Bad Hires Cost More Than Money  

Bad hires don’t just affect your payroll.  

They damage quality, reputation, client confidence, project timelines, and team morale. 

In manufacturing, processing, and construction contracting, a single bad subcontractor or third-party provider can destroy a profitable project.  

This is why every sub-contractor, consultant, or professional service provider must be selected, appointed, and managed using a structured evaluation process.

1. Before You Appoint Anyone  

 Before sourcing or appointing any subcontractor, supplier, or professional service provider, you must have: 

A Clearly Defined Scope of Work 

This should include:  

• Exactly what they are responsible for  

• What they must deliver  

• How their performance will be measured  

Detailed Specifications in Writing 

Contracts must include:  

• Quality standards  

• Output expectations  

• Compliance with regulations  

• Deadlines and milestones  

Clear expectations prevent disputes, delays, and underperformance. 

2. Role & Responsibility Clarity  

Every subcontractor or third party must have: 

• A clearly defined role  

• Specific tasks listed  

• One appointed Project / Job Manager  

All communication and instructions go through that manager – no exceptions.  

This prevents:  

• Confusion  

• Blame shifting  

• Scope creep  

• Cost overruns  

3. Standards & Compliance 

All subcontractors and third parties must meet:  

• Industry workmanship standards  

• Health & safety requirements  

• Regulatory compliance  

• Insurance and licensing requirements  

These standards must be communicated before any work starts, not after problems appear. 

SUBCONTRACTOR & THIRD-PARTY SELECTION FRAMEWORK  

1. Experience & Past Performance  

Never appoint based on price alone.  

Portfolio Evaluation  

Review:  

• Relevance to your type of work  

• Project size and complexity  

• Consistency of quality  

Reference Checks  

Ask previous clients:  

• Were they punctual?  

• Did they communicate well?  

• Did they meet quality expectations?  

• Would you use them again?  

Review Analysis  

Check:  

• Online reviews  

• Industry feedback  

• Reputational red flags  

2. Licensing, Insurance & Certification 

Never rely on verbal assurances.  

License Verification  

Confirm licenses with issuing authorities.  

Insurance  

Request certificates showing:  

• Public liability  

• Professional indemnity  

• Employer’s liability (if applicable)  

Certifications  

Ensure compliance with:  

• Safety standards  

• Industry regulations  

• Professional bodies  

3. Commercial Terms  

Every appointment must include:  

Time  

• Start date  

• Milestones  

• Completion date  

Budget  

• Agreed pricing  

• Payment stages  

• What is included  

• What is not included  

EVALUATING PROFESSIONAL SERVICES 

(Accountants, Solicitors, Recruitment Firms, Financial Advisors)  

The same discipline applies.  

Evaluating Accountants  

Experience & Expertise  

• Do they work with businesses your size?  

• Do they understand your industry?  

• Who will actually handle your account?  

Communication  

• Do they explain clearly?  

• Do they respond quickly?  

Services & Approach  

• Do they offer proactive advice?  

• Do they help with tax planning and cash flow?  

Fees  

• Hourly or fixed fee?  

• What is included?  

• What costs extra?  

Fit  

• Are they approachable?  

• Can you work with them long term?  

Evaluating Business Solicitors  

Specialisation  

• Contracts  

• Litigation  

• Property  

• Employment  

• Intellectual property  

Industry Knowledge  

Do they understand your regulatory environment?  

Communication  

How will they keep you informed?  

Fees  

• Hourly vs fixed  

• Disbursements  

• Potential extra charges  

Reputation  

• SRA registration  

• References  

• Track record  

Proactive Value  

A good solicitor, accountant, etc, prevents problems, not just reacts to them. 

 Bad Hire Checklist available, subscribe to receive PDF copy

 

When we talk about “healthy” carbohydrates, we are looking for Low Glycaemic Index (GI) foods. These release energy slowly, keeping your blood sugar stable and your heart happy. Here are some of the best you can find in any UK supermarket:

Pearl Barley

The “forgotten” British superfood. It has one of the lowest GI scores of any grain (around 22-25), meaning it won’t cause sugar spikes.

• Why for 60+: It’s packed with beta-glucan which helps lower cholesterol.
• Ease & Enjoyment: Throw a handful into a slow-cooked lamb stew or use it to make a “Barley Risotto.”

Porridge Oats (Jumbo or Rolled)

A British breakfast classic for a reason. Avoid the “instant” sachets with added sugar; stick to the traditional bags.

• Why for 60+: High in soluble fibre, which is vital for digestive health and keeping you feeling full until lunch.
• Ease & Enjoyment: Top with a handful of blueberries for an antioxidant boost.

New Potatoes (with the skins on)

You don’t have to give up potatoes! New potatoes (like Jersey Royals or Charlotte) have a lower GI than large baking potatoes.

• Why for 60+: Keeping the skin on provides essential Vitamin C and potassium, which helps manage blood pressure.
• Ease & Enjoyment: Simply boil and serve with a little mint and olive oil instead of butter.

Lentils (Red, Green, or Puy)

Lentils are “double-duty” carbs because they are also high in protein, which helps maintain muscle mass as we age.

• Why for 60+: They are incredibly soft and easy to digest when cooked well.
• Ease & Enjoyment: Red lentils “melt” into soups (like a classic Dahl), making them perfect for a light, warming lunch.

Wholewheat Pasta

White pasta turns to sugar quickly in the body. Wholewheat (brown) pasta contains the entire grain, including the fibre-rich outer layer.

• Why for 60+: The extra fibre helps prevent the “sluggish” feeling after a big meal.
• Ease & Enjoyment: If you find the texture a bit “nutty,” try a 50/50 mix with white pasta until you get used to it.

Chickpeas

Whether in a tin or as hummus, chickpeas are a powerhouse of slow-release energy.

• Why for 60+: Great for bone health as they contain calcium and magnesium.
• Ease & Enjoyment: Roast them in the oven with a little paprika for a crunchy, healthy snack.

Bulghur Wheat

Commonly used in Middle Eastern cooking, but widely available in the UK (often near the couscous).

• Why for 60+: It’s less processed than couscous or white rice, meaning it keeps your energy levels steady for longer.
• Ease & Enjoyment: Use it as a base for a cold summer salad with lots of parsley and lemon.

Rye or Granary Bread

Swap the white sliced loaf for a dense Rye or a “seeded” granary bread from the bakery.

• Why for 60+: Rye bread is particularly good for gut health and regular digestion.
• Ease & Enjoyment: Toasted rye with mashed avocado and a poached egg is a perfect “luxury” brunch.

Quinoa (Pronounced Keen-wah)

Now a staple in UK shops, this “grain” is actually a seed.

• Why for 60+: It is a “complete protein,” containing all nine essential amino acids—rare for a plant food!
• Ease & Enjoyment: It cooks in just 12-15 minutes. Use it instead of rice with a stir-fry.

Sweet Potatoes

A great alternative to the standard “old” potato.

• Why for 60+: They are very high in Vitamin A (as beta-carotene), which is excellent for maintaining eye health.
• Ease & Enjoyment: Cut into wedges and bake with a drizzle of olive oil for a delicious side dish.

Remember balanced meals with healthy carbs and fats are always important, even more so as we age and want to stay active, full of energy and have lots of fun.

I hope this is of interest, I have had a few recipes sent to me, which I am going to cook utilising my not so expert skills.

Please share pictures of some of your creations and recipes.

Stronger, Happier, Healthier: A New Look at Fitness After 60

Business Goal Setting and Action Planning Framework

A practical, no-nonsense guide to setting clear business goals and converting them into structured action plans with accountability, review, and measurable results.

How to Set Goals and Action Plans That Deliver Measurable Results

In business, goal setting and action planning are often discussed together, but they serve distinct and complementary purposes. 

Goal setting defines what you want to achieve and why. 
Action planning defines how and when it will be achieved. 

In my consulting work, I see many organisations set ambitious annual goals that fail not because the goals are wrong, but because they are not translated into structured, short-term, accountable actions. 

Effective action planning converts long-term objectives into weekly, executable steps, ensuring progress is visible, measurable, and sustained.

The Difference Between Goals and Action Plans

• Goals provide direction and intent 

• Action plans provide structure and execution 

For example: 

• A goal might be defined annually 

• An action plan operates weekly or daily 

Without an action plan, a goal remains an aspiration. 
Without a clear goal, action lacks focus. 

Key Steps in Goal Setting and Action Planning 

1. Define SMART Goals 

All effective business goals should be SMART: 

• Specific – Clearly defined and unambiguous 

• Measurable – Progress and success can be tracked 

• Attainable – Realistic given available resources 

• Relevant – Aligned to business priorities 

• Time-bound – Linked to a defined deadline 

This framework removes ambiguity and creates clarity from the outset.  

2. Break Down Long-Term Objectives 

Large objectives should be divided into smaller, manageable actions. 

This: 

• Reduces overwhelm 

• Improves focus 

• Enables early progress and momentum 

Well-structured plans operate at weekly or even daily level, not just monthly or quarterly reviews. 

3. Create a Structured Action Plan 

An effective action plan documents: 

• Specific actions (still SMART, but smaller) 

• Ownership and accountability 

• Deadlines and milestones 

If responsibility is unclear, execution will be inconsistent. 

4. Identify Resources and Constraints 

Each action should be assessed for: 

• Time required 

• Skills or knowledge gaps 

• Financial or operational constraints 

• Support or external input needed 

Identifying barriers early prevents stalled progress later.  

5. Monitor Progress and Adjust 

Action plans should be reviewed regularly. 

This is not about blame or justification; it is about control and adaptability. 

Questions to ask: 

• What has been completed? 

• What is delayed and why? 

• What needs adjusting to stay aligned with the goal? 

Progress reviews turn plans into living documents rather than static paperwork.  

6. Assess Confidence Before Committing 

A practical test I often use is a confidence score. 

Ask: 

On a scale of 1–10, how confident am I that this plan can be delivered as written? 

• 7 or above → proceed 

• Below 7 → adjust scope, timing, or resources 

Low confidence is usually a sign the plan is too ambitious, poorly resourced, or insufficiently defined. 

Practical Tips for Successful Implementation

• Reflect First 
  Review previous goals to identify what worked, and what did not. 

• Maintain Short-Term Focus 
  Momentum is built through consistent execution of near-term actions. 

• Prioritise High-Impact Tasks 
  Not all actions are equal. Focus effort where it delivers measurable results. 

Closing Perspective 

Clear goals set direction. 
Structured action plans create execution. 

In business, progress is rarely about motivation alone, it is about clarity, discipline, and follow-through. 

When goals are supported by practical, well-designed action plans, results become predictable rather than hopeful. 

Motivation has dipped a little this week. 

Not because anything went wrong, but because life reminded us how fragile, precious and unpredictable it really is.  

This weekend, my wife and I visited her best friend and her husband at their retirement home on the east coast.  

We had been there just four weeks ago, but even in that short time her health had declined. She was diagnosed with dementia just over a year ago, and the change has been rapid.  

For my wife, it was heartbreaking. They’ve been friends forever, through children, crises, laughter, holidays and the normal chaos of a long-shared life.  

The weekend was lovely in many ways. We wrapped up warm and walked along the seafront.

We visited pubs and restaurants. We talked and laughed.  

But for her friend, it all passed in a kind of haze.  

Conversations were forgotten almost as soon as they began. There were smiles, warmth, kindness, and underneath it all, a quiet sadness.  

Her husband, now 80, struggles with breathing problems. We had the inevitable conversations about care, support, and what the next months and years might bring.  

When we came home, the weight of it all was still with me.  

That evening, I sat down to check my messages and emails.  

One was from a potential new client, someone I had already politely turned down before Christmas, explaining that I wasn’t taking on any more consultancy work. I had decided to take a different direction, focusing on ROPHO and my existing clients.  

And for a moment, I wavered.  

Should I just go back to what I know?  
Should I play it safe?  

Then another email arrived, someone asking for my business plan guide.

Someone in their sixties, thinking about starting something new.  

And suddenly the weekend came flooding back.  

Our friends had bought a pub when he was 60. They had travelled, built, explored. They had lived.  

And now, time was taking its quiet, inevitable toll.  

That’s when it hit me:  

If ROPHO can help even a few people feel braver, more capable, more alive in this phase of life, then it’s worth doing. Even when motivation wobbles.  

Especially then.

Motivation & Determination — the spark and the drive

Motivation is the spark, It gets us excited. Inspired, Energised.  

Determination is the drive, It keeps us going when the novelty fades and things get uncomfortable.  

Together, they’re powerful.  

They help us:  

• start a new hobby  

• join a gym  

• book a course  

• launch a business  

• plan a lifestyle change  

But there’s a problem.  

Motivation and determination are emotional, and emotions are unreliable.  

Especially when it’s raining, or cold, or the sofa looks inviting, or there’s a nice glass of wine involved. 

The missing ingredient — discipline (the boring hero)

Discipline doesn’t get much love, it isn’t exciting, it doesn’t shout, it doesn’t promise miracles.  

But discipline quietly turns up every day and says:  

“We’re doing this anyway.”  

Without discipline:  

• good intentions fade  

• goals drift  

• motivation becomes a memory  

• determination becomes a story we tell ourselves  

Discipline is the structure that turns wanting into doing.  

It builds routines, carries us through setbacks, keeps us moving when enthusiasm disappears, turns small actions into real progress.  

And no, discipline does not mean punishment, misery, or military-style living.  

Especially not in your sixties.

Discipline — ROPHO style 

Discipline gives you the consistency to follow your own path — not someone else’s. At ROPHO, discipline isn’t about becoming someone else.  
It’s about becoming more you.  

Respect  
Discipline is respecting your own time and commitments. Not constantly letting yourself down.  

Optimism & Opportunity  
Optimism without discipline is just hope. With discipline, it becomes action.  

Pride  
There’s quiet pride in doing what you said you would — even when no one is watching.  

Honesty, Health & Hobbies  
Discipline asks:  

• What really matters to me?  

• What am I pretending I’ll do “one day”?  

• What can I realistically sustain?  

Originality  

Practical discipline (for normal people over 60)

This isn’t about 5am ice baths or colour-coded spreadsheets.  

It’s about simple, doable habits.  

1. Set realistic goals  
If it sounds impressive but impossible, it won’t last.  

2. Break things down  
Big goals fail. Small steps succeed.  

3. Create gentle routines  
Same walk time. Same writing slot. Same gym day.  
Routine removes decision fatigue.  

4. Celebrate small wins  
Did you show up? That counts.  

5. Stay flexible  
Bodies change. Energy changes. Life changes.  
Discipline should adapt — not punish.  

A gentle truth

Motivation will come and go.  
Determination will wobble.  
Discipline is what remains.  

And here’s the good news:  

Discipline gets easier the more you practise it.  
Not perfect. Not relentless.  
Just consistent enough.  

Closing thought 

Your sixties aren’t a winding down phase – they’re a reframing phase.  

With motivation to inspire you,determination to push you,  
and discipline to guide you…  

this can be a decade of:  

• growth  

• enjoyment  

• pride  

• originality  

Not because you forced it.  
But because you showed up, most days, and did a little.  

And that is more than enough.  

As always please share stories of your determination to prove age really is just a number. 

From Dreams to Achievements: A Practical Guide After 60

Life, Loyalty & Emotional Rollercoasters

This post was supposed to be a follow on from last week, how my weekly planner was working, short answer it’s not, all my plans were changed, hospital appointments for our daughter, weather, and last minute requests from clients.

So, we will see if my considered laid out plans for next week, already scribbled on planner will work, I will keep you updated.

Sunday was a big day in the Kerton household, football fans may be aware of the rivalry between Southampton and Portsmouth.

On the South Coast it’s a big deal, so at 12pm on Sunday ( I still like a 3pm kick off on a Saturday), I was sat in front of our television poised to enjoy a Southampton victory.

It doesn’t matter who the opposition is, I am always convinced we will win, even if we’ve been on a six match losing run.

Maybe it’s foolish optimism, but it is what a supporters life is all about.For the record, the score was 1-1 but we should have won (for any Pompey fans I’m only joking).

Being a supporter of a sports team, whatever the sport, is a complicated relationship.

Sport is meant to be fun, and playing it certainly was for me when I was younger, especially football, which I was reasonably good at on my day.

Supporting a football team, however, is something else entirely.

It’s emotional, It’s irrational, and at times, I’m fairly sure it’s not entirely healthy.

It started with my father… and confusion

My father was a lovely man in so many ways, but he was strange in one way, because!

He supported both Southampton and Portsmouth.

Even now, I find this completely baffling.

He lived in Swanmore, a village almost perfectly placed between the two cities. He lost his father at just 14 years old, and by his own account would go to matches with different uncles or friends, sometimes to The Dell, sometimes to Fratton Park.

Over time, he became fond of players rather than clubs.

To him:

• Jimmy Dickinson was the best player he had ever seen
• Terry Paine was the finest crosser of a ball, and should have played far more for England

Club loyalty, as we understand it today, wasn’t quite the same then.
It was about heroes, moments, memories.

---

Becoming a Saints supporter, whether I liked it or not

My dad, grandad and grandmother started taking me to The Dell when I was about six years old.

That was it, the decision was made, fate sealed.
This is where my journey as a Southampton supporter began, not through logic or choice, but through family, habit, and repetition.

And once football gets into you at that age, it never really leaves.

---

What does being a supporter actually mean?

Being a supporter means different things to different people.

Some go to every game.
Some go occasionally.
Some watch on TV.
Some listen on the radio.
Some follow obsessively online.

But nearly all of us invest far more than time or money,we invest emotion.

Call me mad, but a good or bad result can genuinely affect:

• My mood
• My outlook
• My patience
• My optimism
• And yes, sometimes my decision-making for the week ahead.

I’m convinced I’ve been more generous, more forgiving, and more optimistic on a Monday morning because Matt Le Tissier scored an unbelievable goal on Saturday.

I may even have given pay rises to people who didn’t deserve them.

(I’m not saying it definitely happened… but I’m not denying it either.)

---

Why do we put ourselves through it?

Supporting a football team, especially one like Southampton, teaches you many things:

• Loyalty without guarantees
• Hope in the face of logic
• Acceptance of disappointment
• Occasional moments of pure, unfiltered joy (1976 FA Cup winners).

And those moments, make it all worthwhile.

A last-minute goal, a derby win, a season where everything clicks, a player who becomes a legend.

They stay with you far longer than the defeats.

---

Football, ageing, and perspective

As we get older, something changes, we still care deeply, but perhaps with more perspective.

We’ve seen relegations, promotions, heartbreak, miracles.

We’ve learned that football mirrors life:

• You don’t always get what you deserve
• The journey matters more than the result
• Loyalty doesn’t guarantee happiness, but it gives meaning

And yet… I still check the score far too often, still feel that lift or drop in the stomach.
I still let it influence my weekend mood, some habits die hard.

---

So… joy or punishment?

The honest answer?

Both,

Supporting Southampton FC has given me:

• Frustration
• Disappointment
• Questionable weekends

But it’s also given me:

• Shared experiences
• Family memories
• Stories
• Identity
• Belonging

And at this stage of life, that matters.

---

Final thought

Football isn’t just football,It’s memory, connection, routine, emotion.

And if occasionally it ruins your weekend, or improves your mood enough to hand out undeserved pay rises — so be it.

That’s part of the deal.