Blog
Running a School: What I learned about business from travelling the world, Part 3: M1, M18, A1
I ran out of money and had to curtail my trip to New York and the wider U.S. I had imagined following in the steps of my sister and going down to Mexico, then possibly into Guatemala, Honduras and further on. I didn’t make it. I still haven’t made it. Back in England,...
Running a School: What I learned about business from travelling the world, Part 2: New York, Carpe Diem
Sometimes opportunities just present themselves; sometimes we have to go and make them. Back in New York in July 1989, I had made an opportunity for myself simply by opening the Yellow Pages. However, not everything was as rosy as the impression I gave. During the...
Running a School: What I learned about business from travelling the world, Part 1: New York
In the summer of 1989, I travelled to the U.S. with BUNAC, a work and travel exchange programme that provided a working holiday, J-1 visa. There were lots of opportunities to go and work with kids on summer camps, but I didn’t fancy this. I rather fancied living and...
Running a School: How to be Idle, Part 2
The second in an occasional, irreverent series looking at the lesser-reported charms of school ownership. After struggling out of bed just before noon, you probably have a coffee. This is a good idea. Don’t even think about all those systems and history that have gone...
Running a School: How to be Idle
The first in an occasional, irreverent series looking at the lesser-reported charms of school ownership. There are lots of how-to guides, online gurus, coaches and people who claim to have a method for something. There are lots of people doing their own thing. Many of...
What I Learned About Business from Being in a Band, Part 6
We sat excitedly at a table in the Dog and Parrot on Clayton Street in Newcastle upon Tyne, a pub and live venue we’d debuted at some 10 months previously. We were waiting for the A and R man from London Records. This had come about as my guerrilla marketing skills...
Happy New Year
We hope 2020 will turn out to be a fantastic Year of the Rat for everybody; that you will all be scooting about hither and thither in prosperous endeavours. Here at Moran Towers, we’re feeling effects of lounging around doing pretty little for two weeks. From next...
Merry Christmas
Dear All, Many thanks for reading the Moran Actually blog in 2019. Writing it has reminded me of why I do certain things and helped me focus on others for the future. Wherever you are and whatever you do, I hope some of what we’ve written has been of some use. We...
What I Learned About Business from Being in a Band, Part 5
We developed proficiency individually by practising on our own. We developed proficiency as a unit by practising together. The creative aspect was enhanced by regular song writing sessions by me and the guitarist. As we were getting older, these were often fuelled by...
What I Learned About Business from Being in a Band, Part 4
By 1983, we’d been through several personnel changes and had firmed up as a three-piece. In two years of hanging around, occasionally rehearsing, all the while dreaming, we had dispensed with two bass players, one vocalist and a keyboard player. The original drummer...