Playing an Amateur
I realise that a blog is not something to be undertaken lightly. Indeed, it has the ability to strike fear into the heart of the novice blogger, so eager to please their audience. As such I shall tread carefully. With less than one month left of the calendar year I thought it to be right to pick up my proverbial pen and fire off this tour de concern for exporting your products and services outside of the UK.
Figures show that there has been a 2 per cent decline in the number of companies shipping goods overseas in the last year. This astonishes me as the benefits of exporting products and services far outweigh the costs once you start to do it.
Allow me to begin with a tale.
I was 11 years old and I had never won anything in my life. No raffles, sweets from ‘How Many are in the Jar?’ and the music would always continue when the parcel from ‘pass the parcel’ landed in my hands. Despite my best efforts I never managed to hold onto the package for long before a peer would snatch it from my grasp.
Oh, I lie; I had won a fairground goldfish once. I had to use a fishing rod, also known as a stick with a hook, to “fish” a duck out of a pool of water. Difficulty rating? Not so much. It was presented to me in a plastic bag secured with a knot and we wonder why they die almost immediately. Surprisingly, my father was not best pleased that I had begged him to purchase a grand tank, tiled with multi-coloured pebbles, complete with plants and furnishings. It is an absolute MUST that all goldfish own a castle, even if it is, and it is, just to pass through from time-to-time.
However, my fish, Goldy does not count as achieving something. After all, the fair stall owners practically give them away and Goldy died after a couple of days.
In a desperate bid to win something, and not just anything, I tried out for my school’s Annual Swimming Gala. I had trained for a month. The day of the trials arrived. I felt smug as I pulled down my swimming cap and snapped it over my ears before jumping into the pool. I swam my worst possible front crawl and my performance of breast stroke was well below average. I was chuffed, when I was told that I would be swimming in the intermediate group. My plan was officially in action.
The day of the gala arrived. Confident but not cocky (I was in the intermediate team) I stood on the platform at the side of the pool. The P.E teacher shouted, “On your marks,” I bent my legs slightly. “Get Set”, I lowered by body more and leaned forwards. “Go”. I was off. I swam so fast, I didn’t look back to see where my fellow intermediate classmates were, I knew I was ahead. I could tell that I was on my third lap of a four lap race; as I bypassed a soggy, floating plaster three times. My head bobbing as I held my breath, my head went down, breath out, head-up, arms vigorously working in clockwise and anti-clockwise circles, with my legs following suit. BAM. I touched the side, end of lap four. I made sure both hands, were firmly touching the side of the pool, you could see the whites of my knuckles. I turned around just to make sure that I had won!
It felt glorious. I was presented with a purple 1st place ribbon and a shiny gold medal. I turned around to see my ecstatic father, clapping crazily. My smile, once encompassing my whole face quickly deflated. I knew that I could have achieved so much more, if only I had the confidence.
And now, my pearls of wisdom.
It is no longer the language and cultural barriers that are acting as the preventatives for businesses to export outside of the UK. It is our fear of not succeeding, not winning, concerns of not knowing how to. I remember my purple ribbon and gold medal each time I don’t push myself, my business, my employees. I no longer aim low, so that I can cement a small success; I aim high and hope to make a much greater success of myself.
The largest concern for companies is the psychological barrier that many do not believe that they know how to trade internationally. Have the confidence; we have the tools to breakdown language barriers and cultural differences. So take a shot at faith, have the confidence in yourself, product and services to take your business international.
Languages are no barrier- connecting words, connecting worlds.
Where ever you are in the world there is no better time whilst the others are splashing about for you to get to the winning line!! Happy Swimming!
Figures show that there has been a 2 per cent decline in the number of companies shipping goods overseas in the last year. This astonishes me as the benefits of exporting products and services far outweigh the costs once you start to do it.
Allow me to begin with a tale.
I was 11 years old and I had never won anything in my life. No raffles, sweets from ‘How Many are in the Jar?’ and the music would always continue when the parcel from ‘pass the parcel’ landed in my hands. Despite my best efforts I never managed to hold onto the package for long before a peer would snatch it from my grasp.
Oh, I lie; I had won a fairground goldfish once. I had to use a fishing rod, also known as a stick with a hook, to “fish” a duck out of a pool of water. Difficulty rating? Not so much. It was presented to me in a plastic bag secured with a knot and we wonder why they die almost immediately. Surprisingly, my father was not best pleased that I had begged him to purchase a grand tank, tiled with multi-coloured pebbles, complete with plants and furnishings. It is an absolute MUST that all goldfish own a castle, even if it is, and it is, just to pass through from time-to-time.
However, my fish, Goldy does not count as achieving something. After all, the fair stall owners practically give them away and Goldy died after a couple of days.
In a desperate bid to win something, and not just anything, I tried out for my school’s Annual Swimming Gala. I had trained for a month. The day of the trials arrived. I felt smug as I pulled down my swimming cap and snapped it over my ears before jumping into the pool. I swam my worst possible front crawl and my performance of breast stroke was well below average. I was chuffed, when I was told that I would be swimming in the intermediate group. My plan was officially in action.
The day of the gala arrived. Confident but not cocky (I was in the intermediate team) I stood on the platform at the side of the pool. The P.E teacher shouted, “On your marks,” I bent my legs slightly. “Get Set”, I lowered by body more and leaned forwards. “Go”. I was off. I swam so fast, I didn’t look back to see where my fellow intermediate classmates were, I knew I was ahead. I could tell that I was on my third lap of a four lap race; as I bypassed a soggy, floating plaster three times. My head bobbing as I held my breath, my head went down, breath out, head-up, arms vigorously working in clockwise and anti-clockwise circles, with my legs following suit. BAM. I touched the side, end of lap four. I made sure both hands, were firmly touching the side of the pool, you could see the whites of my knuckles. I turned around just to make sure that I had won!
It felt glorious. I was presented with a purple 1st place ribbon and a shiny gold medal. I turned around to see my ecstatic father, clapping crazily. My smile, once encompassing my whole face quickly deflated. I knew that I could have achieved so much more, if only I had the confidence.
And now, my pearls of wisdom.
It is no longer the language and cultural barriers that are acting as the preventatives for businesses to export outside of the UK. It is our fear of not succeeding, not winning, concerns of not knowing how to. I remember my purple ribbon and gold medal each time I don’t push myself, my business, my employees. I no longer aim low, so that I can cement a small success; I aim high and hope to make a much greater success of myself.
The largest concern for companies is the psychological barrier that many do not believe that they know how to trade internationally. Have the confidence; we have the tools to breakdown language barriers and cultural differences. So take a shot at faith, have the confidence in yourself, product and services to take your business international.
Languages are no barrier- connecting words, connecting worlds.
Where ever you are in the world there is no better time whilst the others are splashing about for you to get to the winning line!! Happy Swimming!
