You may know that we work closely with a UK Gift Trade publication called Gift Focus Magazine where we have regular features on our current and upcoming products and campaigns.

One other thing we do is for Neil to write an Answer to the Questions that are posed to the magazine in the area of People related topics ...

You can see more about Gift Focus on their website and you can download their latest magazine by clicking here.

Our most recent Answer is here ...

Q:  Olympic Inspiration - How can I ‘Go for Gold’ with my own business?

A:  I hope you have been as inspired as I have been by watching the Olympics this summer. What an absolutely superb example of individuals and teams delivering to their best ability. The whole event was managed brilliantly, the execution superb and the unsung heroes were those who volunteered to be a part of the magical show.
Retail sales may well have been down in some areas as a result of our customers’ attention being on the sport, but there are many connections we can make with Olympic success. Whilst we may not all have the talent to become Olympians ourselves, what we can do is to take the steps to drive our own lives and businesses to better performance.
Here are a few connections I have made and please do contact me with any that have inspired you and your colleagues.

-  Have a vision of success. Dream about how it could be and don’t listen to those who don’t believe. Be an inspiration yourself ... but maintain realism not fantasy. 

-  Don’t expect success to come easily. Olympic athletes have dedicated years of their lives to become the best they can be. Hard work and preparation will help to put your business on the medal rostrum. 

-  Teams will help you reach your dream. Hire good people around you, work with people better than you and be prepared to learn and improve every day. Consider finding a coach yourself to support and challenge your thinking and actions. 

-  The Olympic values are Friendship, Respect and Excellence and everyone who took part, whether they were athletes, judges, managers or the volunteers, was asked to sign up to them. Consider what you can learn from these three words as well as drawing up some values for your own business.


Michael Phelps is now the most decorated Olympian in History and his words seem a good place to finish.  “I wouldn't say anything is impossible. I think that everything is possible as long as you put your mind to it and put the work and time into it."