0:00:07.441,0:00:08.709
Thank you.

0:00:10.739,0:00:14.839
Has anybody heard of a lemming[br]and what a lemming is?

0:00:15.299,0:00:17.185
Well if you don't know I'll tell you.

0:00:17.185,0:00:23.574
A lemming is a little furry rodent[br]that basically jumps off cliffs,

0:00:23.595,0:00:25.236
into the water and drowns.

0:00:25.397,0:00:29.381
And they don't just do this by the ones[br]or twos, they do it by the thousands.

0:00:29.989,0:00:34.783
It's almost as if a senior lemming,[br]the head lemming decides,

0:00:34.790,0:00:37.147
"Hey guys, let's go for a swim!"

0:00:37.411,0:00:39.733
So, they all go,[br]"Yeah! Let's go for a swim!"

0:00:39.922,0:00:43.135
So, they all run to the cliff[br]and they all jump off

0:00:43.135,0:00:45.417
and it's like,[br]"Right, now, everyone swim!"

0:00:45.417,0:00:48.411
And they go, "Swim?"[br](Gurgling)

0:00:48.411,0:00:50.075
And they all drown.

0:00:50.196,0:00:54.328
And society today is very much the same.

0:00:55.066,0:00:59.398
If you are going to a school,[br]you might find a head lemming

0:00:59.398,0:01:04.407
which decides that they will take drugs,[br]and then a whole bunch of other kids

0:01:04.407,0:01:07.632
will come behind and go along[br]with that head lemming.

0:01:08.317,0:01:11.470
Or they might be lucky,[br]there might be one young individual,

0:01:11.470,0:01:13.849
that says "no" to drugs,

0:01:13.849,0:01:16.085
and a whole bunch[br]of other kids come behind.

0:01:16.727,0:01:19.716
And that's the direction[br]that those people go in.

0:01:21.460,0:01:24.636
And today we will find[br]that the business culture

0:01:24.636,0:01:27.746
has changed a tremendous amount

0:01:27.752,0:01:31.430
over the last five, 10,[br]particularly 15 years.

0:01:31.795,0:01:35.032
And what I want to talk about today[br]is ethical business.

0:01:35.032,0:01:37.957
If you go back to the literature[br]that we've been reading

0:01:37.957,0:01:42.582
over the last hundred[br]to 150 years of the success

0:01:42.582,0:01:46.015
of what's made businesses[br]really work well,

0:01:46.019,0:01:48.796
it's always been based on character.

0:01:49.074,0:01:52.416
It's been based on things like integrity,

0:01:52.416,0:01:58.104
service, loyalty,[br]gentleness, understanding.

0:01:59.595,0:02:04.598
But it seems that over the last[br]five, 10, 15 years

0:02:04.598,0:02:08.568
it's been replaced, what slowly crept in.

0:02:08.568,0:02:11.224
And it's the personality ethic is where -

0:02:11.224,0:02:14.523
It seems like websites today,

0:02:14.523,0:02:18.222
their aim really is to manipulate you,

0:02:18.783,0:02:22.503
lubricate the wheels of a system

0:02:22.503,0:02:26.053
which would extract as much out of you,

0:02:26.053,0:02:27.622
as it possibly can.

0:02:29.422,0:02:32.148
So, what I want to suggest today,

0:02:32.148,0:02:36.882
is that the success of the world[br]is based on character.

0:02:37.732,0:02:41.715
But over the last 10 years,[br]it's like this personality has crept in.

0:02:42.588,0:02:46.065
Where there is no character,[br]and it's all about lubrication.

0:02:47.119,0:02:52.258
And with that, could that[br]be a contribution

0:02:52.263,0:02:54.626
to what's happened in the world today?

0:02:54.626,0:02:56.283
I think it probably has.

0:02:56.283,0:02:58.985
There's problems all over the world[br]with finances, etc.

0:02:58.985,0:03:02.232
So, I believe then[br]it was a character ethic.

0:03:02.232,0:03:06.505
Today it's slowly being replaced[br]by the personality ethic.

0:03:06.505,0:03:09.001
I want to quickly introduce[br]my company to you.

0:03:09.631,0:03:15.039
It started 14 years ago when a tornado[br]went throw my hometown in Selsey.

0:03:15.401,0:03:21.573
I had no money, no business experience[br]and I had a very limited education,

0:03:21.573,0:03:25.864
but I saw many tradesmen[br]come down from all over the UK

0:03:25.864,0:03:28.207
to rip homeowners off.

0:03:28.237,0:03:31.933
There were cowboy trades coming down[br]and they were basically overcharging

0:03:31.933,0:03:35.322
or even stealing money off consumers.

0:03:35.634,0:03:39.873
And I looked at the time[br]at the guilds and the federations,

0:03:39.873,0:03:41.985
I looked at what local government[br]was doing

0:03:41.985,0:03:43.853
and the central government was doing,

0:03:43.853,0:03:47.087
and I couldn't see[br]an answer to this problem

0:03:47.087,0:03:50.661
where tradesmen[br]were doing a really poor job.

0:03:51.268,0:03:56.849
So I set out almost from day one,[br]I want to make a difference.

0:03:57.440,0:04:02.847
I want to bring something[br]to the UK which is of real value.

0:04:03.668,0:04:08.943
I didn't set out thinking, wow,[br]I want to build something

0:04:08.959,0:04:11.572
that is going to make me[br]a tremendous amount of money.

0:04:12.494,0:04:18.091
If you build something which is worth[br]and something the consumer

0:04:18.091,0:04:21.830
or business needs,[br]and they're interacting with it,

0:04:21.830,0:04:25.069
and it's got that whole world[br]"worth" around it,

0:04:25.069,0:04:27.631
your money will automatically flow.

0:04:27.631,0:04:32.361
I've never had one single business meeting[br]around my board table

0:04:32.361,0:04:34.348
with my senior managers, saying,

0:04:34.348,0:04:36.936
"How can we extract[br]more money out of people?"

0:04:37.916,0:04:39.355
That's never happened.

0:04:39.355,0:04:40.675
It's always been,

0:04:40.675,0:04:45.566
"How can I build more worth[br]into what we are doing for other people,

0:04:45.566,0:04:48.677
how can we make more of a difference[br]in what we are doing?"

0:04:49.944,0:04:54.671
But today I'll stand here,[br]and I am not being proud or big-headed,

0:04:54.671,0:04:58.792
but we are turning[br]over a 160,000 Euros a week.

0:04:59.701,0:05:01.766
And it hasn't even been[br]designed to do that,

0:05:01.766,0:05:05.061
it's been designed to work[br]on the character ethic

0:05:05.061,0:05:06.928
and to make a difference.

0:05:09.756,0:05:11.523
Begin with the end in mind.

0:05:13.056,0:05:14.608
So what does that mean?

0:05:15.946,0:05:19.147
I don't think many people today[br]really know where they are going.

0:05:19.601,0:05:22.564
They really haven't got a plan[br]for their personal life,

0:05:22.564,0:05:26.543
for their social life,[br]their business life, their family life.

0:05:27.039,0:05:29.495
They really don't know[br]where they are going.

0:05:29.495,0:05:32.638
And I just want you to imagine[br]something for a moment

0:05:32.638,0:05:38.101
that you are at a funeral,[br]and it's very quiet, very somber,

0:05:38.790,0:05:43.656
and there's a resounding atmosphere [br]of love and appreciation

0:05:43.656,0:05:47.177
for the person that's died[br]and there's going to be four speakers

0:05:47.177,0:05:50.529
and they are all going to be speaking[br]about the person that's died.

0:05:51.646,0:05:56.047
And then you suddenly realised[br]that it's actually you that's died.

0:05:56.047,0:05:57.634
And it's your funeral.

0:05:59.174,0:06:00.777
What would you want someone

0:06:00.777,0:06:03.274
from your immediate family[br]to say about you?

0:06:03.823,0:06:05.143
What would you want

0:06:05.143,0:06:07.999
from someone from your extented family[br]to say about you?

0:06:08.648,0:06:10.643
What about someone from your work?

0:06:11.503,0:06:13.964
And what about[br]someone from a social group,

0:06:13.964,0:06:15.585
your friendships or something?

0:06:16.389,0:06:18.259
What would you really want them to say?

0:06:19.098,0:06:24.560
If you were to take the time -[br]unfortunately few of you will do this,

0:06:24.560,0:06:28.071
that's my experience -[br]but if you were to take the time,

0:06:28.675,0:06:30.521
and to meditate on those things,

0:06:30.521,0:06:36.914
you'll actually touch[br]some really core important values,

0:06:38.574,0:06:42.384
and I bet money will hardly come into it.

0:06:42.948,0:06:47.008
Money would be a by-product,[br]oh, I really wanted to help this person,

0:06:47.008,0:06:49.689
I want people to remember me[br]for achieving this and this,

0:06:49.689,0:06:51.067
helping these people,

0:06:51.067,0:06:54.153
and of course money[br]is that vehicle to make that happen.

0:06:55.578,0:06:57.295
But begin with the end in mind,

0:06:57.295,0:07:02.112
know what your final destination[br]is going to be.

0:07:03.351,0:07:07.128
They say sticks and stones[br]would never break my bones

0:07:07.128,0:07:08.484
but names will never hurt.

0:07:08.484,0:07:11.737
And my parents used to say to me,[br]"Oh, you shouldn't care what people

0:07:11.737,0:07:13.601
say about you, or think about you".

0:07:13.601,0:07:16.048
I actually very much disagree with that.

0:07:16.890,0:07:20.326
I actually believe[br]that what people think about me,

0:07:20.332,0:07:22.474
and what people say about me,

0:07:22.474,0:07:26.878
is really, really important,[br]because it's my reputation,

0:07:26.886,0:07:30.881
and because that's a real[br]core value of mine,

0:07:30.881,0:07:32.861
that's what I aim at all the time.

0:07:32.861,0:07:38.282
I would never do something to you[br]that I wouldn't want done to myself.

0:07:39.188,0:07:41.179
So what's your working frame?

0:07:42.139,0:07:46.626
What's your end goal in life?[br]Your end goal in your business?

0:07:48.310,0:07:51.419
Begin with the end in mind.[br]Take that time to find out.

0:07:56.101,0:08:00.259
Also, when you've ouind that framework,

0:08:00.269,0:08:02.999
you can build some expectation[br]around your life.

0:08:04.359,0:08:06.706
When you know what you want to achieve,

0:08:06.706,0:08:10.150
when you've got that framework[br]and you are looking forward,

0:08:10.150,0:08:13.290
you can start to build expectations,

0:08:13.472,0:08:16.307
and expectations are key.

0:08:16.821,0:08:21.127
Without expectations, you just[br]bounce along the bottom of life.

0:08:21.801,0:08:24.894
Expectations are like a magnet

0:08:24.894,0:08:29.059
that will pull you towards something[br]you believe is going to happen

0:08:29.059,0:08:32.768
whether it be good or whether it be bad.

0:08:32.768,0:08:34.912
If you have got this expectation,

0:08:34.912,0:08:39.015
this job role or this business[br]that I am involved in now

0:08:39.015,0:08:41.172
is probably not going to be[br]very successful.

0:08:42.235,0:08:45.345
How are you going to act towards that?

0:08:45.371,0:08:49.138
But if you've got an expectation like,[br]"Hey, I am going to start this business,

0:08:49.138,0:08:51.129
I am going to be incredibly successful,

0:08:51.129,0:08:54.346
and I've got this framework[br]which I am going to work with

0:08:54.353,0:08:57.111
within my values,[br]and these are my goals ..."

0:08:57.111,0:09:01.337
and if you feed upon that,[br]it is like a magnet

0:09:01.337,0:09:04.348
that just pulls you[br]towards those expectations.

0:09:05.923,0:09:09.772
But very often[br]you can have those expectations

0:09:09.772,0:09:12.554
and then the pressures of life[br]come upon you.

0:09:13.448,0:09:17.802
And the pressures of the cash flow,[br]and the problems with staff

0:09:17.802,0:09:20.887
and the problems with the market[br]and the problems with marketing

0:09:20.887,0:09:22.288
come around you

0:09:22.288,0:09:24.877
and those expectations[br]can start to [unclear].

0:09:25.747,0:09:27.731
But hunger is the key.

0:09:29.874,0:09:32.201
Let me just read you something quickly.

0:09:33.204,0:09:34.966
"Fish are biting.

0:09:35.713,0:09:38.703
And after catching a 70 cm pike,

0:09:38.719,0:09:43.864
the local man raised the fish from -[br]you know, for a photograph -

0:09:43.864,0:09:49.955
and the fish lurched forward[br]and grabbed his nose with its mouth."

0:09:51.805,0:09:57.215
It grabbed onto to it so tightly,[br]that the fisherman had to be taken

0:09:57.240,0:10:01.896
to the local doctor's, where a surgeon[br]actually surgically removed the fish.

0:10:02.710,0:10:07.548
If you want something so badly,[br]do you know what?

0:10:07.548,0:10:10.502
The chances are, you won't let it go.[br]And do you know what?

0:10:10.502,0:10:13.379
The chances are[br]you'll probably end up getting it.

0:10:15.389,0:10:16.883
Hunger is the key.

0:10:17.539,0:10:19.837
But you have to feed that hunger.

0:10:20.971,0:10:27.825
For me one of the biggest words in my life[br]is significance and recognition.

0:10:27.825,0:10:32.142
Those are my drivers,[br]that's what I work towards in my life.

0:10:33.409,0:10:36.030
And, how do I feed that hunger?

0:10:36.032,0:10:40.284
For me, I imagine being before my Queen,

0:10:40.284,0:10:42.267
"Arise, Sir Kev."

0:10:43.385,0:10:45.964
I want to be knighted,[br]I want to be recognised

0:10:45.964,0:10:49.512
as the man that's ended[br]the rogue trade problem in the UK.

0:10:49.512,0:10:54.914
That's my driver. That's my goal.[br]That's what feeds me.

0:10:55.417,0:10:57.819
I picture that happening in my life.

0:10:58.098,0:11:02.469
Not just once a month, but I meditate it,

0:11:02.469,0:11:07.501
I meditate upon it, and I physically[br]see myself in front of my Queen

0:11:07.501,0:11:10.151
being knighted[br]for my services to the country.

0:11:12.302,0:11:15.274
But make sure, that you are doing it[br]for the right reasons.

0:11:15.274,0:11:18.604
Make sure that it's not just for profit.

0:11:19.764,0:11:22.294
Make sure that you're looking[br]at the character ethic.

0:11:26.348,0:11:28.065
People in their enviroment.

0:11:28.065,0:11:31.487
This is the key I just wanted[br]to slip in at the end,

0:11:31.487,0:11:34.264
because it's so important[br]when you're growing a business.

0:11:35.197,0:11:38.761
One of these types of meetings[br]many years ago,

0:11:38.761,0:11:41.697
there was a Questions and Answers[br]and someone said,

0:11:41.697,0:11:44.069
"Kev, how have you grown[br]such a big business"?

0:11:44.069,0:11:47.841
And I've said, "Uhm, I haven't[br]really grown the business,

0:11:47.841,0:11:50.515
I've never really looked at it[br]like that, what I have done,

0:11:50.515,0:11:55.566
is I've focused on people[br]and I have built people up.

0:11:56.164,0:11:58.788
And when the people[br]around you are built up,

0:11:58.788,0:12:02.376
you'll naturally have[br]a successfull business.

0:12:02.882,0:12:05.637
But the environment, it's absolutely key.

0:12:06.682,0:12:09.170
Most of us are like the rest of us.

0:12:09.726,0:12:12.377
I am very much like you,[br]you are very much like me

0:12:12.377,0:12:15.095
you wouldn't want me[br]to do something to you

0:12:15.095,0:12:17.470
you know, that you[br]wouldn't have done to yourself.

0:12:18.486,0:12:20.770
You know, I think that's universal.

0:12:21.420,0:12:23.747
But in business, if the bottom line

0:12:24.887,0:12:27.304
the most important thing[br]is the bottom line

0:12:27.304,0:12:33.083
and how much profit and money[br]have we extracted from this sector,

0:12:33.083,0:12:37.869
if that's what it is,[br]if that's the driving force,

0:12:37.887,0:12:41.034
then really it falls[br]into the personality ethic,

0:12:41.034,0:12:47.065
really it falls into, "How can we[br]manipulate people into getting things"?

0:12:47.362,0:12:52.154
But within the environment of my company,[br]I employ about 90 people,

0:12:52.175,0:12:56.453
I would say to my staff, OK,[br]here's the situation you've got

0:12:56.453,0:12:58.828
with a supplier or a customer,

0:12:58.828,0:13:03.744
If you were the supplier or the customer,[br]what would you want to happen to you?

0:13:04.605,0:13:07.974
And I empower my staff[br]to make those decisions.

0:13:08.906,0:13:11.996
And if the decision is,[br]"We've really messed up on this one, Kev

0:13:11.996,0:13:14.361
we should give them their money back,"

0:13:14.400,0:13:19.569
my staff are empowered to do that,[br]because that's the right thing.

0:13:20.579,0:13:27.358
So you can imagine my staff now,[br]they're not fish out of water,

0:13:28.764,0:13:32.881
they're not in an environment where[br]they think, "Oh, I am being forced,

0:13:33.357,0:13:38.637
I'm being pressured into making things[br]and doing what the boss says,

0:13:38.637,0:13:42.894
I feel awkward going back to this customer[br]or this supplier and saying,

0:13:42.898,0:13:45.042
they can't have this[br]or they can't have that."

0:13:45.933,0:13:51.064
Is it any little wonder that in the UK-[br]I believe it's worse in Serbia -

0:13:51.064,0:13:54.908
that the average person works[br]for a company for 18 months

0:13:54.917,0:13:58.928
and then they go off[br]trying to find something better?

0:14:00.110,0:14:04.817
In 14 years of running a company[br]and having 90 people work for me

0:14:04.817,0:14:09.115
I can only remember four people[br]leaving my employment.

0:14:10.889,0:14:15.782
It's because I give them that environment

0:14:15.782,0:14:20.345
where they feel[br]as if what they are doing is right.

0:14:21.283,0:14:26.935
I give them that environment[br]so they've got the ability to do to others

0:14:27.590,0:14:30.190
only what they would have done[br]to themselves.

0:14:31.311,0:14:33.853
And does that make my company stand out?

0:14:33.858,0:14:35.274
Absolutely.

0:14:36.147,0:14:41.192
Does it make my company very different[br]from the vast majority of the companies

0:14:41.192,0:14:42.827
in my same sector?

0:14:43.071,0:14:44.373
Absolutely.

0:14:44.373,0:14:47.119
And do you know[br]what my customers say, now?

0:14:47.457,0:14:50.001
Do you know what my tradesmen[br]that join us, say?

0:14:50.001,0:14:53.976
Do you know what our suppliers say?[br]Do you know what?

0:14:54.415,0:14:58.510
"I can't believe that in this day and age[br]there is still a company

0:14:58.510,0:15:02.125
that would have the ethics[br]that this company has.

0:15:02.937,0:15:06.601
And is it any wonder today[br]that even in recession in the UK

0:15:06.601,0:15:09.234
where companies haven't grown[br]for two years,

0:15:09.234,0:15:12.612
that I am growing[br]two and a half percent every month?

0:15:14.441,0:15:17.357
Is it a coincidence? Absolutely not.

0:15:18.002,0:15:20.608
Character ethic is so important.

0:15:23.270,0:15:26.475
Decide. Make a decision.

0:15:26.475,0:15:29.625
How you want to run your life,[br]how you want to run your business.

0:15:30.243,0:15:35.636
Is this based on character, integrity,[br]loyalty, friendship, gentleness

0:15:35.657,0:15:39.472
or are you going to change[br]and be a lemming

0:15:39.472,0:15:43.779
and do what all of the new companies[br]are doing in the world today?

0:15:44.275,0:15:46.881
And decide, no, I am going[br]to manipulate people,

0:15:46.881,0:15:49.662
I am going to use[br]Content Management Systems,

0:15:49.662,0:15:52.239
and I am going to use the software

0:15:52.239,0:15:55.389
to make out that my customer is important,

0:15:55.389,0:15:58.307
but really the bottom line[br]is how much money I make.

0:15:59.592,0:16:03.506
I'd suggest, please,[br]go for the character ethic.

0:16:04.023,0:16:06.250
Find out what your core values are.

0:16:06.250,0:16:08.985
If you don't know[br]what your core values are,

0:16:08.985,0:16:12.289
how can you possibly even achieve them?

0:16:12.297,0:16:13.879
How can you set targets?

0:16:13.879,0:16:17.206
How do you know if you have achieved[br]anything in life?

0:16:18.211,0:16:20.400
Go to that funeral.

0:16:20.405,0:16:21.961
Write those things down.

0:16:23.249,0:16:25.182
Build your expectations.

0:16:25.785,0:16:30.069
If you don't believe you can achieve[br]something, you will never act upon it.

0:16:31.073,0:16:32.617
It's so simple.

0:16:33.154,0:16:37.781
Most people have no expectations or,[br]if they have, it's really loose.

0:16:38.646,0:16:40.092
Really loose.

0:16:41.065,0:16:44.321
Someone might say, "Well I've started[br]a business a few weeks ago,

0:16:44.321,0:16:47.421
and my expectations[br]is that it would be successful",

0:16:47.427,0:16:49.424
or "that's what I am hoping for."

0:16:50.559,0:16:53.591
But really define[br]what your expectations are.

0:16:53.900,0:16:55.542
They are like a magnet.

0:16:55.542,0:16:58.118
Get fotographs of what[br]you want to achieve.

0:16:58.118,0:17:00.853
Put them on your walls,[br]in your living room,

0:17:00.856,0:17:02.681
in your business, in your toilette,

0:17:02.681,0:17:04.221
in your kitchen.

0:17:05.022,0:17:06.700
We are all visual people.

0:17:06.700,0:17:08.790
If you can see what you want to achieve,

0:17:08.790,0:17:10.202
what your expectation is,

0:17:10.202,0:17:14.860
and if you see that every day,[br]it's like a magnet, it will draw you.

0:17:14.860,0:17:17.551
And your actions will come from it.

0:17:19.052,0:17:21.049
And if you want something so bad,

0:17:21.049,0:17:23.410
never let it go[br]and you'll probably get it.

0:17:24.091,0:17:27.059
Feed that hunger as much[br]as you possibly can.

0:17:28.359,0:17:32.260
And create an environment[br]people want to operate in.

0:17:32.260,0:17:34.015
Put yourself in their shoes.

0:17:34.500,0:17:36.843
How would you want to be employed?

0:17:36.843,0:17:39.387
How would you want to be[br]a supplier or a customer?

0:17:40.301,0:17:42.550
Treat people the way you would want to.

0:17:43.366,0:17:47.864
If you catch this,[br]it will revolutionize your life.

0:17:47.864,0:17:51.739
It has taken me in six years,[br]from a 200,000 pound company,

0:17:51.739,0:17:54.475
to a 6.8 million company.

0:17:54.958,0:17:56.207
Thank you very much.

0:17:56.207,0:17:57.970
(Applause)