Clan Alchemy

Exciting news folks! We are collaborating with two brilliant women who work on Leadership and Business Change Nadia Fyvie-Feldmann and Nicky Grant as they bring "The Next Chapter" and "Change it Up!" to the Highlands of Scotland. This is a little different to the usual residential leadership experience, and there will be a curated programme focusing on the need of entrepreneurs who are seeking fresh perspectives, renewed passion & focus, and the headspace to see the opportunities for growth that will fire up their organisation and set them up for - wait for it - establishing their legacy! We are most excited to be meeting folks 'where they are', and opening up their world for them in a safe, non-judgemental, and collaborative environment. Imagine...not just learning from the coaches and speakers, but from your peers on the event with you. Intrigued? Check out the landing page via the link in the post below - or get in touch for a chat through, your place awaits! #entrepreneurship #leadership #opportunity #ChangeItUp #TheNextChapter #collaboration #peerlearning #perspective

As the carers and guardians of four cats (I know right?) it was a real "pinch me" moment when Clan Alchemy was approached by David Wainwright and Madeline Shaw to work with their two teams at Pets at Home. Regular shoppers and fans of the brand, we were curious to learn more about the people. We love meeting new folks, and we were blown away by the dedication and commitment shown by everyone assembled for the roles that they perform for the company. This is doubly impressive as the business has recently reorganised, and renewed some very challenging goals. We took away that the commitment to working together, with common Values, Trust and positive intention at the heart of everything they do - was every bit a part of the 'team DNA' as it was the outcome of our session. We are looking forward to session 2! #team #culture #values #behaviours #trust #collaboration #quotes #metaphors #teambuilding #organisationchange

This was a brilliant event, and we met such a positive and inspiring community. We will definitely be there next year! #highlandbizwk #invernesschamber #highlands #business

After a busy week at the Inverness Chamber of Commerce Highland Business Week, it's time for some reflections and 'noticing's' from a jam-packed week. Monday was a day of media training with Nicky Marr and dp digital - not only a masterclass in composure and getting to the point, but a good reminder that your audience isn't always the person asking the questions - and local media can often bee the glowing embers of a later viral fire! Tuesday was Business Spotlight at the Drumossie Hotel, and the chance to meet with clients, make new contacts, and really get to know members of the business community here in Inverness and the Highlands. Neil squeezed in a seminar (masterclass really) by Chris Hawkes & Ed Lopez of Strut - unpacking "Building a strong Brand: Key principles for Highland Businesses" which has everyone buzzing afterwards - those folks really know their stuff. Ever wanted a supportive network of business peers, empowered to coach you rather than bark unsolicited advice? Then you would have loved Wednesday's "Learning about Action Learning Sets" with Nicky Marr (get in touch with Nicky as she is running this again in the new year) On Thursday Neil Sykes and Simon Allison busted some innovation myths and gave 8 local business folks the inside scoop on getting value from ideas, in "Innovation: it's easier than you think". The big finish for us was the Highland Business Awards at The Kingsmills Hotel, Inverness. The keynote speech by Alasdair Ferguson of Ferguson Transport & Shipping, about steering through adversity and the power of collaboration to deliver the Kishorn Port Ltd innovation was fascinating. The whole event was a high quality production by Story + Stage, and whilst the food was impeccable (thank you to the team at Kingsmills) - this was the chance to really celebrate extraordinary businesses across categories such as Innovation, Sustainability, and Community engagement. A huge congratulations to Helen Inkster and the whole team at Pentland Ferries for landing the Highland Business of the Year award. Our thoughts on the week? We feel beyond privileged to be part of a thriving business community, that doesn't just ensure everyone gets a share of the business pie - but ensures the pie is growing for everyone. We are already looking forward to next year. Dan Moore Darrel Paterson Laura Auld Andrew Martin Cert CII Ronald Mackay Lisa Mackintosh Kelly Fitzgerald Louise Munro Ally Burr Robbie Chisholm Karine MacRae Simpson Eilidh Alexander #innovation #highlandbizwk #invernesschamber #inverness #highlands #sustainability #opportunity

What a week and it isn't over yet! This week 23-27thSeptember is The Inverness Chamber of Commerce "Highland Business Week" and it has been day after day of new learnings, new opportunities, and new connections. A highlight for Neil Sykes and I, has been the "Business Spotlight" where we had over 30 new visitors to our stand, and we were pleased to check-in with clients, contacts, and friends too. We ran a small prize draw and ,we committed to sharing the draw outcome on social media. Aware of concerns about fixing (haha) we asked Kasia Adamska-Paterson of Ledingham Chalmers LLP to draw the winners for us! So, drum roll please... 1st prize of a team experience / leadership coaching goes to Catherine Sutherland of Highland Learning Academy... 2nd prize of the "Xoko Bakehouse" gift voucher (you have to go when you visit Inverness, it is wonderful) goes to Louise Munro of Yellow Cherry... and the coveted 3rd prize of the one-of-a-kind Clan Alchemy bear goes to Darrel Paterson of Highland News & Media Ltd. Congratulations to our worthy winners - we'll get your prizes to you ASAP. #highlands #business #winners #invernesschamber #highlandbizwk

We are excited for Highland Business week! It’s a chance for some CPD for ourselves, the opportunity to make new and renew connections, as well as celebrate our peers at the Highland Business Awards 🤩 see you there! #HighlandBizWk #InvernessChamber #business #connections #community

Not long now until The Inverness Chamber of Commerce Highland Business Week, and the Highland Spotlight event at The Drumossie Hotel Inverness. This will be our first Highland Business Week and we are more than a little bit excited. Not least because on Thursday 26th September, at the Chamber offices we will be holding this session "Innovation: it's easier than you think".. When we talk about innovating, we are really talking about is CHANGE. This change is important and value generating, and we believe it is going to be better than what we have already. As human beings we are all capable of making change happen (we have been doing it all our lives) and yet sometimes we can get stuck, and overwhelmed where it all seems too hard, or maybe we don't even now where to start, or who to get involved? Perhaps more importantly - what makes "Jammie Dodgers" a good example of innovation? (Thanks to "nibble my biscuit dot com" for the image) We will eat biscuits and explore - the myths around making change, or new things happen - why ideas get stuck, and how to unstick them - the mindsets that you need to be successful, and how to access them - and tricks of the trade that we have learned on the way, that anyone can apply and use in their organisation, and for any purpose. We will share what you need to have in place before you start; your "why" (the purpose), who in your organisation you will need support from, and how you can gain the resilience to keep going. This session will be part presentation, part Q&A, and we will even have you up on your feet and walking around (indoors, with tea & coffee - did we mention there will be biscuits?) We would love to have you join us, book your place (it's only £20, just to cover costs) by contacting neil@clan-alchemy.co.uk #innovation #change #makechangehappen #invernesschamber #HighlandBizWk #nibblemybiscuit

We are looking forward to catching up with some familiar faces and making connections with new ones at The Inverness Chamber of Commerce Highland Spotlight, on September 24th, at The Drumossie Hotel. We will be running a small prize draw - just enter using your business card! Make sure to come and see us on stand C2. Neil Sykes Simon Allison Nadia Fyvie-Feldmann #innovation #culturechange #mindset #leadership #inverness #business #network #InvernessChamber #HighlandBizWk

We are talking about innovation on Thursday 26th September, in a session called "Innovation, it's easier than you think". For us, this is a fun thing to do - a mix of sharing lived experience, some human understanding, and some clever tools and tricks. We know that the word INNOVATION can be a word that inspires, but also one that has people instantly say "nope, not for me", and you might be one of them. What do we mean when we use the word innovation? It can mean a new product, or market opportunity and depending on their imagination it can seem far out of reach, even impossible. If you check the dictionary it will say something like "to improve, or replace something" and "a new idea, method, or the introduction of something new". It is getting value from an idea that is new to us. When we talk about innovating, we are really talking about is CHANGE. This change is important and value generating, and we believe it is going to be better than what we have already. As human beings we are all capable of making change happen (we have been doing it all our lives) and yet sometimes we can get stuck, and overwhelmed where it all seems too hard, or maybe we don't even now where to start, or who to get involved? As part of The Inverness Chamber of Commerce Highland Business Week, we have designed an interactive morning session hosted at their offices in Inverness, to explore; - the myths around making change, or new things happen - why ideas get stuck, and how to unstick them - the mindsets that you need to be successful, and how to access them - and tricks of the trade that we have learned on the way, that anyone can apply and use in their organisation, and for any purpose. We will share what you need to have in place before you start; your "why" (the purpose), who in your organisation you will need support from, and how you can gain the resilience to keep going. This session will be part presentation, part Q&A, and we will even have you up on your feet and walking around (indoors, with tea & coffee) We would love to have you join us, book your place (it's only £20) by contacting neil@clan-alchemy.co.uk Nadia Fyvie-Feldmann Angela Stewart Nicky Marr Caitlin Maclean David Massey Ally Burr Matty W. Dan Moore Kirsty Buchanan Calum MacPherson Strut Pollyanna Chapman Impact Hub Inverness Abby Lucas Sandra McCaughey Kate Hooper Professor Donald MacLean Simon Allison Neil Sykes Mark Ridgers #innovation #change #mindset #organisation #business #highlandbusinessweek #highlands #scotland #purpose

We at Clan Alchemy are pleased to know these folks, and would wholeheartedly recommend attending this talk, as part of The Highland Business Week ‘Spotlight’ event being organised by Inverness Chamber of Commerce This is part of a week long programme of seminars, workshops, training, and exhibition events to profile, connect and celebrate business in the Highlands of Scotland, home of the Inverness & Cromarty Firth Green Freeport Follow the link in the post below for details and registration Neil Sykes Nadia Fyvie-Feldmann Clarrie Murdoch #brand #insights #highlands #business