Million Impossible?

[DuaneJackson]

Has anyone got involved with these guys? I grabbed one of their leaflets at the BStartup exhibition (see Whats wrong with this picture? (http://blog.kashflow.co.uk/2008/12/09/whats-wrong-with-this-picture/))

Something about it just doesn't feel "right" to me, but I can't put my finger on what exactly.

The name doesn't make sense. I get that it's a play on Mission Impossible - but why suggest the first million is impossible? Not a very positive start.

Then there's the fact that it's constantly billed as the first network for "honest entrepreneurs", which to me has another uncomfortable implication.

Anyone aware of them? Anyone got involved at all?

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=million+impossible

[Cornish Steve]

"honest entrepreneurs"
Anyone who has to flaunt a character trait usually doesn't own it. Would you visit "Honest Joe's Used Cars", for example?

[Tej]

Is it a PLC company??

[doordistribution]

Is it a PLC company??

Anyone can set up a PLC company

[Burden]

i remember this came up before about as i recognise the website.
someone said before it was helped by Rachel Elenaugh to start up but then shes tried to remove alot of her doing with it all

[Martin P]

What is wrong with the picture?:|

[DuaneJackson]

What is wrong with the picture?:|

Not telling : )

But that's the full picture - the entire leaflet. There was nothing printed on the reverse. Theywere dishing out thousands of the things. A big mistake was made

Link again for anyone that wonders what we're on about: http://blog.kashflow.co.uk/2008/12/09/whats-wrong-with-this-picture/

If you know the answer, post on the blog.

[Carl-CSNM]

No web address?

There is too much information on it, information overload.

[Steve Cool]

No contact details???:|

[Martin P]

What is wrong with the picture?:|
Got it,
Haha, that's a bad mistake to make!

[DuaneJackson]

No contact details???:|

Exactly - no phone number, no web addresss - nada.

There's not call to action anyway - but no contact details of any sort - ie, how to enter for the £25k giveaway - is a pretty big oversight.

[webman11]

Doh ! Easy mistake to make.... Actually ! No , how stupid ! Especially when they are advertising an advertising offering ! lol

[Padebo]

Actually, I don't think not having contact details on the leaflet is that much of a mistake. Anyone with any intelligence will find 'million impossible' on-line, as I'm sure everyone knows how to do so.

The big mistake really refers to when you get to the website. There seems to be no mention whatever on the home page about the big Prize Draw they're talking about.

[.Spiralling.]

let's hope that if anyone manages to win the £25k of advertising, they're not tied in to using adverts designed by Million Impossible.

[admagic]

Yes, I have bumped into them - and had a brief chat.

They seem to me to be genuine guys trying to provide a resource for would be entrepreneurs - so good luck to them.

Rachel was given a stand at BSTART in exchange for presenting there and gave up the stand to them as what she saw was a worthy cause.

[thedlog]

It was set up to help network entrepreneurs, what is wrong in that.

Rachel Elnaugh has endorsed it with her advertising also, if things were sus as some of you say, do you honestly think Rachel would her name to it, let me answer that for you; No she wouldn't.

[David Catto]

Is it a PLC company??

Any company can be a PLC company. You dont need to be listed to be PLC. Not many people know that!

[David Catto]

The do have the endorcement of Rachel Elnaugh afterall. One would not think that she would not endorse their product or not know she is being the vehicle in MP's advertising.

I interogated hard with Millionimpossible. I now have a reputation in thier office.

When I saw them at the Expo, I didn't sign up as i wanted to check them out more. Yes, i had the same thoughts about the advertising and contact details and I have made them aware of this.

It is what you make of it. I have talked to the head of sales and now have started the process of staring more 'informal networking events'. I am aslo a PCG member and have held what we call 'Real live meetings'. I am going to start with a Networking event in the new year in the East of England, and hope that this will not only bring together like minded people, but a chance to share your thoughts with others and the chance to learn and most importantly keep your confidence up.

BTW they have 2500 members so there is your chance for extra networking!

This can also be a chance to get your name out there in other forms which I am going to put a proposal to MP. I am not a marketing person, far from it, but I am needing to learn quickly in this changing market.

There is the Masterclass in January. I now feel I have an inside line with MP, then i can get an inside line to the event and set up a stand at the event (money permitting). From there, I would intend to target Rachel's companies and offer my IT Skills, where I am very good at Migrations and Mergers of IT Systems for companies.

Now I hope that this does not get back to Rachel in a hurry otherwise she will know my cunning plan!

Regards
David Catto
Arapiki Consulting

[danny-b]

That is dodgy!

[thedlog]

By posting on here she no doubt's knows your cunning plan by now!! Or if she dosen't already know, deff' in the next 24 hrs, so I think you have just shot yourself in the foot!!

[HeidiWeir1]

I thought that I would add my 2 pennies worth.

Nice to see that we have sparked off some passionate chat!

I am one of the directors of Million Impossible and thought that I'd respond to some of your comments.

Thank you to those of you that are MI Members that have supported us so vigorously - much appreciated as always.

The first comment I thought that I would clear up is the name; 'Million Impossible' - the name was chosen exactly for the reason of sparking some interest - which I guess by the comments - it has.

The reason for the name Million Impossible..... do we believe that 'A Million' is impossible? Of course not. Completely to the contrary; in fact we actually believe that anything is impossible. 'A Million' - whether is be in terms of £'s or the number of members that join us - was never going to be an easy feat - so to call ourselves 'Million Possible' therefore would be to underestimate the target we have in mind. We believe that given the right support; anything is possible.

Does our name spark conversation and interest? You've answered that - thank you!

The reason for the 'Straight-Talking, open, honest and Raw Network' was purely because we have found that many business people are scared to be 'too honest' in business. Most face challenges along the way but maybe thanks to the British stiff upper lip, many do not like to admit where they are - in fear that it will somehow damage them. The idea is that if we share our challenges - together we will overcome them - STRENGH IN NUMBERS! Whatever challenge you are facing, I can guarantee that others have been there before, so why re-invent the wheel - open up and you'll be surprised how many will help you.

We have been extremely open about where we are and the mistakes that we have made along the way. We have had no corporate backing, we have only been trading for a year, we have had great support from our members of whom we listen to regularly and we thank them for their input and support - and I know many feel very protective and passionate about what we are doing.

We have had some amazing achievements; over 2500 members, a great site (biased I know) and an online magazine with some great features and editorial from various high profile entrepreneurs. Some great interest in our hopefully 'soon to be launched' Entrepreneur School.... I could go on, but I'll bore you.

We also have a long way to go and appreciate all that support us and continue to join us. If we achieve our goals - we will prove that anything is possible.

We are a small group of people with an intention of helping businesses by joining together. Big dream, small people so I completely understand some of your cynicism.

As for the Flyers at the show (did I mention that we have made some mistakes along the way?); we collected business cards from visitors and had a prize draw box on the stand from which we conducted a prize draw on the Monday (by an independant body) - winner is being contacted by email - it will be published on the site shortly. I did notice that the web address and contact details were missing from the flyers along with full details; not the best marketing ploy; you live and learn! Hurt us more than anyone else really.

Anyway, I'm sure that you've heard enough from me and I will leave you all return to your discussion.

Feel free to email me directly for any further feedback or questions.

Thank you all, Heidi Weir

[DuaneJackson]

Hi Heidi,

Thanks for coming along and explaining. I'll take a closer look at it all.

Feel free to email me directly for any further feedback or questions.

Errm. I hate to be the one to point it out but.....

[Alpha]

Hi Heidi,

Thanks for coming along and explaining. I'll take a closer look at it all.



Errm. I hate to be the one to point it out but.....


She did say that they do make mistakes:D

[garyk]

Anyone can set up a PLC company

Yes but dont you need £50K to do it?

[PointandStare]

I'd like to know what the £25k of advertising actually consists of.
In what format and where?

[admagic]

I thought that I would add my 2 pennies worth.

Nice to see that we have sparked off some passionate chat!

I am one of the directors of Million Impossible and thought that I'd respond to some of your comments.

Thank you to those of you that are MI Members that have supported us so vigorously - much appreciated as always.

The first comment I thought that I would clear up is the name; 'Million Impossible' - the name was chosen exactly for the reason of sparking some interest - which I guess by the comments - it has.

The reason for the name Million Impossible..... do we believe that 'A Million' is impossible? Of course not. Completely to the contrary; in fact we actually believe that anything is impossible. 'A Million' - whether is be in terms of £'s or the number of members that join us - was never going to be an easy feat - so to call ourselves 'Million Possible' therefore would be to underestimate the target we have in mind. We believe that given the right support; anything is possible.

Does our name spark conversation and interest? You've answered that - thank you!

The reason for the 'Straight-Talking, open, honest and Raw Network' was purely because we have found that many business people are scared to be 'too honest' in business. Most face challenges along the way but maybe thanks to the British stiff upper lip, many do not like to admit where they are - in fear that it will somehow damage them. The idea is that if we share our challenges - together we will overcome them - STRENGH IN NUMBERS! Whatever challenge you are facing, I can guarantee that others have been there before, so why re-invent the wheel - open up and you'll be surprised how many will help you.

We have been extremely open about where we are and the mistakes that we have made along the way. We have had no corporate backing, we have only been trading for a year, we have had great support from our members of whom we listen to regularly and we thank them for their input and support - and I know many feel very protective and passionate about what we are doing.

We have had some amazing achievements; over 2500 members, a great site (biased I know) and an online magazine with some great features and editorial from various high profile entrepreneurs. Some great interest in our hopefully 'soon to be launched' Entrepreneur School.... I could go on, but I'll bore you.

We also have a long way to go and appreciate all that support us and continue to join us. If we achieve our goals - we will prove that anything is possible.

We are a small group of people with an intention of helping businesses by joining together. Big dream, small people so I completely understand some of your cynicism.

As for the Flyers at the show (did I mention that we have made some mistakes along the way?); we collected business cards from visitors and had a prize draw box on the stand from which we conducted a prize draw on the Monday (by an independant body) - winner is being contacted by email - it will be published on the site shortly. I did notice that the web address and contact details were missing from the flyers along with full details; not the best marketing ploy; you live and learn! Hurt us more than anyone else really.

Anyway, I'm sure that you've heard enough from me and I will leave you all return to your discussion.

Feel free to email me directly for any further feedback or questions.

Thank you all, Heidi Weir

One piece of feedback, I tried to free register for your site, and it did not seem to want to accept my form, and didnt say why

But then as groucho marx once said...." I would never oin a club that would accept people like me as a member"

[thedlog]

Perhaps you are using a Mac, try giving Bradley a ring, or one of his team members, they will deff' help you out, because I had a similar problem, but I met with Bradley at the Business Start Up Show at Olympia on the Friday, Monday morning everything was up and running.

They are a brilliant team just wanting to help everyone.

DLOG

[admagic]

Perhaps you are using a Mac, try giving Bradley a ring, or one of his team members, they will deff' help you out, because I had a similar problem, but I met with Bradley at the Business Start Up Show at Olympia on the Friday, Monday morning everything was up and running.

They are a brilliant team just wanting to help everyone.

DLOG

No not on a mac...a regular PC

BTW DLOG...you dont have your PM enabled

[lex]

The reason for the name Million Impossible..... do we believe that 'A Million' is impossible? Of course not. Completely to the contrary; in fact we actually believe that anything is impossible.

You believe anything is impossible? :D

[thedlog]

admagic,

I'm a bit thick, what is my PM?

DLOG

[HeidiWeir1]

It seems I believe anything is impossible. It seems it sometimes!

Just to clarify - Anything is Possible!

Even typing incorrectly.

The list of prizes are substantial.

To give you an idea.......Full Lifetime Membership to Million Impossible, magazine advertisements within several editions (design included by design agency - we pay the costs), Banner positions throughout; Million Impossible, Business Sourcer, 12 months advertising on Business Sourcer - in your chosen categories and counties, and a Spotlight position on Million Impossible.

I have asked one of our more technical people to look into any members that have attempted to register and not completed.

It's normally due to a mistake on the form - but technical will respond shortly.

Thank you all again.

[Kelly Marie]

One piece of feedback, I tried to free register for your site, and it did not seem to want to accept my form, and didnt say why

But then as groucho marx once said...." I would never oin a club that would accept people like me as a member"

Hello All, my name is Kelly, I'm part of the Million Impossible development team, just refering to the post about the registration process. Like most forms for validation purposes it is crucial they are filled in a correct format, as I'm sure you are aware.The smallest error could trigger an invalid field or a null field which is not accepted. I'm sorry you had problems when trying to register to the site.
Each field in the registration process has its own registration guidline in the right hand column beside the form.
We are able to search for anybody that has attempted to register as a way of keeping track, but have been unsuccessful on this occasion. There are generally only a few that do not complete the registration process.
If you would like to reevaluate and are still having trouble with registering, please do not hesitate to give me a call on 0845 468 5000 and I will be happy to give further assistance.:)

[Brad Chapman]

Hi Everybody

Firstly please accept my apologies for the leaflet fiasco from the Business Startup show during November. We set up the show on the Thursday night and when we arrived on the Friday morning somebody had stolen our show leaflets.

We had to send a courier from our office with leaflets that we had left over from The Business Show in Bolton. We had no choice but to crop the bottom off. I am so sorry if any of you were offended but we did the best we could considering the position.

We have worked on two trade shows now with Rachel Elnaugh, who most of you will know from Red Letter Days and of course the BBC's Dragons Den programme. Rachel has been through a great deal of adversity and so have Heidi and myself.

The name Million Impossible is indeed a play on words. We called the business Million Impossible because actually we believe to the contrary that given the right support, knowledge and connections that it could be possible if we all stand together as entrepreneurs and help each other that we could make our dreams a reality.

We are all fighting to grow our businesses and i guess that we all have different strengths. We are trying to launch an entrepreneur school and i am meeting a high profile entrepreneur in London tomorrow and will keep you all informed.

We all subscribe to the UKBF news letter and we love Dan's column (great work Dan). I know that you guys have worked hard and we congratulate you on what we think is a great fourm.

We are not perfect as a business and like most businesses do not get all things right all the time but we are trying.

You are all more than welcome to visit out site and have a look for yourself and of course you can join free, if you feel that you could help other entrepreneurs and in turn they will be pleased to help you. Our magazine is now in its 4th edition which was published yesterday.

Dan i would really like to talk to you about any synergies that we may have together. In the mean time we love your site and wish you all a merry xmas and a prosperous new year.

Please accpet our apologies once again for any confusion on the leaflets

Regards
Bradley Chapman
Director

0845 468 5000

Million Impossible

Ps - I have included my contact details this time :)

[DuaneJackson]

Hi Brad,

Welcome to UKBF. There's really nothing to apologise for.

The name Million Impossible is indeed a play on words. We called the business Million Impossible because actually we believe to the contrary that given the right support, knowledge and connections that it could be possible if we all stand together as entrepreneurs and help each other that we could make our dreams a reality.

Sorry, I still don't get it. Why would you name something the opposite of what you believe and the opposite of what it stands for? To me, it's nonsensical.

[Martin P]

Hi Brad,

Welcome to UKBF. There's really nothing to apologise for.



Sorry, I still don't get it. Why would you name something the opposite of what you believe and the opposite of what it stands for? To me, it's nonsensical.
If it was Million Impossible? Might be a bit better, and cause a thought...I dunno?

[Brad Chapman]

Everybody thinks that a million is impossible - do you?

Please visit my blog and it will tell you what i see and feel what i feel

I cant post url's yet, so i hope that i will not offend admins if i put this

theunknownentrepreneur dot com

Lots of Love Brad

[admagic]

Everybody thinks that a million is impossible - do you?

Please visit my blog and it will tell you what i see and feel what i feel

I cant post url's yet, so i hope that i will not offend admins if i put this

theunknownentrepreneur dot com

Lots of Love Brad

Just one piece of pure curiosity brad.

Why go back from plc to ltd?

Now it is 15 years since I was coowner of a plc, and subseqent companies acts may have changed thisbut as I recollect the matters the only results of being a private ltd plc were

(a) If the company had a "serious loss of capital" forget theactual number as one of the stupitiies of company law....you had to hold a meeting of directors but company law said nothing about what you had to do...

and

(b) The disclosure rules were more onerous, but only to the extent that you cant hide behind small turnover provisions.

In return for that we found it made a massive difference to

(a) How we were percieved...by customers


(b) The relative ease to getting publicity
and surprisingly

(c) Lots of companies were happy to open accounts for us without any checking at all.....most probably didnt realise how LITTLE it really means


Cheap for the sake of £60K...so whats the point in changing back???

[Martin P]

Everybody thinks that a million is impossible - do you?

Please visit my blog and it will tell you what i see and feel what i feel

I cant post url's yet, so i hope that i will not offend admins if i put this

theunknownentrepreneur dot com

Lots of Love Brad
Nice that you're sharing the love:D
I don't think a million is impossible myself..., and I don't mind the name myself, it has caused a bit of talk here, so thats got to be good

[lex]

Nice that you're sharing the love:D
I don't think a million is impossible myself..., and I don't mind the name myself, it has caused a bit of talk here, so thats got to be good

If you plan to live the next 30-40 years a million will be no problem with inflation.

[DuaneJackson]

Everybody thinks that a million is impossible - do you?


Either the part before the dash is wrong, or the part after is of no point. The reader is a part of 'everybody' after all.

I'd hope that most people here think a million is perfectly possible and would have their sights set a little higher.

I'm giving up on this thread now! Best of luck with it all, I hope it works out for you.

[mkgreenfield]

Just one piece of pure curiosity brad.

Why go back from plc to ltd?

Now it is 15 years since I was coowner of a plc, and subseqent companies acts may have changed thisbut as I recollect the matters the only results of being a private ltd plc were

(a) If the company had a "serious loss of capital" forget theactual number as one of the stupitiies of company law....you had to hold a meeting of directors but company law said nothing about what you had to do...

and

(b) The disclosure rules were more onerous, but only to the extent that you cant hide behind small turnover provisions.

In return for that we found it made a massive difference to

(a) How we were percieved...by customers


(b) The relative ease to getting publicity
and surprisingly

(c) Lots of companies were happy to open accounts for us without any checking at all.....most probably didnt realise how LITTLE it really means


Cheap for the sake of £60K...so whats the point in changing back???

I have looked at little closer at Million Impossible Plc and see they have a winding up petition against them for almost £3000. Maybe this is why they are changing to a LTD company.

A winding up petition kind of contradicts what they are trying to do - Help fellow business owners - this means they have not paid a fellow business owner money that was due.

[mkgreenfield]

"Only Honest Entrepreneurs Need Apply"

It would appear that the owners of Million Impossible are far from honest.

1. They have a winding up petition against them ( I checked using Credit Safe)

2. The directors and many of the staff at Million Impossible all used to work at a company called 118 Trades (google it and see what you find). This company went into administration owing millions. 118 Trades ripped off thousands of business owners selling advertising which was never published. This company also appeared on watch dog and was raided by the police and trading standards. Mr Brad Chapman was commercial director at 118 trades.

You will see from the Million Impossible website that they talk ALOT about adversity - this is their way of justifing ripping people off!

Stay well clear of Million Impossible - it's here today, but probably not tomorrow - as the saying goes, a leopard never changes its spots!

[garyk]

Just checked on creditsafe myself to confirm the above comments.

Perhaps one of those involved who posted on this thread would care to comment on these findings?????

[mkgreenfield]

Rachel Elnaugh is featured quite alot on the Million Impossible website and I am certain that she is not aware of these findings. Perhaps an email to Rachel to inform her is in order??

I don't think Rachel should not be associated with this company. Million Impossible are clearly using her to gain credibility and when they go under, it will be her name/reputation thats damaged.

[BeautyScientist]

It is interesting that the OP had an intuitive bad feeling from her first contact with this company. I looked at their website before reading the thread and felt that there was something I didn't like about it, but couldn't put my finger on it.

[DuaneJackson]

Good to know my gut instinct wasn't failing me.
Rachel Elnaugh is featured quite alot on the Million Impossible website and I am certain that she is not aware of these findings. Perhaps an email to Rachel to inform her is in order??

I don't think Rachel should not be associated with this company. Million Impossible are clearly using her to gain credibility and when they go under, it will be her name/reputation thats damaged.

Having her name plastered all over the site and their stand at the exhibition was part of what set off alarm bells. It seemed a desperate bid for some credibility. I've seen her name used in so many places for so many things that it carries no weigh in my eyes any more.

[ServersandSpares]

Rachel Elnaugh sems to have been a director of an awful lot of dissolved companies, so for me personally that would be enough to put me off.

[garyk]

To quote the lovely (?:)) Deborah Meaden;

Shall I tell you where I am?

I'm out!

On a more serious note and I know it opens a can of worms but these sort of outfits should be publicly named and shamed using the power of this forum if the facts can be 100% established.

[Mr. Mu]

I came into contact with some MI marketing a few months ago (as someone on Rachel's mailing list)

My instincts said "BAD".

The name is a disaster (semantically speaking). Million Impossible says 'a million is impossible' - full stop. The idea that its great because it gets people talking is something I've heard hundreds of times in marketing from people who have no idea how powerful words really are.

My immediate reaction to seeing the site was "Oh, no...Rachel.. don't do this".

Its great how when you put things under the Internetoscope they start to unravel, innit?

[lockie]

I got done by 118 trades as did a few others i know, so if they are linked to this lot stay well away

[admagic]

I do hope that any negative publicity arising from this does not hurt Rachel.

As far as I am aware, her only connection with MI is she thought that what they were doing was worthwhile, and as a result of that she gave them exhibition stands donated by exhibition organisers in exchange for rachel speaking at the exhibitions - the stands she had little use for...so "donated" them to MI

And as a quid pro quo she is gaining a little publicity from MI site too.

Rachel is doing a lot for small businesses both publicly and behind the scenes

[mkgreenfield]

I got done by 118 trades as did a few others i know, so if they are linked to this lot stay well away

Million Impossible is operated by the same crooks that ran 118 trades. They don't try to hide that fact either... they just call it "adversity"... it is an absolute joke how they can justify ripping people off.

I've noticed how MI management (Brad & Heidi) who previously posted on here haven't commented since the new findings (winding up petition).

Come on Brad/Heidi, what have you got to say for yourselves??

[garyk]

yes well a free bttt to keep it on page 1 then!

[Simon-M]

I do hope that any negative publicity arising from this does not hurt Rachel.



You take the plaudits for good judgement along with the bad press for bad judgements. That's life in business :)

[Rachel Elnaugh]

It's so easy to be judgemental without knowing the full facts isn't it?

Bradley Chapman is actually a friend of mine. I don't make judgements about people based on gossip or tittle tattle or companies house records, quite simply on the basis that many opinions have been formed about me by others based on those things - only for those people to apologise to me for forming incorrect opinions after they had met me in person.

I was not 'on the Million Impossible Stand' at the Business Start Up Show; the BStartUp team gave me the stand in return for speaking at the event for free - and I gave it to Bradley to help him with his business.

Yes BERR has issued a winding up petition against Mi, and Bradley is fighting it. I have personally spoken to Peter Mandelson and have also emailed him to ask him to intervene as (having seen the winding up petition) I feel BERR's approach is unjust and heavy handed. BERR should be encouraging enterprise in Britain not killing it.

And I have also told Bradley that calling a business 'Million Impossible' is karmically a very bad name!!! I was with him yesterday and he is now looking at changing the name.

I do wish that forums like this could stick to constructive positive comment and not engage in slagging others off.

Entrepreneurs should stick together and support one another! Business is tough enough !!!

Rachel

[DuaneJackson]

Welcome to the forums, Rachel.

I don't know anything about what happened with 118 Trades, so I've not commented on it - but it seems to have upset a lot of people.

I do wish that forums like this could stick to constructive positive comment and not engage in slagging others off.

Whilst I agree there is too much of slagging others off on this forum at the moment, there is a space between 'constructive postive comment' and 'slagging others off'.

Unfortunately most people *will* form opinions on other people in business based on their associations with other companies - it's just human nature.

You've had a bad reputation in the past based purely on gossip and speculation surrounding RLD. When I read in to the actual facts I realised the gossip was wrong and you were getting an unfair bashing over it.

But you now publically associate yourself with these guys that also have bad reputations.

There's only so many high-profile hits a personal profile can take before it loses its lustre. Companies can rename themselves, but when your name is your brand it aint so easy!

[Rachel Elnaugh]

I guess it depends what you want your (personal) brand to stand for.

I am trying these days to be supportive of other entrepreneurs and non-judgemental.

Knowing Bradley, I would prefer to stand up for him rather than distance myself on the pretext it may in some way 'damage my brand'.

[willitbe]

There is an old saying:

" You lie down with dogs, you get fleas"

Whether it is appropriate here, remains to be seen.

[DuaneJackson]

I guess it depends what you want your (personal) brand to stand for.


I think you're right, it does.

I'd have thought you'd be able to do as much or perhaps even more to help Bradley without your name having to be used as a PR/Marketing tool by MI.

There's certainly something admirable in the way you've chosen to go about things.

Best of luck with it all, and happpy new year.

[BeautyScientist]

I am still a bit hazy about what Million Impossible are actually offering despite a couple of visits to their website.

Is it a networking organisation like Ecademy? Or is it a magazine? Or does it offer training courses? Or is it all of these things?

I think Rachel's involvement is a big plus point for them. Having the name of someone you have heard of associated with it makes a big difference in how seriously you take something like this. The impression I got from the website was that she is sharing a platform with them and so her endorsement did seem pretty positive, even before her post on here confirmed it.

But I remain confused about what I should expect to get from joining up. There is a long list on the website called user benefits but most of the items on the list leave me none the wiser. It looks like there is a button to press for more information on each of the benefits but it doesn't seem to be working at the moment, at least not when I tried.

All in all I am not sure this company is about, and that gives me an uneasy feeling about them. I don't think that this counts as slagging off - just my observations.

[SLF]

I was at an event some couple years back where Rachel admitted that her RLD company went belly up after she took time out to have her kids and left someone in charge whom she trusted at the time, who bascially ballsed it up for her but by the time she found out it was too late and the rest is history.

So Rachel my thinking is, if you know a guy that has been a director for a previous company and not made a success of it, rather than trying to be the Mother Teresa of Entrepreneurs, why not learn to steer clear of some people who clearly aren't operating in your best interest even if you are in theirs?

I dont doubt you are trying to help, but you know, so are we. Everyone who posts something useful in a business topic is helping entrepreneurs and the Mi thing wont help anywhere near the numbers this forum has, even if you remove the BS comments entwined in the threads.

I would make a realistic guess that there is more to changing the name of Mi than is being admitted here. That it has a reputation linked to a bad reputation, that negative comments about Mi are now live in Google and thus it's brand is soured before it's barely got going.

They chose the name to get publicity and they have certainly done that.

[mkgreenfield]

I would make a realistic guess that there is more to changing the name of Mi than is being admitted here. That it has a reputation linked to a bad reputation, that negative comments about Mi are now live in Google and thus it's brand is soured before it's barely got going.

They chose the name to get publicity and they have certainly done that.

Totally agree. They are changing the name as they want a fresh start.

I see at companies house that the directors of Million Impossible have also registered Million POSSIBLE Limited - just a wild guess, but could this be their new name??

Thanks to Rachel for taking the time to post on here, but it hasn't reassured me in the slightest....

Million Impossible / Possible... whatever you want to call it, it's a complete farse. These people should be disqualified from being directors... they run up debts and start up again with a new name.

[PointandStare]

Isn't that the way it works though (in the UK at least). You can set up a company, run up debts, (intentionally or otherwise), close it down and start again as something else with no real damage to yourself.

It does seem that an easy way out and, unless declared bankrupt, there's no law against you becoming director of another company.

Isn't that also why a lot of companies have 'chosen' to call in the administrators in the current climate?

Excuse my ignorance of the law but this is an area that I have never wandered into, and don't particularly want to plus what I've just said doesn't reflect on Mi, Rachel or anyone else and is just a personal observation.

[sysops]

Isn't that also why a lot of companies have 'chosen' to call in the administrators in the current climate?

Imagine you have a chain of 100 high street shops. 60 of them are quite profitable, whereas the other 40 make a loss. In fact, the losses from those 40 are such that the chain as a whole is making a big loss.

You'd think that closing the 40 loss making shops, or at least some of them, would be the obvious solution. But there are two big problems with this:

- Leases - many of your shops will have 10, 15 or even 25 year leases. You can't get out of those without significant payments being made to the landlords.

- Employees - making 40% of your workforce redundant will cost you a huge amount of money, and almost certainly bankrupt the company.

So what do you do?

Administration is a great way out. Whoever takes on the business can just close down the unprofitable shops, get rid of the unnecessary staff, and it costs them nothing.

Now, you can't just set up a new company to take over, that's just not on. But there's no reason why the company that does take over can't have some connection to you.

Is this bad? Not really - it allows shops to stay open, and people to keep their jobs.

[mkgreenfield]

I think you're misunderstanding the point I'm making...

Businesses (Limited/PLC Companies) get into financial difficulty and sometimes the only option is liquidation / administration. It's unfortunate, but we understand this happens.

Most business owners see their business as "their baby" and do not foresee any financial difficulties and want it flourish, be successfully and be trading profitability for many years to come. If something goes wrong, luckily they have some protection being a Limited company.

Less credible business owners, form Limited companies to PURPOSELY run up debts they have no intention of paying, as in a few months they will be trading under a different name - this appears to be what the Mi owners are doing.

It's these people that shouldn't be allowed to be serving directors.

[thedlog]

What a sad thread this is. Why is anyone slagging off Rachel and Brad/Million Impossible. They are doing a great job on all fronts, those of you who have decided to slag off the afformentioned people, have you actually met them/spoken to them, I think not, otherwise you would not be be posting such nasty retoric against them.
I have personally met with both, Rachel has helped me tremendously, and is still helping in every way possible, Bradley, well thanks to Rachel I have been lucky enough to meet with him also, and of course not forgetting Heidi. These people have bent over backwards to help and inspire me, and continue to do so.
Furthermore do any of you really think that Rachel would put her name to anything if it were bad, I doubt it, has she not suffered enough with snide remarks since the demise of RLD. Why is it that as soon as someone/people try to help others publicly they are punished, where are the likes of the other Dragons and so called great Entrepreneurs, why are they not out there helping others to get things going, I'll tell you all why, it's simple, they are to dam greedy, self, self, self, that is all they interested in.
Come give Rachel, Brad, Heidi a break, give them a chance as they are doing to others who are trying to make a life for themselves and others.

And as for a previous comment, "if you lye with dogs you get fleas", I hope you are not suggesting that Rachel is a dog are you?, I think you should remove that comment with immediate effect, as it is so dam rude, do you know her?, something tells me not, you are just jumping on some bandwagon, a sheep following other sheep, wake up smell the roses, get your facts together, find out what these people are doing relentlessly to help others, and I might add FOR FREE at times, is that what you call bad people, those who give for FREE, and ask nothing in return.

DLOG

[Rachel Elnaugh]

I agree that the administration laws need to be changed, in fact it was the leading article in yesterday's Financial Mail on Sunday.

The real problem however lies within the so called 'corporate turnaround and recovery' sector. There is a very close knit circle of insolvency professionals linked in to the banks and individuals who specialise in buying companies out of administration. A lot of deals are done on a nod and a wink and the spoils shared out between them.

That's before we even get on to the subject of pre-pack deals where a company can essentially be flipped in and out of administration overnight, debt wiped and same shareholders & directors in place the next day. Usually available in return for a nice fat fee paid to a friendly insolvency professional.

If I were changing the law I would firstly introduce a Chapter 11 style arrangement which would allow a company a set period to restructure itself without having to be forced through an administration process; secondly if the company could not be saved within that timescale I would prevent anyone with a prior interest in the business becoming a major shareholder or a director in the new business.

I would also makes the banks more culpable for forcing companies into administration unecessarily (for example by withdrawing overdraft facilities overnight) and I would also curb the ability of HMRCE to force companies into liquidation for non payment of VAT and other taxes, replacing this with the statutory ability for otherwise profitable companies to repay over time.

The problem with the current laws is that they incentive all parties to push companies through administration processes and in doing so value is almost always destroyed for the economy. Far better to encourage companies to restructure and continue to trade wherever possible.

[thedlog]

Why oh why are some of you continually having a dig at Rachel and Bradley. They are out there trying so hard to help others, is that a crime? And must say, that much of their time and effort is given for FREE, and un-conditionally.
'lie with dogs - you get fleas', how rude and disrespectful, do you know Rachel?, I doubt it. It seems that there are many out there on a 'witch-hunt' and out to slander those who do good, neither Rachel, Bradley or the MI team are 'dogs or witches'.
Show some respect to those who helping others to make something of themselves.
And with regard to RLD, yep, perhaps Rachel made a mistake, but so have many others, but they bounced back, like Rachel and Bradley, I don't see anyone slagging off them!! So why must anyone slag off and slander Rachel, Bradley, Heidi and the MI team?
Come on get real, and you yourselves put that time and effort in trying to help others.
Furthermore Rachel is well aware that she is on the MI website, endorsing what Bradley is trying to do, (help entrepreneurs) make it in life, and thereby helping others gain employment.

[SLF]

sounds sensible to me.

So, getting back onto Mi, if you would change the Law and not allow people to be a director or major shareholder again (we assume you mean after a failed attempt ie with financial loses/debts), why would you support this guy Brad in a second company?

I know you said he is a friend, but we all know you shouldn't let a friendship dictate the decisions you make in business.

[thedlog]

I am sure Rachel knows what she is doing, contrary to what others think!

[Simon-M]

but we all know you shouldn't let a friendship dictate the decisions you make in business.

Do we? Where did you hear that from? I do "mates rates" all the time.

I get your point but not the way you have made it :)

[SLF]

that's because it was aimed at Rachel Elnaugh ;)

[chs117]

Let me know if anyone here joins.

[thedlog]

Why do certain people continually slag off Rachel Elnaugh, Bradley and the MI team.
They are trying very hard to promote the small business, and I hasten to add for FREE at times, is that a bad thing.
Also do any of you really think that if there was anything dodgy about MI that Rachel would put her name to it?
It seems to me that as soon as someone does something for the good of all, then they are slagged off, I think you call that jealousy.
How rude to the comment, 'lie with dogs - you get fleas'. Do you know Rachel, or Bradley for that matter?
Why is it that certain people have to resort to slander, what have these people done to you?
It seems to me that there are those of you out there who are determined to ruin the aforementioned people, for what purpose I do not know, but, give them a break they are trying to HELP, unlike many I could mention!!

[Rachel Elnaugh]

I meant director/shareholder of the SAME phoenixed company...

And of course entrepreneurs should be allowed to set up other businesses, most entrepreneurs undertake many ventures in a lifetime, some successful, many others not.

The BERR directors' disqualification proceedings should catch any crooks in the process, well that's in theory, you may not be aware that their team of solicitors is tasked to disqualify x number of directors each year...

Having been on the end of such a persecution (where BERR put a solicitor full time on my case for 18 months in an attempt to get a high profile directors' disqualification against me before eventually giving up - because there was no evidence, despite their interviewing 8 connected parties to obtain it) I know that the system can be unjust.

I was lucky, I managed to hire the UK's top insolvency lawyer (Ian Grier at SGH) to fight the action, at a personal cost of £20k... Others who are persecuted may not be so lucky to be able to afford such good legal advice.

As for Mi, as far as I am concerned, Bradley is innocent until proven guilty.

The winding up order issued by BERR has nothing to do with insolvency by the way, it is a 'public interest' proceeding. However the problem caused by BERR's action is that under such proceedings all bank accounts are automatically frozen - which means that Mi can't even currently access its considerable cash reserves.

However, Bradley is fighting the petition and has now engaged a barrister at considerable personal expense.

Interesting though, having spoken to Bradley last night about this thread, he pointed out to me that it was started by one of the UKBF team... Is this thread actually more about trying to diss a perceived competitor I wonder?

Especially as I am aware that other posts in support of Bradley and Mi have not yet appeared on the site?

[DuaneJackson]

Interesting though, having spoken to Bradley last night about this thread, he pointed out to me that it was started by one of the UKBF team... Is this thread actually more about trying to diss a perceived competitor I wonder?

Hi Rachel,

It was me that started the thread. I'm not sure what "one of the UKBF team" means. I'm a voluntary moderator here and have no commercial involvement with the site or the company that owns it.

I started the thread for the reasons I said in my orginal post. There's no hidden agenda here. MI first came to my attention because I spoke to them at the bStartup Exhibition as mentioned on my blog (http://blog.kashflow.co.uk/2008/12/09/whats-wrong-with-this-picture/).

Duane

[Simon-M]

Especially as I am aware that other posts in support of Bradley and Mi have not yet appeared on the site?

Are you saying that supportive posts here are being deleted?

[DuaneJackson]

Are you saying that supportive posts here are being deleted?


Only two posts have been deleted from this thread, both from thedlog, both becuase they were duplicates of other posts he/she had already made.

[SLF]

there are tonnes of threads about this sort of company/director behaviour on forums, im sure plenty on ukbf, so its not unusual for someone to highlight such a company and start a discusison. Obviously as it's been mentioned the director had a previous company that went to the wall with debts, it's bound not to get great reviews if you think about it.

Just because you are well-known for being on telly on DD, and you know the guy, does not eliminate him from discussion nor should it mean you infer that Duane has posted solely with bad intention.

It's not difficult to check out which companies Duane is a director of. It's not even a competing site so it's a strange thing to allege of someone.

I personally dont think there is anything wrong with entrepreneurs starting again after a failed business. Not at all.

But I agree with Duane's first post, in that if the Mi site is about helping other businesses/entrepreneurs etc, for Brad then to go bust with unpaid debts in his last company, only to invest in a new company - and even be able to afford a good lawyer to protect him in this new company as you describve above - does raise some concerns with logical and ethical people.

Even you would have understand that if that was put to you on camera on DD.

[thedlog]

Well actually had to re-post them because they were not showing up, so yes in agreement with Rachel, it appeared that they were being removed/not showing on purpose! Furthermore, if they were duplicate why could you have made sure that one of each of the duplicates was published!!

[thedlog]

Oh dear, it seems that another comment of mine has been deleted, is there a problem with my comments, or is it because you limit the amount of supporters of Brad (MI) and Rachel?

[thedlog]

why do you keep deleting my comments? They are not offensive, are they?

[garyk]

As for Mi, as far as I am concerned, Bradley is innocent until proven guilty.


I would agree with that statement, however facts have been determined which are;

Director X previously ran a company that went to the wall owing lots of money and many disgruntled customers.

Director X now runs Company Y which itself has a winding-up order placed upon it.

Those are indisputable facts. I don't know the in's and out's of the BERRs 'target' but surely they would only launch an action against a director where there was a hint of evidence to suggest there was a case, otherwise its a complete waste of tax payers money which wouldn't be allowed. Of course I know from what you said your experience goes against that and it wouldnt be the first case of a civil service department wasting tax payers money.

Duane's original motive was one of curiosity and other posters did some digging and found these details. It is like a mini DD on here where your idea/business proposal/request investment either gets nods of approval or the boot gets stuck in. The key thing is that people do help each other and in this case it is surely to present *all* the facts to any prospects who may not be in a position to do some basic due dilligence themselves.

In fact I'm pretty sure that many of us would just want Bradley to come back on here and present his side of the story.

Gary

[thedlog]

AT least give me a reason to keep deleting my comments, don't you think that is the least you could do?

thedlog

[Simon-M]

otherwise its a complete waste of tax payers money which wouldn't be allowed.

Which country are you from? If you haven't noticed this governement are the lead sponsors in wasting tax payers money. They allow it and even encourage it on a daily basis.

[Alpha]

AT least give me a reason to keep deleting my comments, don't you think that is the least you could do?

thedlog

No postings of yours have been deleted that I can see (apart from the two aforementioned duplicates) so really cannot answer this question:|

[DuaneJackson]

Well actually had to re-post them because they were not showing up, so yes in agreement with Rachel, it appeared that they were being removed/not showing on purpose! Furthermore, if they were duplicate why could you have made sure that one of each of the duplicates was published!!

Oh dear, it seems that another comment of mine has been deleted, is there a problem with my comments, or is it because you limit the amount of supporters of Brad (MI) and Rachel?

why do you keep deleting my comments? They are not offensive, are they?

AT least give me a reason to keep deleting my comments, don't you think that is the least you could do?

thedlog

There's really not a conspiracy here.

You simply haven't completed the registration process. You should have received an email with a confirmation link.

Can anyone besides me and Alpha see thedlog's posts?

[admagic]

BTW million impossible, rachel is right about karma

Why not make it "million inevitable"

Come back DLOG!!! - the mods dont distort the balance of threads honest...

they are accountants, they just lose a few things here and there in the books!

[million impossible]

Hello Everyone and happy new year to you all

When we started our business it was because we had worked at a business previously where we had been mislead. We worked tirelessly for a man who betrayed us. I did not wish others to go through what myself and some of my team had to endure.

Million Impossible was created to show that even if you had hit rock bottom that you could given the right support, knowledge that you could make your dreams a reality.

I have been scrutinised in blogs previously and i accepted the day that i had the courage to tell everybody my story, that this would inevitably be the case.

Since the business launched we have created a UK wide network of Entrepreneurs, an online digital magazine and many great products that are evolving.

It takes a great deal of courage to admit your faults and even more courage to talk to your piers about them as you progress your journey. My personal blogs whch you can view from our main homepage.

The recession has certainly hit and i feel that we have now actually entered a depression and as a result more and more businesses will need help and advice about the decisions that will inevitably have to make. Many of these decisions will require a great deal of strength and resolve.

The thing about adversity is that so many people dismiss it "Until it happens to you". It is only once you have faced adversity do you truly understand that difficulties that arise out of it.

If I have to travel this journey and make mistakes which in turn helps my fellow Entrepreneurs then I will have achieved what I set out to do.

I am always available to talk to anyone that has faced adversity or has concerns about their business. I cannot say that i am experienced in every single field of business, but i will always help anyone who asks me and if i don't not know the answer i will try to find someone who does.

As you can imagine i have faced critics and the cynics, however we have some wonderful members who know what we are trying to achieve and have faced adversity only to rise again.

I have learnt many things in the last year working on Million Impossible and have met some amazing positive people, but one thing still astounds me and that is that anybody can have a pop at who you are and what you do even though they do not know your business and they do not know you.

I do not hide behind a warm blanket of anonymity, in fact to the contrary i am fighting to help UK Entrepreneurs prepare and protect themselves as we are all going to need that this year more than any other year at a great personal cost to myself.

We try to adopt a Japanese system called "Kaizen" it means - instead of blaming, find a solution!

I hope as a collective of business people and regardless of our flaws, which we all have that we can in the time of need stand togther and fight for each other in protecting all our dreams, businessess and families.

Best Wishes to you all for 2009
Dreams to Reality

Bradley Chapman

[thedlog]

Yes they are there now, but they did disappear earlier and/or did not show.

The power of technology eh, heehee!!

thedlog

[DuaneJackson]

Bradley,

Good on you for being big enough to post about what's happened in the past and coming back here to defend yourself and you business. I respect you for that.

I assume you are referring to 118 Trades and saying you (and the guys that now make up Mi) were betrayed/used/misled by someone else at the top at 118 trades.

The thing about adversity is that so many people dismiss it "Until it happens to you". It is only once you have faced adversity do you truly understand that difficulties that arise out of it.

Quite possibly true. But I only had a brief look around the site and I kept getting all these references to adversity.

Stop looking back and start looking forward.

If we were going to play top trumps with how much adversity we've had in our lives, I promise you I could beat you without even trying. I just choose not to dwell on it and make it a central point of my life now. That Million (+) hasn't been Impossible for me - and that's without having to go on about how bad I've had it, etc.

The whole "despite adversity" and "we're a group of honest entreprenuers" just screams negativity.

If I have to travel this journey and make mistakes which in turn helps my fellow Entrepreneurs then I will have achieved what I set out to do.

I am always available to talk to anyone that has faced adversity or has concerns about their business.

Cool. Join the Samaritans. At the moment you sound like a cross between a victim and wannabe martyr. If Mi is meant to be the business equivalent of the Samaritans, then make that obvious. At the moment - from it's name, to the content of the site, through to your post here - it just stinks of bitterness, negativity and a victim complex.

That wont do anyone any favours.

[Simon-M]

That wont do anyone any favours.

TheDLog (or is that the D LOGO :D) seems to be happy with the program.

[DuaneJackson]

Why not make it "million inevitable"
I like that.

[million impossible]

I am not dwelling on the past. I am, however trying to ensure that this kind of negativity is replaced with positivity. As I have said previously we may all face adversity when we least expect it and for reasons that may be outside of our control.

I just hope that when and if anyone should face adversity that they have options to help them make any decisions or actions that little bit easier.

For all those that know me, I have nothing but positivity and am highly driven towards helping Entrepreneurs overcome adversity.

We have so much to look forward to this year and the next as more Entrepreneurs face adversity.

I am really excited about 2009 and although i have some challenges to overcome. I hope that with the support of my friends we will get there.

Once again I wish you all every success in 2009

Regards Bradley

[SLF]

Brad,

I think the fact you used Rachel as a means of raising your company's profile (ie at the exhibition) has brought you unwelcome publicity here at least. If you had not used Rachel i'd hazard a guess that no one would be any the wiser about your background and not interested either.

So it depends whether using Rachel has helped or not, and only you can determnine that.

We dont doubt people suffer problems in business, but surely you can see the overall external view that was originally pointed out? How many businesses went bust or suffered because of you going bust - ie those you didnt pay?

It would be better to think that any director in that position who wants to start a new business and has the funds to do so, should repay their old debts first.

[DuaneJackson]

How many businesses went bust or suffered because of you going bust - ie those you didnt pay?

You're using "you" to mean Brad, when I assume you mean "118 Trades".

From what Brads posting above, he seems to be saying that he was also an unwitting victim in the whole 118 Trades saga and not the perpertator or even knowingly concerned in it being a rip-off.

If that's the case and it's true then he has my sympathy and he should make this clear.

If these things are dealt with properly then they can go in your favour.

There was a card processor company that went bust owing a lot of people a lot of money a couple of years ago. The MD made very clear what had happened and what he'd done and is doing to deal with it all - a situation that was out of his control (And in which he also lost a small fortune - but he never comment on that in public from what I've seen). Because of how he has dealt with it, I have a huge amount of respect for him and have more faith in his integrity than someone I don't know anything about.

[Simon-M]

There was a card processor company that went bust owing a lot of people a lot of money a couple of years ago. The MD made very clear what had happened and what he'd done and is doing to deal with it all

My company lost a few grand only when this happened. I got us out when the Amex lies hit the fan :). Saved me from losing 30K that gut instinct. I got a personal phone call from the Director at my home to say sorry and that it was not his fault etc.

I admired his balls for calling me personaly as he must have called loads of people.

I decided to give the guy a break but having been there when it all went pear shapped I saw how the lies stacked up and when it all went belly up it was one of those things I saw coming from a mile away. The guy did not do himself any favours with the lies about the AMEX issues.

So it shows that if you balls it out you can recover some respect but I never bank with that "MERCHANT BANKER" again :)

Simon

[garyk]

Which country are you from? If you haven't noticed this governement are the lead sponsors in wasting tax payers money. They allow it and even encourage it on a daily basis.

UK my friend, UK!

Which is why if you read the next line I said something along similar lines.

[mkgreenfield]

You're using "you" to mean Brad, when I assume you mean "118 Trades".

From what Brads posting above, he seems to be saying that he was also an unwitting victim in the whole 118 Trades saga and not the perpertator or even knowingly concerned in it being a rip-off.

If that's the case and it's true then he has my sympathy and he should make this clear.


Brad was Commercial Director at 118 trades, so I find it hard to believe that he didn't know what was really going on!

My guess is that he loved the money when it was coming in (regardless of whether is was through ripping people off). But when it all came to a head and the money stopped, its easy to deny responsibility and pretend you knew nothing about it.

In fact, I read somewhere how one of Brad's staff at Mi - Scott English - who appeared on the ITV show "Natural Born Sellers" - was bragging that when he worked at 118 he was driving a flash sports car as a result of exceeding his sales target. I have also read (on another forum - blagger dot com) that any customers he ripped off at 118 trades he called "rape victims"... not very nice at all.

I think this shows you exactly what kind of people we are dealing with here.

But wait, I can hear what Mi are saying already... " IT'S ADVERSITY"... No, it's the people you've conned catching up with you!!!

[SLF]

yes I was meaning Brad as a director of the company, of which one has a legal responsibility as many others have reminded people on here when they have been querying stuff and been reminded of their duties as a director, and not using 'I didnt know' as an excuse for not sharing at least some responsibility.

If Brad is saying that during those years as a director he was a naive one and not an irresponsible one, fair enough I suppose. But Id be intersted to know at what point did the naivety end and the full on company directorship responsibilities 100% kick in - just to reassure people of course. Because, there cant be no more excuses from hereonin. Any future failures must be taken fully on the chin and no blame aportioned anywhere else but oneself.

[Rachel Elnaugh]

Brad

As we have discussed, there is huge opportunity for a forum where the members are hugely co-supportive, none of this 'I endured failure, I've since made a £million+, pull yourself together and stop whining' bull****. Try telling that to the many thousands who are currently on the edge, risk losing their business, their home, their everything and need positive support right here right now.

Onwards and upwards - and I know you will never let the bstards grind you down!

Best wishes as ever

Rachel

PS Apologies if I have damaged your brand :-)

[DuaneJackson]

Brad

As we have discussed, there is huge opportunity for a forum where the members are hugely co-supportive, none of this 'I endured failure, I've since made a £million+, pull yourself together and stop whining' bull****. Try telling that to the many thousands who are currently on the edge, risk losing their business, their home, their everything and need positive support right here right now.

Onwards and upwards - and I know you will never let the bstards grind you down!

Best wishes as ever

Rachel

PS Apologies if I have damaged your brand :-)

This is that forum. The members are hugely co-operative and full of positive and constructive support. Hence why it's the biggest business forum in the UK.

I might be an arrogant so-and-so, but it'd be a mistake to assume everyone here is the same.

Brad has received a huge amount of constuctive criticism in this thread. Some of which he appears to be taking and acting on.

The great thing about this community is that people tend to say what they mean and mean what they say. Not just insinuate things.

I think your post above reflects quite badly on you.

Anyway, I wish you and Brad all the best in 2009 with your businesses. Life would be boring if we all agreed all of the time : )

[garyk]

O dear, heads in sand springs to mind.

There was a chance to say, this is my business, here is what I have done, and here is the story behind it and the reasons why it currently has a winding-up order lodged against it. Instead we have some general waffle about adversity and aren't I unlucky and because I do something I get criticised blah blah blah, real shame!

[thedlog]

Why do my posts keep dissappearing

thedlog

[thedlog]

Why can't I see what has been posted? Is it that I am doing something wrong?

thedlog

[million impossible]

Hello everyone

All publicity is good publicity........ Thank you for the people who have emailed me directly about joining Entrepreneur School. Yes it is an exciting opportunity.

We are looking to launch Q1/Q2 2009. We would be pleased to have you as Entrepreneur teachers and we do have availability for your field of expertise. I will email you all directly about the school in more depth and what it could mean for your business and our aspiring Entrepreneurs.

Day one of The Business Startup show which we exhibited at London Olympia during November2008, courtesy of Rachel Elnaugh had a very high footfall of students and day two was more B2B focused. The show really cemented the need for a school for Entrepreneurs and we are very excited to try to bring this project together.

We are about to put a new article together regarding the school which will outline our key plans and we should have this live some time this week on the Entrepreneur page on our website.

The first printed edition of Raw Business magazine for Entrepreneurs is due out in March 2009. I would be more than pleased to post any reader a copy of the limited launch edition just email me.

I would also like to send my love and support to Steve and Katherine who tragically lost their son in car crash recently. I can only imagine the loss that you and your family are feeling right now. I hope you enjoyed the poem.

Best Wishes Bradley

PS - Rachel ,you once said to me "never say never" ... You also said to me that more people are going through tough challenging times than the people that have reached success. You said to me don't be afraid of what you have been through..

I am not afraid.. and thank you for your support guidance and wisdom. Having been through adversity yourself, meeting you has been a real inspiration for me in my life and just knowing that people like yourself who "do not run for the hills" at the first sign of adversity gives hope to us all.

I am looking forward to 2009 with great optimism - Did you see the entry in my blog"Entrepreneurs - dont ever let anybody tell you that you cant do something"

[Simon-M]

Hello everyone

All publicity is good publicity........

Gerald Ratner might not agree with this.

[wecandobiz]

This is a very interesting thread. I researched Mi as they seemed a competitor to WeCanDo.BIZ and I like to know what people are up to. I noted it didn't seem well supported but then talk in this thread of a (re)launchthis year might explain that. For me, I was put off signing up -- and I normally sign up to everything for research and education purposes -- was when they started asking for a date of birth and other stuff that banks ask for. Unless I can trust the party requesting it and see why they need it (I am not sure my birthday matters to other business contacts on the site) I tend to get suspicious of what they'll do with it.

IH

[SLF]

@dlog - I can view your posts no problem and if I click on your profile I can view a list of all your 15 posts to-date. The problem must lie with your settings somewhere.

[thedlog]

SLF, does that mean you can see the one just after Rachel's at about 09:24 this morning?

thedlog

[SLF]

I cant see one there but I can view all those that appear in your profile message list and some in this thread. If you go in and view them, you can see them and work out which ones are missing.

[thedlog]

Pity that really, cos I always support Rachel & Brad, they have both done a lot for me!!

[Alpha]

SLF, does that mean you can see the one just after Rachel's at about 09:24 this morning?

thedlog

This is the post directly after Rachel's timed at 09:44...is this the one that you are referring to?

Absolutely correct, we should all be supportive of each and everyone, and not be grinding others down into a negative whirlpool of destruction, there are enough b'stards out there already doing that, ie; the Government and the likes of.

I personally do not see how you, (Rachel), could have damaged a brand, as I assumed that was what you were all about, amongst other things, helping to realise a brand, and push it upwards to great heights. I see it as a great thing to have you endorse someone and their brand/company.

Regards
thedlog

PS: I hope this post is visible, as unfortunately last night's post does appear on here, at least I can't see it!!

[thedlog]

Yes, absolutely, thanks for that.

[Alpha]

Yes, absolutely, thanks for that.

In which case if others can see it (The original) but you cannot I would guess that there is certainly something wrong with your settings:)

Can anyone else confirm that the post is visible in this thread?

[thedlog]

Yes I can see everything now that I am posting thank you.

[maruby]

Time for me to just chip in and say that I've actually spent a day sat next to Bradley! Yes, I have met him in the flesh and I didn't notice any horns and hooves!

I can only comment that I found Bradley open, friendly with a great empathy for people. He was honest about the challenges he has faced in business and more personally.

I hope that Bradley is successful with his legal challenge, rescues Million and hope he sticks around this forum and gets involved.

Rachel - it was also nice to see you sticking up for Bradley :)

[SLF]

I think there is some misunderstanding and misinterpretation about Bradley. No one has said the guy is not a generally nice person, no one has said that he is the devil incarnate, that he is unfriendly, sulky or dishonest (the opposites to the traits you are stating he does have since you met him today). You can be the nicest person and still make the biggest mistakes.

The OP was not discussing Bradley's personality, it was his abilities as a director. he has admitted he was done over by another director, and accepts that happened. Whether in hindsight he should have known better and could have done something about it back then, we dont know.

[Rachel Elnaugh]

I think Gerald (having interviewed him for my book) would say, in reflection, that he is now in a very good place. Life is a learning process, a journey, and sometimes you just need to go with that flow.

I like the fact that he now runs his business from a laptop in his garden, to me that is true success.

Rachel

PS DLOG don't worry darling, your comments will always be welcome on my blog...

[thedlog]

Maruby, ditto that, I only had 20mins with Bradley, but hey WHAT A GEEZER he is, pity we can't clone some Bradleys, ooh what a much better world we could live in.

And Rachel, with all due respect, I am not worried, just dissappointed really that not all my comments were visible, the thing is, it was an ideal opportunity to give something back to Bradley, and of course he could not refuse my support this time.

When some one gives so much, and those sort of people seem to be few and far between these days, and want NOTHING in return, it is sometimes difficult to find a way to repay them, wether they want repaymeny or not, it is my personality to repay in any way that I can, and by supporting Bradley on this site was one way I could.

I wish you all the best Bradley, and I know in my heart of hearts you will make an unprecedented success in all that you do.;)

[Officebird]

My goodness this thread seems to be dragging on a bit!

I don't know much about MI as the website isn't very clear so won't comment directly on the business.

I've never heard of trades 118 but if what Bradley says is true then I have to agree that people deserve a second chance. The thing that confuses me is that if he was duped, as claimed, what position is he in to offer advice to other businesses? Except on how not to be duped.

Rachel has been rather honest in her posts here imo and has openly critisised the whole whineing about the past issue, which really does grate on me. At no point has she been slagged off that I can see so dlog please stop defending her!

Dlog is also going on about posts being deleted in some kind of conspiracy theory. I can tell you now that Duane and other mods have allowed posts to be published that are direct attacks at them and their businesses (remember linggate and the advert scenario?) so to delete posts in support of MI is inconceivable.

What has come out of this thread? That MI might not be what it first appears? Or that rachel may be making a mistake associating with them? (btw I don't think she would have got where she is today if she couldn't defend her corner so please don't worry about her!)

I just can't see anything constructive for anyone here, except perhaps the warning about the directors previous relationship with 118.

Having said all that I am posting as I wish to defend this forum. As a new business woman I have had great advice from here, I've got some good clients and I have found people I use as sub contractors. This is a forum I respect more than any of the others and people here only tend to 'stick the boot in' when needed and often for the good of other members.

Will I join MI after reading this? No way! Would I happily have rachel's face all over my website? Hell yeah!

All business owners should stick together for the greater good but personally I see ukbf as the way forward rather than organisations such as MI.

[thedlog]

You are absolutely correct Officebird, Rachel has not been slagged off as such, but I feel she has been persecuted a little in that some seem to think that she should not be associated with MI.
Bradley and his team have been very supportive of me, and thay have bent over backwards to help in every way possible, with out asking for a penny, I am actually honored to be associated with them and of course Rachel.
Unfortunately for all on here I am one not to let my guard down and or personal issues be publicly announced, but because of these issues in the past I hold the likes of Rachel and Bradley, in high estimation and admire them both.
Perhaps I have read the whole thing wrong, as in what this site is really all about. Furthermore since emailing ukbf with the issues about posting things appear to have been rectified, thank you all.

thedlog :cool:

[SLF]

dlog - this forum is about honest open opinion and its a forum to discuss things.

The OP was discussing the link between Mi and the director's previous business, not Brad or Rachel's nice personalities and helpfulness - I dont believe anyone disputes that, but that isnt what was being discussed in the original post.

[thedlog]

Surely their personalities make a big difference to who they are and what they stand for.

thedlog

[SLF]

nope! a nice personality does not mean anything at all with regards your business capabilities. Both made mistakes they admitted other people caused them, and by trusting them, so there you go, that answers that one for you from the horses mouth.

[thedlog]

There are others out there who have also made mistakes in business, not that I will mention any names of course, as I am sure you know who they are, is it therefore OK to treat them withe them the same contempt?

thedlog:|

[SLF]

and who was treating them with contempt dlog?

Im confused, you said they are nice and helpful - im saying they were also quick to trust nice people and they got it wrong, so im saying, being nice isnt the factor to determine your morals and ethics and most certainly not your business acumen.

The OP was questioning the link from Mi to 118 and yes, it's raising a painful reminder of what went wrong, but hey, dont tell me for one minute that brad or rachel have never pinpointed anyone else's mistakes.

Would she give that CEO (or whatever level it was she employed to run RLD) who she says caused it to go belly up, another chance? Would she use the same bank again that refused to help her out? No, it's highly unlikely though not impossible.

Too many people on this forum have stories where they trusted 'nice' people only to be let down later. If you ask them, they will alsways say 'oh, they were nice to start with' or something on those lines, as if that was a good enough reason.

[thedlog]

Well sorry I have to disagree on the trust issue, one has to have an amount of trust when doing business. can you imagine if we did not have any trust, we would not have any customers, for fear of not being paid.

That is the whole problem with the entire world at the moment with regards to business/finance, NO TRUST.

Lets get back to basics!!

thedlog

[SLF]

of course trust is paramount, I think you missed my point though - im saying that sometimes people can too easily trust someone without believing they need to apply any caution.

You build up trust not have it from the off. You also undertake due dilligence; when you spot small things happening you nip it in the bud head on, not give it the benefit of the doubt once, twice and a third time.

You dont take people's word for something, you get evidence, you check stuff out, you ask to see stuff in writing for yourself, see the figures, copies of emails, etc and so on. When your gut instinct tells you something isnt right you dont ignore it and hope it will go away or its a one off because they are nice people anyway.

Im not sure what type of business you run or for how long, and if you have been able to trust every supplier and staff member from the beginning and never had any issues with trust then you are a lucky person indeed, but you are also unusual in that respect.

and again I disagree, this country believes far too much of what it reads in the press and hears on the telly, believes people who jump on a podium offering new beginnings and lower taxes blah blah.

A country that votes on a bunch of promises - would you hire someone based on an interview alone - or would you go by their previous results? Im not a political person at all, but I have a good memory. Labour did this once before back in the seventies and it has done it again. How many chances do you give before you wake up and smell the coffee?

[garyk]

There are others out there who have also made mistakes in business, not that I will mention any names of course, as I am sure you know who they are, is it therefore OK to treat them withe them the same contempt?

thedlog:|

Well there are different sorts of mistakes aren't there?

Those where your business goes to the wall owing creditors and customers money and has massive impact and those where it costs you personally or your business or stifles the growth of your business. They are at opposite ends of the spectrum.

million impossible plc has a winding up order against it, fact, its been mentioned on this thread several times but where those have had the chance to explain why they haven't chosen to.

I'm getting real bored of this now so wont add any more.

[SLF]

maybe soe questions are best left unanswered ....or left hanging....

[premier sign writing uk]

I think you all have valid points but I met with the million impossible team at the business start-up show at the london olympia and to be quite honest the million impossible stand was buzzing! It constantly had a crowd wanting to know more about what it is they do, so in saying that I think the brand name Million Impossible evidently works. I also had an opportunity to purchase rachel elnaughs book business nightmares which I would recomend to anyone in my position, anyone trying to be successfull running a business. I also had the book signed by rachel herself at the show. How is it that she is planning to pull away from million impossible when they have only just joined forces? I mean on the home page it advertises a seminar or something where rachel and the MD of million impossible are jointly attending to help smaller businesses and on top of that I have joined thier network and actually find it very informative and helpful now if any of you had actually spent two mins actually looking over their site before stating your views they might be slightly different.

Also in regards to the leaflets, one of thier team passed me a leaflet while I was walking in the door, I do agree it should of had contact details but It does clearly state £25,000 prize draw and that you have to attach contact details and take it to thier stand. If you think about it this was a great way to build a strong crowd which is not aways easy at a business show!!! I for one know this from first hand exp!

[thedlog]

Where did you get this info from; I am curious?:|

"How is it that she is planning to pull away from million impossible when they have only just joined forces?"

thedlog

[BusinessIdeas]

What an interesting thread, just had to bump it, are these guys now 'rawbusiness'?

[Kev Jaques]

Dunno but their pushy sales guys certainly were arrogantly raw and need etiquette lessons!

[sysops]

Is it just me or does this outfit look really fishy?

[sirearl]

Anyone who has to flaunt a character trait usually doesn't own it. Would you visit "Honest Joe's Used Cars", for example?

Honest John

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/

probably the busiest site in the UK.:D

Earl

[sysops]

probably the busiest site in the UK.:D


Your ability to assess a site's approximate traffic is appalling.

[K2012]

I used to get called by these and they were very pushy.

Sad really as there website is false they use well known people to make them look credible. Bradley is the owner I have seen him once at the British library.

[sysops]

Sad really as there website is false they use well known people to make them look credible. Bradley is the owner I have seen him once at the British library.

Both sites appear to basically follow the same formula:

1. Get one or two semi-famous people to allow you to use their name and/or photo
2. ?
3. PROFIT!

[K2012]

Your right I had a typo before it should say their. Sorry