Holding Company (Mixed)Principal Subsidiary: Scorpio Consumer Electronics LtdNew Venture Development, E-commerce, Consumer Tech Products (Wearables/Handhelds, Healthcare, Monitoring Devices, Smartwatches), Thermostats/Remote Heating Controls, TENS Units, Orthopaedic Supports, Handheld Vacuum Cleaners, B2B Outsourcing.Stealth startup in specialised niche verticals. Seeking Y-Combinator cultured accelerator in high-growth startup sector (pre-seed) without regional restrictions or boundaries.

Experienced and collaborative Operations Advisor for Countryside Stewardship (CS) mid-tier and higher-tier multi-annual schemes including Wildlife Options, Woodland, and funding for Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Working alongside technical input from Natural England, National Trust, RSPB, and Defra to deliver sustainable, customer/stakeholder focused agri-environmental policy.

Government civil service officer, working on Common Agricultural Policy subsidy schemes for agricultural businesses, together with their associated claim enquiries/disputes. Analysing complex data, GIS mapping and remote sensing (satellite imaging) of land. Using SITI Agri, IACS, Microsoft Dynamics CRM systems, Sharepoint, PowerPoint and complex spreadsheets/databases. Calculating correct entitlements for each scheme year, according to strict protocols. Dealing with correspondence and customer callbacks with producers and agricultural agents, often on contentious issues. Providing a high quality, professional and accountable service to all stakeholders.

Design-led startup micro venture selling classic, tailored New England inspired polo shirts in a range of colours, mineral washes and finishes. Based on the sleek, cool, subtly maritime polos worn by preppy icons like Robert Redford, John F. Kennedy, and Roger Moore these expertly tailored shirts don't just dress up or down your office-to-bar Friday look - they define that look. l learned much from this project, but was happy to move on. And I simply couldn't match my favourite M&S and Matalan polos!

Michael Livingstone: I am currently developing ideas, technical drawings and samples for a range of Manhattan and London style "metro chic"​ dresses with office to bar versatility in 3 minutes max. A range of co-ordinating jackets will also be offered to create a unified, sleek, bridging look that can be combined/worn solo and personalised.“Chic, independent and effortless metropolitan style. With a hint of drama"​A dynamic and passionate British brand, nine years in the making, Michael Livingstone is confident, alluring and effortlessly chic. Designed for the modern metropolitan woman, our luxury ready-to-wear dresses intelligently blend cutting-edge sophistication and new design aesthetics with classic transatlantic style. The results are alive with the passion and drama of the city. Modern, youthful, irresistible.Tuesday by Michael Livingstone: Chic contemporary capsule pieces with a youthful design-forward aesthetic. The perfect go-to wardrobe for the modern metropolitan woman, am or pm.'Tuesday by Michael Livingstone'​ is my diffusion line. Chic contemporary capsule pieces have a design-forward aesthetic which is fresh, youthful and highly adaptable. With an eclectic range of influences combined in highly wearable styles, you are sure to create your own look. And turn heads, from office to bar.This story is one of setback after setback, idea after idea and name-change after name-change. Its been burning in the background for years. Now, with help from some good people, I am pooling my resources to bring it to life. This is my last 'kitchen year'.

House cleaning, gardening, hedge cutting, shopping and decluttering mini enterprise. Provided a valuable service in the community.

Occasional side hustle providing on-demand office support, administration, mail handling, and copy typing to businesses in the local area. Developed a broad range of useful experience, trade secrets and valuable contacts. Developed a comprehensive business plan, including marketing strategy, and cash budget/forecast for Garden Life, a local eco-friendly horticultural business. Also wrote and devised marketing communications and leaflet drops within the local county and beyond. I am still enthusiastically and proudly on call for this little venture, to provide remote office support, business advice, desktop publishing, and administrative "right-hand man" duties whenever needed.

Part-time venture selling second hand English language tutor textbooks, dictionaries, and interactive language courses. Established market share and credible small business brand in a crowded enterprise space well served by other providers.

Business TransformationSales and Marketing LeadershipBrandingStart-up and Expansion FundingHigh Growth StrategyDuring this period I worked within a small start-up management consultancy for one year, specialising in sales/marketing strategy and new product development. I assisted in the development of talent networks from leading Korean research universities and worked on small enterprise applications for investment. These included funding requirements for the expansion of a new fashion label, IT equipment suppliers, and an executive recruitment consultancy expanding into China.I also personally devised a training programme in telephone lead generation and consultative selling called "Rainmakers"​. Realising that methods I learned in sales were essentially a mixture of different UK/US approaches and in-house styles, I thought I could combine the best of each for my own continuing development and to train other sales personnel. "Rainmakers"​ was therefore an amalgam of techniques from Hays Recruitment, GlaxoSmithKline, Neil Rackham's SPIN system and Gregory Communications which were combined in an approachable system to reduce client resistance, shorten sales cycles and improve telemarketing confidence.I firmly believe that professional personal selling skills follow a logical, salesman-led path/structure that is flexible, interactive and customer empowering. A valuable feature of "Rainmakers"​ is the use of 'gates' where individual customer responses/objections provide the opportunity for exploration of resistance and delay issues. All without seeming like a process, and reducing the instinctive unease felt by many customers when faced with agenda-focused questioning, especially within high-value sales.During the second year, I spent time travelling around South Korea and Japan, fulfilling a long-held personal ambition. I also learned basic spoken Japanese, which helped me to conduct fashion research on the streets of Tokyo, a much-hyped fashion capital.

In this position for RPA (an executive agency of Defra), I administered and monitored the legislation relating to beef production and the environmental impact of agriculture. I developed a database of farms, including holdings, livestock and subsidy applications. I also assessed appeals against fines using risk matrices, producing penalty letters and warnings. This position involved liaising with farm inspectors, producers and agricultural consultants in risk assessment and cases of non-compliance with statutory cattle passports and tagging regulations.I took a short sabbatical for six months after leaving the RPA, in order to spend time preparing for my Asian experience and to develop conversational and business Korean language skills.

Temporary Assignments for Hays Office Support in Carlisle and Penrith.My return home to Carlisle after the valuable lessons of Gregory Communications was a fertile period of taking stock, personal planning, graphic design and the following temp assignments. I loved every one of them.• Vodafone Retail – Mobile Phone Salesperson: Developed persuasive sales techniques and customer service skills.• Capita Group plc – TV Licensing Reminder Officer: Visited properties without licenses and issued reminders/warnings.• TNT Fireworks – Sales Representative: Responsible for sales and stock replenishment within Asda retail fireworks concession.• Cumbria County Council (Cumbria Contract Services) – Administrator for the county's contractors during the January 2005 floods in Carlisle.• Eden District Council – Human Resources Administrator: Liaised with job applicants, fielded CVs and administered Eden District Council's recruitment campaigns.• Cumbria County Council (Children's Services) – Database Administrator: Provided office support and confidential document administration/processing to social workers, visiting officers, and education welfare officers.

I launched this startup (originally Visions New Media, a web design venture) and those hungry, optimistic days made a big impression on me. Nottingham at that time was a fast growing 'hot' new centre for the creative industries, fuelled by the East Midlands Development Agency and various educational, government and private sector initiatives. Playing their part amongst others were First Enterprise, Axis Centre, Prince's Trust, and Shell LiveWIRE to make entrepreneurship and the creative industries in Nottingham turbulent, exciting and addictive. I thought I couldn't be in a better place.I had creative, managerial and business development positions within this regional advertising and marketing communications agency. I secured seedcorn funds from The Prince's Trust and a regeneration loan from the Phoenix Fund. In youthful naivety I believed the journey to entrepreneurial success would be complete within a year, two at the outside. After incorporation as Gregory Communications Ltd, this venture went into fifth gear. Initially priding myself on being a creative whizz, I realised very late in the day, that creativity without persuasive sales skills is a sure recipe for creative business failure. My responsibilities, priorities and skills were better met in a move from creative to new business development. From that pivotal moment came a passionate desire to be the most influential and persuasive dealmaker in the world. Here, I expanded and cross-sold with key clients to generate maximum revenue. I directly developed new business using active sales methods, networking, client interviews, telemarketing and direct mail. I also compiled a portfolio of valuable contacts.Core business areas developed included: leadership, telemarketing, personal selling skills, negotiation and crisis management.Financial naivety, not listening to well-meaning mentors/supporters and learning that "tech skills vs. sales skills" lesson too late in the day, resulted in the inevitable.

Provided administrative and database support to specialist recruitment consultants within Hays IT division at the Leeds regional office. Monitored and organised emailed job applications, edited CVs and maintained candidate/client databases. Whilst living in Leeds I also spent a short period of time working for Direct Line Insurance at their specialist call centre. This introduced me to target-driven and often pressurised contact centre work. This involved expert telephone skills and customer-focused query handling for both consumer (personal) loans and credit cards.

During this period, I undertook an exhaustive solo tour of the United States by rail. My coast-to-coast trip from New York to Los Angeles "​in the spirit of the Beat Generation"​ but without their drop-out mentality, was more of a wide-eyed mini-exploration of capitalism and the American Dream. I visited all those great American cities on the way (fell in love with San Francisco, naturally) and travelled up the West Coast to Seattle and all the way down to Tijuana, Mexico.I deliberately sought out situations that would be memorable and unusual for me, such as speaking briefly on a TV show outside the White House, visiting President Kennedy's grave, and talking my way into Madonna's office in Beverly Hills by pretending I was a journalist and "might've had an appointment with her". An unexpected and welcome upgrade to Virgin Atlantic's Upper Class at LAX for my return Los Angeles to London flight was the icing on the cake.I later completed a short temporary assignment for the former Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (now Defra) as a Systems Administration Officer in Carlisle Regional Office.

In this position for the franchise partner Carlisle College, I planned and delivered The Prince's Trust Team Programme in the Penrith and Eden area. This is a national training programme for young people (aged 16-25) developing leadership skills communication, teamwork and problem solving within disadvantaged urban or rural communities. I also worked with training providers, youth services and support networks to provide work placements, community projects and personal support, often with challenging participants.The Prince’s Trust Satellite Training Base attracted major investment from local industry and government. Community projects included the building of an adventure playground at a local Catholic primary school and the refurbishment of a crumbling cricket pavilion in a small market town.I delivered and assessed NVQ Level 1-3, Key Skills and City and Guilds Vocational Award schemes for Prince’s Trust Team participants and (former) Modern Apprenticeships. I also completed the OCR Team Leader's Award and provided skills/career guidance.

At Marks and Spencer Carlisle store, I assisted with the implementation of a resourceful project that incentivised customers to buy premium goods in city-centre retailers. Its aim was to increase customer spending through targeted marketing and promotion, fashion shows and a branded loyalty card.I was also diplomatically 'coerced' into carrying out an unusual project involving the promotion and sales of ladies lingerie during Christmas 1995. Noting that male customers frequently bought lingerie 'blind' for their wives/girlfriends every year, generating excessive returns and exchanges, an innovative solution was developed. Largely behind my back, but definitely with me in mind. I acted as Marks and Spencer's first male 'lingerie advisor’, stationed on womenswear, and advising men on their best choices for lingerie gifts. This project generated a 20% increase in lingerie sales, and lots of regional/national media interviews, including posed photographs in local newspapers and the M&S staff magazine. Much to my embarrassment, but it was worth it. The M&S gift vouchers I was given were much appreciated, but the best was yet to come.I was rewarded with a secondment to The Prince’s Trust Team Programme at Carlisle College (July 1996 - February 1997). This period also included a development project in Odisha, Northern India, working at New Hope Rural Leprosy Trust under renowned leprosy rehabilitation pioneer Eliazar Rose, who had recently been featured in Time Magazine. Here we lived with, worked with and befriended longterm leprosy (Hansen's Disease) patients and helped with the rehabilitation of children disabled by polio, in one of India's most beautiful but poorest regions. I returned to the M&S Carlisle store as a nicely suntanned, but irreversibly changed young man.