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When I first met my wife she couldn’t drive, she wasn’t that bothered about cars and was happy getting the bus everywhere. When she got pregnant* all this changed and she decided that she needed to pass her test and get her personal mobility and independence sorted. She passed first time – and then gave birth about four weeks later.
Once she was up and about she started to pester me for a car – finally deciding on a second hand Peugeot 205 – telling me that if I bought this for her she would…. ‘look after it, keep it clean, wash it weekly, check its tyres, fill the screen wash etc etc’ ….and like the fool that I am…I believed her.
Fast forward 26 years and a whole range of different cars – small ones, big ones, manual ones, automatic ones….she has never cleaned any of them, she regularly leaves litter and sweet wrappers on the floor, never fills the petrol tank, never fills the screen wash and has never any idea of when they are due for a service.
In her most recent car she even has a small tree growing in the gap between the bonnet and the base of the windscreen leading me to suggest that a ‘grounds maintenance’ contract might be more in order rather than a simple wax and polish.
So…what is the point that I’m trying to make here? Well what I’m trying to say is that – as with most things – it’s not just about ‘having’ something… it’s about how you look after it. With my cars for example – I clean and polish and wax and check tyres and fill screen wash weekly – it’s about ‘maintaining’ the quality of the vehicle.
With my garden at home I wage war on ground elder and hedge bindweed – both highly invasive species…. which …. if left unchecked will seriously take over your land. So every weekend I’m out there with gloves and sheers and chemicals…. all to try and tame the rampant vegetation that comes in from the adjacent neighbour’s garden. The adjacent land is owned by an elderly couple who have lost the will to battle against their encroaching jungle/garden and have left it to grow wild. They won’t sell the land and they won’t let me maintain the plot …so I’m up against a never ending supply of seed and root invading my land every day.
The majority of large land owners appear to fall into the ‘Pam Clough’ school of car maintenance. They’ve got it, they own it…but frankly they don’t really want anything to do with it unless it sits up and hits them in the face…
Land will not ‘look after itself’ – in fact land not looked after can become a huge liability. With the current spate of Invasive Non-Native Species that will quickly take over your ‘investment’ you need to be very careful about what you allow to establish on your land. I’m not suggesting that you sit around with a shotgun blasting away at anything that looks suspicious…but maybe once a year why not have somebody with a sharp eye look over your boundaries and check for Aliens!
Quite often it’s the adjacent property that you need to take a look at – perhaps your land is next to a railway or a river or ditch – any linear corridor is an ideal route for vegetation to migrate along. In fact it has been noted that ‘wildlife’ corridors – so beloved by nature enthusiasts – are a perfect route for invasive species to also travel along! The idea of wildlife corridors is to allow animals to cross fields and large open spaces along the route of a hedge or woodland – these corridors should ideally interconnect so that animals can get from point A to point B without ever being exposed….unfortunately these routes can also be a route for seed to be dispersed leaving a potential for the likes of Himalayan balsam to rapidly over take these pathways.
These invasions can be rapid and devastating – but also can be fairly easily stopped dead in their tracks if spotted early enough.
It should also be noted that you don’t just need to take my word for the seriousness of these issues – changes in legislation from January 2015 will mean that any invasive non-native species spotted on your land can be reported to the Environment Agency (EA) – should you then fail to resolve the issues to the satisfaction of the EA you could be served with a species control order (SCO).which will empower you to act. Failure to act on receipt of a SCO will result in the EA coming onto your land and taking action to remove the offending species – all costs would then be served on the land owner!
So don’t be a ‘Pam Clough’ be a ‘Mike Clough’ – be pro-active and look after your land….and don’t wait for a Species Control Order to be served on you!
Mike C
NB When I say ‘she got pregnant’…. obviously this wasn’t completely her doing
Just when you thought you were safe… April 24, 2015I’m a big fan of movies, I like horror films or maybe something clever maybe science fiction. I loved the Alien films and can argue about which is the best of the quadrilogy with any film buff who wants to criticise the third instalment (which actually I consider to be one of the best).
I like creativity and ideas that are a bit off the wall.
I like weird creatures and odd plants and always find myself thinking that the flora and fauna that we have in reality are much weirder than those that the film makers create. Take a look under a microscope at any of our water-borne native creatures and you can see where the inspiration comes for a lot of our horror movie ‘aliens’…
So how about a crayfish that can clone itself? Science fiction? Nope…science fact….
Awesome…
‘Marmorkrebs’ are a variety of Crayfish that is parthenogenic, which means it can clone itself and does not require a male crayfish…thus a single individual has the potential to escape and colonise an entire environment….!
Recently one of these marbled crayfish (Procambarus fallax f.virginalis) known by its German name of ‘Marmokrebs’ has been sold from a retail outlet in Surrey….aaargggghhh….luckily when the owner of the crayfish realised the true nature of the ‘pet’ he’d owned for two years he contacted the Environment Agency and the crayfish were subsequently destroyed.
It is an offence to this species under the ‘Import of live fish act 1980’. The Fish Health Inspectorate has been informed and has visited the premises and an alert has been issued throughout the ornamental trade.
It doesn’t make comfortable reading though does it?
What if the ‘pet’ owner had simply got bored and thrown the crayfish into the nearby pond/river? What if the ‘pet’ owner supplied all of his friends with ‘pets’…(a little like I did with guinea pigs…)
This story would make a great film….but I’ve seen far too horror movies to underestimate how these ‘invasions’ start….!
Mike C
Invasive Species – The Benefits… April 24, 2015If a volcano were to suddenly erupt and create a new island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, this ‘new’ piece of land would have no indigenous flora and fauna. It stands to reason – the volcano would have pushed rock from deep beneath the earth’s surface upward and outward in a massive burst of energy.
Nothing could have survived within the depths of the earth’s crust at the high temperature and great pressures that would have been produced during the ‘event’. So what will have been produced would be a ‘virginal’ piece of rock with no life upon it.
We know that these momentous events have taken place throughout the history of the world so why aren’t there islands that consist of nothing but bare rock? Ok I know there are some pretty inhospitable pieces of land around the world but generally ….something is making a home there.
If ‘something’ begins to make a home in a new environment and succeeds – then by definition this must be an ‘invasive species’…? It has come into a new environment in which previously it wasn’t recorded and it has created a new home for itself.
When Captain Cook anchored off Easter Island in March 1774 he stated that … ‘ nature has been exceedingly sparing of favours to this spot’. Whilst Cook’s comment was undoubtedly true – one would have to put the statement into context – the nearest continent is South America 2,280 miles away and the nearest vegetated Pacific Island is 1000 miles. Plants and animals have through whatever means – managed to reach these remote islands without the help of man.
Not only have they managed to reach these remote new homes but often they have evolved dense tropical vegetation with unique groups of plants and animals.
In 1883 the island of Krakatau destroyed all life under a rain of hot volcanic ash in places more than a hundred feet deep – yet was recolonized by plants and animals from the nearest land – and after fifty years had already a rich and maturing jungle. By 1933 there were at least 720 species of insects and 30 resident birds plus a few species of reptiles and mammals. These species only had to cross from the adjacent lands of Java and Sumatra a mere twenty five miles over the sea.
Japanese Knotweed is often described as a ‘ruderal species’ – this means a species which is the first to colonise bare ground after an earth clearing event such as a volcano or a fire. Japanese Knotweed is adapted to these environments and is built to spread and reproduce as quickly as possible. It has an advantageous system of reproduction through propagules which enables it asexually – to out compete plants which typically require male and females to be able to reproduce.
The point I’m making here is that these ‘invasive species’ are not doing anything particularly aggressive on purpose….. They are simply doing what comes naturally to them – it is man who has imported these species to environments where they have become problematic.
Without these types of ‘invasive non-native’ species we would probably still be sitting around on bare bits of rock trying to catch a dinosaur to eat…?
It’s all about context!
I’ve been bad… April 24, 2015I may occasionally do things that I’m not proud of…but at least I know it when I’ve done something wrong. I’ve been brought up to care about honesty and integrity and I will occasionally lie awake at night feeling guilty if I’ve done something that my dad wouldn’t approve of.
Dad was Head of Derbyshire School Journeys and often organised trips around the world for his geography pupils. He would work out to the nearest penny – what the trip should cost, then he would work out how much to ask the parents for. After the trip was over he would meticulously go through every receipt and come up with an exact cost – and then refund each parent whatever money was left over – this would range from £1.60 to £5.10 ….but whatever it was – the parents would get an exact breakdown and an exact refund.
Watching my dad work out his finances and his wish to do everything honestly and above board has left me with an innate sense of right and wrong. Hence when somebody over pays, or pays us twice – I’m not the type to just say…’don’t say anything – see what happens’ I’m much more likely to say… ‘refund the money and let their accounts department know they made an error’…
But… I don’t always. Hence my comment that I occasionally do things I’m not proud of.
Recently a client – (who shall remain nameless) – kept us waiting for our invoice to be paid for six months beyond the due payment date. They didn’t give a reason, they refused to take calls, they made no excuse – they just would not pay…then they finally paid us.
Then a month later they paid us again.
My accounts department flagged this up and immediately said that we should refund them at the end of the week…and I said ‘no’.
I said – … ‘you know what…let’s just let them stew for a few weeks…let them call us, write to us, e mail us…let them suffer …like they made us suffer’.
It wasn’t worth it – all that happened was that I got really stressed feeling that my dad was watching me from above shaking his finger at me and sending me bad vibes. I knew I had done a bad thing and I couldn’t sleep till we had paid the money back.
So that’s me…however there are some people that do much, much worse and yet seem to have no idea that they have done anything wrong.
Now correct me if I’m wrong here… but as a business owner – everything my team does is my responsibility.
Anything that happens within JKSL is ultimately down to me…and I accept that – I hold my hands up.
What you won’t find is me blaming everybody else.
If I’ve been bad – I will own up.
…and if you pay me twice, I will pay you back…
Mike C
Sorry this week’s blog isn’t about invasive species it’s just me having a moan….
Why is it that people that you employ can’t be honest about what they are up to? I’ve just had another incident of someone pleading problems at home and wanting ‘compassionate leave’, they are ‘stressed’ at work and ‘can’t cope’. So I try and help, I offer time off, I offer working from home… but they say ‘no…. I need to have some time off’…. so they leave…. and low and behold the following week – they start working for one of our competitors…. aaarrrgggghhh!
I train them, I teach them the ropes, they just begin to pay their way and then they f**k off to help out the competition!
In the good old days life was a lot simpler…. I know shooting people is bad, and even to suggest breaking someone’s legs is a bit politically incorrect but at least people knew where they stood (…. or maybe sat…. in a wheelchair).
What always surprises me is that the prospective employer when interviewing these type of people doesn’t think…. ‘hang on, he/she’s f**king over Mike Clough…. surely they will do the same to me’. If someone says at interview when asked…. ‘what notice do you have to give?…. and they reply ‘four weeks but I can start Monday’…. wouldn’t you think perhaps they are a bit dodgy and will do the same to you…. ?
What I want is a world where your team come and have a chat with you and say…. ‘Mike I’m not progressing in the job, Mike I want to earn more money, Mike I’m not enjoying my job etcetc’ – all of these issues could be tackled…. and if they weren’t resolved satisfactorily then you would both agree that it would be best if you moved on or started to apply for another job – all with a smile and a great reference.
And as a final point, maybe people should read their contracts which state that you cannot work for a competitor within a certain radius of our offices….
Shooting people would be easier.
I know, I know, maybe just a paint ball gun?
Mike C
If I had a pound for every time certain questions were asked I would be a rich man…! One of my favourite questions has to be … ‘…and what is it that you do?’ – this question is regularly asked to Mike Clough of … ‘Japanese Knotweed Solutions’ …the clues in the name guys!
One of my other favourites is when people ask … ‘…and where does it come from?’ …duuuh… ‘Japanese Knotweed’ surprisingly comes from …wait for it…JAPAN!
In all honesty – it’s a little more complicated – Japanese Knotweed is actually native to China, Taiwan and the Korean peninsula as well as Japan, so could just as easily have been called Chinese Knotweed, Taiwanese Knotweed or even Korean Knotweed…!
It is however pretty much accepted that its date of introduction to Europe was 1849 from the nursery of Philip von Siebold who then sent it to the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew in 1850 (Conolly 1977).
Fallopia Japonica was then made available to the general plant buying public in the same year…and advertised as hardy, quick growing, tolerant of a variety of conditions and useful as a fodder crop for your horses and cattle. Fallopia Japonica was also sent to the Royal Botanical Gardens at Edinburgh in 1854 where it was then further distributed across the UK and most likely to the USA as well.
By the late 1880’s the plant had become ‘naturalised’ and was reported growing on cinder tips near Glamorgan South Wales and on patches of cultivated ground in Oldham, Lancashire.
Gardeners being the type of people that they are – love to celebrate the success of a plant that they have used, by offering cuttings to their friends and neighbours and have inadvertently massively expanded the growth range of Japanese Knotweed. The Victorians loved their ‘wild gardens’ where they re-created ‘natural’ landscapes by having quick growing Japanese Knotweed planted as a ‘back drop’ to their more exotic garden plants.
Quick growing Fallopia Japonica was also used to hide the toilet at the bottom of the garden (leading to it being called the ‘outhouse plant’ in the USA). It was often intentionally introduced as an ornamental and by the 1900’s the number of naturalizations increased rapidly. Introduction and spread in other European Countries followed a very similar pattern as that in the UK.
When one looks at the list of countries that introduced Japanese Knotweed and now have a problem with it being ‘invasive’ the list is never ending:
Austria introduced invasive
Belgium introduced invasive
Czech Republic introduced invasive
France introduced invasive
Germany introduced invasive
Ireland introduced invasive
Netherlands introduced invasive
Norway
Poland
Spain
UK
Australia
New Zealand
Etc etc etc
You would think that along the way …somebody would have twigged that maybe this plant wasn’t such a great idea?
So the answer to ‘how?’ is detailed above, the answer to ‘why?’…would be
… ON PURPOSE!
Mike C
Fiat Panda vs Aston Martin April 24, 2015Finally …the car review you’ve all been wanting to read…the Fiat Panda 4×4 versus the Aston Martin V12 Vantage ‘S’ – perhaps an unfair comparison you may be thinking? …well read on…
The first and most obvious thing to say is that the Panda is by far the cheaper of the two vehicles, you could have at least 8 Fiats for the price of the Aston – but let’s put this to one side for the moment.
Economy – obviously the Panda is far more economical than the Aston, the Aston won’t get you to London without a re-fuelling stop – whereas the Panda will do London and back on one tank.
Score 1 to the Panda
Technology – the Bluetooth phone kit in the Aston is appalling – all you get is engine noise – the phone kit in the Panda is a dead easy and the quality is superb
Score 2 to the Panda
Usability – you can literally park the Panda anywhere and not worry about it – whereas the Aston always attracts the wrong type of attention – (the car was vandalised in Manchester recently …£1700 worth of damage from somebody taking a ‘selfie’ sat on the bonnet).
Score 3 to the Panda
Headlights – Panda lights up the road ahead, Aston lights up… pretty much nothing
Score 4 to the Panda
Wet weather driving – Panda has four wheel drive, dif lock, winter tyres and just sticks to the road like glue…..the Aston just wiggles its back end then spins its wheels…then a red light comes on…
Score 5 to the Panda
Other road users – when you’re in the Panda, people wave and point and smile…when you’re in the Aston the phrase ‘dickhead’ can be heard as you burble along…people do make hand gestures but not the nice ones….
Score 6 to the Panda
I could go on and on about this but you begin to get the picture…its far more relaxing to be sat in the little Fiat than it is to be on show in the Aston Martin.
Maybe I’m just getting older and require a little more of a low key approach?
Maybe it’s something to do with the public perception of the type of person that drives these vehicles?
Being a British businessman (and proud of it)…I wanted a British car I could be proud of, something I would be able to enjoy driving and have something to show for all the hard work and effort that it takes to run a company in this most difficult of economic climates.
It would appear however that the general British public don’t particularly like somebody looking as though they are successful?
Maybe i should just grow up and buy a sensible in grey with a diesel engine ….something bland and predictable with a huge mpg….?
Naah …f**k it you only live once…
Mike C
Bite the bio bullet… April 24, 2015As if we don’t have enough things to worry about it would appear that the quagga mussel has arrived and is about to make its presence felt. I know what you’re all thinking; ….quagga mussel wtf is a quagga mussel???
The quagga – which is a native of eastern Europe – has been found in the Wraysbury river near Heathrow airport. Over the last few decades it has invaded rivers and lakes across Europe and has now got a foothold in the US. Whilst it is not known exactly how it got into our native river system it doesn’t take a huge leap of imagination to suspect that it arrived on or in some air freight delivery at Heathrow?
Some of you may have heard of the zebra mussel which has clogged up the Great Lakes in the US – however the less well known quagga mussel is actually even more invasive and aggressive – so much so that it has been found to displace the zebra mussel from their Great Lakes stronghold.
The quagga literally suffocate other mussel species by sitting on their shells and pushing them into underlying silt. Whilst only being relatively small at 5cm long or less, they breed incredibly fast and can rapidly block pipes and water inlets, potentially costing the water industry huge amounts of money in management strategies involving having to physically dislodge them.
The quagga mussels waste provides nutrients for its associated other invasive organisms from its native lakes and rivers of Eastern Europe. The infamous killer shrimp co-evolved with the quagga and frequently invade with them. Killer shrimp kill and eat most native shrimp wherever they invade and the native UK mussel species Pseudanodanta complinata could also be at risk from the quagga’s aggressive behaviour.
In what may seem like a benefit – the quagga filters and cleans water allowing light to penetrate the riverbed – unfortunately this allows problem weeds to flourish in areas where previously they could not establish …thus upsetting established ecosystems.
Scientists at the University of Cambridge led by David Aldridge say there is no way to completely eradicate the quagga mussel once they have established themselves in a river or reservoir – but there is a method of keeping them in check.
A poison has been developed which is applied via a capsule made from the same material that the mussel eats. Once the mussel has digested the capsule the outer layers dissolve releasing a salt that kills the creature. The ‘bio-bullet’ is harmless to other aquatic life and is rejected by the more discerning native mussel species.
Google it, get to know what it looks like…and add it to your list of problem species. Perhaps add it to your list of invasive non-native food stuffs? Maybe if we all ate Killer shrimp, American signal crayfish and quagga mussels there would be fewer of these invasive species around?
Maybe if we get Jamie Oliver to do a one off ‘special’ on TV ….?
Mike C
Insurance – requirement or rip off…? April 24, 2015There are numerous ‘key’ areas within the Japanese Knotweed ‘industry’ that everyone gets worked up about. Insurance is a real bone of contention amongst our competitors with many extravagant claims made on various websites as to the quality and length of the policies provided.
Bonded Insurance Policies:
Japanese Knotweed Solutions ltd were THE FIRST company to offer a TEN YEAR INSURANCE BACKED PRODUCT in the field of Japanese Knotweed eradication. Others have followed suit copied the style and cover of the insurance that we first provided. These policies are ‘bonded’ which means that they are covered by a lump of money put to one side to cover the recipient in the case that a claim is required. The length of cover varies but is generally offered as a ten year ‘insurance backed warranty’. Any company offering an ‘in house’ warranty is basically giving you ‘cover’ but with no financial bond provided – this means that if they cease trading – you have no come back or cover provided. Companies offering ‘free’ insurance backed policies are usually lying – ask to see the specific policy documents before you sign anything!
Japanese Knotweed Solutions also allow within the figures that they quote for a series of return visits to site. When using Glyphosate based chemicals, a number of repeat visits are scheduled in – this allows for re-spray of herbicide and provision of a report highlighting any issues/problems and any recommended works required.
Professional Indemnity Cover – or ‘PI’:
Professional indemnity insurance covers for ‘professional advice’ given by a consultant. The level of cover provided can be quoted for on various levels – 1 million/3million/5 million/10 million – each will cost a set fee for a twelve month policy period.
Professional indemnity Policies will not cover a contractor’s work if it is carried out badly – if for example there was re-growth of Japanese Knotweed within hard surfaces a successful claim would have to ‘prove’ that the professional advice given was ‘negligent’.
Many companies offering Japanese Knotweed eradication services make the statement – ‘hard surfaces fully insured for five million pounds’ – this statement refers to Professional Indemnity cover and will NOT ever be subject to a successful claim.
Another major flaw in the Professional Indemnity policy is that cover will only be provided whilst the premium is being paid. Once the premium instalments are unpaid – the policy will cease.
Insurance backed Policies:
Several companies are offering policies which purport to give London based policy cover in event of ceasing to trade. Whilst this may be deemed a responsible stance and the name quoted as ‘Lloyds of London’ may sound impressive it should be noted that this cover would only provide cover in the case of the company no longer being in existence….
Summary:
In summary I find myself thinking that in most of these cases the chances of getting a policy to actually pay out are incredibly slim.
‘Insurance this’… and ‘insurance that’…. may sound great but really what you want is a reputable company that has a good trading history –
Yes it’s good to have an insurance backed product …but …maybe it’s better to use a company in the first place that won’t require an insurance claim being made?
Mike C
10,000 ….and counting April 24, 2015…actually its now …10,118 enquiries logged on to our CRM job management system …(yes that’s ten thousand one hundred and eighteen –as of 4.45 pm Thursday 10th July)). Quite an impressive figure when you consider that this just covers the last three years – all enquiries before that time were managed on a manual system using an Excel spread sheet.
We average between 50 and 100 enquiries a week which vary from small private gardens to major road schemes and new housing developments throughout the UK. It’s often difficult to cope – but experience and technology help separate the ‘wheat from the chaff’ or the good enquiries from the ones that will never go anywhere.
Mrs Smith from 14 Acacia Avenue who has a ‘funny looking plant’ which grew ‘from my compost’ gets a call back …but on a pretty low priority. Developer ‘A’ who has a multi-million pound scheme starting on Monday and has just realised he has Japanese Knotweed – gets a call back by return.
We can give each enquiry a code and a unique reference number and each job has a timescale in which they must be responded to. We classify projects by scale and by the requirement for action on site – tenders for projects that are not yet won get classed as a lower priority than tenders for a winning contractor who is desperate to get on site. The CRM system that we have then reminds the surveyors as to what they have to do by set dates and sends a low electrical shock* into their private parts when they don’t perform on time ( *joking….it’s actually quite a high level of shock).
I continue to be amazed at the number of enquiries that we get, and continue to be horrified by the amount of money we spend on Google. We often spend over £1000 a week on our Pay Per Click (PPC) campaign …which with a simple bit of maths is over £52K a year (yes fifty two thousand pounds…) – just to get in the top ranking cluster of names at the top of the ‘sponsored links’ on the search engine website.
Even with that level of expenditure – Japanese Knotweed Solutions are still not the ‘number one’ in the rankings as some of our competitors are either spending much more ‘per click’ on their advertising…. or perhaps…. just more canny with Google ‘Adwords’?
So whilst I imagined when initially setting up Japanese Knotweed Solutions – that the company would have a short lifespan and that everyone would quickly understand the issues surrounding Invasive Non-Native Species – here we are 15 years later and thousands of enquiries still coming in…!
We have diversified a little from our original ‘single target species’ approach and can now be found working with Himalayan balsam and Giant Hogweed as well as looking at Ragwort and Rhododendron infestations throughout the UK.
We also continue to monitor ‘other’ species which may become problematic in the future and advise our clients on changes in legislation and the potential cost implications of these plants. All of which should hopefully keep us busy for the foreseeable future…and maybe take that total at the top of the page to 100,000 +
Mike C
There are some things that I have learned in life and in business that I feel duty bound to pass on. As one reaches the ripe old age of 53 the only hair that rapidly grows is either in your nose, on your back or in your ears…fact.
I have also learnt that the big invoice you need paying will never arrive before Christmas….
Santa’s little helpers may be incredibly busy over the festive season but I can guarantee that they aren’t busy sorting your cheque out!
We have a saying here at Japanese Knotweed Solutions that goes along the lines of …’any payment that you are expecting in December – move it on the cash flow to January’.
I vividly remember my first experience of this sum 20 odd years ago when we were due a payment of £128,000.00 from B***e on the 12th of December – and had thus made commitments to pay suppliers before the Christmas break. The quantity surveyor said … ‘you will definitely be paid on the 12th and will receive your cheque by the 16th ‘ ….of course we weren’t paid on the 12th but left it till the 16th to chase – when we rang the number an automated message stated that the offices were closed for the Christmas break and would not re-open till 14th January…
On the 28th of December my company was served a winding up notice by one of my suppliers who didn’t believe that we hadn’t been paid – and I spent the whole of the Christmas break talking to solicitors and bank managers ….whilst still trying to put a smile on my face for my wife and kids.
It turned out that the ‘winding up notice’ wasn’t real – it was a photocopy pasted together to look real (…it looked real enough to me).
B***e eventually came back to work and we ended up being paid on the 1st of February – after legal threats, arguments, and more winding up notices being bandied about …..
Something similar to this has pretty much happened every year since – mainly smaller amounts but in some cases bigger amounts – which has lead me to believe that Christmas (from a business point of view)…sucks…big time.
You are stuck with the construction industry being closed for a month, no work getting done and no money coming in.
Your team who have worked hard all year are looking at you for a Christmas bonus and all you want to do is hide in a cave till the new year…
Maybe bears have the right idea? ……
Happy Christmas one and all.
Me, me, me April 24, 2015Sometimes I look at the ‘knotweed control industry’ and feel a little burst of pride. I look at other people’s websites and think what inspired them to use that turn of phrase? Who inspired them to come into the industry? Who was it that realised that there was a business idea in the management and eradication of invasive species… and I end up thinking…it was probably me.
Now I may be blowing my own trumpet here but…i think maybe I started an industry?
I’m going back 15/20 years or so here…there were ‘others’ around at the time that I set up Japanese Knotweed Solutions but they didn’t exclusively deal with Japanese Knotweed. My competitors were mainly grounds maintenance companies who cut grass and did a bit of weed control…and said they ‘knew’ about Japanese Knotweed.
Now I’m not saying that I was the first person to recognise the problems associated with this most troublesome of invasive species – what I am saying is that I believe I was the first person to recognise the ‘commercial’ implications of dealing with the plant.
There was a ‘code of practice’ being produced by the Environment Agency and there were one or two rather odd looking, bearded, long haired oddballs who were the ‘go to’ experts (nb:…any of whom could have made a fortune if they had any commercial sense!).
But…NOBODY…was offering commercial solutions to the issues raised by the Code of Practice – nobody was taking on board the financial implications of having a plant that had so many problems to tackle.
This is where I recognised an opportunity – not that clever – but as I have repeatedly said to my critics…nothing was stopping others from doing the same thing.
Let’s be honest here, others have followed but basically they have all copied what we at Japanese Knotweed Solutions Ltd (ME) have done…you can call yourself whatever variation of the term Japanese Knotweed (insert name) that you like but really your just a pale imitation of the real thing…JAPANESE KNOTWEED SOLUTIONS LTD …the ORIGINAL Japanese Knotweed company.
…or just me, me, me…
Mike C (ME)
