Staff Roundup July 2025

Hello Everyone,

One of the improvements you asked for in last year's staff survey was better communication, which we discussed at the last managers meeting. I don’t now recall if I volunteered or was volunteered, but whichever it is, writing this has become my job, in an effort to keep you informed of how we are doing both financially and morally!

On the sales side

Reigate      £30.3k, against a budget of £29.9k    = £0.3k up

Cobham    £31.0k against a budget of £35.9k     = £4.9k down

Web           £160.4k against a budget of £151.2k   = £9.3k up

Company £221.7k against a budget of £217.0k  = £4.7k up overall.

So an encouraging result and thank you very much for making this happen‼😀

A budget, incidentally, is an amount of money that we are either expecting to take (or to spend). So, in this case, sales, and it's therefore what we expected to take over the month of June. We also budget not only for sales, but also margin, and of course all our expenses, some of which we know the exact amounts, like rent and rates. Many we don’t, and have to make educated guesses!

People,

I’m delighted to say that last month Paul Taylor rejoined the team in Reigate, working 2 days a week to start with. He seems relaxed and happy and It’s really lovely to see his smiling face back with us again. His “sabbatical” seems to have done him the power of good

I’m also delighted to say Joel will be joining us at the end of July to take on the responsibility of customer service on the website using the Gorgias software currently managed by Em. He will also be helping out on the social media side as well.

OKR’s, Culture and Intention

As I hope you will have gathered from your manager, we are trialling the OKR (Objectives and Key Results) approach, as a way of keeping track of our objectives and measuring them (administered by the management team). So, as we enter the third quarter of this year (there is a new set every quarter), it put me in mind of the reasons behind this move. And this is to be more intentional in how we work. Keeping OKRs in sight therefore is more than just a measuring system, it also about building/refining our culture, about being more connected and accountable to both ourselves and to each other.

And it struck me the other day as I was writing my newsletter on the Black & Blum brand, how aligned we are with their approach to ‘design with a purpose’. Their products aren’t flashy, but there’s an awful lot of thought behind them. They are built to last.

So, take the lovely stainless steel food containers. They are completely rigid, no flex, will go in the microwave, the fridge, freezer, dishwasher time after time after time. People are using them to build healthier habits, as in the example I gave of Sunday meal prep for the whole week, cutting down on waste, using time well, eating better. It’s a small thing, arguably, but it has a big impact. It's the sort of product that helps people live better lives. Lives with greater intention!

They aren't just replicating what others do, to try and make money, but are trying to design something a different, a little better and make people's lives a little better in the process.  It's this approach that I think matches the Art of Living when we are at our best.

The other day I came across a phrase that rang bells with me “How we do anything, is how we do everything”. When we choose product that are like those that B&B produce, products with a clear vision, when we communicate this clearly and commit to a policy of “continuous Improvement” we are doing business, yes, but I believe it's rather more than that, we are building a culture that we can be very proud of.

Let’s keep doing that, in the big and the little things.

I’ll finish by saying that I’d like input from you on what you would like to see in these monthly reports. Please let me know what this is.

Warm regards

Andrew