This has been such an amazing process.  I have enjoyed every minute of it.  And I have come so far.  I now have a far clearer idea of what I want to achieve in my professional life and how I can do this, not to mention lots of progress made.  I also have a much braver outlook which has come from so much encouragement from Jo.  I have also met some other amazing people - including the other mentees, and other completely random people, who have given me their time and advice for nothing but a nice cup of coffee and a biscuit.  I feel very lucky.  

Jo has been a fantastic source of encouragement and very very good advice.  I couldn’t have wished for a better mentor.  She has also taught me to just go for things – not to be put off by a difficult conversation or someone saying no!  Her best piece of advice to me was that passion is the best form of persuasion.  She has been fantastic.  I have also learnt to look at the bigger picture far more, not focus on those small projects that can envelop you when there is a much bigger project that I could be part of.  

I feel very lucky to have been chosen to be part of the process and in the future I would love to help someone else to achieve their objectives in the way Jo has helped me.

Big thank you to Jo and also to Jackie, who had this great idea in the first place, and who is always the one behind the scenes making things happen rather than taking the glory at the front!  Many many thanks Jackie.

Can't wait for thursday - I do not expect to win at all from what I have seen of the other girls amazing  work - but I feel like a winner anyway - cheesy but true!  I have been extremely lucky to do this and will reap the rewards for a long time.

Good luck everyone else!  And see you all glammed up for thursday night!

Georgexx

I am really enjoying this process now.  Its has actually been far less of a process and more of an evolution but it has been a great journey!  My formal time with Jo may be drawing to a close but I know I can still call her anytime I need some excellent advice.  

I think it would be fair to say that my objectives have changed.  I did think this was a failure at first , but of course it isn't, as long as you have clear goals and know where you are heading.  So many people have none to start with, its very sad really.  

I am still talking to that small boutique hotel and I am also talking to a local hotel group.  Still not heard back from trip advisor though - if they were based in the UK I would march into their HQ and wait until someone effective could see me, but as they are based in the US, I will have to wait until my next trip!  However, my strategy now is slightly wider so this is not going to hold me back!

I am now planning a website for pumpkin principle but it will offer so much more than I started off thinking it would (more on that in the interview!).  And I now have a launch date in mind.  Things are becoming much clearer and much more within my grasp.  

Jo has opened my eyes to how possible everything is, with a bit of grit and a large dollop of enthusiasm and lots of hard work.  It was never the latter two I was lacking, but certainly I was a little too low on grit.  So having restocked on that and am now very excited about where I will be in a years time.

Huge thanks to Freshideas and Jackie for this competition.  It has been a real roller coaster - i know that sounds cheesy beyond belief, but it has been.  I have found out a lot about myself and where my strengths and weaknesses are.  And also thank you for the opportunities to meet so many great people (always in great surrounds too!).  And of course big thanks to Jo, who has advised, questioned, cajoled and encouraged, all in the right amounts! A very impressive lady.

Georgexx 

Met some interesting people over the last couple of weeks. Luckily everyone
I have met so far thinks the consumer focus is likely to be the most
successful approach. I am waiting to pitch the idea to two very different
customer facing companies. Just waiting for the dates back from them. Also
I am lining up to discuss the auditing with a small but exclusive hotel
chain. Exciting!

Lots of change since my last blog. After lots of advice and brainstorming with some people who know a lot about the hotel industry, I am now taking a more consumer focused approach. I am currently developing a scoring system for visitors to use when they stay in hotels so they can start rating how sustainable they are. If popular this could really help to incentivise the hotels to become more sustainable. Very exciting. I am also going to approach some travel review sites to work with them to put my rating system on their sites. It will be super easy to use, but interesting too, perfect for when you are lazing around the pool or pondering over the buffet!
I am also planning to develop an animated version on my site which should be really good fun to fill in! And there will be some trials very soon!
Bye for now
George

I had a wobble last week.  I had too many options as a good friend put it.  I was offered another job which I could cycle to (instead of a one and a half hour journey of two trains, a 20 minute walk and a bus) and which was all shiny and new.  I could also potentially ask to just do four days a week and really start to dedicate more time to my "project" which I must stop calling it.  In reality it cannot be more than a project whilst I am still working, but maybe that is okay for now.  I think it might be actually.  The wobble was about whether I could achieve anything outside of work, and outside of having a life, oh and organising my wedding, and playing netball and singing.  It was about whether I had the bottle to go it alone when it comes to it.  

I am over my wobble now.  I can still achieve things, of course I can, I just have to be disciplined but actually I also have to give myself a break sometimes.  Whether I have the bottle, to be honest I am not sure if I will push myself too soon to make the step, but I know I will at some point.  I thought I had to make the jump now, but actually I don't.  I just need to work as if it is the only thing I am doing.  And enjoy it.  What I am trying to do is fantastic, and could change people's lives, so I have to just stop snivelling in a corner, worrying that someone could do it better than me, and get it in front of some people.

I am going to see Lonely Planet in 5 days time - hurrah what a lovely opportunity!

Over and out I have work to do! 

Well, at the moment I am putting together my presentation to pilot with some friendly-ish but still very smart investor types.  So once they have torn me and it to pieces I reckon I will be in good shape to take to some potential funders! Its pretty rubbish as it stands, but with a lot of hard work I should be there.

There is still so much I don't understand about some of the concepts I am working on, but hey that's the challenge, if it was going to be easy someone else would have done it already!  Jo has been fantastic, and just continues to encourage me, despite some dubious information thrown her way by me, she still manages to help me pick my way through issues!

Hurrah for mentors I say, especially those who just know how they can help different people intuitively!

Also just to pile a bit more on my plate I decided to get engaged over Christmas!  By as we know, its all about priorities!

bye for now

George

Happy New Year from Jamaica!

So all in the name of hard work I am currently writing to you from the hilltops of Jamaica!  It's true what they say about the most valuable research being in person.  The opportunity to chat to hotel staff in Jamaica and hotel managers is proving invaluable.  Thank goodness I work for an airline and get a discount!  

Over and out with pina colada and trusty mac in hand!

Georgina