Turkey Expo #1

WOW! The first ever Turkish expo. It was great. Distributors from Canada and Israel, together with local leaders organised a great event. The company was represented by Yesim, Asli and myself, together with a long distance contribution by Dave Balzer, all the way from California. It was 2am his time when he gave a presentation about Lactoferrin and Tri-Phase jewellery. Other top Distributors from two continents shared their success stories - including Royal Diamond Ahuva Simone. Nearly 400 people attended the event on a very hot Saturday. Over 120 guests joined as a result of the event. It also produced a nice rise in volume for everyone.

Russia grows stronger

Russia is growing very nicely. It is already the second largest Nikken country. Here Vitaly, Olga and I are planning strategy for the rest of the year. Shortly after this we joined the Direct Selling Association as prospective members. All new members have to wait a year as prospective members. During this time the company is monitored and the method of operation audited. If everything is OK then we will be allowed full membership. This usually takes a year. We are already members in UK, Finland, Sweden, Norway, and USA.

Social entrepreneurship

Social networking is a buzz word on the internet, with sites like digg, My Space and Facebook attracting millions of users.
I never saw the attractiveness of the dotcom revolution, as it lacked the human element. Now it seems a different time is facing us. People are exposing their interests to us (via blogs sometimes) and promoting a type of social interaction which takes place with no time or geographical boundaries. Some groups even have meetings where true interaction can take place. Interesting to see what happens next.

This phenomenon is leaking in to the corporate world. As companies look for that "hook" for their customers they are being forced to go green, make profound statements about their staff or both. Now another term is coming into business focus and I like it: It's social entrepreneurship. Surely we have been social entrepreneurs for years??

What is a Social Enterprise?
Social enterprises are dynamic businesses with a social purpose working all around the UK and internationally to deliver lasting social and environmental change.


Have a look at the interview with Tim Smit from the Eden project. Also listen (or read the transcript) to Tim speak about the social enterprises....I am sure it'll resonate with anyone who understand Nikken and the way we do business.

Everyone involved with Nikken is a social entrepreneur already. We operate a social network. Perhaps the other things we are saying will also come true.... Interesting to see what happens next.

Meeting in Denmark

This was the event that was postponed in February due to very heavy snowfalls. Nearly 150 people shunned the sun (and scorching 30C temperatures) to take part in a great event. Guest speakers included Oddmund Berger and Anders Hugland. Lots of Distributors shared their success stories, a lot of people where recognised and thanked for their efforts.
Many thanks to Kristian for looking after the technical side, Birgit for helping with my talk and everyone else involved in making sure the day went smoothly. I am looking forward to coming back.

Presenting

A good presenter can keep you enthralled about their subject. However, no matter how good the speaker, if the visuals are bad, then it's a complete turn off for everyone. The video shows some common mistakes in a humorous way.

Life After Death by PowerPoint



I've done a few of these :)

First past the post

OK. This blog is about my life with a great company - Nikken. I've worked for Nikken since 1996 when we first started in Europe. It's been a great time, with ups and downs. Currently everyone is very enthusiastic about the future. Let's see what happens.

I travel a lot to Russia and Turkey. Great places with fantastic people.

I really love this job. It fits well with my love of people, and travel.

So....on with the blog.....