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The tough time laying future success
Today I was chatting to a friend about work. When I told him I manage Triple Point’s venture team and am the co-founder of Further, the fund administration software business, his reaction was instant: “That sounds intense. Two roles, how do you have the time?“. The answer, I found myself explaining, is that I’ve simply…
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The big burnout problem
Over Christmas, I found myself reflecting on the rising level of burnout across the developed world. What are we getting wrong at work? Sarah O’Connor at the FT wrote a great piece last month about rising stress and mental health issues at work. The article included a graph I found particularly thought-provoking: That a two-fold…
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Doers and Resters
This morning I woke up and pulled my gear together to go for a run. While running, I thought about what I’d do later in the day. Tinker on a project I am working on with a friend? Play Playstation with a friend I met online in the chatempanada site? Go for a walk? Tick…
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What motivates you?
What emotion motivates you in the crunch moment, when you want to achieve something in life? Not day-to-day motivation. But when it really matters. Everyone has that emotion. That feeling. It’s often not easily described in one word. For some, it’s the rush of social acceptance or recognition. For others it’s the craving to test…
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Expanding The VCT: An Easy Win?
Venture capital has, for a long time, played an important role in the modern British economy. Over the past 50 years, it has funded young and promising businesses that went on to become future leaders of British industry. The UK venture capital industry has been pivotal in the success of current national champions such as…
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A Classless, Anti-Statement Watch
Yesterday morning I went to a board meeting. I was wearing my usual gear, which included my trusty Apple Watch Series 4. And as I sat at the meeting, I noticed that some attendees had expensive watches on. You know the watches – Rolex Submariner, Omega Seamaster, [insert other standard luxury watch here]. I noted…
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Read Fiction!
My life has been filled with arrogant moments, where I thought I knew better than others. One of these moments was when I decided that I would only read non-fiction books. “Fiction is a waste of time” went the argument. Self-improvement was the focus. Fiction was only for recreation. I’d often declare this view in…
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What is a Growth Mindset?
“Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people” – Eleanor Roosevelt My wife says I’m a fanatic in everything I do. I thought this was an interesting charge. Surely being a fanatic is a prerequisite for success – going one step further than most others? Just one step? Only a few…