Each week Bath Business News gives a prominent member of the area’s business community the last word on its weekly e-bulletin.
This week Simon Barbato, CEO of creative agency Mr B & Friends, answers our 10 questions.
What was the LAST: 
Film you watched? American Hustle. It was on my list for ages and finally sat down to watch it on Sky Movies. Clever, entertaining film – Jennifer Lawrence was fantastic!
Book you read? I generally only ready autobiographies, and my last one was Undisputed Truth: Mike Tyson. A very, very dark insight into his life told in an incredibly honest way. However, one passage really resonated with me. His early mentor, trainer and spiritual guide Cus D’Amato told Tyson: “Your imagination is giving your opponents capabilities they do not possess.” I reflected on that and really believe that whatever we want to achieve in life, in business and in relationships, we should do it without doubt, without fear or without any feeling of inferiority.
Music you bought? I don’t buy music anymore, I rent it via Spotify. I put together a play list of some old-school tunes the other day and came across It Must Be Love by Madness. Forgot how much I loved that song when I was growing up.
Concert you went to? That would be The Killers at Wembley Stadium last year. It was absolutely brilliant and Brandon Flowers has such amazing charisma as well as a fantastic voice for large scale gigs.
Sporting event you attended? I’m a huge Man City supporter and have been since the 1980s and I try to get to The Etihad when I can. But the last big scale event was England v Wales at Twickenham earlier this year. Of course England won but the atmosphere was absolutely electric.
Holiday you went on? I’ve been really lucky this summer to have some wonderful holidays this year (it doesn’t always happen!). I went to Lesport in St Lucia earlier in the summer and later Ibiza with my two young sons. Just fantastic!
Restaurant you ate in? I eat out frequently – some meals are more memorable than others. One very memorable meal was at Menu Gordon Jones. Spectacular food. However, I’m keen to try out Cowshed and Blunos as soon as possible.
Thing that annoyed you? I try to not get too annoyed about anything, but one thing that’s sure to get me wound up is when it’s almost impossible to get a phone signal on EE. This I’m afraid is a pretty common occurrence. Everything Everywhere? Nothing Nowhere would be more apt sometimes!
Thing that made you laugh out loud? This had me in hysterics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Fe30WINlTg
Piece of good advice you were given? Our behaviours in life reflect two things: what we want, and what’s expected of us. Seems quite a simple way to think about things, but I really like succinct philosophies.
Simon Barbato founded Mr B & Friends in 2006 after a successful career in a number of high-profile London creative agencies. He recently launched CXCo, a specialist customer experience consultancy that is designed to help clients to ‘love their customers’.
