What I’ve appreciated in my five years as an Estonian e-Resident.

Over the last few months I’ve been reflecting on collaborations - those brand or personality tie-ups which deliver ‘synergy’ and ‘unleash new value’ and access to customers and, I’ve come to the conclusion that they are ultimately damaging.

These are my tools which I find essential to working, amost anywhere without interruption.

In no particular order here are my 10 ideas to help you get 2023 off to a flying start. All of them have, at their core, a focus on the things which are ‘mission critical’.

About six months into the COVID-19 pandemic I decided that the threshold for normality for me would be returning to New York, a city I had lived in for a decade and returned to every couple of months.

No today, on the eve of the next phase of unlocking the English economy (other UK nations to follow) I just wanted to share my optimism and enthusiasm for what lies ahead. With hindsight, it is possible to see we have had false dawns before but this feels very different.

Although the next phase of how the world deals with this pandemic will still be far from normal we are inching closer to being able to do more of the things we used to do and hopefully want to d

Amazon opened their first international Amazon Fresh Go Store in West London this week. There are around 2 dozen stores in the US which feature the cash free / check out free “Just Walk Out” technology.

I couldn’t resist checking it out and since the 10km round trip walk from home could count as a ‘government approved’ exercise in these COVID-19 times I set out to experience how it felt to be a de facto shoplifter.

Every Sunday in the Mission Critical Weekly Briefing we review a book we’ve read. In just over 2 years that’s 106 books. Of course not every book we read makes it - “we read the bad books so others don’t have to” is our mantra. It’s a lot of reading but we wouldn’t have it any other way.

Throughout January a couple of friends and I indulged again in what has become a regular fixture - “ChinChinJanuary”. The premise is a simple one - whilst the world puts itself through the misery of “Dry January” we commit to drinking a different alcoholic beverage every day. The intention is to drink as many different types of drink as possible but we do allow moderate use of repertoire drinking within a category if it’s different varietals (wine, beer) or brands !

Beyond 1 (it is only 1 !) drink a day it got me thinking about the wider benefits;

If you are not innovating you are not simply standing still you are going backwards. Innovation is the beating heart of any proposition - personal or corporate - and yet we often push it down the “to-do” list to the point where we’ve not had a new idea, let along action it, in months.

It really should come as no surprise. January - with a full bank account, employment, the freedom to do anything you want - is usually an awful month anyway. Throw a global pandemic into the mix and it feels like the ultimate misery.

Watching the smooth (after months of doom) transition of power between the 45th and the 46th Presidents of the United States of America yesterday I started to reflect a bit on leadership and its outcomes.

Last week the Mission Critical team issued their 100th Weekly Briefing. Every Sunday, every week for just under 2 years we’ve collected, curated, and commented on the week’s news. Our mission, to provide an insightful, stretching, and actionable summary of everything our subscribers need to know.

The Christmas break provides a welcome opportunity to switch off for many of us but it also provides some time to do a little bit of housekeeping to make sure that, when 2021 arrives, we are ready !

Since Monday, when the 1st edition was dispatched, a number of people have messaged to ask why make the effort when it’s a complimentary service and also how I find the time.

The Daily. Emailed to you every weekday morning at 0700 London time it is short and sharp. Just 5 news and business items we feel you should know about at the start of your day with our trusted point of view.

Last month Pret in the UK announced a new “YourPret Barista” subscription service. For £20 a month you can have up to 5 hot drinks a day, every day of the month.

You can almost smell October and with the onset of fall there can be no denying that we are in Q4 and that 2020 is rapidly coming to an end. It’s tempting to write 2020 off but that’s wrong for a couple of reasons