April 2010 Archives

HSBC's Scottish chief executive John Rendall was in few different parts of the bank's Edinburgh office for this photo shoot.

Staff on the floor of the branch were happy to melt into the background when shot were being taken there.

Photographer Lesley Martin was also taken by the unusual lighting in the lift which gives a nice backdrop to some of these pictures.

The interview which goes with the piece is here.

The Observer Book of Invention describes the difference between invention and innovation as this:

'Invention is turning money into ideas; innovation is turning ideas into money.'

When I went for my first surgery with Scottish Enterprise in 2009, they asked me whether we had considered licensing our idea to avoid the pain of both manufacturing and the commercialisation of a new product.

Whilst I understood the benefits of a grab-the-money-and-run method of getting Safetray produced and out into the marketplace, I did wonder what that said about our national psyche.

Are us Scots completely incapable of producing and commercialising products ourselves? Do we really want to define ourselves as a nation of consultants and service providers all selling to each other?

Because of the rather extensive workload over the past week I feel the need to supply a slightly more lighthearted entry for you to ponder...

Earlier this week, during my daily cycle into work, I noticed a sign stapled precariously onto a telegraph pole, stating:

"START-UP CRAWL. Stop 10"

I had to laugh. The U.K's passion for drinking can be marveled at through the institution that is the Pub-Crawl (a past-time I must admit to being rather fond of). However, the passion for entrepreneurship in the Valley is so great, this British tradition has been adapted in-order for like-minded individuals to unearth new and exciting companies. As opposed to new and exciting liquid substances.

Upon greater inspection, I later discovered a colleague of mine was hired during one such "Crawl". Convincing the Company's Co-Founder to buy a pen off him after an impromptu sales interview.

If both the alcohol consumption of the standard British Pub-Crawl and entrepreneurship activities of the Start-Crawl could be combined into one, interesting results would surely flourish. However, some sorrow would have to be directed towards the final company en-route!