Defining success

Someone asked me the other day to define "success". Other people in the room talked of fast cars and holidays, one guy even mentioned "exceeding your KPI's". God bless him.

Having worked in a variety of businesses, large and small, public and private, I reckon there's a simple way to define success.

Success is improving things. What will you improve today?

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Men's magazines and the product life cycle

I'll never forget trying to explain the men's market to a grizzled old journo around the time that FHM first overtook Cosmopolitan.

Like most men of a certain age, he couldn't really get his head round the fact that the world was changing. It wasn't just that publishers had worked out a new formula. (and lest we forget the first issues of FHM and Loaded had men on the cover).

The reason that men's mags took off when they did was more simple.


In 1993 in the UK and pretty much all of the Western world there were more single men than ever before. Men who were more likely than ever to be living with their mum and dad, rather than buying a two up, two down with the girl next door. The days of women's lib had opened the doors for women to go off to college, start careers, all those things we rightly now take for granted. And with more time on their hands and more money in their pockest than ever before, the lad was born.

Fast forward to 2008. The trailblazers are still on the newsagents shelf, just, although they've been overtaken by the new weeklies. Faster, cheaper, better? The industry soldiers on, like it did with Smash Hits, Patches, Blue Jean and The Face.

But the lads have moved on. And they're not coming back...

Men's magazines and the product life cycle

I'll never forget trying to explain the men's market to a grizzled old journo around the time that FHM first overtook Cosmopolitan.

Like most men of a certain age, he couldn't really get his head round the fact that the world was changing. It wasn't just that publishers had worked out a new formula. (and lest we forget the first issues of FHM and Loaded had men on the cover).

The reason that men's mags took off when they did was more simple.


In 1993 in the UK and pretty much all of the Western world there were more single men than ever before. Men who were more likely than ever to be living with their mum and dad, rather than buying a two up, two down with the girl next door. The days of women's lib had opened the doors for women to go off to college, start careers, all those things we rightly now take for granted. And with more time on their hands and more money in their pockest than ever before, the lad was born.

Fast forward to 2008. The trailblazers are still on the newsagents shelf, just, although they've been overtaken by the new weeklies. Faster, cheaper, better? The industry soldiers on, like it did with Smash Hits, Patches, Blue Jean and The Face.

But the lads have moved on. And they're not coming back...

Men's magazines and the product life cycle

I'll never forget trying to explain the men's market to a grizzled old journo around the time that FHM first overtook Cosmopolitan.

Like most men of a certain age, he couldn't really get his head round the fact that the world was changing. It wasn't just that publishers had worked out a new formula. (and lest we forget the first issues of FHM and Loaded had men on the cover).

The reason that men's mags took off when they did was more simple.


In 1993 in the UK and pretty much all of the Western world there were more single men than ever before. Men who were more likely than ever to be living with their mum and dad, rather than buying a two up, two down with the girl next door. The days of women's lib had opened the doors for women to go off to college, start careers, all those things we rightly now take for granted. And with more time on their hands and more money in their pockest than ever before, the lad was born.

Fast forward to 2008. The trailblazers are still on the newsagents shelf, just, although they've been overtaken by the new weeklies. Faster, cheaper, better? The industry soldiers on, like it did with Smash Hits, Patches, Blue Jean and The Face.

But the lads have moved on. And they're not coming back...

what does success look like?

I was asked yesterday to define success. Others talk of achievements or goals. Some describe material prizes. Like most things in life, I prefer to keep it simple.

Success, in business and in life is improving things. Always striving to do something better is as good a mission statement as you'll ever need. And as the world's greatest broadcaster might say, constant improvement truly is the gift that keeps on giving.

what does success look like?

I was asked yesterday to define success. Others talk of achievements or goals. Some describe material prizes. Like most things in life, I prefer to keep it simple.

Success, in business and in life is improving things. Always striving to do something better is as good a mission statement as you'll ever need. And as the world's greatest broadcaster might say, constant improvement truly is the gift that keeps on giving.

what does success look like?

I was asked yesterday to define success. Others talk of achievements or goals. Some describe material prizes. Like most things in life, I prefer to keep it simple.

Success, in business and in life is improving things. Always striving to do something better is as good a mission statement as you'll ever need. And as the world's greatest broadcaster might say, constant improvement truly is the gift that keeps on giving.