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Re: 2018 accounts and notice of AGM

Posted: Sun Dec 30 2018 4:24pm
by richard@imutual
As Kev says, there hasn't historically been much to cover at the AGM other than the mandatory announcement of the results. And as shareholders, you've already had the opportunity to ask me questions via the forum at any point during the year. But it does at least give you the opportunity of asking me a fiendishly-difficult question live "on-air" :eek:

The link for tonight's webcast is https://www.gotomeet.me/imutual2018

Next year, I'd hope to make it more of a significant event and also bring it forward to before Christmas. I'd welcome any suggestions for ideas that could be incorporated :thumbup:

Re: 2018 accounts and notice of AGM

Posted: Sun Dec 30 2018 6:13pm
by Boro Boy
Proposals/Any other business - to be raised by Chair at tonights 2018 AGM:
  • Congratulations to iMutual on achieving a trading profit; my assumption is with Richard now back in the driving seat this situation is one that we will only ever be on the boarder of achieving (at least in the short term) as we can now welcome monies that would have gone to profit now being allocated to development both in a technical manner and via expanding the membership base via advertising?
    May I propose that both these areas become matters for discussion and debate?
  • I am guessing this should come under any other business:
    Firstly congratulations for the migration of information onto the new server without much negative incident. My understanding is that prior to this move, mailing the whole share owning membership was fraught with problems which should now be remedied? If this is the case cannot the weekly newsletter be reinstated (perhaps initially on a monthly basis) additionally the yearly release of iMutual share certificates can now be more formalised with perhaps bi-annual dates set when contact with members is again made. Both these events perhaps are of little issue to the more “regulars” but to new members and less attached members in may draw them in to the general family and highlight the benefits in clear terms as opposed to the lack of contact they receive presently if they do not progress to the forums. The lack of contact with newly acquired members should be a matter of concern yet we have the ideal tools to take a step to rectify this – I hope you can accept and act upon my proposal?
  • I am guessing this should come under any other business:
    Again congratulations on the installation of the new server, apart from mailing I understand it can give a more stable base to advance the technology iMutual can access and draws in an element of “future proofing”; this and the recent announcement of a trading profit are a positive thing and we should all give congratulations but not just sit back at this point.
    I have often thought that a quantum leap is available to imutual if it was useable in a user-friendly manner on a mobile platform. The advantage of “being in the shop” feeling the material and hunting for discounts via iMutual on a smart phone at the same time opens up the market to a far more agile member and solidifies the existing membership. I propose this is one of the first areas of development that any trading profit should be allocated to! - I hope you can accept and act upon my proposal?

Re: 2018 accounts and notice of AGM

Posted: Sun Dec 30 2018 6:32pm
by Richard Frost
Can some attention be given to Reducing the list of merchants with extended transactions there are twelve with outstanding transaction of over 100 days and one with outstanding transactions of over 1300 days

broadbandchoices.co.uk 1 0.0% 145
Car Rentals 1 0.0% 106
Consumer Clampdown UK 26 0.0% 274
Emoov 1 0.0% 121
Global Market Insite 3 0.0% 578
Haven Holidays 2 0.0% 278
Lacoste UK 69 0.0% 143
Multiyork Furniture 1 0.0% 359
My Survey 18 0.0% 1319
One Family Junior ISA 1 0.0% 131
Petplan 3 0.0% 113
Simply Funeral Plans 1 0.0% 198

If these merchants are not going to pay can they please be zeroed on members accounts and removed from the list of outstanding merchants.

Re: 2018 accounts and notice of AGM

Posted: Sun Dec 30 2018 7:00pm
by BeautifulSunshine
I'm in.

Re: 2018 accounts and notice of AGM

Posted: Sun Dec 30 2018 7:03pm
by BeautifulSunshine
Sorry, but this web browser isn't supported yet.
Please join from Google Chrome.

Re: 2018 accounts and notice of AGM

Posted: Sun Dec 30 2018 7:07pm
by BeautifulSunshine
My question is quite simply, Richard:
On the 31st of December 2019, where do you see imutual?
I'll read the transcript later to see the answer.

That's me done, I'm off to watch some BluRay boxsets...

Re: 2018 accounts and notice of AGM

Posted: Sun Dec 30 2018 7:26pm
by Richard Frost
With only three members attending and 2 briefly looking in. I thought a pretty poor show. Democracy in action??

Only 18 people bothered to vote. Appalling state of affairs. Why do people not bother? Work should be done over the next year to encourage more people to take active participation.

Re: 2018 accounts and notice of AGM

Posted: Sun Dec 30 2018 8:57pm
by Boro Boy
Boro Boy wrote:
Sun Dec 30 2018 6:13pm
Proposals/Any other business - to be raised by Chair at tonights 2018 AGM:
  • Congratulations to iMutual on achieving a trading profit; my assumption is with Richard now back in the driving seat this situation is one that we will only ever be on the boarder of achieving (at least in the short term) as we can now welcome monies that would have gone to profit now being allocated to development both in a technical manner and via expanding the membership base via advertising?
    May I propose that both these areas become matters for discussion and debate?
  • I am guessing this should come under any other business:
    Firstly congratulations for the migration of information onto the new server without much negative incident. My understanding is that prior to this move, mailing the whole share owning membership was fraught with problems which should now be remedied? If this is the case cannot the weekly newsletter be reinstated (perhaps initially on a monthly basis) additionally the yearly release of iMutual share certificates can now be more formalised with perhaps bi-annual dates set when contact with members is again made. Both these events perhaps are of little issue to the more “regulars” but to new members and less attached members in may draw them in to the general family and highlight the benefits in clear terms as opposed to the lack of contact they receive presently if they do not progress to the forums. The lack of contact with newly acquired members should be a matter of concern yet we have the ideal tools to take a step to rectify this – I hope you can accept and act upon my proposal?
  • I am guessing this should come under any other business:
    Again congratulations on the installation of the new server, apart from mailing I understand it can give a more stable base to advance the technology iMutual can access and draws in an element of “future proofing”; this and the recent announcement of a trading profit are a positive thing and we should all give congratulations but not just sit back at this point.
    I have often thought that a quantum leap is available to imutual if it was useable in a user-friendly manner on a mobile platform. The advantage of “being in the shop” feeling the material and hunting for discounts via iMutual on a smart phone at the same time opens up the market to a far more agile member and solidifies the existing membership. I propose this is one of the first areas of development that any trading profit should be allocated to! - I hope you can accept and act upon my proposal?
Richard,

Great meeting, very enlightening and I for one think at least 2 meetings a year of this type, perhaps a "state of the company" meeting would be rewarding and a chance for feedback.

Having said that I have posted my questions again above as although they were partially answered, as you said in the meeting "long questions are difficult to read on the spot and react to" so perhps this is another opportunity to react here...?

Additionally and for the membership in general, dis anyone else experience problems connecting to the internet at the end of the meeting having attended the meeting by downloading the "go to meeting" software? I had to locate this download in "My Computer" and uninstall before things returned to some normality - hope this helps other members who are also still experiencing intermittent or slow internet connection after attending the on-line meeting.

Re: 2018 accounts and notice of AGM

Posted: Sun Dec 30 2018 10:18pm
by Boro Boy
Richard,

On issue you brought up at the AGM was the idea of an incentive to generate new membership.

Two points on this, firstly perhaps the incentive should be not only to generate new membership but (obviously via a different route) also to retain existing members; to these ends it would be interesting to see the existing retention figures on new members. The only way we can see them is the ones that raise their heads on the forums only to disappear quickly afterwards. As the site improves I'm sure new members are going to want to stay but surely contact and notification of offers at this stage may help; even the task of issuing the annual share certificate surely helps tie these new members in to some extent?

Secondly, an idea for generating business: if new members are to be raised via the existing members as opposed to any form of advertising might I suggest that apart from the existing 100 share incentive the introducing member get an additional percentage of the introduced members in say the first year...? Just a suggestion, I don't know what the costs of administration/software alteration would cost but in may certainly incentivise existing members.

Re: 2018 accounts and notice of AGM

Posted: Mon Dec 31 2018 8:31am
by expressman33
I tried to log on to the AGM but because I only have speakers and no microphone I kept getting error message " no microphone detected" so I could only get a picture and no sound