The Touchwood Project

Mr. Calcifer Touchwood. That would be the name of my business if he (and for some reason, he’s definitely a “he”) were a person.

Let me explain. I came to this by reading the blog for social enterprises by Rob Greenland of Social Business Consulting, based in Leeds. Steadily working on the business plan, I thought it’d be fun to do some more thinking about how we want our guests to feel when they come to Touchwood, what kind of mood (or “brand” if you prefer).

Rob suggests in his post called Values that you imagine your business as a person. What would they be like? What tone of voice would they adopt?

Having been reading Harry: A History about the phenomenon of Harry Potter, I was reminded how important the feeling of magic and wonder is to me, and how much I’d love more than anything to give that to other people. So I decided Touchwood is a globe-trotting eccentric and entertaining uncle, the kind who send mysterious parcels from exotic locales.

Mr. Calcifer Touchwood is known far and wide as delightfully eccentric, full of goodwill and laughter, and always there to lend a helping hand. He invariably makes parents laugh and relax while somehow leading their kids off on a merry, adventurous expedition. Nothing ever seems to get him down for long, which isn’t to say he isn’t serious — he just never loses hope and an understanding that each of us has the power to make things better, to do something truly wonderful, even if we don’t know exactly how.

He’s Father Christmas, beguiling the younger kids — and many of the old too — with his sack of presents and smiles and wit. He’s someone I’d trust with my life, that I can always depend on to be there for me, but who most of all makes me laugh and reminds me to pay attention how wonderful the world really is.

It’s a fun exercise, and I look forward to doing again as Touchwood develops.

Tags: Marketing, social enterprise

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