It may come as no great surprise that China, a country where drinking tea is considered to be a form of art, boasts with having the world’s most expensive tea. The club of those fortunate [...]

The right tone should help you connect with the customer on an emotional level, build a relationship of trust and make them desirous of your product or service. The key to the right luxury brand [...]

Today the world’s three most expensive spices are Saffron, Vanilla and Mahlab. The rarity of spices meant that in times past, it was also used for trading as a form of money. Spices has been, [...]

Studies have observed that certain stimuli produce learned responses from us on the basis of our associations. Eliciting favourable responses from consumers through associative learning has revolutionized marketing. Classical conditioning or Pavlovian conditioning refers to [...]

Negotiations are not only important in the world of business or politics, but is also integral to our social and family life. Negotiation entails choosing the path of words – as opposed to violence - [...]

Having the right sound and message is as important as ever in terms of standing out from the crowd. In luxury, both a fresh and simultaneously mature brand voice will go a long way. In [...]

Virtual business meetings have now already become a well-established new normal. digital meetings pose a number of technical difficulties that meeting in person doesn’t – difficulties often beyond your control. The global Covid-19 pandemic has [...]

In the post-Covid world, Cape Town should naturally rank high on the list of any international tourist. Decrease in the number of new Covid cases over the past couple of months has led to the [...]

Maharaja Bhupinder Singh is perhaps best remembered around the world as a symbol of luxury. The epitome of his legacy of luxury was undoubtedly his possession of the world-famous Patiala Necklace. Bhupinder Singh (1891-1938) is [...]

Confirmation bias occurs whenever we allow prejudices or biases to hinder our ability to thoroughly research or investigate any given subject or event. In order to overcome confirmation bias, it is important never to get [...]

Business Etiquette is not only about smoothing out interaction with others, but also positively building up your own image and business persona. One of the lamentable strategies often used by competitors at the workplace or [...]

most of us can be perceived as being a “difficult person” in a given setting. It is the emotions of frustration, anger or confusion that lie at the heart of difficult behaviour, rather than the [...]

China has, in fact, turned the misfortune of the global pandemic into an economic opportunity. China’s emergence as the world’s leading post-Covid luxury market, will enable the path to the luxury market’s complete global recovery. [...]

Most of history’s biggest Jewellery heists actually happened very recently – in this century, in fact. One of the biggest jewellery heists happened as recently as 2019. Most of history’s biggest Jewellery heists actually happened [...]

The primary difference between transformational leadership and servant leadership is the focus of the leader. the specific model or style of leadership alone is insufficient to make a great leader. Although different, both servant leadership [...]

This dynamic yet tranquil little city has an immensely rich history. The tremendous historical Jewish presence and influence in the city has also earned it the name “Jerusalem of the North”. Vilnius, the beautiful capital [...]

South Pacific, home to places like Bora Bora, Fiji and the Cook Islands, offers some of the most perfect destinations for a exclusive tropical escape. It is the exclusivity and secludedness of many of its [...]

World’s most expensive hotels simply aren’t necessarily the most luxurious. The key to and the very heart of luxury has always been exclusivity. Grading and comparing the world’s most luxurious hotels can be both daunting [...]

Digital Marketing in the luxury industry has never been as important as it is today. Being relevant and informative to your exclusive target group are central to digital marketing strategies aimed at HNWIs. Effective communication [...]

change is life’s only constant The magic of change lies in the hope it can bring in the midst of challenging times. The ancient Athenian philosopher Heraclitus famously stated that “change is life’s only constant”. [...]

India will be able to boast with 50 more billionaires by 2025. India’s share of the global UHNWI population is expected to almost double from 1% to almost 2% India has seen its number of [...]

Cape Town is poised to have the healthiest and most prosperous Luxury Property Market in the world in 2021 there has most probably never been a better time to invest in a luxury seaside property [...]

Federer has managed to become not only the wealthiest person associated with the sport, but also its most valuable asset. Federer’s greatest source of income is actually his associations and partnerships with luxury brands Classic, [...]

The idea of cruising for leisure only became a reality in 1822 in 1906 the number of cruise liners had increased to seven. As opposed to air travel, which is a very recent phenomenon, sea [...]

Which are the best cities for high net worth individuals? London’s streets are paved with gold The American author Dorothy Parker once noted: “London is satisfied, Paris is resigned, but New York is always hopeful.” [...]

Voice is an important mediator of how we perceive people Accent perceived as unconventional can impact the way people treat you Voice is an important mediator of how we perceive people. The way someone talks [...]

you should really only consider luxury investments once you are an advanced investor. The Right Expertise Investing in luxury assets and brands requires a set of skills, mindset and the kind of knowledge that makes [...]

The Historical Origins of some common Rules of Etiquette Bless you! A command from the pope Established rules of etiquette are more often than not simply taken for granted within society. And despite what some [...]

Egypts last queen cleopatra: icon of luxury The last Egyptian pharaoh, Cleopatra, often affectionately called “Egypt’s last queen”, has been immortalized by the many historians, novelists and movie directors who have been enchanted by this [...]

Fat Cat or born with a silver spoon? what the Fat Cat wants As speakers of English, we are blessed to be able to employ a number of creative phrases, some of which are commonly [...]

The diamond myth de beers and the diamond The history of the engagement ring can be traced back to ancient Rome. Roman women generally received two rings once they got engaged, one made of iron [...]

A brief history of etiquette The etiquette of King Louis Unlike manners, the history of which can be traced back to prehistorical times, the idea of etiquette finds its origins among the nobles in early [...]

The reluctant leader Barack Obama 44th President Of all modern political figures, Barack Obama is the one that is most often cited as being a reluctant leader. Obama’s journey [...]

Decoding British Politeness British Manners For a British person, the Twitter account of Very British Problems can be at once entertaining and mortifying. Entertaining, as they manage to nail [...]

The Art of Flattery - are you doing it right? how do you go from a seemingly off the cuff pleasant comment to persuasion? And if it’s so useful, how do [...]

Combatting negativity in the workplace Workplace Negativity The Negative Individual Sportsman John Brodie said: “There are certain times when an entire team will leap up a few [...]

National Hug Your Boss Day National Hug Your Boss Day Jurgen Klopp is a fan, so is Barack Obama, whilst Ken Nwadike thinks they are so powerful that he created [...]

Are you an Introvert, Extrovert or Ambivert? Introvert, extrovert, ambivert Our world favours extroverts, says author Susan Cain. Cain suggests we are conditioned from a young age to see introvert characteristics [...]

5 Tips for Closing a Sale The Journey I have completed, and sometimes endured, a wealth of training courses to enhance my sales abilities and develop my awareness of a client’s [...]

 George VI - The reluctant leader King George VI Always destined for greatness He was a natural leader, always destined for greatness. These are platitudes often heaped upon [...]

Radical Candour Telling it like it is... If you pride yourself on your care and consideration for colleagues and your ability to sidestep potential conflict, you might smugly consider yourself to be doing rather well. [...]

International Business Etiquette - Asia Etiquette in Asia Business etiquette is concerned with socially acceptable ways of behaving in a professional environment, and is so intrinsically linked to our culture that it’s probably something that [...]

Beat your public speaking demons A fate worse than death When academic Wallechinsky found that 42% of respondents had a fear of public speaking versus 19% that feared death, it only made us worry about [...]

Politician series: Theresa May It can’t be easy to be Theresa May. The comparisons to Thatcher, the near obsession with her shoe collection rather than her policies and the famous “bloody difficult” aspersions to name [...]

The new business buzzword: Servitization   Servitization is the moniker of choice in the UK and US for the focus on service in developed economies, and the theory is simple enough. Move from selling goods [...]

So um it begins like this   "You sound stupid" Sheryl Sandberg once told an employee that she sounded “stupid” when she said ‘um’ a lot during a presentation. The employee, Kim Scott, took this [...]

Developing your business.  Part III: Production   There are a number of routes you can take to develop your business, the correct one(s) will of course depend upon the unique characteristics of your business, market [...]

Developing your business. Part II: Product/service development   For business development to be successful we need to be clear about what it is, namely a consistent, considered approach to improving business growth through profits, product/service [...]

Developing your business.  Part One - Sales Business development is one of those terms that we all hear bandied about with reckless abandon but what does it actually mean? In real terms business development is [...]

You expect Me to serve You? Arrogance: a heightened sense of self-importance, overt pride and a behaviour of superiority over others. We might seek to avoid those we consider to be arrogant, but what if arrogance [...]

Are you from the dark side? Are you from the dark side? You have both light and dark personality traits If you’re a Star Wars fan you’ll no doubt be familiar with the [...]

Soft Skills Style Secrets: Greta Garbo We’ve looked at high profile names for whom the term ‘soft-skills’ could have been penned for but what about those in the limelight who struggle to reconcile the necessary [...]

Creating a professional image at work When ‘What to Wear at Work’ was sent to us from Jermyn Street shirt-maker T.M. Lewin, it got us thinking about a topic that is close to our hearts- creating [...]

4 ways of creating a happiness culture As in everyday culture, organisational culture is all about values. To a large extent, culture dictates what we think, how we are influenced by those around us and [...]

Well saved! 6 steps to service recovery Success as a business comes in your ability to provide first rate service, but what happens when something goes wrong? […]

Customer Service staff ‘getting their own back’ Have you travelled to America recently, or India? Ever wondered at the difference in the customer service offered in the host country to what you offer at home? [...]

Luxury is only luxury if… Dr. Yasmin Sekhon of the University of Southampton’s Winchester Luxury Research Group has undertaken a study (2015) looking at attitudes of second generation British Asian Indians towards luxury. We looked [...]

The 5 most difficult office archetypes. Let’s face it, we can all have an off day in the office. Maybe we’ve had a busy weekend, are feeling a little tired and grouchy, and have left [...]

Soft Skills Style Secrets:  Queen Elizabeth II On the 21st April 1926, our Queen, Elizabeth II was born. To celebrate Her Majesty’s 90th birthday, we look at The Queen’s soft skills style secrets. Elizabeth II [...]

Delivering luxurious customer experience Luxury exists in its own perfectly appointed bubble, a refined world set a little apart from the masses where buzzwords like engagement, sense of place, authentic experiences and customer honesty have [...]

Creating brand love There are different types of love each with its own characteristics, the love of a parent for a child, romantic love for a partner, even altruistic love and so too brand love [...]