like.

Business Insurance – 6 months interest free payments.

Get creative – build a deal for startups. Maybe a reduced product offer, but at a startups price. That would help.

If you big-company marketing teams can’t come up with something, here’s MY offer. Tell me what your business is and I’ll think of something to get you started off. If I can’t come up with a deal I’ll ask the startups community. I promise to submit only sensible deals that will allow you to make money on them.

Any takers?

Because this concentrates on big names with national coverage it misses all the other products and services that businesses need.

The people in the big companies have (likely) never started or run a small business. So can we expect them to know what the small businesses need? Maybe not – but we could tell them. We could give them some ideas and pointers and see what they can build on that.

If you’re afraid that a lot of companies will take you up on your offer then put some resource behind it, make it a great deal and then rake in the new business and bask in the well deserved glory.

Startups need local firms too. We need vehicle leasing/van hire, accountants, lawyers, stationery, commercial premises agents, printers, office furniture, recruiters, product packaging, PR firms, copywriters, web designers, website builders and more.

I’d like to see this open to any company in the UK that wants to offer a deal to Startups. Sort it by county and industry – like a Yellow Pages of Startupdeals.

There are thousands of firms out there that startups need and that would be willing to give a great deal to a startup firm. If they all helped one company to startup and in doing so got one new customer, that would help the economy.

I’m not knocking the initiative, absolutely not. I had a very similar idea several months ago when I was setting up my startup and struggling to find goods and services that I could afford. A great thing about something like this is that it’s never finished. New deals can be added all the time. I’d just like to see it offer deals that will genuinely make a difference to startups.

Not sure why this was not done in conjunction with the FPB, FSB and CBI. There are a few British companies in there that may have been happy to offer startup deals.

The immediate reaction seemed to be a lot of negativity. I can only imagine because there is already tonnes of free help/advice on the web on all areas of starting a business. Maybe everyone was looking to the meaty bits, the deals. But what they got is the same Google voucher that falls out of every business magazine. I can see why there is some cynicism.

But I think the reaction has a lot to do with the way it was launched. It’s clearly not even half ready and (possibly because it was kept under wraps) launched by the PM it looks like it’s government funded. Many thought it was.

Let’s see if the remaining deals prove me wrong when they come along. Yo! Sushi? Will there really be a free lunch?

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Startup Britain – Response from a Penniless Startup

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