Archive for the ‘Miscellaneous’ Category

Green Walls

Wednesday, June 30th, 2010

This is a guest blog by Alex Dayes of JKSL

At JKSL we are always looking to become a more ‘Green’ company and over the last few years we have achieved this through various methods such as environmentally friendly products (Mesh Tech) and reducing our carbon footprint. We aim to continue this trend through our new composting system over the next 12 months.

 

During our continuous research into this area every now and again we stumble over some great innovative ideas, the latest being brought to our attention earlier this year…’Green Walls’.

 

For those of you that don’t already know green walls are vertical areas where plants are specifically imported to a hydroponic system which is usually incorporated into an inner city building design. The imported species are usually small creeping herbaceous perennials, ferns and grasses however small shrubs and even fruit and vegetables are feasible. The main landscape design aim of these features is to provide a fluent connection between the built environment and our natural landscapes. They also have several other benefits such as:

 

·         Air purification

·         Noise reduction

·         Added insulation leading to reduced energy bills etc

·         Aesthetic benefits

·         Water retention (on external walls), leading to less flooding issues

·         Habitat creation for wildlife

·         Heat Island Reduction

·         Additional gardening space

·         Food Production

 

In an age of global warming and massive environmental disasters anything which helps push the scale back the other way is fantastic and can only benefit our society - so watch out for these walls in a city near you!

Mad Honey Disease…

Wednesday, June 23rd, 2010

Sorry but I just had to write about this one!

 

Did you know (and not many people know this) that cases of human poisoning from Rhododendron ponticum are known…

 

Apparently this is caused by consumption of honey produced from Rhododendron flowers – and is known as ‘Mad Honey Disease’ or ‘Honey Intoxication’ with cases recorded as far back as 400BC.

 

It results in relatively short lived intestinal and cardiac problems and is rarely fatal. The severity of the symptoms depends upon the amount of honey consumed….a little like alcohol then..!

 

Weird what you come across when you are doing a bit of research!

 

Obviously this could be useful for those seeking a new ailment to run past the boss when having a ‘sicky’ for the World Cup finals…. ‘yes I’ve got Mad Honey Disease and won’t be in – look its on Mike Cloughs blog so it must be true’…

 

Mike C

Business Not as Usual?

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010

This was the headline that grabbed my attention on a recent newsletter from Barclays Bank. I don’t normally read these types of flyers but this was one which caught my eye and was actually quite good.

 

The premise of the piece was that as Britain emerges from a period of unprecedented recession – the ambitious firms are dusting down their research and development plans.

 

Courageous companies have cut headcounts, reduced dividends and delivered long term improvements in financial management.

 

Japanese Knotweed Solutions have returned a set of figures in 2009 which show a 0.017% growth in sales… but with a significantly better margin. This has been achieved by looking closely at every part of the company and tightening our belts as necessary.

 

That will do me – when others are chasing massive turnover for little if any profit I’m happy to keep profitable, not overstretch and look at the bigger picture.

 

The more agile companies are poised to move ahead by pursuing new products and seeking fresh markets in a bid to kick start sales.

 

I believe that this will be the way forward for Japanese Knotweed Solutions in 2010. We had a new Sales Development Manager who started in April who’s primary function is be to push the company into new markets to sell our new systems – innovation being our most important strategy.

 

The advantage of a smaller business is that we can be nimble and take a pragmatic approach to innovation, jumping quickly onto the movement towards ‘greener’ answers with our Meshtech system and the Composting strategies that we propose for 2011.

 

We aim to be unique, special and different.

 

Our approach is to tempt customers with service that our rivals cannot match…

 

Mike C

137,500 tons of crap…

Wednesday, May 12th, 2010

I was having my mid week trawl through the various websites offering Japanese Knotweed removal picking up on the various claims about what they can and can’t do…

 

My favorites at the moment include claims by one company to have moved 137,500 tons of contaminated material off one site and 400,000 tons from other sites.

 

Other companies are still claiming single season eradication ‘guaranteed’  and we have companies offering 20 year warranties and 5 million pound bonds…

 

One company claims to have offices in Leeds, Bury St Edmunds, Manchester, London, Birmingham, Nottingham, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Northern Ireland – WOW – they must be a massive organisation?.. Or is it just Auntie Irene happens to have a house in Bury St Edmunds, cousin Ron lives in Cardiff and Eddie the spray guy has a holiday cottage in Ireland.

 

If you look on You Tube you will also see some interesting claims from companies that claim to have saved clients millions and millions of pounds. There are sifting operators that suggest that they can 100% remove knotweed from soil and that no return visits will be required …

 

All of which lead me to the conclusion that maybe someone has produced 137,500 tons of contaminated rubbish – but most of it is on the world wide web.

 

Mike C

How long can we all hold our breath….

Tuesday, May 4th, 2010

It would appear that we are all waiting for something to happen, waiting for someone to make a bold leap of faith, someone to break the deadlock.

 

But until it happens we are all stuck in limbo. …when really we all want to be stuck in a Lambo…rghini

 

Nobodies making decisions.

 

Nobodies saying ‘yes’ lets go for it.

 

Im not sure if it’s the looming election, or the continuing economic doom and gloom merchants. …but nobody appears willing to make a move. We have over £1.5 million pounds worth of work on our books, all with big question marks over whether they will ever actually happen.

 

SO… Im not buying the car I want, I’m not buying the house I want, I’m not booking the holiday I want – all because I don’t have any confidence in anything. Which for the first time in several years is making me stressed….which is bad.

 

It’s a big circle in which we are all stuck – someone recently described it as a hamster wheel – until somebody makes some positive steps we are all going nowhere.

 

Having said all that…. we are still busy and we are still ‘hiring’ not ‘firing’ so maybe I should shut up and think myself lucky..

 

….and maybe… after all the election nonsense people will decide to make a decision and get things moving??

 

Fingers crossed.

 

Mike C

All money to charity….

Wednesday, April 14th, 2010

Be warned all you would be copyright thieves…!

 

Japanese Knotweed Solutions take our marketing and branding seriously.

 

As a business owner you expect the odd member of your team to leave, move on, set up on their own etc. There isn’t much you can do about it so you don’t bother getting stressed.

 

What does however annoy more than anything is when they leave then try and copy everything that you do!

 

They copy your website, they copy your photographs and have even been known to use testimonials from projects that they haven’t even worked on!

 

So…enough is enough.

 

I set Christine Oxenburgh from Garvins onto a couple of them just to see what satisfaction could be gained. And lo and behold not only has she made them take the pictures off their websites, not only has she had the copied text removed – she has had her expenses paid and a donation made to charity!!

 

So let this be a warning to those that can’t be bothered doing their own web site or their own photographs.

 

When you copy our stuff – YOU DO SO AT YOUR OWN RISK - we will do something about it!

 

Mike C

What is it with British people and wishing people bad luck?

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010

I have been a lucky man. I don’t deny the fact and often repeat the phrase to people who listen.

 

My life has had its ups and downs and it hasn’t been easy – but overall if you were to draw a line and say… bad points go below the line, good points go above – then most of my life would be in the above line section.

 

I don’t take myself too seriously and hope that I don’t come over as a prat – yes I like nice cars…but what the hell… I do a lot of driving and Ive worked hard to get to a point where I can have these things.

 

I employ 24 people and treat each and every one of them with respect and as an individual. I employ just as many men as women and run a totally equal company paying people and treating people exactly the same whatever their sex. I don’t consider myself above brewing up, or picking litter up from the yard, or getting the lunch in – I even have been known to actually enjoy spending time with the team at JKSL.

 

OK I’m a bit opinionated and I have an arrogant streak – but how the hell can you run a business without being arrogant. If you constantly listen and take everyone’s advice you end up with decisions by committee which just results in bland design and mediocre service…which just isn’t me.

 

What I’m getting at here is that I have my faults - but basically I’m a nice bloke running a small business to the best of his abilities.

 

So why is it that so many people have been happy to tell me that they think I will be put out of business by the Governments bio –control programme?

 

And why is it they all ask with the same stupid smirk on their faces??

 

Why is it that British people want you to fail??

 

It’s always the small minded, corporate employed, dark suited – nobodies, or teachers (bizarrely) that seem to want you to fall flat on your face.

 

Well here’s a message to all of those people wishing me ill … even if I do fail – at least I’ve lived…. at least I’ve tried…and more much more than this…

 

I’ve done it my way.

 

Mike C

 

…and so…the end is near…as I approach …the final curtain

Who Decides What’s in the News??

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010

So the 9th of March was the BIG day at Japanese Knotweed Solutions, finally the Government decision to release a bio-control agent in the United Kingdom.

 

Don’t be fooled this is a big decision – this could have a major impact on all of our lives.

 

IF this doesn’t work and it all goes wrong we could be plagued by a biblical proportion epidemic of aphids which munch their way through every native plant in the country.

 

Ok,ok – its probably not going to happen – but it could – and we should all be aware of it.

 

 However what do we get on the news on the day of the decision…a good fifteen minute section on footballers conversations being taped in a hotel.

 

Can you imagine the content??

 

… ‘are yer awright Wayne, av yer gor any comics ter lewk art – am fookin bawd..less go ler off a fire stuinguisha and chuck telly art de winda..’

 

Hardly top notch cutting edge news??

 

The point of this blog is that maybe someone should be a little more selective as to what is covered – we don’t want Iraq and football everyday.

 

Japanese Knotweed is a major issue – let’s get some coverage.

 

Mike C

Body Found…

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

Occasionally our teams think that life on site is tough. Weather conditions, awkward site agents (Wigan), mud, water, gas pipes, electric cables, BT connections, rats, newts, lizards, poor access, dangerous buildings – the list just goes on and on.

 

But… spotted in the papers recently – on a project on which we did actually provide a price – a dead body found in a stand of Japanese Knotweed!

 

So just when you think that you have had every problem that life can throw at you –

 

To read the full article click here.

Tony Soprano (aka - Mike Clough)…

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

My wife bought me the Sopranos box set for Christmas and we are working our way through from the beginning of Season 1.

 

Mrs Clough now draws direct comparison between Tony’s business affairs and family life – with the way that I act.

 

She has even taken to calling me… ‘T’..

 

So that would make Alex – ‘Christopher’ – Phil would be ‘Pauly’, one scouse ex employee would be ‘Pussy’, another nearer ex employee would be ‘Ralphy’….my Dad could be ‘Uncle Junior’…

 

Debt collection would involve running people over and breaking arms and legs…

 

If you haven’t watched the programme this will make no sense…suffice to say I wish I could handle my affairs as well as the Soprano family – things would be much easier…AND… I wish we had an office like the ‘Bada Bing’.

 

Mike C (‘T’)





E: jk@sltd.co.uk
T: 0161 723 2000




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