Category Archive: Uncategorized

I was wrong when I thought that entrusting me with a phone, and a key (as well as allowing me to dress as I saw necessary), was the Chatter limit; and I wouldn’t have blamed them. But the guys had the generous idea of also entrusting me with monetary funds after my first day. Funds to invest on Chatter’s behalf in a growing business through Kiva. They masked it as a welcome gift, but I knew it was to test my moral choices, I imagine its part of many a recruitment process nowadays?

Kiva is a non-profit organisation that allows people to lend money via the Internet to people (generally entrepreneurs) in developing countries through micro-finance. It includes individual stories of each person who needs a loan so that ‘lenders’ can choose an entrepreneur they wish to fund. The money sent by the ‘lender’ is then transferred to the micro-finance institution (or Field Partner) and disbursed to the selected individual, providing them with the funds required to grow their business. The idea is that eventually the loan is repaid and the ‘lender’ recoups their money and it can be reinvested to another entrepreneur.

The concept is brilliant, and I wholeheartedly support the cause, but I was initially left with a dilemma… Who to lend the money to?

My studies of the Poor Law System hadn’t really endeared me to the idea of classifying those ‘deserving’ of funding from those not. I realised the ‘welcome gift’ my employers had given to me was a bit of a nightmare, and I couldn’t just plump for the Juan Milton because of a surname… could I?

Fortunately my qualms regarding the selection of the ‘deserving’ poor for my loan were alleviated by the fact that the full loan is pre-disbursed to the ‘borrowers’ by the micro-financiers, meaning that ‘lenders’ do not make the decision as to whether the individual is deserving of funding based on their picture and story. I could just plump for a namesake? Well I had a little think, and I’ve came up with a couple of entrepreneurs I could be pals with…

• Julius makes shoes in Thika, Kenya. I can appreciate a decent pair of leather shoes. Providing him with the opportunity to grow his shoe-making business is great; and he intends to educate his family with the proceeds. Education was an important part of the ITFC Charitable Trust trip to Kenya, and I’m an Ipswich fan, so I feel that the choice is in someway justified… I just hope I get the opportunity to buy some shoes off Julius once his business rockets!
• I have been intrigued by Peru ever since I read a fantastic article retelling the story of Peruvian political struggles during the early 1990’s. Whilst Peru has experienced massive social, cultural and economic growth in recent years, the economic disparities between communities are excessive… Dania is the same age as me (21), and hasn’t been afforded the opportunity to study that I have. Her ambition to succeed should not be blighted by her economic circumstance, and she deserves to do well! She also makes red spaghetti, and spaghetti dishes formed a pretty substantial part of my student diet, aside from cold meats and the like.

Hopefully, with the smallest of contributions, I can help these guys to build their businesses and one day see them featured alongside me on a Forbes . One day. If you would like to join us on the Forbes Hot 100 you should sign up too. If you sign up through the Chatter lending Team you get $25 free to loan.

DONE.

Harry

Genuinely can’t believe it’s been a year since we launched Chatter. This time last year we donned our gladrags and celebrated our launch with friends, family and prospective clients, with far too much music, alcohol and nibbles (well you can’t afford a full buffet when you’re a start up).

And hasn’t time flown.

We’d already planned for a big slap up meal to celebrate, but didn’t get carried too carried away at the start of ‘birthday week’ with 3 major projects underway and trips to Telford and London. Not to mention VAT return, year-end reporting and a visit from the ‘happy’ bank manager.

Our thoughts are focused on the new financial year and the upcoming work in the pipeline, but we still managed to squeeze in a little time to produce an end of year video, print and send out some Chatter mugs and crack open a bottle of bubbly at San Carlos after a long old week.

Thanks to everyone for their support in the last 12 months, roll on the next.

Can’t believe it’s the middle of February already, that’s just crazy. It’s either down to the supermarkets stocking their Easter promotions on New Year’s Day, or being so ruddy busy that’s to blame for the year spinning by so quickly.

This week’s been a good one, it started as per usual with the weekly kick off meeting, a chance to chat through the various projects, proposals and opportunities we’ve got on the cards over the coming week, and mop up on anything we didn’t get around to the week before. Monday was also the day we’d pencilled in to say “Bon Voyage” to one of our old colleagues Ellen Scales – she left Blighty on Thursday bound for a new life Down Under. Over lunch there was frivolous talk of establishing a Chatter Sydney office, but the others went cold on the concept when I described what a typical day at work might include were I to set things up, not sure what their problem was, I reckon if there’s so much beach and sunshine to be had, it’s a shame to miss it by sitting in an office all day! Click here to read more »

This week kicked off with an early morning train to London for Lisa and I. We were meeting a client for lunch at the rather trendy Hix Oyster & Chop House near Smithfield Market, one of a few such meetings we weren’t able to fit in before Christmas which is playing havoc with the healthy eating regime! Whilst this year has started off more gently then last year ended, things are already picking up, including a press ad in the Daily Telegraph, which is always jolly in a world where print advertising is no longer considered to be de rigueur.   Click here to read more »

Twas the last day of work and throughout HQ

We’re reet looking forward to a festive drink or two

We’ve worked hard all year, had lots of success

Launched seven new web sites and mastered wordpress.

Now it’s Christmas time, we must stop and think

To remember how it all started.

To raise a glass – chink!

To thank our lovely clients, to thank our amazing flock

Let’s hope it all continues. We never want it to stop.

So merry Christmas everybody.

Have a happy new year.

Drink and make merry, be full of good cheer.

See the making of our Christmas card