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SusSET
Sustaining Small Expanding Towns
Poland
Nov 2005
Lesley Duff
Business Association
Café Bar Proprietor
01569 762 378
onlyme@thenorthc.fslife.co.uk
Website:www.mollygunnings.co.uk
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to visit Poland.
I truly appreciated the privilege.
At Molly Gunning’s we research all aspects of our business constantly, appreciating the experience of larger companies who have the benefit of professional advice together with the inspirational intuitative presentation of small businesses. We look, not only, at similar operations but draw lateral business procedures from any service unit. From airports who manage the flow of customers beautifully to banks who charge their customers beautifully! I feel we can learn from almost every aspect of life and believe we can only stay competitive by continually refreshing the foundations we have in place.
Following is my brief personal opinion of key points we may like to address, which I have taken from our visit.
Best Regards
Lesley
Contents
1 Return Visit
2 Stonehaven – the master plan
3 Town Branding
4 Plan
5 Funding
6 Stonehaven – the future
1. Return Visit
Please may a representative from Scotland meet our visitors at the airport?
Tollbooth Restaurant - posh nosh in smaller numbers
Carron Restaurant - formal dinner
St Leonards Hotel - formal lunch or dinner, conferencing
Heugh Hotel - relaxed supper
Golf Club - morning or afternoon coffee or lunch
The Ship Inn - drinks
Molly Gunning’s - afternoon tea, late nibbles, drinks or informal supper
The Boat House - afternoon tea or lovely supper
- Address to the haggis
- Scottish songs
- Scottish dancing
- Youth input musically
- Christmas fair
- Farmers market
- Car boot sale
- Youth input artistically as in welcome card to each delegate
- Name places on tables etc
- Art in each venue
- Delegate to turn on Christmas lights
- Banner
- Art in town hall
- Meet local business in town hall
- Local groups in town hall
- Every shop, café and business to have a welcome sign, (possible competition in schools?)
- Trip on boat from the maritime personnel
- Helicopter rescue demonstration
- Dunnotter castle and woods
- Cowie
- Push bike ride round town
- Visit to Gourdon fish house
- Riverside gallery
- Local hospital, care homes, look at our welfare system housing; maternity, dentistry, etc
- Visit outdoor pool
2. Stonehaven - the master plan
The one thing that stands out from my visit to Poland was the complete solidarity of all personnel in their united aim to complete their master plan.
Each and every person we spoke to had the knowledge to answer any question and spoke in unison, about their vision for the town.
I think of every enterprise as a small business;
Your home, holidays, obtaining a new job, any single wee initiative you may like to succeed in obtaining and running.
A car, personal fitness, looking good, any situation at all, as all situations require understanding and backup;
from partners, children and professionals.
A book which inspires me and I keep as bed time reading is;
‘The E-myth Revisited’ by Michael E. Gerber
And because you and me both cannot run our respective business or groups without staff, a phrase I have latched onto and keep in my head at all times is;
“What makes people work is an idea worth working for,
along with a clear understanding of what needs to be done”
3. Town Branding
“What does Stonehaven mean to you?”
Sea, holiday, leisure,
Retirement town,
Dormitory town,
Secure, good schools, good health care.
Transport, road rail and bus
Good pubs
Lots of groups
Pool and gym
(Just about) adequate shopping
Historical
Home of the inventor of the pneumatic tyre (Robert Thomson)
Art, home of artists
All leading items or places have a brand
We are a brand driven society
Marks and Spencer’s, Asda, Nike, Amsterdam, Gleneagles and Venice
Each name is very easily identified with their product
‘Stonehaven is Special’
Is perhaps not the most imaginative, strong or confirmative branding, a competition throughout every household may come up with the answer and involve the town; ask the universities, marketing, arts; fix on a strong idea which singularly and immediately singles out;
4. Plan
The mayor of Webba made available the fees, of the university lecturer of architecture.
Along with her students, the lecturer stayed in the school gym for two weeks, sleeping at one end and working at the other.
They;
- Firstly understood the needs of the town,
- Then, really looked at the town,
- Drew up a master plan to bring the town together forging a link between the seaside and the main street.
- Addressed transport requirements and most importantly uniformed the look of the town.
- Worked in conjunction with the town council architect. This allowed him to completely understand the plan and to project manage the build.
- Demonstrated their plan to the population, by building a prototype of the look they wished to brand the town with, right in the town centre.
- Brought about unity with this very radical and forward thinking, which was something I was so taken with.
Everyone new what the plan was
Everyone new their role
Everyone new what they were working towards
Everyone new they would benefit from their efforts
The plan was long term, over 20 years
Futuristic in terms of population, transport, social needs, business needs
Feasible and achievable
Sympathetic to the landscape, environment, the historical factors,
The population needs, the business needs.
5. Funding
I have been short of money to carry out my plans, therefore I;
- paired down my ambitious plans
- sought advice
- used every single asset I had to raise money
- I sold property
- Reduced (slightly) my personal standards
BUT, relentlessly stuck to the plan by prioritising cash to obtain, bit by bit, all targets laid out in the plan.
All groups together.
Each of us has restrictions surrounding us,
Collectively, we can free up present policies and introduce, gradually,
- new fundraising projects
- new opportunities will present themselves to raise the funds.
Years ago there were;
- No parking fees
- No speeding fines
- No charge to withdraw cash from “holes in the wall”
Accountants have devised very many ways to increase;
- their capital and profits
- to grow their respective businesses.
The town plan is a;
“business”.
6. Stonehaven – the future
Stonehaven is a uniquely placed haven
We have;
- a lovely harbour
- a beautiful bay
- a town square
- adjoining village of Cowie
- castle, hills and cenotaph at one end
hills and golf club at the other
- forests and the road to inner mountains and the gateway to the highlands
- we have a train station
- a brilliant road link
- a nearby ferry to the northern islands
- a nearby airport
- we have the most beautiful Fetteresso castle, which just could be an outstanding hotel, conference centre, the Scottish headquarters of tourism for the north-east and the highlands, - the linking place for all Scottish tourism in the perfect setting.
We have planned, in place, ready to go;
- a motorway system to bypass Aberdeen city and bring a direct link to the airport
We have the opportunity to grow the town by building to attract a population sympathetic to the town’s philosophy not just to increase the builders profits.
We have the opportunity to encourage business to brand with the town’s identity in conjunction with their own brands.
When we as individuals join a club, we abide by their rules and adopt their dress code, as we wish to be part of the thinking they represent.
We will follow a good lead, if we can appreciate the plan and know what our role is.
What makes people work is an idea worth working for, along with a clear understanding of what needs to be done.
As Stonehaven already demonstrates in abundance, we all wish to participate.
At the moment we are each making a patch work square,
No one is making the quilt
I don’t even want a patch work quilt; I want a silk throw from John Lewis.
Thank you for your time
Lesley.
This report was compiled by Lesley Duff owner of Molly Gunnings and member of Stonehaven Business Association
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