Josephine Fairley

JLA Client Comments

Q&A

JLA: Do you see recession curbing entrepreneurialism?

JF: In some cases, but redundancy will also breed entrepreneurs because many won't be able to or won't want to find a way back into steady 9-5 employment. For them the first question should always be 'do I want and need this product or service?' If so, chances are there are lots of others out there who would agree.


JLA: Presumably there will be winners and losers amongst consumer brands?

JF: Yes. Green & Black's is the perfect example of a 'good times brand' which also works as an affordable indulgence. You may not be able to afford a Bentley or a Louis Vuitton handbag, but we all need small and frequent fillips. This is one reason why lipstick sales rise in recession; you don't buy the jacket, you buy the lipstick.


JLA: How would you characterise the trend?

JF: Consumers will look carefully and buy fewer, better items. Part of me thinks the downturn is part of a big 'Gaian' correction, with the planet doing its bit to reduce consumption and thereby pressure on resources. However I still worry about the 'looking after No.1' attitude. We don't just need a microscope to analyse current events, we need a telescope to keep an eye on the future.


JLA: What advice do you have for SMEs?

JF: SMEs are nimbler on their feet than multinationals, and better able to respond to market conditions in ways other than price-cutting - which is all the big guys are really able to do. It's all about spotting opportunities and acting swiftly, tuning into your instincts.


JLA: How do you deal with the sceptics and defeatists?

JF: I am a great believer in abundance thinking to defeat scepticism and defeatism. If we are paralysed by fear everything really WILL come to a standstill (fuelled by media enthusiasm) - and then there's a risk that total financial collapse becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.


JLA: Is discounting the answer in the short term?

JF: I don't think so. In a recession it's not all about price - it's also about value. It's not difficult to see that a £10 item of clothing worn a few times is far worse value than a £100 one worn 300 times. Similarly whilst people eat out less often, many will buy a better loaf and a nicer cut of meat to eat at home.


JLA: Is recession good or bad for the fight against climate change?

JF: We have to be flexible about our short-term goals, but not lose sight of the long view that demands a more responsible, sustainable way of doing business. There's a risk that we spend so much time focusing on the urgent that we don't deal with the important. We have a planet to save!

CHANGING THE WORLD, ONE SQUARE OF CHOCOLATE AT A TIME... - by Jo Fairley

If you don't do it, you'll always wonder what would have happened if you had. How a postcard she bought in Carnaby Street gave Jo the courage to invest that £20,000, twenty years later...

Why answering the phone yourself can put you on the fast-track to solving a crisis. Because 200 people who call up in the space of a week with concerns about Genetically Modified ingredients can't be wrong...

How sometimes, the (rain) gods move in mysterious ways. Late at night, colouring in an illustration of the Maya rain god for the packaging of Maya Gold, Craig used the time to focus on how the product could help the brand's fortunes flow.

When you're building your own brand, expect to lose sleep. Those 3am palpitation moments are normal - but there are ways to put them to good use.

Don't dumb down your story. Today's questioning customer is smarter than you think - wanting to know every detail of the story behind the product. Be ready with all the answers. P.T. Barnum once said 'nobody ever got rich overestimating the intelligence of the public'. Today, the opposite is true - and the brands that will succeed, in future, will reflect that.

And just don't run away with the idea you're ever going to retire. Because if you're the kind of person who's got the energy, enthusiasm and drive to create a brand like Green & Black's, you're never going to be the kind of person who's happy to sit with a gin & tonic and fade into the sunset.