Tag Archives: community

TLA Book Club: Andreas Antonopolous – Mastering Bitcoin

The latest in our series of summaries from the TLA Book Club is in. Thank you to TLA developer and Dot Net Liverpool founder Joshua Duxbury, who has shared his thoughts on Mastering Bitcoin.

Our growing collection in the TLA Book Club has been introduced as part of our ongoing commitment to support and encourage self-improvement throughout the business. Find out Joshua’s take on ‘Mastering Bitcoin’ below.

1.What have you been reading?

Just finished Mastering Bitcoin by Andreas Antonopoulos

2.What was the book about?

An in depth look at how bitcoin works internally and how everything from encryption to consensus rules work on a decentralized network.

3. What were the key takeaways/learnings?

Understanding what elliptic curve cryptography is. How bitcoin auto manages and configures the difficulty of blocks being mined

And why the blockchain is so secure and the potential risks of attacks on the network.

4. Who would enjoy reading it?

Anyone with an interest in decentralised networks and overcoming issues. IT users who want to start mining bitcoins and want to understand where to begin. Intermediates who want that next level understanding of how the blockchain fundamentally works

And programmers who want to create DAPPS and smart contracts on an immutable network.

What have you read lately? Let us know what has inspired you and we’ll add it to the TLA library.

TLA Book Club: Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future

Welcome back to The Lead Agency’s Book Club! As part of our series of five-minute book reviews, head of data insights Antony Neill looks at Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future.

Our growing collection of titles on business, leadership, tech, marketing and more has been introduced to help people learn and grow both in and outside of their roles as part of our ongoing commitment to support and encourage self-improvement throughout the business.

1. What was the book about?

It is a biography of technology entrepreneur Elon Musk, covering his childhood in South Africa all the way to up to his current standing as owner of three of the world’s most forward-facing, innovative companies – Tesla Motors, SpaceX and SolarCity. It delves, in some detail, into the various legal and political battles that Musk has had in driving his ventures to become what they are today, including his fight for control of PayPal (of which he was also a founder) and a number of scrapes with bankruptcy at both Tesla and SpaceX.

The book paints Musk as a ruthless visionary that will do anything it takes to deliver what he thinks is important – in this case, the sustainability of the human race, delivered through clean energy and space exploration. His ultimate goal is for humans to colonise Mars, which he recognises may come after his time on the planet, yet is committed to doing everything he can to make it happen anyway.

2. What were the key takeaways/learnings?

The way that Musk runs his businesses is both inspiring and a little terrifying. Both Tesla and SpaceX entered their respective industries as very small fish in very big ponds; Tesla faced competition from established automotive brands with global presence, while SpaceX sought to compete directly with Lockheed Martin, Boeing and even NASA itself. Despite the odds being stacked against them, Musk insisted that each company should do 90% of their manufacturing in the USA and drive cost efficiencies from home. As a result of a constant drive to do things faster and cheaper, using an MVP approach on a very large scale, Tesla was able to produce revolutionary battery technology at volume, and SpaceX was able to manufacture a space-faring rocket for the ISS at 10% of the cost of its competitors! The main learning here is: conventional wisdom is not always correct, and pushing in the right areas can deliver amazing results. Cost and quality don’t have to be trade-offs.

3. Who would enjoy reading it?

Anybody with an active interest in technology, the technology business, silicon valley politics or the future of the human race!

What have you read lately? Let us know what has inspired you and we’ll add it to the TLA library.

TLA Book Club: How Non-Conformists Change The World by Adam Grant

Welcome back to The Lead Agency’s Book Club! As part of our series of five-minute book reviews, our head of data insights Antony Neill looks at one of the most original books on from the TLA library.

Our growing collection of titles on business, leadership, tech, marketing and more has been introduced to help people learn and grow both in and outside of their roles.

1. What did you read?

Originals: How Non-Conformists Change the World by Adam Grant.

2. In less than 100 words, what was the book about?

The book delves deep into the concept of “original thinking” – what it is, what is isn’t, why some are better at it than others and how we can all start thinking more originally. Every chapter covers a different perspective on original thinking, including when it is best to disagree (and when it is not), why strategic procrastination often creates more and better ideas and how to nurture creativity within children. In all, a fascinating read that genuinely made me think how I should change the way I approached both work and home life.

3. What were the key takeaways for you?

That “being creative” is only half the battle if you want to change things; the other half is actual implementation of those ideas, which is difficult in the face of organisations and people that naturally oppose change. For that reason, innovators should arm themselves with the strategies in the book to effectively make their voices heard.

4. Who in the business do you think would enjoy reading it?

Anybody who has great ideas but isn’t sure how best to present or communicate them.

What have you read lately? Let us know what books have inspired you.

Media industry cycle from London to Brighton aims to raise £25,000 for NABS

Would you like to be part of a 63-mile cycle from London to Brighton in aid of media and advertising charity NABS?

On Friday 7 June, 100 representatives from the UK’s biggest media agencies and publishers will line up side-by-side to support and promote good mental health and wellbeing within our industry.

Sea Change for Mental Health is a shared mission, led by TLA, to raise more than £25,000 for NABS in 2019 through fundraising activity. Mental health affects 1 in 4 people, so we wanted to create an event whereby people can have a positive impact on the people they work closely to.

The London to Brighton cycle, which will be led by a professional support team, is open to teams and individuals of all fitness and ability levels. TLA will fund all riders taking part, so that 100% of the proceeds from their entry fees go directly to NABS.

Upon arrival in Brighton, there will also be medals for everyone and an exclusive after-party with music, food and a free-bar!

We’ve already received team sign-ups from Mail Metro, PHD, Haymarket, NABS and, of course, TLA. If you’d like to join us in making this a special event, head over to the charity microsite today and register your interest.

 

TLA Book Club: Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins

Welcome to The Lead Agency’s Book Club, a newly-introduced office library, that is part of our ongoing commitment to support and encourage self-improvement throughout the business.

Our growing collection of titles on business, leadership, tech, marketing and more has been introduced to help people learn and grow both in and outside of their roles.

So, what’s currently sitting on the bookshelf? Find out with our regular 5-minute summaries from the team – starting with our head of studio Neil Cosgrove…

1. Hi Neil. What have you been reading? 

Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins.

2. What was the book about?

Goggins should have been a statistic, the odds stacked against him to amount to anything in his life. Come from a rough childhood, to growing to 300 pounds in the Air Force, then loosing 110 pounds in 3 months to become a decorated Navy Seal, ultra-distance endurance athlete and world 24h pull up bar record holder (4,030).

3. What were the key takeaways for you?

  • Master your mind.
  • Most people only use 40% of their capability!
  • Take control of your life – you are the only one who can affect your future.

4. Who do you think would enjoy reading it?

Anybody who enjoys inspiring, motivational stories.

What have you read lately? Let us know what has inspired you and we’ll add it to the TLA library.

Culture in tech: Liverpool Girl Geeks gather to discuss diversity

What makes for a healthy and diverse company culture?

That was the topic of conversation at last night’s (12 June) Liverpool Girl Geeks Women in Tech meet-up, which took place at The Lead Agency.

The good, the bad and the ugly of Silicon Valley’s Bro Culture was discussed as part of a panel discussion. Recent reports of sexism and a widening gender gap in California’s tech heartland have been big news in recent months, so it was the perfect time to discuss how organisations can build more inclusive cultures.

Our recently appointed brand manager Keith Price was on the panel alongside Deborah Chapman, head of reward, pensions and diversity at Shop Direct; Jane Fitzmaurice, resource partner at Auto Trader; and Mando account manager Leyla Kee-McParlin; while Liverpool Girl Geek director Jo Morfee was on hand to host.

Value-led organisations

The panellists spoke of the importance of creating organisations with purpose and authentic values that are entrenched in everything they do – including how staff are recruited, inducted and rewarded.

They also referenced initiatives that are having a positive impact within their organisations such as wellbeing centres, diversity and inclusion sessions, balanced working environments and perks, and leadership built on trust rather than fear.

Bridging the skills gap

Another area of discussion was the skills gap that exists within the industry. As our sector expands, the demand for talent will continue to outstrip the supply – both here and around the world – so attracting young men and women to embark on tech careers is essential for making progress.

The panellists referenced the importance of tech companies taking individual responsibility for creating strong, inclusive cultures as well as the need to come together to promote the opportunities that exist within the sector.

Commitment to culture

Organisations like Liverpool Girl Geeks are making huge strides to tackling this important issue and each of the companies on the panel are demonstrating their commitment to making culture a priority.

At The Lead Agency, we are proud to have women in all departments across the business – including development, design and UX, digital marketing and sales – many of whom have arrived via apprenticeship schemes with local universities.

We’d like there to be more – as well as people from different backgrounds. Building a diverse team with different perspectives is vital for the creativity and innovation our industry lives on.

As well as Keith’s arrival earlier this year, we’re recruiting for a HR manager and will soon announce a new in-house recruitment manager. These three roles will play a huge role in supporting the board and management team in developing a culture that attracts, nurtures and supports the very best talent.

Visit the Liverpool Girl Geeks website for more information about their mission and other events in their calendar.

Kickstarter restaurant Wreckfish receives our backing

The Kickstarter fund for Wreckfish, a proposed new restaurant in the heart of Liverpool, has received a “significant pledge” from The Lead Agency.

Wreckfish is the brainchild of chef and entrepreneur Gary Usher who is attempting to raise £200,000 through Kickstarter, to help fund what will be his fourth restaurant after Chester-based Sticky Walnut, Burnt Truffle in Heswall and Hispi in Manchester.

Gary’s story of rapid growth was one that resonated with us, so we wanted to show our support and help him bring his new venture to life. In exchange, Wreckfish will play host to The Lead Agency’s Christmas party in December.

Challenging the way things are done

Gary’s story is great for the city and the north west as a whole. As well as being a renowned chef, he is an entrepreneur that is challenging the way things are done. His crowdsourcing approach to the funding and naming his restaurants is not only fuelling fast growth, but ensuring each one is embraced within the local community.”

The Wreckfish Kickstarter page has raised over £110,000 in 16 days with £90,000 remaining.

Gary said: “It’s absolutely amazing that Anton and the team has put such faith in us. They believe in passionate people building businesses, which is exactly what we are doing. We’re completely humbled by their support and positivity towards the project and we cannot wait to host their Christmas party once we get Wreckfish up and running”.

To pledge your support and help Wreckfish become Liverpool’s best new restaurant, visit goo.gl/6haL5J.