This post is just a bit of fun. My business is called Spingate, it’s actually named after a house and beyond that we have no idea what it means. However, when you type the name into Google (or Bing or any other search engine) you get two results: - My company (or companies) - The 2013 Federated Auto Parts 400 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race held on September 7, 2013, at Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Virginia, United States Could you get more different than a company based in England offering a range of class leading management consulting and property solutions (well I would say that!) and car racing? Not really. So firstly, I got there first with the name! having established my company several years before the race but as Wikipedia notes: “The race was marred by a controversial finish, after evidence surfaced that two teams were found to have manipulated the outcome of the race and Chase positions in the final ten laps. NASCAR ultimately determined that Mich

I am currently leading the mobilisation of a large facilities management contract, something that many who have carried out will know can be a really difficult and challenging process but one that is so important as it acts as a foundation for and sets the tone for the whole of the contract throughout its life The main factors in the success of a mobilisation are firstly planning and making sure that what you want in the mobilisation is as clearly specified as the maintenance of air conditioning or how you want a building cleaned but also having the right team is essential On my current project, I am very fortunate to be working with some great people with my client, my service provider and Incendium Consulting who are committed to making sure that the right service will be delivered at day one and between us we have worked closely to ensure that we all know what is needed and how we can deliver it. This makes such a difference and reduces risk significantly

Anyone who knows me will probably have never have seen me without a bucket of strong decaf in my hand but as we all know one person does not a demographic make! I would argue that it is more important than you would think as it’s one of those little details that can make an office or other workplace more attractive thus helping to increase productivity and staff retention. Is it the key factor? – of course not, there are many elements that matter more such as salary and the workplace itself – would you rather work in a dump with great coffee or a beautiful building with only adequate coffee? However, as the cost of coffee is low – even your favourite gourmet coffee handmade by a barista in your coffee shop only costs a few pence in product costs as most of the costs are in the staff and the property – so people seeing their favourite high street brand or thinking ‘this is better than the coffee shop down the road’ makes a real difference and is a real quick win along with not just prov