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Girdz - the narrow line between the extremes - being a troll or a fanboy - is difficult to traverse. My antipathy towards you is based in the fact you always try to score points and make it personal - as you have just amply demonstrated - again. I think what is necessary now are changes to allow for business survival. Nick Hargrave's criticisms are valid - additional scrutiny of BoD decisions and unsupportable costs is essential - if his introduction delivers this, more power to his elbow. Better management & cost control may allow Bids to weather this storm until the market for IGA is sufficiently robust and mature to deliver a profitable business - odds are now stacking against it but stating the obvious - if Bids goes down, the biggest individual loser will be James Draper - inexperience, incompetence, bad luck, bad choices, bad timing, poor support - take your pick - I am not blind to his limitations but I have never doubted his motivation or drive to make the company succeed - if that's defending him, so be it...
Fildz..a vocal critic of the BoD - based on cost : value & results to date - https://mhmembers.com/why-is-the-bidstack-board-being-allowed-to-continue-destroying-shareholder-value/
Lot of common sense being shared today...JD needs to slash his salary if he is going to have any credibility in trying to carve a 40% reduction in costs - part of leadership from the front. WWK's comment on share options is right on the money..be seen to share the risk with the holders vs milking the cow until it's dry. Mr. Draper won't go unless he's pushed or bought out...don't see a queue for the latter and I'm unsure if anyone else who could do better, would join up..the NED's should have provided the advice & experience needed - if not, they should go. The Azerion fiasco seems to have been a self inflicted blow, with the hope the US team would add more than what was lost - risky at best, and on examination of the sp, a bad decision so far - though Azerion appear to be culpable in part. Opinion? There's money to be made in volatility and at the prices currently available, I'm sure some will dabble - for me, it's the usual - bottom drawer and leave it...it'll either fold or flourish, but no chance I'll be adding unless there is clear evidence of company restructuring and improved revenues/ outlook. GLA particularly the LTH's
I respect your right to disagree - however contractual disputes of this nature often boil down to whether both parties are able to deliver. Recent legal precedent ( Scottish government vs BP, I think) showed that the contract terms were not enforcable because one party (BP) were not able to meet the expectations of the other party - the verdict fell on the side of BP - as commercial freedom seems to be the over-riding principle. Bidstack have delivered - business was growing month on month - if Azerion play the exclusivity card, then they must be able to fulfil the responsibility. Regarding your demand I stop twisting things - I must remind you again that you don't run the board or have any other worldly insight to the runnings of Bidstack. I post when I feel I have a view that's worth sharing..I'm sure many on this board wish you would apply the same restraint.
Bidstack is going to court because Azerion have not paid for their services - there is no dispute here. The disagreement hinges on the Azerion's ability to deliver the contract - not Bidstacks. Azerion may claim they had exclusivity - but, like Trotters Independent Trading...New York, Paris, Peckham...the fact remains they are principally a European organisation - their aspirations don't transfer into ability to deliver the sales figures a global organisation could offer - if the contract is undeliverable or beyond their capacity, then there is no contract....just my opinion, but in the absence of a better one?....Bidstack have done the right thing bringing this to a head now and installing their own competent and proven sales team...JD is proving to be a quick learner and made some ruthless decisions - sacking the US in house team, FP...it bodes well.
Who sues who is important because It defines who is the injured party in the eyes of the court. Azerion must defend their position - non-payment can only be a stop gap as they will need to pay for what they used, at least in part, if the verdict goes with them, assuming negotiation between the parties cannot be concluded equitably. To-date, Azerion have not counter-sued, and it seems likely this is because they have weak grounds or don't have the stomach for the legal bills associated with the defence - their sp has been diving since a recent acquisition and the market is watching with interest to see how they manage the company and this fiasco. The deramper narrative seems to focus on Bidstack's failure to adhere to the T&C's - but the fact they have sued clearly implies that their legal team believe it is Azerion who have broken the contract. Azerion have not come out of this in a credible light; Bidstack already had staff in North America at the time of the contract being signed - it beggars belief that any contract would not obligate Bidstack to close down future non-UK sales if Azerion had world exclusive rights to sell on Bidstack services. My view aligns with the cooler heads on here -The Publican777 has made a series of balanced and sensible posts suggesting this will be resolved and business will move to Bidstack over the longer term. The comments are AIM risk aware, free of personal abuse and should be a paradigm for how the board should work..I'm not holding my breath. GLALTH's
under Share Discussion for bidstack Group...third tab...filters..enter nickname and all repetitive tripe will be removed..apply liberally. GLATHT's...
Hi gspanner - absolutely - the paper thin difference between success and failure....
StanAccy - 'YET'...the word you missed out. ThePublican777 has given you the perfect response - it's a sound and established business process - no achievement, no confetti...as for the lifestyle jibe...maybe your group could muster up for a new scriptwriter?
Well argued Girdz - an object lesson in your style, ignore the explicit context and refocus on the negative narrative - without doubt, you are the only poster worth reading...and BTW, somebody did demand that itemised contract information should be published. I don't say we should accept an information vacuum - but be realistic in what we expect and be cognisant of the probability it won't be delivered...YMMV
Think you have missed the point, Girdz - the transparency you claim to want is concerned with forecasts that have a high level or uncertainty and risk associated with them - bordering on speculation. You, among a few others on this board, have resorted to calling out JD and the BoD for failing to achieve forecasts and villifying them for it...lyin' draper, some going as far as suggesting criminality and deliberate manipulation and deceit. When I set budgets in a growing but established business, I could forecast with a high degree of certainty - even then, sh*t happened. As investors, we need to approach Bids, and AIM start-ups in general, realising that a three to five year forecast is likely to be a work of fiction and guesswork. You home in on the recruitment ad - it appears to be have been a mistake - it was rectified quickly and did not originate from Bids directly...so why try to make Bids responsible? Azerion is similar - a disagreement between a customer and a supplier is not grounds for an RNS - there was no failure to deliver from Bids, no grounds for termination - again, if I had been JD, I'd have treated it exactly in the same way - seek resolution privately - his job is to maximise returns, not spook the market. You write that you could go on....and you do, with predictable content and regularity, so I put it to you, investor relations is a two way street - we have freely chosen, without duress and with diligent research done(?!) , to invest in Bidstack - a promising start up with huge potential. Expecting the same level of information and accuracy from Bids as say WPP is unrealistic - If you don't trust the company, you can always crystallise your profit/loss and reinvest elsewhere - 'cos Draper is not going and the repetitive whinging and laughable threats ( I'll never invest while he is CEO - howling!!) are just so much waffle.
Morning all, interesting RNS. Setting aside the usual critics who will point to 'lifestyle' company and McLarens - this is a clear indication of BIDS determination to expand the North American market. The mode of motivation is all in the name - Long Term Incentive Plan, LTIP - Revenue targets have been set and the level of reward directly linked with the degree of success. Failure to achieve defined revenues streams results in nada...a cost effective means of remuneration, as it comes from new business. All on this board will agree BIDS is now entering big boy pants phase - test spends are over, some big names have come into the frame - now, the biggest question is whether IGA will mature and be universally adopted by games developers to monetise their products. I don't care if it's AAA, AA, indy, PC, PS5, Xbox or mobile - and the BOD's strategy has changed over time to focus on making the toolkit accessible over all platforms and market segments - AAA is a red herring - the most successful games are generating cash from in game purchases and online activities...we will never see BIDS in the Witcher but GTA VI would be an ideal candidate - no rumour BTW, just an example. A lot has been said - in the interests of balance - about fitness for the BOD roles and transparency...so my tuppence worth. Draper is an entreprenuer and his package reflects this; nobody is born a CEO/MD - unless you happen to be taking over the family business - so learning on the job is both expected and necessary. Without doubt, JD has made some whoppers - overstating BIDS uptake time to profitability / money while you sleep, and being manipulated by people who make money through influencing the market - his more taciturn approach now shows that lesson has been taken on board. Calling for him to be replaced is bonkers - so for all those demanding his head - put yourself into his shoes for a moment - would you walk away from a business you had grown from an idea because some shareholders don't like you - or worse, people who are not shareholders don't like you? Regarding transparency, would you intemise the sales volume of your supply contracts, giving details of the costs and profit generated from each? It's like inviting your competitors to your board meetings to take notes, and likely to irritate customers. Call it any way you want - point of inflection, make or break - we are now in this phase. My "balanced" view is this is not a done deal - if the US / Asian drive doesn't work, then we can probably forget the Bahamas and start booking Helx's caravan - but the signs are good, the market is open to this form of monetisation - it's been shown to work on a technical and marketing level - it's effective and unobtrusive...all BIDS need to do is substitute ****wasser with B*dweiser...Good luck to all investors - and sincere thanks to all those who are not invested for devoting so much of their free time
Afternoon Bids holders, couple of RNS's and no significant share price movement - is this a catastrophe? Probably not, but expectations regarding profitability and possible future fund raises need taken in context. All the professional, sensible and balanced analyses - i.e. the one's that don't rely of calling JD lyin' draper - point out that the company is forecast to grow itro 80+% next year, will not to go into profit until at least 2024, and have cash reserves for another 10- 12 months...maybe more if the TU shows good revenue figures. Bidstack has been hyped once (at least) so the sp will rise on business won turning into significantly increased revenue - and fly once the cost of business become less than turnover. All this can turn on a sixpence - one sniff of a takeover, the game changes immediately. Every indicator points to market growth and increased spend for Bids...patience is still needed. GLALTH's and remain sceptical of people who claim they are looking out for your best interests on AIM....you know who they are.
The integration of Bidstack SDK into Unity LTS and Techstream is good news. These versions of Unity are stable and in long term support, so developers can have confidence in bringing new games to this cross platform engine. It works well with Bidstacks ambitions for mobile gaming service and product placement, and the monetisation through Bids SDK will be attractive for IOS and Android developers.
Certainly not today, but tomorrow will come
https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/3d/bidstack-in-game-advertising-serving-player-experiences-on-mobil-233179
Evening H2 and TV...had an email from the FCA consumer complaints. They can't deal with the complaint as Sharepr*phets is a website, and not regulated or approved, but they felt the market abuse team would be able to investigate. It's worthy of note that our illustrious tipster and seer publishes the following in his sharepr*phets T&C's
SharePr*phets.com makes no representations or warranties in relation to this website or the information and materials provided on this website. Without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing paragraph, SharePr*phets.com does not warrant that: this website will be constantly available, or available at all; or the information on this website is complete, true, accurate or non-misleading.
So, even he recognises that his grasp on the truth is frequently tenuous and quite likely to slide into fabrication....£6.99 per month saved...
Ah, Girdz, a monkey appears....your flea asked about successful prosecutions - the article provided talks about the high profile cases that have been publicised - money laundering, tax evasion, etc. The powers of the FCA are far reaching and identifying winnifrith as a market manipulator vs a genuine journalist more than justifies making a complaint...now I hear the organ grinder calling...off you go!
As ever, waddaweknow, you miss the point - if the FCA find something worthy of a prosecution or censure, that's a bonus...what is of real value is that the snake behind much of the malicious PR put out against Bids is given a higher profile - not just through his tame trolls on here - many new PI's will not be aware of the allegations made about talking down Bids to favour a rival company and how there was threats of lawyers and dire warnings - which all came to nothing AFAIK. To answer your question, read it yourself - I prefer to aim at the organ grinder, not a flea on the monkey's back...
https://www.hickmanandrose.co.uk/the-fcas-criminal-and-civil-powers-to-combat-money-laundering/
Afternoon all - I received a response to my complaint ( cheers for the template Helx2) about the conduct of our our group trolls boss, TW. This has been redirected to the team that deals with complaints from the general public - the whistle email is for employees who want to share malpractive from within the company. For those who want to complain, the email is as follows consumer*queries@fca*org*uk - with dots, not asterisks.
I note with some satisfaction that we are on the rise again, following strong support from independent investors - maybe Helx1 should reconsider the caravan and invest in a static - after all, his position never seems to change...GLALTH's
Cheers Helx2 & Tradevol - glad I could be of some value. I agree 100% with sending the excellent template provided to the FCA and encourage every shareholder on the board to use this avenue to highlight the hatchet job winnifrith has been conducting - he has been employing his proxies recently but this is the first time he's put his head over the parapet for a while- it would be churlish of us not to give it a bloody nose while it's there. SD
Morning all..quite a few on the board don't know who winnifrith is and his long term animosity towards Bidstack. The posters here who accuse JD of sharp dealing, criminality and gross incompetence all seem to follow the words of TW as gospel - and have been fingerpointing in every direction away from the simple fact that he knowingly published a private email that would seriously impact the share price - which I note had begun to move into the +3p range yesterday - and significantly elaborated ( lied?) about the background of the dispute to paint Bids in a bad light. Mr Winnifith hides behind the guise of 'journalist' so will no doubt decline to identify his source - but his journalism is on par with" Freddy Starr ate my hamster"...he makes a living by sharing his insights behind a paywall - a far cry from his heady days as a CEO and TV financial 'expert'. I applaud the efforts of Helx2, Tradevol, Jab, and Bottmz +others to bring this guy to book through the FCA, but this is the bread and butter of AIM..rumour, manipulation, FUD and predation. Azerion seem to have made a strategic miscalculation regarding Bids ambitions and the practical steps taken to cement the company as a global leader by expansion in the US and Far Eastern markets - if the contract is 'tarnished', it's because of Azerion's actions - Bids have delivered on the deal and it's been pointed out that this month has generated the biggest return to date.
For more info on winnifith, there is an excellent summation available - it good to have friends, but it's essential to know your enemy. GLALTH's
https://sharetipstersuncovered.wordpress.com/2015/01/06/rivington-street-holdings-bedroom-fantasy-to-corporate-catastrophe/