A summer of mass content

Last week, as I was sitting in my lounge watching the latest offering of the Rugby World Cup, the main question that I was battling with in my head, had nothing to do with whether or not I thought that the Italian prop, Andrea Lovotti, was harshly dealt with when he received a red card for the “tip-tackle” on his South African opponent. It was not even whether I thought that the Springboks winger, Cheslin Kolbe, would get into a current World XV. Both of these answers seemed to be far too obvious to spend any time really contemplating them. The question that was causing me such a mind battle, was whether or not I should put the heating on. In true British style, I was adamant that my hoodie, tracksuit and sports socks should be enough to keep me from the “cold” weather that had appeared on the landscape in the past couple of days. However, my determination to keep warm without the help of the central heating was down to one enduring, yet simple, thought in my mind. It was this, if I had put the heating on, then I had to admit to myself that the summer was finally over and winter was indeed on its way………

Let’s be clear though, this is nothing to do with me not liking Autumn. In fact, I actually love this season. It also had nothing to do my “northern” heritage of not putting the heating on until I really had to (or until I could not fit a third jumper over my first two). It was actually, that I was not yet ready to commit the memories of this past, amazing summer into the remnants of my latest memory bank. Summer 2019, was indeed, quite incredible. My “saudades” of leaving my Brazilian adventures, never really materialised, as they were fully suppressed by the amazing people and the fantastic opportunities that I encountered on my return to the UK.

Knowing that when I returned home, I wanted to set up a business that would help international students from around the world improve their educational journeys, I really could not have asked for more. My eyes have been opened to a plethora of experiences and suppliers (some good and some not so, but don’t worry, I am only working with the good ones) and I have been very lucky to have been introduced to a large number of amazing people who share my goal and vision. Whether it was David at Dusemond, Tony at Experio, his name sake at CMT Learning, or Adelle at Learn Away Tours, I have been blown away by the fantastic things that their own long running, well established companies have been doing to improve the lives and the academic potentials of students across the world. From my stays at Rugby school, my meetings at Clifton College or even my visit to Kenilworth (with Tim, who is a great bloke, who happened to have grown up in the neighbouring village to mine), I have realised that in spite of Brexit, the UK still has many wonderful institutions that people around the world just have to experience.

After meeting with and being offered some great support from these and a whole host of other really fantastic people, setting up the business has been pretty straight forward. I am now about to launch Keyhole International on the world. I never thought for one second that I would be any good at a sales role, but over the past 3-months, I have realised why. It was because I would find it very difficult to sell a product to someone if I did not, myself, really believe in the product that I was attempting to sell. With the birth of Keyhole International, I certainly do not have this concern. Keyhole International is not a new concept, but what is new is how we wish to build relationships with people, how we wish to give students the most contemporary advice possible and by following this process, make sure that students pick the educational experiences that are right for them. These experiences are surely picked for one reason and one reason alone, to allow the person to unlock their potential and move forward on their journey to becoming a truly global citizen.

So, as I sat back (with the heating on) and watched the final moments of a very one-sided rugby test match, I found my mind drifting again. This time though, it was not to the past memories of a glorious summer, it was to the future and towards the students and schools around the world that I want to engage with so that Keyhole International can help them forge a pathway that will ultimately lead them to their own version of greatness!!