Magnitude

13/10/2026

Do you like a good shortcut?

Magnitude — for people who like a good shortcut.

Patrick, Magnitude's founder, has used Windows for thirty-odd years. Last week he found out what Control Zed does. It means undo. He tutted and said "bloody hell."

That was the smallest thing. The next was a board-level launch pack that took eight minutes.

We've all got a Control Zed: the slow way we've never questioned, because it works.

What's yours? What are you still doing the slow way? Tell us in the comments.

06/10/2026

Is this your business?

Magnitude — for people who know the reality, not the fantasy.

You get 18% of every sale. Out of that, you pay your staff. And yourself.

That's a pub on a retail agreement. About 67p from a £4.50 pint.

Patrick, Magnitude's founder, has always fancied running a pub. Then he looked at the sums. He'd have to be really busy all the time just to stand still.

That's not a business. That's just a job.

It's not just pubs. Plenty of good businesses are working flat out, and the numbers look the same as last month.

We use a simple method for it, borrowed from the mountains: the five D's. Destination. Direction. Duration. Description. Dangers.

Which one won't come for you?

06/10/2026

🌺 PASS THE POPPY – A SPECIAL DAY AT THE ROYAL OAK 🌺
📅 Wednesday 28th October
📍 The Royal Oak, Chapel Ash
⏰ From 12 noon
We’re incredibly proud to be part of Marston’s Pass the Poppy, a nationwide fundraising journey in support of the Royal British Legion.
And on Wednesday 28th October, the Poppy Baton will be with us at The Royal Oak ALL DAY! 🌺
We want to make its visit something really special. ❤️
Throughout the day we’ll have loads of little events and activities going on, all helping us raise as much as we possibly can for a fantastic cause.

Whether you can stay for the whole day or just pop in for a pint, come and be part of it.
Bring your friends, bring your family, wear your poppy and help us give the Poppy Baton a proper Chapel Ash welcome!
Every pint, every donation and every person who joins us helps make the day that little bit more special.
🌺 ONE POPPY. SEVEN AREAS. ONE SHARED CHALLENGE. 🌺
❤️ Come join us, celebrate with us and help support the Royal British Legion.
The Royal Oak, Chapel Ash – Wednesday 28th October from 12 noon.
Please give this a SHARE and help us make it a day to remember. 🌺❤️

29/09/2026

Magnitude is for people ready to put the paintbrush down.

Patrick, Magnitude's founder, once popped in to see an MD and found him redecorating his own office. He'd been at it since the weekend. "It never stops," he said.

There are plenty of reasons a business stops growing. We've never seen "painting the skirting boards" on the list.

We've all got a paintbrush: the job that feels busy, so we don't have to do the one that matters.

If you'd like to talk yours through with somebody outside your normal circle, get in touch for a virtual cuppa.

17/09/2026

Magnitude is on a mission to make sure you're invited to play the long game.

It's been Patrick's mission — Magnitude's founder — for forty-odd years, ever since the day he found out he wasn't invited to play it himself.

We've found that a lot of people are ambitious, but they've got short horizons. That's not their fault. It's the way they were brought up, the way they lived — all those sorts of things.

If you're looking for a way to break that programming, and fancy climbing a tall hill to see what's actually out there — start by talking to someone outside your normal circle. Get in touch for a virtual cuppa. Who knows where it might end up.https://api.leadconnectorhq.com/widget/booking/rMGJcKbGJvRY43QFYUBA

10/09/2026

Just got back from the Entrepreneurs Circle National Convention in Birmingham. Fourth year running.

This year's theme was the Wild West — Golden Nuggets. And they didn't hold back. Cowboy boots five foot high. A bald eagle. Covered wagons in reception. Felt like walking onto a film set.

Went with the Wolverhampton crew — that's us below, all in our prospecting gear.

Two days of brilliant speakers. Rory Sutherland. Geoff Ramm. Simon Squibb. Even the Botterill family themselves, who run the whole show.

And here's the thing nobody tells you about events like this — by day two, my brain was full. Properly full. Too many good ideas, no room left to carry them.

Reminded me of King Midas. Everything he touched turned to gold, right up until he touched his dinner and couldn't eat it. A life made of gold wasn't a life he could actually live.

Same with ideas. Touch every golden nugget in that room, and you'll starve just the same.

So I did what Nigel Botterill told fourteen hundred of us to do on the way out. Wrote my top ten ideas down. Cut it to five. Cut it to three. Put a date on each one.

Because an idea without a deadline is just a wish.

I'm off now to finish sorting my own three golden nuggets.

08/09/2026

08/09/2026

Leaving the Entrepreneurs Nation Convention