Networking BNI style July 3, 2008
Posted by admin in : website business , add a commentIf you have been paying attention, you’ll know that I’ve been busily trotting around Norfolk for the last couple of months taking every networking opportunity that has come along. Through this, I’ve met several people in BNI chapters and have attended a couple as a visitor. BNI is a large highly structured networking organisation, with chapters in every town and city all over the UK and worldwide. Each chapter has no more than one member from any one profession or trade. They meet weekly usually for breakfast and the meeting appears to have two main functions: to ensure all members know exactly what each other is offering and the type of work they are looking for, and to give each other referrals that they have gathered in the previous week.
This is a great way of generating business, particularly if you are working in a relatively straightforward and well understood line of work such as a solicitor, plumber of florist. It’s a bit tricker for yours2share because we’re pretty unusual, well unique; and it is unlikely that I could generate a reasonable number of referrals, but I’m still considering joining. I’ll probably attend as a visitor again
I was invited to the castle chapter in Norwich by Kate Mamo who runs invisage event management and to the Colman chapter by Paul Bullinger of First Finance who provide businesses with ways of financing the purchase of assets, and am grateful to both for their kindness and help. At the Colman chapter I also met Daniel Arpels of pondlife web design and his enthusiastic response to yours2share kept me going through an otherwise gruelling day yesterday.
What makes a great fractional ownership website June 16, 2008
Posted by admin in : fractional ownership, property , add a commentThere are fractional shares available in some tremendous properties on yours2share, from mansions to studio flats, but every now and then someone posts an ad which really interests me and I have to find out a bit more. Occasionally what I find really impresses me. A recent example was the Lodge and Cottages at Pinecove, on
First of all, they have a great website. I’m not too keen on websites that are gushing sales pitches, with sparse information and irrelevant pictures. I know I’m not actually buying a share, but I know this would be the same if I was.
If a fractional ownership website doesn’t explain what the share costs and how the time is split between owners, what the running costs will be, and how the properties will be managed, I’m always left feeling that they are nervous about these essential details, and want to get their sales pitch in first.
Secondly Pinecove’s owners look like they have worked hard to create high quality residences in a beautiful location whilst taking the environment properly into account. I haven’t seen the cottages, but from all the information, I get a warm happy feeling.
Finally any property website that includes detailed instructions for the pilot landing a float plane in the local lake deserves a mention.
And no, they aren’t paying me to write this!
Netwalking in Norfolk June 11, 2008
Posted by admin in : boat share, car club, fractional ownership, fractional rent, property, sharing, website business , add a commentSince I arrived in
It was a lovely hour’s stroll through the reedbeds, on a beautiful evening. I didn’t see any of the rare swallowtail butterflies, I was probably too busy chattering. There were about forty netwalkers in all, covering the usual wide range of skills, from gardening to IT. I think I may have found someone to help me with some IT issues I need to resolve before a major upgrade to yours2share.
As usual, when I explained what yours2share is, there was a pleasingly positive response. The debate ranged from sharing second homes, Monday to Friday lettings, sharing swimming pools, and car sharing to a conversation about sharing major items of business equipment, a category that I intend to develop in the future. Several people I had met before told me about conversations they had had with friends and colleagues about the possibilities that yours2share created.
A short drive took 25 of us back to the Greyhound pub in Hickling for a meal. We had all ordered our food before the walk, but they did well to serve us all simultaneously. This is a charming pub, with an unusually well stocked and pretty cottage garden at the back. I shall be going back.
The next walk on the second Tuesday of July: I’ll be there.
The car club for boats June 5, 2008
Posted by admin in : boat share, car club, fractional ownership , 1 comment so farMartin Gray of Pure Latitude phoned me yesterday to ask about advertising with yours2share. We’d met some time ago at an exhibition and he receives yours2share’s newsletter.
What I hadn’t realised is that Pure Latitude is rather like a car club or destination club, but for boats. They have a range of boats, mainly sailing yachts, but there is also a rib and motor yacht. Members buy so many points with which they can “buy” use of any of the boats on a daily basis.
So far Pure Latitude has six boats: Beneteau First 27.7, Bavaria 31, Dufour 34, X Yachts 37, Rib 6.5 and a Swordsman 30. Pure Latitude manages and maintains them so their members just turn up and sail.
Currently all their boats are on the Hamble, but Martin tells me that he wants to increase the Hamble fleet by a few more boats and then expand to other locations, including overseas. This means members will not only be able to sail a range of boats, but in a variety of locations.
Given the growing popularity of car clubs and destination clubs, it seems strange to me that there aren’t several major players offering the same product to the boat market. But I can’t think of one. I’ve even just hunted through Google. Most fractional sailing companies offer to build and manage syndicates who own one boat. Sometimes one person owns the boat and the other members agree to hire the boat over a long period.
Effectively Pure Latitude is offering members the opportunity to own a share in lots of boats. If there really aren’t any other players in this field, I have a feeling Martin won’t be on his own for long. I think it’s a great idea.
Second homes: not always for holidays May 30, 2008
Posted by admin in : boat share, fractional ownership, fractional rent, sharing, template contract , add a commentSecond home are usually synonymous with holiday homes, but people increasingly need residential bases in more than one location for other reasons:
- working on contract
- working from home but visiting the office for a couple of days a week
- visiting children who live with the other parent
- and visiting older relatives.
yours2share was created to help private individuals get together to share all kinds of things. People needed a way of finding each other, help with the contracts, and above all, awareness of the possibilities.
People are starting to realise that there are options beyond full ownership, permanent lodgings, hotels and sleeping on (increasingly irritated) friend’s sofas.
This is exemplified by two recent yours2share ads. The first was from Yorkshire-based member who spends two or three nights a week in London. They seek a partner with whom to buy a London apartment. This is ideal for someone who spends a few nights a month in the capital or wants a City base for weekends. Here’s the complete ad.
A second ad was from a keen sailor, who is working two or three days a week in Southampton and wondering if he could rent a 40+ foot yacht for these nights and get some occasional evening sailing too. Given the vast numbers of boats lying idle in this area during the week, this is a great way of creating some income and having someone keep an eye on your boat. Here’s the complete ad.
How to rent out all that stuff you’ve accumulated May 25, 2008
Posted by admin in : fractional rent, sharing , add a commentThere are a few new rental websites that I’ve been watching to see how they progress. They all enable people (private individuals and companies) to advertise items to hire. This is close to my heart: anything that encourages people to share all the stuff we accumulate sounds good to me.
The websites originate in various countries: Rentoid is Australian, irent2u and Zilok are American, and Hirethings is from
They have come to a similar logical conclusion as me: it would make a lot more sense if we shared stuff, particularly if we only use it occasionally. All four sites are pretty similar so it will be interesting to see which one or two come out on top. I really hope that one or more become the “ebay” for rentals. Ebay has made a significant difference to the way we own things: it is often easier to justify buying items if you know you can sell them a few months later for a high percentage of the purchase price. A major rental website could have equally major impact on how we own and use all kinds of things.
All four websites enable private individuals to post up items for rental on a one-off basis. This is where they differ from yours2share. yours2share enables people to find like-minded partners who will rent more expensive items on a fractional basis. yours2share is not designed for one-off rentals.
So, for example, if someone owns a high quality camera, costing (say) £1000, they could rent this on a one-off (probably daily) basis through one of the websites above. Or they could look for someone who wants to use the camera on a regular basis using yours2share. For example they could rent the camera to one person for (say) 50 days a year, with the dates agreed between the two people on a first come basis. Or of course, the owner could look for both fractional and one-off lettings.
If the fractional route is taken, the rental might also include other photographic items, such as lenses, filters and tripods. The owner would get to know the renter before the first rental period, and also over time, enabling a greater degree of trust with the equipment.
Networking Norfolk style May 17, 2008
Posted by admin in : fractional ownership, fractional rent, website business , add a commentFor the last couple of weeks, I’ve been busily seeking out networking opportunities in
Simply meeting people and telling them about yours2share has lead to several interesting opportunities. It often gives me new ideas and helps me to develop new functionality and categories.
Given that we moved to Norfolk only a couple of months ago, I’m also pleased simply to meet people, either as acquaintances or as people who can help me to develop and promote yours2share. I’m currently looking for a PR consultant and am always interested in people with strong perl/html skills.
The Women on Top meeting was interesting. As happens so often, when I first explain what I do, people can’t see how they can benefit. Then within a few minutes I found several examples of sharing arrangements both current and contemplated. I met someone who shares a piano on a fractional rental basis. They advertised locally some years ago for someone with a grand piano that they could use once or twice a week. Another woman is considering finding people to invest in a new swimming pool in the grounds of her house: investors will have the right to use the pool for half a day a week for the next five years. Someone else wants to share a horse. Everyone was pleased to find a way of advertising for partners on a wider scale and a source of guidance.
Chris Evans and the power of the radio May 11, 2008
Posted by admin in : fractional ownership , add a commentA couple of weeks ago yours2share had a wonderful mention on the Chris Evan’s Radio 2 show, probably made better by the fact that his researchers couldn’t contact me to ask me for a phone interview. I couldn’t have written it better myself: they had a piece about fractional ownership and interviewed Piers Brown of Fractional Life, the researcher asked Piers about yours2share as another website which allows people to advertise for like-minded sharing partners. Piers kindly plugged yours2share, spelt out the url, and added that it is a super website. Thanks Piers.
At first I was devastated that the call had come on probably the only day this year when I was totally out of contact for the day! I’ve been a fan of Chris Evans for years, ever since his breakfast show on Virgin that had me regularly swerving around the motorway because I was laughing so much. But on reflection, and inspection of yours2share’s traffic stats which went through the roof, I’m pretty pleased, particularly as I could have spent days trying achieve coverage like this and would probably have failed.
So I came out of an all day seminar to find my mobile phone had gone into meltdown due to the calls and texts from friends informing me of yours2share’s moment of stardom. The traffic figures have shown me just how powerful a mention on the radio can be.
Google’s calendar - helping you to manage your fractional ownership April 25, 2008
Posted by admin in : boat share, car club, fractional ownership, fractional rent, sharing , add a commentI’ve been asked several times if yours2share recommends any on-line calendars which people can use to book times for a property, boat, aircraft or anything else they are sharing, either through fractional ownership or fractional rental.
This allows everyone to see at a glance who is using the property etc at any time. If the sharing arrangement allows people to use the asset on a first come basis, when no-one else has booked it, it also enables people to see when it is free.
Some syndicates allow everyone to alter their calendar; many restrict the access to just one “gatekeeper” who manages the calendar. Generally speaking the greater the number of people in the syndicate, the more likely you are to need someone to manage this for you. You can also pay a third party to manage it on your behalf. This could be one of the roles for a management company, if you use one.
Some months ago I found e-allocator.com which is designed for people who share a boat or aircraft etc. This appears to offer a decent service, which is also hosted by e-allocator, for about £5.75/month + VAT.
However I’ve discovered a free alternative. I spent some time last week playing with Google’s web calendar and it’s pretty good. You only need to sign-up for a Google account, which is free, and it is one of the many Google options. Simply go to Google and click sign-in.
Three Yorkshiremen share a Fairline Targa 40 in Mallorca April 17, 2008
Posted by admin in : boat share, fractional ownership, sharing , add a commentThere is a great new case study on the website about three Yorkshiremen who met through yours2share and after about five months bought a Fairline Targa 40 together to be moored in Mallorca.
I’d spoken to Tom Harrison on the phone several times before he called me a couple of weeks ago to tell me that the deal had been completed. Unlike every other yours2share member, Tom isn’t on-line. He saw the ad for yours2share in Motorboat and Yachting magazine and called me. I agreed to manage his on-line membership for him, so over the next few months I called him many times to tell him about the replies to his ad.
Over the last three weeks I’ve spoken to all three members of the new syndicate: Tom, Ian and Geoff and it has been wonderful for me to have another example of my vision for yours2share unfolding.
