Business Profile – Simply Architecture

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Many business professionals start giving back to their chosen career later in life, but that’s not the case for architectural designer Andrew Flack, who runs his own fledgling business but doubles as a tutor at EIT.

Andrew completed the two-year architectural design course at EIT in 2010 and within just seven short years he returned as a tutor, a role that has also enabled him to establish Simply Architecture in Hastings.

Going full circle is a bit of a theme to Andrew’s career. Simply Architecture is based in commercial offices on the corner of Hastings Street and Avenue Road, the same office as his first-ever job out of EIT.

“I’m pretty much sitting in the same place that I sat in when I began working with LHT, an engineering design business.”

As well as working for LHT, Andrew built up his knowledge and experience with Napier-based businesses Structural Concepts and PMA Architects.

All three businesses had more of a focus on commercial building projects but with the booming residential building sector, Andrew was keen to focus on this area of the market.

“I had previously been involved in large-scale commercial design projects and hadn’t done much residential design until we set up the business.

“I always had a strong interest in designing houses and with the boom in this area across Hawke’s Bay and a shortage of architectural designers, I could
see that this was a big opportunity.

“My background in structural form of buildings has also been a benefit as I can take a practical approach when a brief from someone building a new home starts to get a bit more complicated.”

In a little over 18 months in business, Andrew has moved from working at the kitchen table to offices, and has added experienced architectural designer Warren Clarke, two former students Ezra Curd and Scott Peters as draughtsmen (are both the students draughtsmen or just Scott Peters?) and sister-in-law Tenille McCombie as office manager.

The team has worked on a range of residential and commercial projects including new houses, house renovations, some shops in Napier, a church in Tamatea and a funeral home in Gisborne.

Another exciting project is a new building for the YMCA, a partnership they are doing with one of Hawke’s Bay’s leading construction firms, Gemco Group.

Andrew likes a modern approach to building design but also takes design inspiration from some of Hawke’s Bay’s foremost architects Guy Natusch and John Scott.

He also enjoys robust design discussions with Warren, who is a specialist in designing energy-efficient and sustainable houses to the Homestar rating system.

“Warren’s done something that I don’t think I could do, which is design my own home. I would be too critical and I don’t think I would ever finish it.”

Andrew also enjoys giving back to his profession and says it’s been great to teach architectural design at EIT and see graduates go and work for local businesses, including his own.

“Most graduates are pretty keen to live and work in Hawke’s Bay and with there being a wide range of subdivisions coming on to the market, it gives employers confidence to give students a chance to kick start their careers.”

Andrew has teamed up with former Hawke’s Bay architectural designer Warren Clarke, who is based in Christchurch.

simplyarch.co.nz

sponsorship hits sweet spot

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All honeys are not created equal. And New Zealand is home to arguably the world’s finest. Locally based The True Honey Co. is optimising its global brand exposure by helping to bring headline eventers Tim and Jonelle Price to this year’s Land Rover Horse of the Year Show.

As one of a handful of New Zealand companies to offer authentic high rating MGO Manūka honey, using only ethical practices, the potential to market their product is already proving fruitful – according to the company’s Sales and Marketing manager Jeanine Daly.

“We are proud to be teaming up with Land Rover Horse of the Year to help bring the kiwi ‘power couple’ home to compete in this year’s event.

“Being New Zealand’s most prestigious equine event, it aligns perfectly and will gain a large amount of exposure both nationally and internationally. There are some great synergies between the event and The True Honey Co. including the fact that Tim and Jonelle like many of our customers use Mānuka honey on their horses for any cuts or abrasions.

“I’ve also heard on good authority that Tim and Jonelle drink our honey with apple cider as a daily tonic, so it must be the source of champions!”

The True Honey Co. launched in New Zealand and the UK in 2016, with Australia, Europe and Japan following soon after. Their vision of becoming the world’s most trusted Mānuka honey brand has driven global expansion plans with export markets continuing to grow with the introduction of China, Middle East and Europe.

Local honey lovers can purchase online at truehoney.co.nz, or through selected retailers. The True Honey Co. offer taste testing Monday to Fridays at their Ahuriri offices in Waghorn Street.

Vets rearing for service at Horse of the Year

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When you have up to 2000 horses competing at Land Rover Horse of the Year you can expect the onsite vets are going to be pretty busy!

Vet Services Hawke’s Bay equine vet Richard McKenzie says that’s certainly the case for their team of veterinarians and support team.

“You can say we’re pretty tired by the end of the week, for sure.”

Richard says the early part of the week is about treating horses that have travelled, some a long distance, they may have either picked up a ‘travel injury’ or illness such as colic.

“It’s pretty hectic at the beginning of the week as you have a large number of horses arriving within a few days and some have travelled from the far north, the South Island or from overseas and they may have a cut, abrasion or illness during their travel.

“They need to be assessed and with the horses required to be drug-free to compete, it can be a big disappointment for the owner and competitor if we have to treat their horse with drugs. The event is the climax of their season, some of the horses are worth a lot of money, so it can be an emotional time if they then can’t compete.

Richard says after the arrivals period, it gets a bit quieter in the middle of the week before getting busier again as the event finals start to commence.

“We’re usually treating a few niggly injuries during the week and then there’s a bit of pressure and emotion as the competitions head towards the final rounds.”

As well as a base tent, the Vet Services team of 4-5 vets and nurses use their vehicles across the large event site. Technology is also important for quick diagnosis and the team is armed with a mobile digital radiology unit, an ultrasound unit and an endoscopy unit.

“It’s rare, but there can be some serious injuries over the week and we might have to refer surgical treatment to vet hospitals at Massey University and Waikato

Other work over the week includes pre- purchase checks, as horses are bought and sold.

Another big spinoff for Vet Services of being involved with HOY is getting to see some of their clients horses compete and win or place as well as catching up with other clients that are attending as spectators.

“It’s rewarding to see some of our clients perform well and it is always great to catch up with our local clients who are watching the events.

“Having a strong visual brand presence also helps reinforce that we’re very active in the equine vet services area too.

Suited up and ready for business

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Two of Hastings’ oldest retail businesses are taking their diamond rings, watches, trousers, jackets and shirts to Land Rover Horse of the Year instead of hoping visitors may walk through the doors of their shops in the CBD.

Grieve Diamond Jeweller and Thomson’s Suits have shared a pop up retail trade site at the event for the last four years, and James Griffiths says it’s “been well worth it”.

The two retailers were part of an trial five years ago by the Hastings Business Association to set up a Hastings retail trade area. James says that it was a break even exercise in the first year but they now re-book their site immediately after the event ends.

“For us we realised pretty early on that we had to have a presence at the event, rather than expect visitors to come into our shop.

“You’ve got to be on their doorstep, not the opposite. You’ve got to take advantage of the opportunity and not expect it to just fall on your lap.”

The Grieve Diamond Jeweller and Thomson’s Suits pop up store has evolved over the five years, as has their understanding what customers buy.

James says high profile brands such as Karen Walker and Stolen Girlfriends jewellery are popular with teenage competitors and visitors while they also design and sell ‘horse jewellery’ such as necklaces with stirrups and horse shoe pendants.

“We’ve also sold a few diamond rings over the years, and we also sell a few watches too.

Thomson’s Suits managing director Angus Thomson says that initially their stall was mostly clearance stock at reduced prices along with some higher end clothing, which proved to be more popular.

“Customers are definitely wanting the latest designs and brands like R M Williams and Ben Sherman and being seen to be up with what’s hot in fashion. If it’s sunny we sell a lot of hats as well,” Angus says.

Both men say their staff enjoy getting out of the CBD shop and working in a different environment and sharing the site works well – both in cross selling opportunities and but also socially.

“Another benefit is that if a wife drags her husband into the stall to get him to buy a new shirt or trousers, she might also leave with some new jewellery! James says.

Angus says that although there’s talk about the economic benefits of the event for Hastings and the region, he says that there are many more benefits of having a large scale international event.

“It shouldn’t just be about the money, the exposure the event nationally and internationally for Hastings and the entire region is priceless. It’s the perfect promotion to our target market.”

Burghley Day launches in Hawke’s Bay

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Burghley Day’ presented by Höpt Soda is Land Rover Horse of the Year 2019’s new marquee event and already the concept is creating giant strides in sponsorship circles.

The inclusion of current Burghley and Badminton champions Tim and Jonelle Price as headline acts is proving a potent formula for aligned sponsors, both international, national and local, to connect with New Zealand’s premium equestrian event and use Burghley Day to leverage their own marketing.

Burghley Day provides a platform for international brands Land Rover and Höpt Soda to coexist alongside smaller local brands like The True Honey Co, which event director Dave Mee says is providing a very unique set of marketing opportunities.

“Sponsorship opportunities at Land Rover Horse of the Year are highly sought after and for good reason. The association this year with the coveted Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials is providing a way for local brands to promote their products not just into Australasian but also UK markets.

“With over 55,000 expected attendees over the six days of competition and potentially millions more, watching, brand awareness is exponential. The event maximises this through live streaming, television, radio and print coverage along with our own professional public relations.”

Burghley Day, held March 16 at Hawke’s Bay’s A&P Showgrounds will see Hastings’ Discovery Gardens transformed into a ‘Baby Burghley -featuring iconic Burghley Jumps, British food trucks, a Beefeater Pink Gin Bar, pop-up Höpt Soda ‘Höptail Bar’ and authentic Burghley theming.

Other VIP functions across the week of March 12-17 provide unique scope for sponsors and local dignitaries to network and connect. Entertainment includes the glamorous Hall of Fame cocktail party, Bayleys Business Lunch, family fun Friday night Hastings Heart of Hawke’s Bay Extravaganza and finale events the G.H. Mumm Champagne Cross Country Lunch (Saturday 16th March) and Cup Day (Sunday 17th March).

It’s become an annual pilgrimage for many, who arrive to take in the event’s shopping, wine and food villages and salivating assortment of hospitality experiences. But for exhibitors and sponsors, the stakes can be far greater.

“Where else do you encounter six days of televised international, national and local brand alignment? We’re celebrating 21 years in Hawke’s Bay this year, and we’d love to see other local sponsors jump onboard to ensure the longevity of this fantastic community event,” says Dave Mee.

What will Property Values do in 2019?

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2018 was another interesting year in the New Zealand property market. With stable and relatively high volumes Hawke’s Bay values generally showing consistent growth similar to the rest of the country except for Auckland and Christchurch. Without doubt in 2018 our local property market was being impacted by the more macro of government policy and this will continue in 2019. So how will these outside influences impact our values in 2019?

The first milestone for 2019 will be the relaxation of the Loan to Value Ratio (LVR) restrictions on 1 January 2019. It will be interesting to see the effects these changes may have on market activity. Whilst the LVR is relaxed banks should continue to stick to prudent lending criteria. Therefore, we should see an increase in buyers who can now enter the market as they may now meet the new LVR requirements.

The foreign buyer ban has already been in place for a few months (from 22nd October 2018) and it is still reasonably early to see what impact this has had on our local market and any impact on values. Foreign buyers can still buy into New Zealand if they are buying ‘off plans’ and holding apartments in bigger developments (20 apartments or more). This is more likely to affect activity in the higher residential/lifestyle value bracket as well as rural properties.

The Tax Working Group (TWG) will be submitting its final report to the government in February 2019 with a recommendation of whether to impose a capital gains tax, and in what form (if the recommendation is indeed for a tax, which seems likely). However, it’s important to note that the government would then have to accept that recommendation and win the next election in 2020 before any tax would come into law. The official cash rate is signalled to remain at 1.75% in 2019 (and probably most of 2020) and that should help interest rates to stay reasonably low and stable. However, in spite of efforts to keep interest rates stable the balance of risks around mortgage rates is to the upside. Also, the flow on effects from higher offshore rates as well as the signalling by the Reserve Bank that capital adequacy requirements will be raised over the next five years could also see mortgage rates rise. Any increases in 2019 will probably be small. How all of these factors above interact with each other, and other macro factors such as GDP growth and the labour market, will go a long way to determining the path for sales volumes in 2019 both nationally and locally.

New Zealand is currently in the midst of one of the three biggest booms for building consents in the past 50-odd years, driven by Auckland and a gradual shift away from standalone houses and towards smaller dwellings (townhouses, apartments, flats). Hawke’s Bay has also been part of this boom. In short, consents and actual construction volumes need to stay high – or perhaps even rise further to make a real dent in the current shortfall of housing.

That could be problematic in 2019 for an industry already running at capacity. Now for the big question that every property owner or buyer wants to know: Will prices move up, down or stabilise? The region performed well last year and is expected to continue in 2019 with the current imbalance between supply and demand, low interest rates and strong employment. There is certainly a positive vibe in Hawke’s Bay’s property market at present.

One of the issues we face as an industry is the myriad of opinion of a home’s value as indicated on various property websites. These are generally called the “estimated selling range” and are formulated based on various algorithms that use historical sales data.

In many cases these ranges are incorrect, as are the latest council valuations. These two pieces of information together are indicating a likely selling range in excess of today’s value. This can be frustrating for vendors wanting to sell. This article has highlighted that there is much going on in the property sector. Our local market is more stabilised, but there’s still the unknown risk of overseas influence and national influences.

Either way, it’ll be another busy year, with plenty to watch. Of course, if you’re thinking of buying or selling, do your research.

Strategic planning for business success

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In our experience, we find many businesses rate strategy as hugely important but don’t have the time, skills or knowledge to implement meaningful strategy in their own businesses. This often stems from business owners being subject to the ‘tyranny of urgent’ – meaning everyday tasks often take precedence over the more valuable and highly necessary big-picture requirement of taking stock of where the company is going.

In today’s modern environment, business value is no longer primarily driven by physical or tangible assets but increasingly by non-financial business drivers. Financial measures are those that can be directly measured; for example, revenue margin, profit, administration costs, debt reduction and cashflow. Non-financial measures are those that cannot be represented by a data point but are more likely to be descriptive or evident by their absence. For example, you may rely on qualitative feedback from customers to determine whether an employee has achieved their goal with respect to providing exceptional client service.

Understanding your value drivers

Success and future strategic positioning depends on the effective measurement and management of these critical non-financial or intangible resources, alongside financial metrics. The first step in this process is understanding your organisation’s value drivers. What are the key non-financial and financial resources in your business? How important are your different resources to achieving your overall value proposition? How strong are your existing resources and how can you use them more effectively? If your existing resources aren’t meeting your needs, what gaps do you need to fill?

Have you considered your overall operating environment, competitive position, benchmarks and market analysis data? Have you considered the key risks for your business both now and in the future?

Measuring business performance

After identifying and mapping the value drivers, you can start measuring your business’ performance, once you’ve decided which are the most important values to measure. An excellent way to determine whether an indicator is worth measuring is to establish what key performance questions you need to answer. For example, what is it that you want to measure? Why do you want to measure this? How do you plan on using this information moving forward? How do you want this data presented? Who will be responsible for this measure? When is the most suitable/appropriate time to conduct this measure?

Using the above questions is a useful tool to ensure all decision makers are working towards the same overarching business goals. It can assist in validating any key changes that may need to be implemented, while also endorsing current practices or procedures within the business that are generating positive outcomes.

Lag and lead measures

Lead indicators are measures that provide information about expected future results based on current performance. For example, marketing investment, research, product development, employee skill development and practice growth trends. Lag Indicators provide information about past performance such as revenue, profits, overheads and accounts receivable.

By combining lag and lead indicators you can not only determine whether you have achieved goals set in the past, but whether you are on track to achieving goals set for the future.

Organisational success measures

Common organisational success measures include:

• Customer satisfaction – referrals, repeat business and customer gain sources

• Product/service innovation – cross selling opportunities/skills utilisation

• Marketing activities – measure effectiveness against agreed milestones and objectives

• Customer profitability analysis – customer segmentation

• Output quality – timing vs service quality

• Staff attraction/retention – proportion of first choice candidates secured and turnover rate

• Profitablity growth

• Value creation – financial and non- financial growth for each quarter and the expansion/review of service offerings

Strategic thinking is particularly more important for business owners in these fast- changing days of disruption. The need to be pro-active towards addressing this changing operational landscape is vital as it will likely determine which businesses flourish, and which will be left struggling to keep afloat. We often ask clients, when was the last time you took time to think about where your company might be in five, 10 or 20 years? And when we persuade clients to make that time to think strategically, they usually end up saying ‘Now I understand why it was important’.

It’s Great to be an Employer

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I decided a celebration of the good things about being an employer was in order. These things apply whether you own your own business or you manage someone else’s business.

I am often asked why anyone would want to work in HR – with a clear implication that it involves a lot of unpleasant ‘stuff’ no-one likes doing. This is partly true, but it’s not all bad by any means.

On other occasions, when I have been a self- employed consultant and I have been asked why I haven’t employed staff to help with the workload, I have cynically replied that I know all about employment and why would anyone be an employer? We can become a bit jaded if we have been through some tough employment issues of late but let’s not forget the positives. I decided a celebration of the good things about being an employer was in order. These things apply whether you own your own business or you manage someone else’s business.

At the highest level every person you employ and every wage you pay is a vital contribution to our economy and society in many ways. You, personally and directly, have improved our employment statistics. You have boosted the tax take that funds so many great things like health, education and our national infrastructure.

Closer to home, at a very practical level, you are feeding the families of your employees, paying the bills, and building homes. If you provide health insurance you may have helped your employees in a time of real need. If you have EAP or other wellbeing initiatives you are helping people to be well and live better and stay in better shape for their loved ones. Over the long term you are helping your employees save for their retirement (it doesn’t matter that it’s compulsory).

When you recruit, train and develop people you are developing their skills, their confidence, and their career. Sometimes this includes supporting them to step outside your organisation to continue their growth. You are providing opportunities that will lead them down all sorts of pathways to bright futures. It is satisfying to share our knowledge and experience and enthusiasm for our respective field with those coming behind us. You often learn something from them as well – most likely an app on your phone you’d never heard of, and if you’re lucky some insights into how they see your organisation that are pure gold.

Even when you provide casual holiday jobs to tertiary students which helps your business at a busy time, you are powering the next generation of employees to start their employment journey. When you employ part time school students on the weekend you are teaching them life skills, work habits and team behaviours that will help them find their first ‘real’ job.

When you create a team, small or large, you are bringing people together and creating all kinds of connections that enrich their lives. In the workplace your employees develop friendships that last a lifetime. They connect with people who become their flatmates, sports team-mates, car pool buddies, or mentors.

Depending on the jobs you can offer and the industry you are in you may be providing your employees with a purpose and an opportunity to make a difference to others or to our world. That’s a pretty cool reason to be an employer.

You are most likely helping the people who work for you to fulfil their dreams – whether that is doing their dream job or perhaps saving money to achieve their dream – a house, overseas travel, or a car.

Employment is not just a transaction where we are trading work for money – it’s a relationship that can enrich your life and your employees’ lives. Be proud to be an employer. Celebrate the good times for your own sake as well as your staff. When times are tough and you have to make the hard calls remember all the good you are doing, every single day.

Business Ownership — preparing your exit strategy

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It is common that an aspect of a business owner’s retirement plan is to sell the business and to use the proceeds to fund their retirement. It is important that thought and planning be given to the “exit strategy” so that when it comes time to sell the business, it is in the best shape.

This is particularly important in instances where “you” are the business and there is a question as to whether the business can continue without you and therefore what value there is in the business if you are not involved.

Business owners are often unaware of the time that it can take to prepare a business for sale. The process is often complex and will require assistance from specialists. For example, the way that you have operated the accounts of the business may well have be set up to suit your personal circumstances, but does it show an accurate picture of the performance of the business and if not, what can be done to ensure that a prospective purchaser can see the true value in the business.

Considerations

Depending on the nature of the transaction – sale to a third party or a transfer to a family member, there may be different considerations. Some matters you should consider in all transactions are:

  • How to maximise value;
  • Reliance on a customer;
  • Managing customer expectations;
  • Availability of premises;
  • Maintaining support of employees; • Taxation.In a family context, there will be other considerations:
  • management succession – is the younger generation ready to take over and do they have the skills and commitment to run the business;
  • estate planning;
  • maintaining family unity.

Maximising value

Clearly it is vital to be able to maximise the value of your business so that you can achieve the best possible price. This brings in various elements as a business’s value can be dependent on several factors.

Of primary importance, is understanding what your business is potentially worth. Most business owners will not know what their business is worth or how they can improve this.

If “you” are the business, then special consideration will need to be given as to the business’s worth (both with and without you) and how to maintain its value despite your exit from the business. For example, you may need to bring in a “successor” to work with you first before handing over the reins.

Reliance on a customer and managing customer expectations
If most of your income comes from one customer (or a small number) then it goes without saying that maintaining these customer relationships is crucial to the ongoing success of the business.

How you deal with your customers will inevitably depend on the nature of your business, however when considering your “exit strategy” you will need to consider the contractual arrangements you have in place and if the sale of the business provides them with an opportunity to terminate the contract.

I also note that, for small businesses, there may not be a contract at all. While this may currently work, you will need to consider this from the perspective of a buyer as the ability for a main customer to simply walk away may impact on what they believe that the business is worth.

It will also be important to consider how much you wish to be involved – a new purchaser may want you to be involved for a period to ensure the effective transfer of control and to help maintain customer relationships. You will need to consider this from your personal perspective as well as from the new owners (is there value in you staying involved) and from the customers.

Premises and employees

Both of these are likely to be crucial to the ongoing success of the business and if you lease your business premises then it will be important to ensure that it is available to a new owner for a reasonable amount of time as, again, the value they may attach to the

business may reduce if there is a risk that they will need to find new premises not long after purchase.

Key employees will need to be considered early in the process and possibly be included in the discussions with the prospective purchaser.

Communication

Communication is key throughout this process – deciding who to work with on your exit strategy and choosing when and how to discuss with your employees and customers. Poor communication could result in customers and/or employees leaving the business, which may in turn impact on its value.

Be prepared to adapt

The hardest part will be creating a plan. The challenge is to ensure that the plan remains effective and does not become outdated – you need to be prepared to adapt your plans.

An outdated and ineffective plan may cause as many difficulties as no plan at all.

Seek Advice Early

It is hoped that the above has provoked thought and will encourage action, however I want to highlight the importance of seeking advice from your professional advisors early in the process. The key is careful, well informed consideration of all the issues, and effective and early communication with your professional advisers will help achieve this.

How much smarter are smartphones set to become?

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Smartphones, love them or hate them they are now a critical business tool that enables a huge amount of work to be done almost anywhere anytime and we have come.

A long way since the humble smartphone hit the shelves. The first successful smartphone arguable was the blackberry, (or due to its addictiveness nicknamed “Crackberry”). Excellent device for keeping on top of those emails, but it was Apple that really stepped things up in 2007 when they launched the first iPhone. This became the benchmark.

Fast forward and what we have today really doesn’t compare to those early devices. With mobile data growing exponentially the smartphone today is truly a very powerful tool. We stream content to it, we consume media through them and of course we connect with each other through social media. These devices mean we are more productive while working remotely than was ever imagined.

So what’s in store for the smartphone this year?

Often new innovations in smartphones will be launched at events like CES (Consumer Electronics Show) and while not all of them hit the market it does give a measure of where the market is and what we are likely to see. Smartphone launches can be a bit like the automobile show where concept cars are displayed each year. The difference is, innovation in smartphone do tend to hit the market and quickly due to the still competitive global market

In the coming year new innovations by all account will centre around a couple of new designs. Firstly foldable devices are all the talk at the moment and Samsung seem to have given its greatest signal yet with the Galaxy X. The device will fold out to 7.3 inch (larger than the + devices but smaller than a tablet). Its folded size will be around 4.6 inch.

The challenge for manufacturers with foldable phones as well as flexible screens is the components need to be flexible- including the battery. Purportedly Samsung are looking at two batteries, one for the inner and then the other for the outer screen. This means the outer battery only needs to be used when the device is fully open.

The other big move in devices will be 5G capable devices. As some countries have moved or started to move to 5G devices will need to be capable of these new speeds. At the moment there are no devices, so it would appear the industry still sees this as an emerging market and this year will give us an indication of when manufacturers think the shift will come.

5G will enable faster downloads and more content to be streamed which may in its own way sprout new innovation around it, much in the same way fibre was able to develop streaming services like Netflix.

Augmented Reality functionality hasn’t taken off yet but many of the leading manufacturers have embedded the functionality into their software. Apple launched the iPhone X and later the XS with much fanfare around the AR function. The tape measure app that comes preloaded in iPhone is an example of AR practical use. Working with major companies Apple are trying to lead the market (and hence own it) with collaboration with businesses like Ikea.

The feeling is AR is not destined to stay within smartphone hardware. True AR will require additional equipment like headsets and glasses. But in the meantime, smartphones are developing this within their current designs and as mentioned some are collaborating heavily with industry players, particularly retailers.

Further evolution of biometrics with an improved fingerprint scanner. Developing fast is the on-glass fingerprint scanner. Real estate on a Smartphone is highly competitive (think why Apple remove Headphone Jack) and why everything is getting smaller. Personally, I think this will be one development that is likely to be the standard moving forward. If a manufacturer can re-proposition the space currently taken up with a scanner then they are surely going to do it. Why would they do that when there is reliable face ID recognition?

Because no one likes to have put their password into a phone and that’s what is inevitable you have to do if the face ID failures.

It will be interesting to see what the two main players Apple and Samsung launch this year. Samsung usually launch their flagship Galaxy device around March and Apple launches in September. CES is currently on again in Las Vegas, and it will be interesting to see what the other players in this market release there.

The Smartphone is one of the most useful business tools, it gives flexibility in work, it gives answers on the road and over the coming decade I’m keen to see what this will morph into and how this will enhance our lives. Perhaps it will become redundant by wearable or implanted devices, perhaps it won’t, but as we wrap up holidays with family and friends, one of its most useful functions at this time of year is the do not disturb function.