I'm Boring......Employ ME!

Ok, that really cool, must-have job has been published, or someone’s given you the nod for a job that’s right up your street.

You rush home, dig out your standard CV, update a few bits and bang out a cover letter and then fingers crossed; you wait for the call/email/homing pigeon to reel you in for an interview.

But I’m the employer; I’ve just read your CV and trashed it instantly! Jeez, that was boring! It was one of 163 CV’s full of all the cliché’s I’d expected and just didn’t stand out!

Why? Well, quite frankly I don’t want to employ a boring person. I want to enjoy my time at work and work with someone who’s been there, done it, bought the tee shirt, lost the tee shirt and/or created his own.

I don’t want to read a CV created from a John Bull printing set (although that would be quite creative….smudgy, but creative!) and I don’t really care about how many O ‘levels you did 20/30/40 years ago!

I want someone with pizzazz (spell checker didn’t like that word!) and someone who can tell me their story and why I should work with them.

Even accountants can be cool. Some IT geeks can be fun and some filing clerks have been on a journey.

If that’s true, then why send me some something that doesn’t reflect that journey!

I don’t really care if you’ve got an Oxbridge triple first in Turtle Anatomy, Iron Age Philosophy and the History of French Basket Weaving during the Siege of Provence in 1638.

I do care if you can string a few words together, have tried, failed, tried again, succeeded and can show some blimmin' personality!

I do care if you’ve proven to me you know what you’re doing through stories of ownership, team building, growth success and personal resilience.

And I do care if you know how to relax properly after work and balance your home lives with your work life…are you not human!?

Don’t write a CV like it’s a painful, formatted legal document.

Write it like it’s your OBE application! If you’re not funny, don’t try to be. If you’re not good at numbers, be honest and tell us.

We employers will expect you to be everything you said you’d be on your CV and in your cover letter so don’t try and bullshit us! (I’ve fallen for this and it took nearly a year to get rid of someone!)

I know of kids who spend hour’s on-line filling in e-applications to banks, consulting firms and professional service organisations only to be rejected instantly…but are then encouraged to re-apply for other vacancies in the same mob!

OMG! How painful, demoralising and depressing!

Get your covering letter into a format that looks, feels and tastes different! (NB I do draw the line at the use of perfumed paper or pop-up books….to a point!)and wing it over to the CEO of the organisation.

And don’t do the ‘it’s-my-application-so-nobody-else-can-read-it” thing.

Draft it up, send it to friends and family and other colleagues (if you’re really brave) and get them to read it and feed it back honestly.

If they’re genuinely impressed (NB Your Mum WILL be, your Dad WON’T be and brother or sister will be completely and utterly brutally honest!), then you’ve sold it to normal people who know you well enough and will believe or disbelieve in everything you’ve said. And then send it to the boss and unless it’s completely ineligible, he or she may just move yours nearer the top of the pile….just don’t disappoint then at interview!

©Mark Kass June 2014

Sorry Starbucks, but businesses can save money by opening more offices!

Water cooler talk is great; for catching up on gossip; for checking out the latest outfits; for spreading the word about the coolest party to go to on Saturday but how does that earn you money or build relationships and networks that will pay your wages?

Quite frankly it won’t!

Getting out into the field, meeting clients, customers and staff will though so how do you persuade your boss to let you out more? Loitering in Starbucks, Costa and Prêt is really starting to upset those boys especially when you buy only one coffee and a raisin swirl and stay there for four hours.

But renting a professional hot desk, a day-office, a meeting room or co-working spaces nearer your clients will make you more productive….and you’ll probably get free coffee (not sure about the swirly raisin things though).

You’ll stop traipsing into your glass tower on Canary Wharf or schlepping everyone into the City just for a meeting or to pick-up emails, post and gossip and actually be where your people want you…..with them!

Where do you go though? Yep, there’s the big global serviced office brands but if you want real choice, try your local independent enterprise centre, business hub and flexible workspaces. Professional receptionists, cool buildings, that welcoming hotelly-kinda-feeling is more often than not, a welcome change for everyone.

These buildings are flexible in the way you work with them and they don’t cost a fortune and when they do their numbers, your CEO and CFO’s will see they’ll save tons of money off the FM budget and those ridiculous NNDR bills by downsizing from the big and often empty corporate HQ meeting spaces and getting business done where it really matters…..out in the field with the suppliers, customer and local colleagues.

And if you really want to make a difference, how about investing in a block of local phone numbers, getting calls answered in your company name 24/7/365 and without the huge overhead of a bank of secretaries, admin support bod salaries or call centres.

Tie in your Enterprise Centre rental options with a bespoke virtual reception service and BOOOM! an explosive change to the dynamics of your business OVERNIGHT!
 And of course all this saves time on travel, is very “Green” and in a way, gives your businesses more “branch” offices to work out of……See, told you. You CAN save money by opening more offices!

Start-ups in East London & Tech City....is laying your paws on the cash that easy??

Tech, Tech, Tec, that’s all we hear nowadays about start-ups. “We want the next Facebook to come out of the UK” say the politico’s and their spin doctors. Millions of pounds of investment are being channelled into Silicon Roundabout. Shoreditch has become the new Soho and shops and buildings you couldn’t buy 5 years ago are now prime real estate with seven figure price tags. (for any marketing men reading this, please note Silicon Roundabout is not round and not made from silicon....unlike some people I know!)

Surely there’s gold in them thar hills? East London meets the City so there must be heaps of cash flying around? Well yes there is ! Venture Capital, Angel investment, CrowdFunding...if you’ve got a great technology business, then the men with the cash will invest. But is it that easy?

Quite frankly, No !

To lay your paws on investment is still a traumatic experience. It’s not the kind of trauma you’d get trawling the high street banks and being put through the ringer there. The relentless form filling, call centres the other end of the Country and a bank manager who looks like he’s just left Sixth Form. This is a more sophisticated process but nevertheless traumatic. But it’s a good trauma. It’s one that will make or break your entrepreneurial spirit. It’s necessary and in the end it’s valuable.

We’ve all been through some due diligence in the past. Finance checks, double credit checks, check checks, DNA, urine, blood sampling, triple checks, MI6 interrogations and Torquemada’s thumbscrews. And if you haven’t you should. It’s painful, its harsh but it’s realistic and more important makes sure you know your own ear from your elbow of your own business. You don’t want to sit there in-front of an investor without knowing ALL the answers, do you?  

Sitting next to me in a coffee shop in Shoreditch typing this, there’s a bunch of scruffy boffin types (who probably went to school with the Bank Manager I referred to earlier) going through a term sheet prior to investment for thier new flange-sprocket widget saving mobile phone API ((WTF??). This bunch of 20-something’s sounded like they we’re just about to get their hands on £300,000 worth of investment. They’ve been on an “Accelerator” programme and were now ready for their pitch to the money men.

This is the way forward. Getting yourself ready for fundraising round is more than just form filling. It’s all about presentation.

Remember this rule, the Rule of seven.... “Piss-Poor Preparation Produces Piss Poor Presentations”

Know your numbers, know the ins-and-outs of a ducks arse about your business and make sure the guy you pitch to likes you and your team. Within 20 seconds of standing up and doing your pitch, they’d have made their mind up about you......be a CEO and surround yourself with boffins that know more than you and will coach you to make you look good !

So what will investors be looking for?....have a look at this long, boring and probably rather daunting list........

·         RISK vs. REWARDS

o   Have you evaluated the total risk of loss on this investment, including the liability that may be attached when your initial investment is depleted? Could you be legally bound to put up more money in the future, and if so, have you factored this additional investment in your total outlay?

o   If the project involves development of a new product, process or other technical innovation, is there independent confirmation that it works?

o   Have all the regulatory requirements have been met?

o   If the business is operating at the moment is it losing money? If so, have you accounted for the burn rate?

o   I know how much my investment will be diluted as a result of the founders getting an interest for their sweat equity.

o   Have the entrepreneurs invested an appropriate amount of cash in the project to ensure that there is an equal footing from your investment?

o   Do you know the level of involvement that is expected from you? If so, have you factored this in with your current schedule and is this feasible for you?

o   If you intend to be on the board of directors, would you be entitled to representation?

o   Do you fully understand the legal structure of the investment?

o   Will some or all of your investment be secured by assets in the company?

o   Is there adequate insurance in place for assets, key personnel and directors?

o   Are all tax filings (income tax, payroll, etc.) Up to date and have these filings and related assessments been reviewed?

o   If the investment proposal is for an established trading company and is VAT registered, have you requested to look at all of the quarterly VAT returns filed, so you are not retrospectively liable?

·         EVALUATING THE PEOPLE

o   Do you know and trust the people making pitch to you. If not, perhaps confirming the entrepreneur’s reputation with credible third parties may be a wise precaution to take.

o   Have you carried out history checks on the key implementers of the business plan?

o   If you are investing in an established trading business have you requested a copy of the key terms of employment, contractual and salary agreements for the key personnel?

o   Checks on current stakeholders, officers and directors and key professionals to the project?

o   Has your Solicitor conducted corporate and personal searches on those involved in the opportunity?

 

·         OPPORTUNITY EVALUATION

o   Have you calculated your probable return of investment (ROI)?

o   How long has this opportunity been on the market?

o   What is the payback period for the investment?

o   Have you discussed the entrepreneur’s investment proposal with other angel investors?

o   Have you discussed the concept with other Angel Investors?

o   Is the financial plan, assumptions and turnover projections reasonable, factoring in Gross profit and Net Profit? If not or you are unsure, Venture Giant will always recommend the plan been reviewed by independent professional advisors.

o   Have you looked over all of the expenses, including breaking down labour costs?

o   Is the entrepreneur’s marketing plan realistic? Have you seen it? If not, why?

o   Do you understand when the business is expected to become profitable?

o   Have you calculated when you would be able to expect return on investment in interest or dividends?

·         How and when will you get your capital back?

·         If you are purchasing equity, what type are you purchasing (common shares, preferred shares) and have you spoken with your Accountant/Tax advisor in terms of the potential Tax benefits/downfalls?

·         Are there warrants or share options attached?

·         Are you purchasing debt? If so, is it classed as subordinate debt or Convertible debt?

And this just touches the surface.....I’ve seen “Deal Bibles” of 20+ rammed solid A4 lever arch folders that address Due Diligence. Get this wrong and good-bye investment or worst still, 18 months down the line, good-bye cool business!!

A big cry-out here from me... Get in touch and GET SOME HELP....you  CAN’T do it on your own! We caring, sharing professionals can help you and make a big difference.

One of our accelerator boot camps cover all of this stuff and more...HR, Marketing, Strategic  & ops planning nyada nyada nyada.... (NB Other Mentors, coaches, advisors, counsellors are of course available!)

Is it worth it? Yep and those young-bloods from the coffee shop will by the time I’ve pressed the “publish” button, have 300,000 very good reasons to agree with me!

Talk soon?

 

  

My Personal Olympic Legacy - A Third Less of the Man I Used to Be !!

Today is Major Personal Milestone Day !....let me tell you why

My birthday falls on New Years Eve. Every Year

Clearly everyone around the World celebrates my Mum& Dad's perfecting timing. Parties, fireworks,  champagne corks popping all over the world..... just for me.

But each year my New Year resolution vows are the same.

MUST.

LOSE.

WEIGHT.

It was my 50th Birthday in 2011 and what with the Olympic & Paralympics on our front door, my 25th Wedding Anniversary & the twins 18th Birthday, it was personal challenge time and time to make 2012 a really life changing year for me and my family.

So I vowed to lose 20.12% of my body weight.

Since birth, I've piled it on, taken it off, piled it back on again, rising to a horrendous 24 stone 10lbs (if you're reading this in the US of A that's 333lbs or elsewhere in Europe a massive 152 kilos!).

Today I got on the scales and after what has been a truly incredible journey, overcoming personal demons and private hell , I've sailed past my 20.12% target to hit an 235lbs/16st 10lbs/102kg...............a massive loss of  33% !

And its not just the numbers that make me feel great. I FEEL great in myself

I'm exercising without pain, I'm walking for fun & breathing so much better...my asthma seems to have gone too!

I've taken up jogging (only a far as the local police station as they have the nearest defibrillator!) and can RUN (yes, RUN!) up hills and I've just got back on a bike. ( that hurts, but I'll suffer and see how that goes!!).

I remember running up a single flight of stairs at work, getting the sweats and the flock of ravens in my visual field and thinking of all places I DON'T WANT TO DIE IN BARKING...it would look really crap on the death certificate (Notes for Editors: if I have do have to die prematurely & I'm not proposing this at all, then dying underwater scuba diving in the Cayman Islands is preferred mode of exit and would be happy to be sent there on expenses to check out some potential locations!).

Everyone's gob smacked when they see me. I look SO different. Have a look at my profile picture on this blog and compare it to the one above or check-out my Facebook page and you'll see me in my purple and poppy Games Maker outfit......I look like a  flippin' Spacehopper! Even my wife didn't recognise me in the gym the other day! (some husbands reading this are now really jealous!)

Some folks are apprehensive about asking. I think they think I've been ill. Others are envious but all ask the big question "How?????"

My only answer to everyone is based on Nike's slogan.......

J.F.D.I

(You'll have spotted that I've added one more word to their words of wisdom.)

You have to take a step back and look at the options; regenerate or die !

Everyone reading this can do it. It's not just hard, its nigh-on impossible...but it is totally do-able!

Visualise your goals and visualise what will happen if you don't make the changes. DON'T RUN AWAY from it. Make that commitment.....and stick to it.

You'll need the support of a great team around you (and big huge hug for Mrs K & the Kids who have been so incredibly supportive throughout this journey) as you'll need to overcome hurdles and barriers that you won't be able to get over on your own.

You've got to think about the long-game and not just the here-and-now and you got to take the bull-by-the-horn and stick to your guns.

Moreover, you've got to learn as many clichéd motivational phrases as possible and apply them to your own life and to your business life.

I may be 33% lighter physically, but its inspired me to make a more heavyweight approach to the way I do stuff

When it comes down to it , if you REALLY want to do something, JFDI!

A funny thing happened on the way from the Forum !

As usual, I was colour coordinated. Dark suit. White shirt. Orange silk tie with matching orange London 2012 Olympic pin proudly displayed on my left lapel. Around 10:30pm, I eventually got on to a very crowded tube train coming back from yet another networking forum in London's Oxford Street; a good night, plenty of free wine and canapés and I'm thinking to myself, " and they call this work?" I had also managed to get a fresh copy of the Evening Standard to read and find a seat so I was rather looking forward to sitting down for an hour as I made the trek east along the Central line to Kass Towers.

Deeply engrossed in my newspaper, reading about the outrageous and escalating price of Dublin Bay prawns in London and the South East, I glimpsed the next batch of commuters squeezing into my carriage like cows jammed into an abattoir truck. How lucky am I, I thought, that it wasn't me standing pressed nose-to-armpit against this very sweaty, large American lady this evening.

And then I started to hear angels sing. My focus tunneled & narrowed in to reveal this vision of God-sent beauty now on the same train as me. Right next to me. Totally gorgeous. I could have sworn this vision was now calling me "Mark! Mark! Yes you want me, yes me, I'm yours if you want me". I started staring, longer, harder and more intently and I felt my jaw starting to gape, my lips drying up and tongue getting thicker by the second...surely this is what love is?

At every glance, the calling got stronger and the vision was now glowing among a mass of bodies like a shaft of sunlight streaking through a dark clouded sky. I knew right there and then that we needed to be together. My ears filled with the sound of my own pounding heart. My breath shallowed and the butterflies in my tummy started their internal synchronized swim. At last I had seen my heart's desire. And then I heard the words...

Mark makes sure his pins colour coordinate with his ties for work

"Oi! Olympic Bloke! Why are you staring at my wife's chest?" As if someone had flipped the off button on my iPod in the middle of the full 3 minute guitar solo from Hotel California, the angels suddenly stopped singing, the pounding in my ears disappeared and I gulped audibly as I came back to reality. This rather burly Neanderthal City-type was now inches away from my face, breath stinking of late night booze and oniony-kebabs and my vision of beauty had now changed into an angry thug of Bethnal Green, waving his garlic sauce-tainted and somewhat accusing fingers at me. "I er, wasn't staring at her er, chest", I spluttered. "Oh yeh? he yelled. "Certainly looked like it to me from 'ere, mate," he barked.

I quickly glanced at the aforementioned chest, which was rather voluminous and oozing from a blouse like billowing lava globules emanating from Mount Etna. "I was though, staring at what's on her chest.....that gorgeous looking pin badge!"

You know that moment when the Sheriff bursts into the bar full of baddies in Dodge City and the whole place falls silent? Well that is what happened next. For what seemed like an age, the whole carriage fell silent, waiting for the sound of my nose to be broken by a thug bloke.

Silence was broken instead by Ms Etnachest, who cackled with a laugh that could turn milk into yoghurt, "Wha'?? You mean this fing?" she yelped, pulling on her shiny silver Cisco 2012 sponsors pin - my vision of beauty.

Cisco 2012 sponsor pin, manufactured by Honav

"You wan' it, Fatboy...whadda I get in return then??"

Thug bloke was now rolling up his sleeves and warming up on the ropes ready to rearrange my face if my answer wasn't what he wanted to hear. Immediately I thought a sensible answer might be more appropriate as opposed to one of my usual Oscar Wilde-like witty retorts.

"We could swap?" I suggested," my orange badge for your silver one?"

By now, the whole carriage was engrossed in this deal. I've been involved in some pretty hefty, multi-million pound negotiations with some of the toughest lawyers, bankers and venture capitalist in the world in the same room and at the same table but it was never as tense as this.

Following a sharp and audible intake of breath from our fellow travelers, the tube fell silent again only to be swiftly broken by Etnachest.

"Awright then babe, a deal ! I love the colour. Dat orange is the same colour as the chilli sauce stain on his two 'undred quid shirt and 'as him an me 'ad such a great night together tonight, I'll swap your orange one for this shiny thing I found on the floor of the boozer this evening"

Oh my goodness! I thought. How someone could treat such a thing of beauty with such little respect? (I am of course referring to the pin on this occasion).

Pin collecting is considered the biggest spectator sport at the London 2012 Games

The deal was done, the thug bloke rolled down his sleeves and in my mind, my nose reset itself. The moments of fear passed and Thugbloke and Etnachest got off at Stratford mumbling things like "fat geezers always make you larf", "a geek what collects fings" "weirdo", "punch 'is lights out" etc. etc.

The tube train rattled its way further towards the Far East where I get off rather chuffed with myself and with what remains my favourite pin so far. When I got home, I de-kebabed it , removing traces of all grease, chilli sauce and bits of onion and lamb and added it to my now fast-growing collection of sponsors pins where it takes pride of place in my London 2012 shrine.

For those reading this and about to get into the whole pin-thing, here are my Top 11 hints and tips for fellow pin collectors:

1          Staring at chests of people is hazardous to health

2          Beware men smelling of kebabs

3          Check everywhere for collectable pins...I now spend a lot of time on all fours in pubs, clubs and other public places

4          Gentle banter is far better than doing stuff that may end up with your nose 20 centimeters wider than it was at the start of the day

5          Don't just check pins for validity, check for stray pieces of someone else's supper

6          Beware women who anatomically demonstrate plate tectonics and the formation of natural mountain ranges

7          Maybe consider stamp collecting, snorkeling or storm chasing as a hobby

8          Always carry a 2012 Orange logo pin when eating kebabs just in case of spillage and a selection of others for spontaneous trading moments

9          Travelling by tube is a great way to see pins...why bother with the internet or pin trader meetings

10         Be very nice and appreciative to our finest, nicest and most generous London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games suppliers and sponsors such as Coca Cola, Samsung, Panasonic, Rio Tinto, Eurostar, Aggreko, Westfield, Heineken, Adidas, British Airways, ATOS, McDonalds, G4S, Airwave, Honav, BBC, Channel 4, Dow who may want to get in touch with the author and send boxes full of pins for trading and collecting because you mention them in blogs on world-class Games related websites......thanks guys we love all your products and services!

11         See Hint #1

Mark Kass is an entrepreneur and a Director of an East London business support agency. He is a vocal ambassador for SMEs representing small businesses in consultations with LOCOG, the ODA (Olympic Delivery Authority), OPLC (Olympic Park Legacy Company) and the East London Boroughs. Now an avid fan of the Games, Mark showed no interest in sport until his East London "manor" pitched and won the rights to host the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. He's a passionate advocate of the global opportunities the Games brings for SME's of all sizes and wants to see more people become entrepreneurs in East London and beyond. To follow him on Twitter click here. 

The Morning After the NIght Before......

 

 

Wow! What a summer!

It's nearly two months since they blew out the flame at the London 2012 Paralympic Games...and I'm still shattered!

Not content with being a Games Maker at the Para's, seeing a load of incredible, perception shattering world class sport and occasionally squeezing in some of the day job, I was honoured to have been one of a handful of pin collectors who volunteered to work in the Coca Cola Pin Trading Centre on the Olympic Park and in Hyde Park.

It is amazing where a hobby can take you. When I first started collecting pins, I never dreamed I would be trading the things at the London Games but I'm certainly glad I did.

I met people from all over the world, from all walks of life, of all ages and with varying degrees of knowledge about pins from the "what the hell is this pin trading thing all about?" brigade to the "I've been collecting for the last 30 years!" mob. Amazing. Inspirational. Humbling...I'm running out of words to describe what we went through.

There were a couple of weird moments though:

•              The young American kid who was insistent he could trade food for pins....I'm not sure his request for a rarer-than-hens-teeth Opening Ceremony pin was worth trading for a tuna, cucumber and mayo baguette.....but after six hours of cattle trading pins for pins, it was rather tempting!

And:

•              The wheelchair bound Paralympic Team Coach from an Eastern European country who kept his stock of pin swaps in his hollowed out leg...I did do some of my best trades with him and he did some of the best "haven't got a leg to stand on" jokes I've heard in a long time.

London felt almost post-apocalyptic following the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games

But the most surreal moment was waking up on the Monday morning of September 10 and walking through Stratford at 8am on my way into work.

Compared with the weeks before where a semi-permanent heaving mass of global human ants clamoured around station entrances, in shops and in bars and cafes, walking through the shopping centre that morning felt almost post-apocalyptic. It was morgue-like. Deathly quiet apart from the occasional trundling of an athlete's baggage being wheeled across the mall en route to some exotic country far away. The occasional throb and buzz of the floor polishing buffers removing last night's chewing gum, trainer scuffs and pretzel squishings. We've all witnessed this. The morning after the night before. That Wedding. That Bar Mitzvah. That 18th Birthday. The incredible high followed by that flat, hangover kinda feel. Very weird. Very surreal.

Then something inside me snapped. I couldn't cope with this. I needed my Games-time high again. I needed just one more shot of something exciting. Where do you get this the morning after the night before? It wasn't something a double espresso would resolve, nor a Bloody Mary cocktail or even some illegal narcotic. I need to be part of the Games again. So I went home!

I took off my boring suit and tie, dumped the brief case in the lounge and ran upstairs to put on my purple and poppy coloured superhero suit. My Games Maker uniform. But even that felt incomplete. I needed to grab my pin trading lanyard and only then I could jump on the Tube to the West End to join the Athletes Parade. Only then would I be able to put closure on the whole thing. Having one last trade and wearing the outfit that quite frankly made me look like a pregnant purple Space Hopper would sort me out. Not quite.

Attending the Athletes Parade in London felt good to be part of something so historical

It was an incredible event. Screaming, crowd jostling, smiles, laughter, policemen wearing the foam fingers. I couldn't see any athletes 'cos of the other million people in Trafalgar Square all with the same sense of the morning after the night before but it felt good to be part of something historical.

Hysterically I got the urge to trade and started accosting a variety of people who I thought might be in the mood for a trade. But it wasn't until I got back on the Tube that I did a good trade with a very sombre Aussie dude who loved my orange logo pin and was prepared to swap it for a Dow Pin I hadn't managed to secure. Result!

And this only went and fired up my pin trading urge once again. So I fired up Twitter, email, Facebook, LinkedIn on my smartphone and made sure I got myself along to the next pin trading meeting in Stratford two weeks later

Ahhhh! This was just what the doctor ordered. A wet Saturday in the Railway Tavern was where it all started for me and it was great to be back. I saw some cool collections, some new pins and merchandise that I'd never seen before and did some great trades on the day but better still got to catch-up with fellow traders to rekindle some Games-time stories.

A pin trading meeting was just what the doctor ordered to cure the post-London 2012 blues

Once again, it was brilliantly organised (thanks, Paul), best ever attendance and we people had travelled for miles specifically to get there. Sylvia the student who'd travelled down by train from Edinburgh, some guys from Leicester, another form Ipswich and two from another country I couldn't even pronounce, made it a great day. There were even some others who didn't come to trade. They just wanted the power of the Games to wash over them just one more time.

It was indeed a well-deserved shot-in-the-arm and has still left me still wanting more. I shan't complain though as I suppose that's my legacy from the Games...and not a bad one to have!

Mark Kass is an entrepreneur and a Director of an East London business support agency. He is a vocal ambassador for SMEs representing small businesses in consultations with LOCOG, the ODA (Olympic Delivery Authority), OPLC (Olympic Park Legacy Company) and the East London Boroughs. Now an avid fan of the Games, Mark showed no interest in sport until his East London "manor" pitched and won the rights to host the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. He's a passionate advocate of the global opportunities the Games brings for SME's of all sizes and wants to see more people become entrepreneurs in East London and beyond. To follow him on Twitter click here.

Olympic pins, so much more than just a brand story

When I first stepped into the East End boozer in a quiet corner of Stratford just before Christmas, it felt like I'd become an extra in the background of a Guy Ritchie movie. Men were huddled in a corner whispering, planning, plotting and growling – it was plain to see that plenty of deals were being cobbled together.

But they weren't haggling over the price of second-hand cars or planning the next "blag". They were laying down the foundations of what's going to become London's number one spectator sport during the Olympic Games: pin trading.

It was my first "meet" and it was a little surreal to say the least. When the Guy Ritchie crew joined a mixed bag of 20 or so grown men and women: bags, cases, boards, ring binders and pockets stuffed full of an amazing array of Olympic and Paralympic Games lapel badges and pins flew open. It all went crazy with old and new pins being swapped and traded like I've only ever seen before in the street markets of far off lands.

It was a little scary as I could feel the need to get stuck in building up and, dare I say it, it felt a bit "geeky" being a part of this. Quite ironic really, that the venue of the meet was in a great little pub called the Railway Tavern since I felt I was among the train spotters of the merchandising world!

Having spent the afternoon in the company of some of the friendliest, most knowledgeable and totally dedicated people I've ever come across, I got home, researched this phenomenon and realised that this was just the beginning of something big that was about to burst into our East End lives. Clearly, it's big business too, so I decided to delve further.

Those in the know say that as you step off the plane in an Olympic Host City, you fail to notice the glitz and glamour of countless lapel badges or pins displayed on shirts, caps, scarves, waistcoats, lanyards, towels and sashes. Worn by everyone from officials, guides, the media and shopkeepers, everyone and, in particular, the vast armies of "pinheads" are keen to show off their collections and maybe swap one of theirs for something of yours.

The reasons for pins being commissioned to represent all-things-Olympic are limitless, but the phenomenal range produced by sponsors, corporate partners and official commercial providers shows what big business commercial association with the Games is. But pins weren't originally designed to show off brands or promote the Games; they were originally sold to fund the Olympiad.

The 1912 Games in Stockholm saw the first commercially available pins on sale (before Stockholm, they were cardboard discs and only worn by officials and the IOC (International Olympic Committees)) and as pin trading grew in popularity, it did so unprecedentedly so that by the infamous Berlin Games of 1936, over a million pins had been sold to raise funds.

Pin trading continued to grow and supported a huge Olympic memorabilia and merchandising industry. By the time the Los Angeles Olympics came along, an estimated 17 million pins were being traded on street corners, in cafes and in dedicated, but as yet unofficial pin trading areas, across the Host City. Such was the size of the industry, vast numbers of counterfeit pins started to emerge in an attempt to cash in on the rise of pin mania.

Realising the huge potential for pin collecting, the 1988 Calgary Olympics saw the first official pin trading centre established on-site, headed up by one of the world's best known brands and principal global Olympic Worldwide Sponsors, Coca Cola.

But Coke didn't just take over a pub conservatory, put up a few posters and invite in a few traders. They created the first ever purpose built and fully branded Olympic pin trading centre drawing in crowds of more than 17,000 new and potential pinheads of the world to gather and trade on one site and another a few miles away on a university campus that attracted another 5,000 daily visits.

The 1992 Winter Games at Albertville in France attracted more than a third of a million collectors who traded more than 1.2 million pins from 6,000 square foot dedicated tent backed up by a fleet of "pinmobiles" and a double-decker bus that travelled the roads of France to capture the spirit (and, of course, the revenue opportunities) of pin mania. Barcelona saw half a million dedicated traders, but in 1996 the pin epidemic had gone totally bonkers with 1.5 million traders on-site and three million pins changing hands at two centres in 40,000 square foot of converted freight warehousing in Atlanta. At the Sydney Games in 2000, Coca Cola started trading six months before the Games in temporary kiosks replacing it with an iconic, 12,000 square foot purpose built centre in the shape of a bright red illuminated Coke bottle laying on its side.

Hand-in-hand with the trading and dealing among collectors, a global business has grown out of pin trading. Coke and other merchandise providers have sold millions of pins that generate significant revenues and shamelessly promote their brands. Coke run brand focussed "activation" spectator events alongside these remarkable pin centres and LOCOG (The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games) stands to generate huge sums from the sales of tens of thousands of official pins, all of which are channelled back into paying for the running of both the Olympic and Paralympics.

A couple of the "Pin Gurus" at Coca Cola, who are now resident here in the UK until after the Games, told me that for the first time since their involvement in event licensing, they would be channelling all proceeds from sales of Coke pins at London 2012 to the official Olympic charity. They wouldn't divulge targets, but I suspect they're expecting a significant donation to be made.

This is an incredible move on the part of Coke and represents their true commitment to investing in creating a sustainable Olympic movement for the future as well as solidifying their own brand story.

When the Games end, collectors will take home their London 2012 Coca-Cola pins and proudly display them in kitchens, dens, lounges and studies across the globe. Some will get bored of them and stick them in a cupboard for the grandkids, but if they consider giving them away, it's a near 100% dead-cert that none will give them away for nothing.

Some rare pins are trading on eBay at nearly £4,000 each (NB: beware of fakes)! But for those thinking they might flog them off to the highest bidder then "good luck" as most will have little or no commercial value after the flame's blown out.

Coke will, of course, be rather chuffed to think that trading and selling went on post-Games as any deal done around the Coke name provides them yet another brand-strengthening story and creates yet more long-lasting impressions of the Coke name. And this is exactly why event licensing, product merchandising and sponsorship activation is so powerful for sponsors.

Coke – the new owners of Innocent Smoothies brand who will soon be activating their London 2012 sponsorship programme – have made a really bold move in the corporate social responsibility arena. Perhaps this generous community investment will attract even more new pin heads and underpin Coke's growing global corporate commitment to giving something back to its customer base.

Although I'm not CEO of a major global brand, I now get pin trading and the concept of business giving back. I strongly suggest everyone in the business world gets it too. There will always be fans of your brand and they can do no wrong if you don't. Think about clever ways of promoting your brand story and aligning yourselves with your local community... wouldn't it be good to get your fans talking about your business in their local pub?

Mark Kass is an entrepreneur and a Director of an East London business support agency. He is a vocal ambassador for SMEs representing small businesses in consultations with LOCOG, the ODA (Olympic Delivery Authority), OPLC (Olympic Park Legacy Company) and the East London Boroughs. Now an avid fan of the Games, Mark showed no interest in sport until his East London "manor" pitched and won the rights to host the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. He's a passionate advocate of the global opportunities the Games brings for SME's of all sizes and wants to see more people become entrepreneurs in East London and beyond. To follow him on Twitter click here.