Open Coffee 9 Sept

Another great Open Coffee despite the weather’s attempts to keep folk away. After gathering downstairs with our chosen caffeine drinks, a number of discussions quickly established.

Nigel Legg came along and we discussed the analysis of those pesky free text boxes on customer surveys. The rest of the form is automated but the free text stuff needs to be transcribed, coded and then analysed using specialist software. But the benefit from those short bursts of direct feedback from customers and clients can be critical, and that’s what Nigel provides. He’s managing a team across the UK and beyond and providing his service to the market research companies as an added value proposition.

Janice Gjertsen Caillet (Founder & CEO, Coaching Circles) also joined us for the first time to find out what happening and interesting in Bristol. As a relatively new citizen to Bristol (after 10 yrs in New York and then 4 in Paris) she’s brought her executive coaching and business mentoring company with her. Lots of great ideas about shaking up the scene and competing on the global stage.

Andy and I also had a bit of a chat about business development and financing growth in the current financial climate. As the Bristol Enterprise Network event tomorrow night will explore, there are growth opportunities in a recession, but its hard(er) work. Having been through the last dotcom boom Andy knows his stuff so it’s reassuring to hear him planning for growth, even though he does touch wood every time he mentions it. I’m hanging on to my desk as I write this. 🙂

Peter Livingston from Clarke Willmott joined us towards the end of the discussion with some thoughts on IP and the value of a good legal brief in tough times. Although neither Andy or I have retained legal counsel there is definite value in the particular focus and discipline that a lawyer’s training brings to business analysis and process refinement. This is probably especially true in a creative business where the ‘normal’ business practice is less logical and articulated and more spontaneous and freeform. Great for creativity and innovation, trickier for compliance and contract management.

All in all another good morning, and apologies to those I only got to say hi to briefly.