I couldn’t tell you what we got him for his 50th birthday, or his 40th for that matter. There was probably a spirit level thrown in there somewhere. Perhaps a new drill. Some quality gardening gloves maybe. All instantly forgettable, and the reason we wanted to get this one right. So there we were. My brother went in first, carrying the guitar by its neck. I followed with the amp. It was our Dad’s 60th and we were determined that this time round we’d buy him a birthday present to remember. I think we did alright – he certainly seemed pretty chuffed. And I’m fairly sure that in the years to come, we’ll all be able to recall what we bought him when he hit six-and-o.

Mind you, our efforts – certainly on a financial level – pale into insignificance when compared to today’s celebs. Take Katy Perry, for example, who spent $200,000 on a birthday present for her beau. In exchange for this serious wedge, our Russ is booked onboard a Virgin Galactic flight into space. We’ve no idea when Mr Brand will be heading into the mesosphere, but as birthday present ideas go, it’s definitely memorable. Or how about husband and wife, Jay-Z and Beyonce Knowles? With earnings to make Perry and Brand look like Twist and Fagin, the R&B star forked out $2.6-million on a Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport for her rap-star hubby’s 41st. Yikes! It wasn’t even his 40th!

Okay, so it’d be a little ‘naive’ of us to assume you’ve got a spare few million down the back of the sofa. But that doesn’t mean to say you can’t buy friends and family some fantastic personalised birthday presents – I certainly remember getting a couple of things for my 18th that had been engraved on my behalf. So if you’ve found yourself wracking your brains for birthday present ideas, take a look through these suggestions. It might just give you that little spark you need…

For 18th and 21st birthday ideas, how about personalising a bottle of Champagne or vodka? You’ve got lots of label designs to pick from, all of which can be customised with their name and a message. It might be a gift that disappears rather sharpish, but keeping the bottle still makes for a great memento. Footie fans, meanwhile, provide no end of possibilities, with everything from personalised football books to spoof footie magazine covers. And as for the girls, you’ll find personalised charm bracelets, handbag mirrors, pampering days and everything in between.

Fast forward two or three decades, and both 40th and 50th birthday ideas are in no short supply either. If some gentle ribbing seems appropriate, you can’t go wrong with a spoof newspaper cover, whether you have them sweeping into Downing Street, being knighted or simply throwing the mother of all parties. And because they’re all produced in association with The Mirror, they really do look like the real McCoy. Failing that, other big hitters also tend to revolve around newspapers – only this time, real ones. There’s the option of buying an original newspaper from the day they were born, or buying one of the brilliant newspaper books that feature reprints from your chosen date, or dates. Trinkets, gift days and any number of other fun ideas complete the line-up.

And it doesn’t stop there. If you’re after inspiration for a 60th, 70th, 80th or any other birthday for that matter, simply get online and have a look round. Remember, everything can be personalised for that extra special touch.

In body language and negotiations, if you see someone displaying a fist, that’s the time to see opportunities. That’s true in any aspect of your life and even more so in a negotiation.

In a negotiation, when a negotiator displays a fist they’re displaying several hidden thoughts. They’re exhibiting signs of angst and/or possibly fear, along with a narrower mindset. It’s also a sign that the other negotiator wants to alter the current environment in ways that might not be overly pleasant for you.

In such situations don’t cower. Instead, display a sense of calmness, self-assuredness, and commitment. You might even consider matching the tonality of the other person or lowering your tone; one action versus the other would depend on the person displaying the gesture, your relationship with that person, and where you would like to take the negotiation next.

The point is, when you see a negotiator display a fist, understand the thought process that’s going through his mind. If you display weakness at such times, you could be inviting more of the fist displaying behavior.

When such a display is brandished, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Is this a ploy to see how I’ll react?
2. Is this an attempt to intimidate me?
3. If this is an attempt to intimidate me, how might I respond to display his lack of effectiveness?
4. What precipitated his behavior and is it founded?
5. Should I apologize for a perceived infraction and if I do what effect will that have on the negotiation?
6. What is he attempting to do with his fist gesture versus another gesture that might reveal his unhappiness?
7. Have I missed a gesture(s) that I should have been more aware of and if I did, what might it/they be?
8. Should I openly acknowledge his demeanor and what will that do to the negotiation?
9. How might I assuage his behavior while displaying empathy and not letting him take advantage of me?
10. What opportunities are now before me as the result of his current mindset?

When someone displays their fist, it’s usually a sign of aggression. Thus, you have to heighten your awareness to the factors mentioned above to assess why the display was made at this time and the effect that such a display has on the mental state of mind of that negotiator and the negotiation.

If you’re astutely attuned to such a gesture, you’ll realize that a mental shift has occurred. That shift can also give you an opportunity to control the negotiation. That’s true because at the point of the fist display, what you do after you see it will determine what occurs in the negotiation from that point.

So, in the future, when you see someone displaying a fist, don’t become afraid. Instead, consider what manner of control you’ll exercise to move the negotiation in the direction that serves your purpose. If done so masterfully, the other negotiator will apologize for his behavior. That will give you a greater sense of control because you’ll be in a position to be amicable by allowing him to amend his behavior via a concession or whatever serves you. For the time it last, he’ll be malleable. Use it to your advantage… and everything will be right with the world.

Remember, you’re always negotiating!

There will be at least two presentations you make to a Venture Capitalist. The first is the “elevator pitch” or rather the quick, get their attention and interest presentation that will lead to the sending of the full business plan, if all goes as planned. Then comes the “Get the Money” presentation.

A good bit of time needs to go into creating these presentations. Let us first discuss the “Get Their Attention” presentation.

At this point you have written your business plan and have pulled out the Executive Summary for sending out to the Venture Capitalists, etc. You then need to create a cover letter that will go with that Executive Summary outlining how much money you want, how you want to use it (remember, the Executive Summary, while it will have the financials that outline how the money will be used in a spreadsheet, does not necessarily do so) and what you would look for from the Venture Capitalist after the money. You also ask for a date to do discuss the Executive Summary and to pursue rather they are interested in going forward.

Once the Venture Capitalist accepts your Executive Summary and agrees to meet with you, you should have a presentation that is geared to that Venture Capitalist. This presentation should be from fifteen to twenty slides, and should cover an overview of your product(s), and be sure to show the proof of concept version of the product(s), a rough breakdown of your industry, the market, the competition, and your Executive Staff. You should know enough about the Venture Capitalist to know what the triggers are for this person to peek their interest. In most cases, you can figure this first presentation will be done in less than or about thirty minutes, and leave about five to ten of those minutes for Questions and Answers. You want to be sure to have on hard a copy of your full business plan, should they be interested in going forward to the next steps. Most will request a few days to review your presentation and look at other factors as well before committing to going forward or backing out.

The next presentation is often about one and a half hours to three hours long, depending how long the Venture Capitalist gives you. At this point your presentation will be from thirty to 50 slides, going over the same items as above, but in more detail, and paying strong attention on how the money is going to be spent, your production time line, and your key competition. It should track to the business plan you have already given the Venture Capitalist. Expect to spend at least thirty minutes and probably a lot more on questions from the Venture Capitalist. Be sure to close it off with asking for the money!