My Learning Journey in San Francisco

I'm in San Francisco on a Learning Journey, an organised tour around businesses and institutions in California with a group of entrepreneurs from around the UK. It is an incredible life changing experience.

We headed south first thing in the morning to Mountain View in Silicon Valley for the first appointment with Symantec with company evangelist Dale Zabriskie. The security software company is best known for consumer security software product Norton Utilities. The presentation was an expansive overview of the threats to data security and the constantly changing nature of those such perils – from hackers, activists, organised crime and even hostile states. They do this specifically through their three Security Operations Centres (SOC) – one is in Reading – which track what the bad guys do. But we learned too about how Symantec has embedded a culture of innovation into the business to make them able to provide the thought leadership that can maintain their business and on top of their sector and even acquire businesses that give them a strategic edge. And to innovate the key is to fail quickly, take heed, move on. This was evident in how business has started analysing the weight of data now being produced – had you ever heard of a Zeddobyte or a Yottabyte? Big numbers with 24 zeroes. We are a generation that is data rich but information poor, so much we have, but so much is also irrelevant, 75 per cent, Dale suggested. What matters is being able to understand which bits of data require a layer of information that make them intelligent and worth backing up and securing.

Then we headed back to the city to meet Salesforce.com.  It takes balls of steel to cull a chunk of your business at a time of maximum growth. Especially so when you grow by 40 per cent a year, every year, for 13 years. That was just one of the hundreds of anecdotes, insights, facts and spellbinding insights from a trio of presentations and discussions we were part of at Salesforce.com the most innovative company in the world. At the centre was the transformation of the business – essentially an internet based sales CRM management system - into a social enterprise – one that embraces and enhances the social networking revolution and places it at the centre of everything the company does. Woodson Martin kicked us off with his analysis of how the explosion in mobile devices is changing everything – his you can even read this here – 50 ways to become a social enterprise. Part of this is embedded in the ways in which Salesforce have implemented Chatter – essentially a bespoke secure internal communications network that edits out the noise we all suffer from with Facebook and Twitter. It's improved productivity, communication and the flow of ideas – indeed CEO Marc Benioff has tagged these the Chatterati – and radically flattened the whole organisation. Innovation is at the heart of Salesforce and Cloud computing and keeping that edge is what gives the business a premium. Clarence So, senior VP of strategy, spoke to us about how the business fought off various challenges over the years with a characteristic cheeky humour and attitude. One way they do this: how tactics dictate strategy that recognises how many of the best laid plans end up going wrong anyway – tactics and what we learn from them inform our strategy.

To understand the entrepreneurial mindset of Silicon Valley it's important to get your head around the contribution of the universties – in particular Stanford and Berkeley, our next stop off. We were hosted at Stanford by Tom Byers, the head of the technology ventures program. Though the university has a proud legacy of creating businesses in the technology field, the purpose of Tom had worked Symantec beforehand and so had some rubber on the entrepreneurial road. His talk included video presentations from a bunch of his friends – Jack Dorsey, one of the creators of Twitter, venture capital investor Marc Andressen, entrepreneur Steve Blank, evangelist Guy Kawsaki, and Randy Komiser author of Getting to Plan B. He capped it off with a clip of Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's COO and a hot tip to be the first female President of the United States. The themes included business models and planning, as well as some of the the resources are here.

More tomorrow.

Shining a (City) light on a brave new world

Gareth, Nick, Jamie, Will and Jeff

Travelling around San Francisco and taking in the delights of this energetic diverse city has been a journey of discovery and rediscovery. I first walked the steep streets of San Francisco in 1986. One of the reasons I was drawn here as a 19 year old was the spirit of the Beat Poets like Alan Ginsberg and cult author Jack Kerouac. Both have an important cultural legacy here, held up at City Lights bookstore in North Beach.

I support independent retailers and love the curiosity and magic of a bookstore, but I was a little deflated by this visit to City Lights. Amongst the shelves of Anarchist poetry and rows of Noam Chomsky there was no place for two contempary and important books I would like to buy while I'm here - books by Richard Florida and Michael Lewis, both authors with something relevant to say about the world and modern America.

Anyway, ten minutes of browsing and I was off. Back over the road to have a chat to the rest of my party about other things that fascinate us - the new Raspberry Pi, University spin outs, satellite technology and IBM's re-invention. And City Lights wouldn't have any books that had anything to say about any of that. More's the pity.

The toilet politics of the Marple LibDems

The latest pre-election leaflet from our local Liberal Democrat candidate and sitting Councillor is further evidence of her unfitness to hold public office any longer.

Shan Alexander claims credit for a scheme to save a toilet block in Memorial Park and open up other facilities. I thought it was wind up at first. Is this the best they can claim in after running Stockport Council?

Then there is her woolly stance on the planning application by Asda's agents as if it was anything to do with her. Oh, actually it was. She was a Governor of the college, but never said anything about the plan until it was clear where public opinion stood.

The dismissal of potential opponents as "faceless" is a low blow. She has the benefit of incumbency for her profile. An opponent does not, neither do they have the ability to maintain local visibility and be paid £40,000 into her household as her and her husband do.

And who is to say that opponent hasn't been active in local campaigns?

This is the kind of low politics a good mate of mine, a former Labour Councillor, described as "LibDem Dog Dirt politics."

You know where you are with Labour - looking out for the hard up - and the Tory Party in local politics - small business and small state governance. Lib Dems? What matters is what gets them elected. Well, I hope it backfires this time.

Why Pacer trains break down

There's a piece in Private Eye about how poor old Northern Rail are starved of subsidy and investment and that their vile 1980s Pacer trains are prone to breaking down a lot.

I spoke to a guard recently who explained that they often run out of fuel because the driver can't tell how much gas is in the tank. It's guesswork at the start of a shift and they hope for the best.

What a way to run a railway.

Hang the DJ in Cannes

It's been a long time since I was in a DJ booth, but this was too good a chance to miss. Ear to the Ground are an amazingly creative Manchester-based events business. They do ambient and experiental events for clients like Umbro and Manchester City Football Club, as well as pop festivals – I mean, they’re putting on Elbow and Paul Weller at Jodrell Bank this summer. How cool is that?

At the MIPIM property event in Cannes, the team from Groundbreaking who do events in property spaces and liven up public realms – hosted an end of show party. They invite the guests to choose three tracks and play a DJ set. It’s a great idea, and floats the boat of old rockers and young bucks alike – it makes everyone feel that little bit more involved. This was my 10 minutes of fame. I chose a trio of tunes that would have rocked the joint at 2am when everyone was loaded, but simply got a few approving nods from proper veterans of the golden age of late 80′s house music. Ladies and Gentlemen I give you – Eric B & Rakim’s Paid in Full, Joe Smooth’s Promised Land and the epic It’s Alright by Sterling Void. Plenty of memories rekindled, Limbo on a Saturday night in Perth for one.

If you are going to San Francisco...

My favourite American city is San Francisco. I'm delighted to be heading there next weekend. If there are any tips and hints and places to see then I'd be delighted to hear them as I've not been for ten years. I'll be staying in Union Square in the centre of the city and therefore pretty handy. I've got a tour of Alcatraz booked in, which I'd not done before, and I'm not drinking at the moment. Anything else considered.

When I stayed in 2000 I saw an art deco poster from the 1920s. I have never been able to find it online or in any shop in the USA. I also tracked down the poster from an Oasis concert in 1996 I went to and it was rubbish - quite embarrassingly so - and therefore developed a bit of a mission to find some San Francisco art for our home that reminds me of this wonderful city. The fall back position is this poster, left from designers Anderson Design Group.

The new Michael Taylor Events blog

I've started a new blog that records the events I work on. It's now no longer a secret that I'm leaving Insider this year. The story about that is here. While the name of this new blog is not the identity of my new business or anything, it is intended to record what I've learned from each event, what worked and equally what didn't. If anyone wants to have a look, it's here. If anyone wants to talk to me about making their events better and sharper, email me here.

How to enjoy a diet

On the advice of Steve Hoyles, my personal trainer, I've been on a diet. I'm not fat or anything, but I carry a few lumps in the wrong places. I wanted to shift a few pounds and to reap better rewards from the fitness regime Steve's had me on over the last 18 months.

I'm about to enter a busy time of my life - setting up by own business and being available for my family to be a better husband and father. One of the the first things to go is booze, which is a Lent thing as well.

The diet involves cutting out pasta, rice, potatoes and bread. It was hard going in the first week - especially at lunchtimes where everything revolves round a sandwich. It's not the Atkins, by the way, and Steve outlines it on his own website here. The onus is on me to eat lots of vegetables and fruit and be sensible about the sugars and sauces. And to drink loads of water. Certainly our spice rack has never been better used.

It's working. I don't weigh myself, but my definition has improved and the belly has shrunk in two weeks. I'd say I'm probably down to 13 stone, but I'm not that bothered about the number, the more accurate indicator is that clothes fit me, which had got a bit snug. I also have a lot of energy and am sleeping much better. For what I've got to do in the next month, this is just the job.

Getting beaten at Man City - this is how it feels to be Rovers

Manchester City fielded at least four players against Blackburn Rovers yesterday who cost more than Venky's paid to buy an entire club. With the exception of City keeper Joe Hart - who may as well not have bothered playing - no Rovers player cost more than the next cheapest City player.

There is a gulf in money between the clubs. There was also a gulf in class. I said to my eldest lad yesterday that the point wasn't to hope we'd win - we had no chance - but for him to watch at close quarters a player of sublime skill and ability - David Silva.

We can moan about humiliation and tactics as much as we like, but that's the truth. And whoever else buys the club, there isn't a thing we can do about it. The Man United score looks more and more like a fluke.

Best hope for Blackburn Rovers - a mutual future

The building blocks are being slotted into the place for a supporter owned future for Blackburn Rovers. The website, here, has all the details so far of the newly formed Supporters Investment Trust. This plan has my full support. There may be some short term blips and the present owners may play hard to get, but this is the only game in town.

Inside Out - BBC North West programme on Peel

I was delighted to be asked to contribute a few comments to the BBC North West Inside Out programme on Peel Holdings this week. In a nutshell I said the North West is very lucky to have a business like Peel, led by a driven and determined character like John Whittaker, but that their success comes with a ruthless streak. They tend not to lose. I also mentioned he is a devout practising Catholic. Maybe I sound a little like the Indian mother on Goodness Gracious Me, always spotting her own.

My one and only on the record encounter with John Whittaker is recorded for all time here in the May 2010 edition of North West Business Insider. I rather regret not making more of this encounter and putting it up on the web. The theatre of the clash between JW and Sir Howard Bernstein seemed exciting at the time, and we milked it as a news story and demonstrated how we accessed such big hitters. I wish in a way I'd delved into the great man a little more while I had the chance and splashed it some more. Hats off then to Property Week editor Giles Barrie for doing just that with his opportunity here, but I notice that he too has chosen to hide it behind a paywall. Sometimes it's better to save these things for the printed product, I certainly thought so at the time.

I also have to commend David Quinn and Arif Ansari for an excellent short film. It was fair, balanced and gave a number of valuable insights into the business. The only shame for them, like me, like Giles Barrie, is with Peel you just don't know what to leave out - but part of our challenge is always what you omit as much as what you include and how the story is then told.

The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes

There is something frustrating, irritating and slightly unctuous about the modern literary elite - Martin Amis, Ian McEwan and Julian Barnes. There shouldn't be, we should actually be proud of what they have produced and be prepared to absorb ourselves in their prestigious output. Barnes won the 2011 Booker Prize for this slim novella - and though I haven't actually read any of the others he beat to the title, it seems at least worthy of the honour. It's an uncomfortable read at times, dealing with the recollections of Tony Webster, a middle aged man dealing with a life of regret and questionable recollection. It is beautifully written with a straightforward story and cast of characters. His tone of voice, so eloquent and observant, and yet so unable to read people properly as time passes and to display such lack of awareness takes real skill. Building a story around an unsympathetic character is often hailed as a worthy trick to pull off, Amis and McEwan all revel in it. This is slightly different, as you never particularly root for Webster, but recoil in mild disgust. It's also an antidote to boastful Great American Novel writers who demand so much of you with their 150,000 word epic. None of that should put you off, it is a short, accessible and thoroughly engaging little gem of a book.

Charity shop classics - from Marple

James Graham, a journalist of this wider parish of Manchester, presents a delightful show on community radio station ALL FM based in Levenshulme. It's called Charity Shop Classics and features music purchased in the ever growing number of charity shops. The idea of the show is to show how much great, eclectic stuff you can find. There are a few Charity Shops in Marple as we know and programme number 10 sourced some of its music from the Cancer Research shop on Derby Way.


James says: "I was delighted to find that this was just two songs: Graham Parker and the Rumour – I’m Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down, and Kris Kristofferson – Help Me Make it Through the Night from the albums Stick to Me, and Me and Bobby McGee respectively.

 "I remember thinking the general calibre of albums was pretty high, not too much battered stuff, or crooners like Doonican and Jim Reeves, or dreadful Scottish marching music." Here's a thing. They were both £1.99 which James thought was a premium price - the ideal rate being 50p or £1. "Sadly there's terrible price inflation in charity shops, fuelled by some stores who realised they were under-selling a lot of stuff." I thought maybe it's a Cheshire thing, but apparently not.

The show is on every Sunday morning 11-12 (apart from the first of the month) on allfm 96.9 which can be picked up across Greater Manchester.

Marple democracy in action

My fascination with the workings of local government and politics took me to the Area Committee meeting at Marple Library tonight. Usually such meetings are small and sleepy affairs. Some have no members of public present at all. Marple's is usually quite well attended - about 40 people were at this one. There were a couple of presentations - one on woodland and the other on the long term Vision for Marple by Gillian from Marple Civic Society.

The most controversial aspect of the meeting was a presentation by one of the officials on the use of A Frames outside shops. There is a proposal that these be registered and licensed at a cost of £70 each. The reason? the council are concerned that they may be liable if there is no scheme in place when some tricky lawyer comes knocking with a stack of personal injury cases.

Understandably the businesses present were appalled at another burden when they least need it. But the councillors seemed sympathetic enough. One of them however proceeded to lecture local businesses on the best ways they could advertise cost effectively on the internet and in local papers - instead of using these advertising boards.

It seems a mundane and trivial issue, but the promise to look again seemed genuine as did a call for a formal response from Marple Business Forum to introduce a voluntary code.

Did it make me any more convinced about the need for non-partisan representation at a time of critical community need? No, not really, but it did reinforce the view that while they may be hugely committed to their local community needs, councillors have to play a daily game of cat and mouse with professional bureaucrats who have a need to meddle. Some cope with that better than others, and the closer they are to the party machine, the harder it is to do that.

No news on the supermarket developments - Asda have yet to submit a plan. The deadline for expressions of interest on the Chadwick Street site is this Friday.

Local politics - too important to be left to politicians

The local council elections this May have thrown up a few intriguing issues. Marple's two wards have both been relatively safe Liberal Democrat seats, but these are far from normal times. If the national picture is to be translated locally then the LibDem vote is in meltdown and they will probably lose control of Stockport Council, which they currently run with the tacit support of a group of independent councillors from Heald Green.

Last time round, the Conservatives trailed the LibDems by 8 per cent in Marple South and 10 per cent in Marple North. A softening of the core vote could easily swing it. Link to the results is here.

Locally in Marple there are only really two well organised political bodies. The Liberal Democrat party and Marple in Action. That is not to say that Marple in Action is a political party, far from it. Indeed, there are many crossovers in membership and over the single issue of the supermarket the LibDems have come out as against it.

Yet I get no impression that the Conservatives have a sufficient organisation in Marple. The Conservative Club is a social base, not a political one. They have fielded "paper" candidates in the past, young activists with a willingness to put their names out, but with no hope of winning. Now that they have the opportunity, do they have the means?

A cynic could say the local councillors and candidates have played to the prevailing wind. Had there been no outrage at the proposals, I dare say the councillors who have sat as college governors would herald the inward investment success of attracting interest from Asda. As it is, they've latterly come to the table and been rather shocked by the weight of public opinion (see the picture above at the Area Committee in Memorial Park which rather shook them up).

I think all of this has made Marple quite volatile politically. There is also, to my mind, the continued question as to whether Shan Alexander should continue a career in public life following her conviction in 2009 of a driving offence which resulted in the death of a passenger in her car. I certainly don't think she should, as I said here. I don't know whether this is a big issue locally, but it should be.

But as I've said before, here for example, there is a vital need for an open and public debate about where this community is heading. Marple in Action has done a great job raising this long term thought to the fore. But will the councillors? In a council chamber, with party loyalties pulling elected members in one direction and another, I fear the main priority of this community and it's fragile business base could be overlooked.

I don't think the short term objectives of Marple in Action are under any immediate threat from the issues of this election - it is important too that the organisation remains focused on this huge single issue. But beyond that I have an uneasy feeling that the longer the Marple Area plan is thrown into the hands of council committees and dense reports, the more obscure it appears to ordinary people. 

My view, which I have come to recently, is that this election is time for an independent slate to come forward and stand up for the community. And put Marple first.

Thirty One - a very worthwhile project

Some of Manchester's finest musical talents have contributed to a fantastic project called Thirty One. The launch is at Band on the Wall tomorrow and I'm gutted I can't go.

It's all in aid of the CALM (the Campaign Against Living Miserably) charity. Suicide is the biggest killer of young men in the UK and the proceeds of the album will be going towards helping CALM set up a 24/7 round-the-clock helpline.

 Thirty One is a collection of tracks from Manchester UK, featuring rare and exclusive songs from both established and emerging acts. The album has been curated and compiled by DJ/Writer Dave Haslam for The Factory Foundation. Thirty One also features art direction from Peter Saville (in collaboration with LOVE Creative) and photography from Thomas Cockram. All profits from the release will go to CALM a registered charity with its roots in Manchester.

The ambition of Thirty One is to raise sufficient funds to enable CALM to run their national freephone helpline service: 0800 58 58 58 every night of the week, every day of the year. The helpline is currently open from 5pm-midnight on Saturday, Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays. Thirty One is an amazing snapshot capturing the undeniable quality of the Manchester music scene. It features brand new material by artists with careers stretching back to the post-punk era.

TRACKS INCLUDE: -ELBOW Lippy Kids (Live from Pinkpop- an exclusive UK release) -NOEL GALLAGHER’S HIGH FLYING BIRDS Let The Lord Shine A Light On Me (from the band’s second single) -I AM KLOOT Bigger Wheels (reworked exclusively for Thirty One) -EVERYTHING EVERYTHING Carry Me Home (Gloworm Cover) -DURUTTI COLUMN Requiem Away (re-mastered from FAC244) -JEZ KER Reason I Feel Like An Alien (a stripped back version of the track from A Certain Ratio’s bassist/vocalist).

Other tracks come from established acts such as Delphic and Mr Scruff, the inimitable psychedelic songwriter Jim Noir and bright new hopes Airship. Thirty One also features BBC 6 Music favorites Plank! and a remix of Manchester stalwarts The Whip’s “Secret Weapon”. It is an album much like the city from which it originates: rich in musical variety. It ranges from the bass heavy sounds of Murkage, to the delicate stylings of Sara Lowes and the stunning, original new talent of Ruby Ann Patterson. All of the songs have been donated by the artists for Thirty One, which is not just a compilation reflecting successful music-making in the city, but presents one of the highest quality charity albums of recent years.

Have you ever met a soft Salfordian?

I enjoyed a trip to Salford's new community stadium to watch Salford City Reds play their first game against Castleford hast weekend. The positives first: the facilities are very good, the food was excellent. I enjoyed the company of my good pal Chris Bird, Jonathan Wall from BBC Radio 5 Live, Mike Fahey and the Salford legend Mike Sweeney. Salford scored first, which was exciting. But it was absolutely freezing. That obviously hit the attendance, which was a little disappointing. The stadium is a decent facility, as it's new the fans are getting used to it - but it's a good main stand with a long and plush function room and the view of the action is first rate. It was a pain to get out of after the match - they need to sort out the access roads.

One other thing. What do you do if you come from Salford and are soft? I mean, everyone looks really hard. Men, women, kids, business people, politicians, sports players. I don't mean they look rough and I'm not being snobbish, but seriously have you ever met a soft Salfordian?

Norbert Smith - one of the greats - a Cricklewood legend too?

I'm looking forward to seeing Peter Capaldi in a new documentary about Cricklewood Studios - on Sunday. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-14310252 - if it's half as good as the above tribute to British film making excellence we will be in for a treat.

A Week In December by Sebastian Faulks

While learned critics were reaching for the "Dickensian" epithet, I recalled The Wire, which had multiple story lines, interweaving characters and each said something funny, pointed and wise about the times we are living in. The word then and now is "sprawling" both of the clever interlocking themes and the wide ranging cast - some you believe more than others - John Veals the hedge fund scumbag most of all. Mixed in with all of that is a smattering of sexual tension and human tragedy. What is particularly impressive is that those issues pan mental illness, football, immigration, hedge funds, the book world, the law, morality in the media, Islam, ambition, failure, voices in the head and a few more layers of London. There have already been a number of books dealing with the elements of the financial crisis of 2008, but in the hands of Sebastian Faulks, a really accomplished literary writer, this one will stand out. There is an element of him showing off, using contemporary themes he backs them all up with flawless research and detail. It makes for a dizzying read - but one that is hard to dip in and out of.

Blackburn Rovers fans - listen to this

We recorded a podcast last night with Daniel Grabko the author of the draft plan for a mutualisation of Blackburn Rovers. The link is here. Everything about Daniel's plan is open, honest and optimistic. He wants input and feedback - let me know what you think.