All posts by : janinepaterson

And her expert advice is always worth every penny

I can’t fault our vet. She is always there to offer advice and suggest new ways to help the wide range of animals she looks after in her practice.

I have a golden retriever. Archie is now 8 years old, but when he was 3 ½ something happened that changed his life and ours forever.

He had a fit. It was a Sunday morning, and this was the most terrifying thing I have ever seen.

He cycle fitted, coming out of one fit then immediately into another, for half an hour.

We had to take him to the Royal Veterinary College in Potters Bar, where he spent a week while they tried to work out why it happened!

The vets at the college couldn’t figure out the trigger for the fit, but they did diagnose him with epilepsy.

Since then we have had further fits (he ended up at the hospital for a second time a month later) and various medications to stop or at least control his condition.

He had been having a fit every 4 – 6 weeks until the end of July when he started having them every 2 weeks. What was more worrying were the after-effects: difficulty getting up after the fit, loss of control over his back legs, and unsteadiness and confusion for longer than usual.

We spoke to our vet, and she mentioned that another dog she’d treated, who had a history of fitting, hadn’t had one while being treated with a painkiller for its arthritis.

The vet ran some tests and decided it was safe to give him this medication as well – to see if it would control his epilepsy.

I will let you know how he gets on.

I know my expertise can never be as life changing as my vet’s, but the legal advice I provide can crucially affect the way you promote your business through your marketing and advertising.

This is because making sure that your marketing not only talks to your ideal customer but also complies with the myriad of rules and regulations out there is the best way to build your reputation.

Using the knowledge and experience gained during 15 years of advising on marketing and advertising dos and don’ts, I have helped clients create campaigns that make the best impression on customers and prospects whilst keeping on the right side of the law. So if you want to explore how expert legal advice could help you build a respected and trustworthy reputation within the rules

Yes I know that’s boring

I don’t think I have mentioned this before but my husband and I are looking for a plot of land to build our own house.

Wow, you may think, that’s a big project.

And you’d be right.

This is why we have thought long and hard about what we really want and then we drew up a detailed plan.

We went to all this trouble because this house is where we’ll spend our retirement (apart from numerous holidays I hope) so we need to make sure that where we choose ticks all our boxes.

Some of our wishes are limited by money, some by location, which means they may not be possible, but there are some that are non-negotiable.

For instance:

• A village location
• A pub
• A village shop

Why these things in particular?

We’ve been dreaming of long walks in the country with our golden retriever which end at the pub, via the shop for a paper. Bliss!

Having a properly thought-out plan is also vital when it comes to your marketing otherwise the money you spend will be wasted.

In drawing up your plan, you need to consider whether your marketing is:

Sending the Right message – is your marketing resonating with your ideal customer?

Aimed at the Right person – are you talking to the people that need your stuff?

Reaching them at the Right time – are you in your customer’s minds when they decide to buy?

Using the Right medium – where do your customers hang out?

Getting all these right means your marketing message is as good as you can get it. So, if you need help creating a robust plan for your marketing activities, which includes compliance with all the rules and regulations,

Many of my neighbours have chickens so I often get given a box of eggs.

These eggs always seem to taste different to those I buy in the shops. I suspect the lack of food miles and the freshness has a part to play.

I’ve wanted chickens myself, but my husband is not so keen. He believes there’s too much to do to look after them.

In the hope that I can persuade him when we’ve built our dream home in the future, I took an opportunity to get some first-hand experience …

… I’ve offered to look after one of my neighbour’s chickens for 10 days while they’re away!

I went round the other evening to get some instructions. Food, water – well that seems straightforward but I guess time will tell.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

Learning new skills from an expert is great for the mind and your business.

You can look into using a new channel for your marketing or run an exciting competition to attract new customers, and whatever you decide, involving an expert means you don’t have to worry about the dangers of inadvertently breaking the rules. So, if this sounds like an opportunity not to be missed

Both my daughters are now adults and they are now both at university.

Alex is in the final year of her Psychology degree at UEA in Norwich.

When she went back to her studies, we managed to get everything in the car and set off to her new accommodation. She’s moved on from the house she had in her 2^nd year and the new place, although a little more expensive than last year (but I think that’s the case everywhere) is a vast improvement.

The room is twice the size of last year’s and has an en-suite, which is a good size with a spacious shower cubicle. She will share a kitchen with the other tenants and has access to a garage to store her bike.

Suffice to say it’s lovely, and I was happy with Alex’s choice of property. However, I was even happier to learn the landlord handled the property himself. Last year’s landlord used managing agents to deal with any issues with the house. This meant simple repairs took weeks and bigger ones took even longer!

The landlord met us at the property with the keys to her room. He explained the practicalities, codes for the back gate to access the garage, and details of the Wi-Fi (the router is in a cupboard right outside her door so broadband speeds should be excellent)

In the kitchen, he showed us Alex’s cupboards and the space she will have in the fridge and freezer, but in doing so he was mortified to discover the cupboards had not been cleared or cleaned and there was food in the fridge and freezer space.

So while Alex and I bought her things from the car, he dealt with this, cleaning the cupboards himself.

He obviously takes pride in the property and the level of service he provides to his tenants (there is a cleaner that comes in once a week to clean the hall and kitchen).

I think Alex will be happy there and that’s all I can ask for as her mother.

You’re probably wondering where I’m going with this.

Well, all I’m going to say is that I take pride in the services I offer and work to ensure that my clients get the knowledge and help they need to ensure their marketing works within the rules and regulations.

My husband and I were out for our morning walk with our golden retriever.

We walked up the hill and stopped before a driveway because one of our neighbours was backing out of his drive.

As he reversed onto the road and then straightened the car up to drive away, I noticed a strange thing.

He was only using one hand to turn the steering wheel, as the other hand held his bone china mug of coffee!

I suspect this is something he has always done, maybe because he never leaves enough time to finish his drink before he has to leave the house.

He probably hasn’t thought about what he does, or the consequences of something happening on the road, let alone this is probably careless driving in the eyes of the law.

Yes, we all do some things the way we do because we always have.

But this is not the way to go if what you’ve been doing isn’t working.

As Albert Einstein said:

“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.”

This means if you want a different outcome, you need to change what you do.

So if the way you do your marketing has been the same for years, but you still hope for better quality clients, this is never going to happen.

You aren’t insane, and you won’t get into trouble with the police, but the consequences for your business could be just as bad. However, there are a host of do’s and don’ts when it comes to promoting your brand and being ignorant about the rules that apply is no excuse. . The rules are there for a reason but many people need help to interpret and apply them successfully to their business.

But some expert advice will always help

My younger daughter, Maddy, is doing a 4 year Fine Arts degree at university.

She has loved art since she was small but is unsure which direction to go after her degree.

So, she got help from someone close to home. We have an artist near us and she invited us to go to her studio to learn about her career and her art.

The visit was extraordinary. Her studio looks just like Maddy’s bedroom – chaotic!

There were canvasses everywhere; on the floor, on tables, on easels and taped to walls. There were tubes of paint in every colour you could think of scattered around.

This artist has had a varied career, being a curator for a number of galleries in London and a lecturer. This gives her the knowledge to talk Maddy through the vast array of careers that would be available to her.

Getting this first-hand expert knowledge of the art world is going to be invaluable for Maddy as she pursues her studies.

The conversation we had reminded me that this is my aim when I help my clients.

I provide the legal advice they need to get their marketing right, which means they can make a success of their business and have the lifestyle for their family they deserve.

There are a host of do’s and don’ts when it comes to promoting your brand, and serious consequences if you get it wrong.

This is why it’s vital to draw upon an expert’s years of experience to ensure your marketing not only talks to your ideal customer but complies with the complex and ever-changing mix of rules, regulations, and laws. So if you’d like to benefit from over 15 years of experience in the marketing and advertising world,

Like a pub crawl but different

I think I’ve mentioned it before but I live in a hamlet.

We have roughly 300 people living here in 2 parts, separated by a hill.

I live at the bottom of the hill, and it is a beautiful place but it lacks one thing – a pub!

So, one of our neighbours suggested resurrecting something we did years ago, (which was lost as a consequence of the pandemic) …

… a house crawl.

This is like a pub crawl, but we move from one house to another, glass in hand.

My husband and I are one of 8 hosts.

Our neighbour sent round a running order, but there were errors.

There were road names missing, just numbers, which as there are 2 roads involved would be confusing for some, especially the new residents.

The timings at each house also did not follow through the route, with people going from house 4 to house 6, then 7, back to 5 and finishing at 8.

I mentioned this to our neighbour and version 2 was issued.

Taking on a project like this can seem simple in the beginning, but the more you get into it, you begin to realise it’s more than meets the eye.

And this can easily happen in business too.

An idea for a new product or service or maybe that long overdue review of your marketing activities.

And, trying to understand the do’s and don’ts when it comes to promoting your brand may seem daunting.

The rules are there for a reason but many people find them confusing, and therefore get them wrong.

And that mistake could put you on the Information Commissioner’s Office or the Advertising Standards Authority’s website because someone complained. This will obviously send the wrong message to your customers and prospects affecting the future success of your business. So if you need an expert’s view on your marketing to help you get (or stay) on the right track, so you can get back to enjoying time with your family and friends

… is sometimes all you need.

Not everything goes smoothly all the time.

My daughter has to have a guard for her lower teeth (thank goodness it’s not the top ones as well) as she grinds her teeth in her sleep.

To do this, she needed to have a mould made of soft acrylic.

She was in the dentist’s chair for over 30 minutes. It took 3 attempts to get a result, and she ended up with acrylic all over her face and neck.

The dentist was very apologetic. Apparently, this didn’t happen very often, but on this occasion, the acrylic was just not playing ball.

But the dentist did not give up, she persevered, and we finally had a mould they could use.

And my point?

We all have occasions when things don’t run to plan.

Sometimes it is what it is and just one of those things, but other times it happens because something is amiss with the process.

So, if you have something that keeps happening and you don’t know why, maybe a fresh pair of eyes will help.

Having someone outside the business review practices can often help identify issues and find solutions to prevent them from occurring again.

I don’t know about you but I love anything with mash.

Toad in the Hole, steak and kidney pie and just plain old bangers and mash.

But it seems that the right type of potatoes for mash are a rarity these days.

I remember as a child buying old potatoes in the supermarket and they would break down when cooked, which made the smoothest mash.

But these days the potatoes I buy in the shops don’t have that quality which results in lumpy mash.

(I am sure I would get harsh words on Masterchef for that!)

I understand this is probably a result of them being stored in a nitrogen atmosphere for many months in order to prolong their life.

Anyway, things change. Sometimes that change happens over time, sneaking up on us. But sometimes the change is planned and comes into effect rapidly with little (or no) warning.

And when these changes are to the rules and regulations you need to follow in your marketing and advertising, then you may suffer bigger consequences than lumps in your mash.

You may think you have a handle on the do’s and don’ts, but what happens when things change.

And how would you even begin to find out about planned amendments to the various laws, guidelines, and codes??

The easiest, and in my opinion the most sensible, is to ask an expert.

With the day-to-day responsibilities of running your business, it’s not surprising that you don’t have time to keep up with these changes.

So speak to someone who does. If you need help keeping up to date with what you need to stay on the right side of the law when you promote your brand,

Many people think sheep are stupid, but they are extremely intelligent and capable of problem-solving.

I saw an example of this on holiday a few weeks ago.

My husband and I took our golden retriever down to the beach. You need to clamber down the cliff to reach the beach that allows dogs, making your way through the grazing sheep.

On the way back up, the sheep were all heading in the same direction. Some were able to get ahead of us, but some followed at a safe distance.

We reached the end of the trail and went through an open gateway. We stopped to change Archie’s lead to a shorter one for the walk home.

The sheep behind peeped round the corner and stopped when they saw we were stationary.

We were in their way!

The first 2 sheep watched us for a minute, looking around, and then came through the gateway, making a sharp right turn and continuing down the slope before coming round, giving us a wide berth.

I was very impressed. They used their past experiences and knowledge of humans and dogs to work out a way to get safely past us.

And this is what I do.

I use my nearly 30 years of knowledge and experience as a qualified solicitor, 15 of those years in the marketing and advertising world, to help my clients create campaigns that make the best impression on customers and prospects while keeping on the right side of the law. So if you want to explore how expert legal advice could help create exciting and engaging marketing that’s also within the rules,