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Accountants acquire new offices to accommodate growth
From left: Phaedra Elson, Lucy Hawkins, Anne Wordsworth, Amy Gould, Lucy Clayton Photo Credit: Annie Johnston Photography
Rugby-based accountants Cube Accounting has acquired new office premises to accommodate the growing needs of its business.
The small business started by Anne Wordsworth in 2013 is thriving and has seen a real period of growth leading up to and during the pandemic, which has resulted in this move. In addition, there is also a need to recruit two new team members to be able to confidently manage the increased number of new clients.
Anne Wordsworth, owner of Cube Accounting, said: “Since starting the business in 2013 and working from my home office, I quite quickly realised that there was a need for a plainspeaking accountancy service that offered a quality service at affordable prices. Small businesses owners in particular that outsource their finance requirements don’t want to be baffled by complicated terminology; they want a straightforward approach that they can understand and in turn better manage their business.
“For many business owners the pandemic has resulted in things slowing down and they have had time to review how they operate. Expensive retainer fees charged by some practices that offer little support in return for, in many cases, simply filing tax returns are no longer considered acceptable. Owners are looking for a more supportive service.”
The new premises in Davy Court, Castle Mound Way, Rugby are easily accessible by major road links, offer plenty of parking and can not only accommodate the existing team but are of a size that will meet the continued growth and space requirements predicted by the business over the next three to five years.
The move marks an important milestone for Cube Accounting and supports its commitment to staying in Rugby and serving the business community in Warwickshire and the wider Midlands area.
For more information visit www.cubeaccounting.co.uk
New technology is so exciting. Constant innovation and an upgrade culture have taken its grip. We subscribe to more things than ever before – movies and TV, music, storage, software, hardware and smart phone apps. Not only do we rent apartments, cars and our gym, we now pay an online rental for our daily life.
The latest solutions and introduction of high-tech products, superfast broadband and instant content communication is routine. We can look at the roll-out of social media and the change it has brought to marketing and communications and how content is delivered, we can look at latest innovations through automation, digitisation, 3D printing and industry 4.0. However, there is something missing. With clever innovation should come clever communications solutions, but companies forget this. Are things better or are they just quicker and cheaper? Products are now often almost instantly obsolete, only built to last a limited time, not a lifetime!
Customer support is more important then ever, especially with online purchases. We rely on the instruction manual but we also require a drip-feed of content to help us step-by-step. What is needed is excellent after-sales and customer service. These improved services will lead to more effective presales and improvement of our products.
What can make a difference?
Product life-cycle specialists now offer extremely cost-effective, clever and innovative e-commerce apps. For instance, Innovadome apps are based on various pre-built, customizable, AI modules, ready to inject into your new app.
The objective of this app is to simplify e-commerce development by adding ready-made modules such as registrations, warranty upgrades, a spare parts and accessories catalogue, product documentation, push notifications for content marketing and more.
Finally, we have something to match innovation, something that provides a connection directly to your customer’s back pocket!
Les Ratcliffe MBE TD DL MD at Community Engagement Limited
Nicky White
The Heart of England Co-operative Society has appointed Nicky White as human resources manager.
Aged 41, Nicky brings a wealth of experience to the position and will oversee the
Society appoints HR specialist
roles and responsibilities of the teams within the society’s human resources (HR), training and development and payroll departments.
After leaving school in Nuneaton she went straight into employment, working for Boots where she worked her way up, gaining experience in all areas of the business. She started on the shop floor and over a period of 16 years rose through the ranks, becoming store manager and area manager and also working in HR, learning and development and customer services.
Nicky went on to work for an occupational skin care and hand hygiene manufacturer, Deb, which later merged with household cleaning firm SC Johnson. After working in training and HR roles at the company, she spent a year as head of HR at Warwickshire College Group.
During her career and while raising her family, the mother-of-four also studied for a degree in HR and went on to complete a master’s degree in 2019.
Nicky said: “I was delighted to be offered the position at the Heart of England Cooperative Society as I’m of an age where I’m keen to work for a business that fits with my own values.
“Whilst customers and members come first, the society also operates a culture where its employees are valued. There is a community feel, a family feel, and it’s a business that has been able to enjoy continued growth by placing itself at the heart of its communities.”
Nicky said the events of the past year had prompted her to look at employee wellbeing as a priority, building on the society’s progress in this area to date. She is looking to implement an employee assistance programme and an annual wellbeing calendar that will address different topics each month through the company’s intranet.
Breathing new life into fight against COVID-19
Nobody could have predicted what 2020 had in store for us, with COVID-19 creating the largest global pandemic in living memory.
The sudden onset of the virus in so many countries put massive pressure on national health systems in every corner of the world and prompted many governments to explore new ways of treating huge volumes of patients outside of traditional hospitals.
In England, seven Nightingales were established to create additional capacity in areas that were under significant medical pressures and these impressive facilities were devised and built-in record time.
It quickly became apparent that the one thing COVID-19 patients relied heavily on for their care was oxygen and all of these temporary super hospitals needed to create a safe and secure supply.
Lawton Tubes’ reputation for supplying medical gas copper pipes saw it quickly approached by the government, NHS and healthcare providers to supply products that would safely transport oxygen to people who needed it most.
The family-run engineering company, a copper pipe manufacturer, was open throughout every stage of the pandemic. This meant that it was front and centre in the supply of these vital copper pipes to the Nightingale Hospitals and dozens of other locations across the UK, including nursing homes, pop-up clinics and existing hospitals.
Robert Lawton, business development director at Lawton Tubes, said: “I don’t think we’ve ever seen a period like we faced in March. Usual lead times were cut in half even to same-day deliveries, our stock make-up had to change beyond all recognition and staff were asked to work flat out, at weekends and during holidays.
“Thankfully, investment in technology and new equipment gave us the agility we needed and our manufacturing processes meant we could move people around the factory to get the most throughput.”
Lawton Tubes’ role in the pandemic wasn’t purely restricted to the UK. The firm’s pipes were supplied to 35 different countries including Ghana, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, United Arab Emirates and Vietnam.
IWS adapts to new flexible working
Integrity Wealth Solutions (IWS) has shown how being a forwardthinking financial advisory firm has helped it adapt to the restrictions of the COVID-19 pandemic.
When the first lockdown was announced in March 2020, managing director Martin Lindsey made the decision to allow all of his staff to work from home if they wanted to.
He said: “I felt the health and safety of our staff and clients was paramount, so we made the decision to close our office and introduce home-working. At that time, we had one person who continued to work in the office, keeping the IWS cog turning by handling all incoming and outgoing post – even collecting it each day from the sorting office during the first lockdown! The office team has since grown to four people and they share the day-to-day office jobs between them.”
The use of up-to-date technology has meant that the remaining staff are able to work effectively from home. IWS is making the most of Microsoft Teams and has been holding all staff and client meetings on Teams since lockdown began.
Director of operations Natalie Sheahan said: “We’ve been extremely lucky that we were already using systems that allowed us the flexibility to work from home effectively, meaning we could continue to conduct business as normal, just in a more technical and virtual way. Everyone has really embraced the changes but if clients have been unsure of video calls, we’ve still been able to have teleconferences with them.”
The flexibility of working from home and the processes that IWS has in place have encouraged Martin to reduce the company’s office space at Eliot Park Innovation Centre in Nuneaton.
He said: “With the introduction of home-working and hot-desking in the office, the last year has shown that we can be a more energyefficient company. Reducing the paper that we use means we need less storage space, which has meant we can reduce the size of our office.”
The Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce has welcomed Government plans to put the voice of business at the heart of decision-making when it comes to future skills policy.
The Government’s Skills for Jobs White Paper enshrines the Prime Minister’s new Lifetime Skills Guarantee, setting out a blueprint for a post-16 education system that aims to ensure everyone, can gain the skills they need to progress in work at any stage of their lives.
Business groups, including Chambers of Commerce, are being asked to work alongside colleges to develop skills plans to meet local training needs.
Louise Bennett, chief executive of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “We welcome this white paper from the Department for Education and its commitment to listen to the voice of business when it comes to future skills policy.
“Firms across our region and, indeed, all over the country are at the coalface on a day-to-day basis and have a clear understanding where there are skills shortages and what is needed to improve productivity.
The white paper includes plans to offer the chance for adults without a full level 3 qualification (A-level equivalent) to gain one from April 2021 for free in a range of sectors including engineering, health and accountancy.
Meanwhile, Skills Bootcamps - free, flexible courses of just 12-16 weeks - are giving adults the opportunity to build up sector-specifics kills and fast-track to an interview with a local employer.
A Lifelong Loan Entitlement will also make it easier for adults and young people to study more flexibly, which can be used over their lifetime and for modules of a course.
BCC Director General Adam Marshall said: “We welcome these ambitious plans to put the skills needs of businesses at the heart of the further education system. As local business leaders look to rebuild their firms and communities in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, it is essential to ensure that the right skills and training provision is in place to support growth.
“Chambers of Commerce can play a leading role in developing local skills plans that reflect the needs of employers in their areas, working closely with colleges, councils and other partners.
“Together, we can increase the focus on skills for the workplace - the digital, technical and broader skills that help businesses grow, succeed and create good jobs.
Hospice launches Pay for a Day campaign
The UK’s only baby-specific hospice is calling on West Midlands businesses to get involved in its Pay for a Day scheme.
Zoë’s Place Baby Hospice is launching the scheme at its Coventry hospice, which is encouraging organisations in the West Midlands and across the UK to pledge to pay for a day of care, which currently costs the hospice £3,300.
The campaign comes during the Coventry hospice’s tenth year anniversary, which the charity will be celebrating with a series of events and initiatives.
The charity is aiming to secure 100 pledges from organisations by June which, when combined, would fund at least one hundred days of care to the children it looks after throughout 2021 and beyond.
Each organisation that gets involved will be able to pay for as many days of care as they wish, whilst having the option to choose the specific day(s) they would like their care to be provided, availability depending.
Once a pledge has been made, the participating organisations will receive a tour of the hospice on the day for which they have donated care, a certificate acknowledging their pledge and a chance to leave a message to the families the charity cares for in a dedicated guest book. They will also benefit from regional and national publicity opportunities; receive mentions on the charity’s social media accounts and will be featured on the Zoë’s Place website.
Zoë’s Place Baby Hospice operates three hospices in Coventry, Liverpool and Middlesbrough, and provides palliative, respite and end-of-life care to babies and infants suffering from life-threatening and life-limiting conditions – in addition to offering support to their families. Ian Carr, head of fundraising at Zoë’s Place Baby Hospice, said: “By pledging to pay for a day of care, businesses will not only be helping the charity to achieve its mission, but also give their own employees something meaningful and exciting to be involved in at a time where motivation, engagement and excitement may be lacking.”
Manufacturer sets sights on growth
Kevin Duffy (left) with Chamber president Tom Mongan
A Coventry manufacturing business has its sights set on growth after facing an uncertain future.
Based on Alderman’s Green Industrial Estate, MPL Fabrications is a light sheet metal company working in a range of sectors, making parts for lifts and working on bespoke prototype projects for the Ministry of Defence (MOD).
The company, which employs 15 staff, is run by director Kevin Duffy who has kept the business going as a legacy to his father-in-law, Roy Hill, who started the business 35 years ago but passed away eight years ago.
His successor died last year, leaving Kevin, who had taken early retirement from Jaguar Land Rover, to manage the company.
Kevin said: “We are a highend fabrications business – working on everything from one-off prototypes through to batch runs of a few thousand for smaller products such as hinges.
“My father-in-law started the company 35 years ago, initially running it as a one-person business but gradually he started to employ people. We’ve got five or six staff for whom this has been their only job, including one who started as an apprentice and is now our production manager.
Kevin signed the company up to membership of the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, which is supporting MPL Fabrications in a range of ways to help it achieve growth.
It has put him in contact with a digital marketing company to help grow its customer base with a new brochure and marketing strategy. The Chamber is also assisting with grant funding to improve the firm’s website.
On top of that, the MPL Fabrications team is gaining access to Chamber masterclasses and Kevin is receiving advice from Chamber president Tom Mongan.
New business gets off to great start after help from the Chamber
An automotive and engineering specialist in the world of sales, supply chain management and brand support which launched during the coronavirus pandemic is already seeing huge success.
CRMi officially launched in Stratford-upon-Avon in September 2020 with support from the start-up team at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce. Already the business is looking to expand and take on more clients.
The company, which has more than 45 years’ experience with niche automotive clients, offers a bespoke service with connections and understanding of automotive, aerospace and rail throughout the UK, Europe, USA and Asia Pacific.
It offers technical sales and growth strategy support, buying and sourcing services for companies looking to expand or optimise their manufacturing supply chain, and independent STA services – a rapid, specialist resource support for key business functions in the pursuit of growth.
Sam Jeffreys, CRMi business director, said: “With two years of careful planning, we have created a firm with a laser focus that can help companies to thrive. We are very much filling a gap in the market place, which is why we generated so much interest from the beginning.
Sam, who is an ex-Tata employee, was provided with start-up support from Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, via the CW Business: Start, Grow and Scale Programme, part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, Warwickshire County Council and the district & borough councils.
The Chamber has a range of start-up workshops to support people to build sustainable businesses. For more information or to book, visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/coventry-and-warwickshire-chamber-of-commerce-start-up-support-11874476531
Online agency opens virtual pub for local firms
Warwick-based digital marketing firm Spaghetti Agency is encouraging local businesses to stay visible and connected during lockdown.
The agency is offering free daily training and tips in its supportive online Facebook Group, Spaghetti Besties. The company has also set up a virtual pub on a new piece of software so members of the community can meet online every Friday afternoon to chat and informally network without leaving their homes.
Anyone in business is welcome to join; whether employed, selfemployed or a company director.
Co-director Jo Ciriani said: “Many of the people in businesses we speak to are feeling exhausted, as well as anxious about the future. We’re trying to encourage people to make the most of their online presence and come out stronger when things open up.”
Co-director and partner Graham Todd added: “Online marketing, including social media, gives businesses the chance to carry on trading. Don’t stop marketing now because what you do online now will be remembered for months to come. We’re here to offer our support with free advice and free networking in our online community.”
Specialising in online marketing, content writing and training/ speaking, Spaghetti Agency has grown from two employees with no funding to a team of talented locals who are currently working remotely.
To find out more, visit www.spaghettiagency.co.uk
The insolvency industry must be busy… • businesses shut • staff furloughed • unemployed highest since 2014 and forecast to peak at almost 8% later this year • huge national debt • Brexit disruption …not so.
Insolvency, you must be busy…
Government continues to financially support the majority of those businesses in need. We’ve had grants, loans, rate reliefs, tax deferment plans, the list goes on.
As well as financial support, various legislation has been introduced to stop companies being wound up, to stop landlords evicting both commercial and residential tenants and to prevent directors from being prosecuted for wrongful trading thereby allowing companies to trade on for longer than they might otherwise have done.
The combination of the above financial and legislative reliefs has meant that, thankfully, there hasn’t been the tsunami of insolvencies that some were predicting.
The level of formal insolvency work likely to arise all depends upon how we exit the restrictions imposed, what continued support is available and how businesses plan for the exit.
At the time of writing the government announced it intends to extend the power granted through the Corporate Governance and Insolvency Act to make temporary amendments to the corporate insolvency legislation for an additional year until April 2022.
To ensure that your clients don’t become one of the next insolvency statistics please ensure that they seek advice early, plan and consider their options.
For a free and confidential initial discussion please contact John Rimmer or any member of the BRI Business Recovery and Insolvency management team on 02476 226839 or email jrimmer@briuk.co.uk
New venture launched to help remember loved ones
A unique way to honour lost loved ones has been created by a South Warwickshire businesswoman with the launch of a new venture.
Spiritual Designs aims to design unique handpainted memorials to celebrate the lives of people and animals who have passed away.
The company was launched by Ruth Davies in September with support from the start-up team at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce.
The support came via the CW Business: Start, Grow and Scale Programme, part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, Warwickshire County Council and the district and borough councils.
Based in Southam, Ruth has ten years’ experience in the creative backgrounds of fine art, graphic design, videography and photography. After experiencing loss herself, she decided to use her artistic skills in a meaningful way and so launched Spiritual Designs.
She said: “What I do is something completely different and unique. After doing research, I found that there are no services out there like this.
Ruth worked with the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce to help launch her business. She came across the organisation when she went freelance as a graphic designer.
She added: “I worked very closely with the Chamber to make sure that we got everything right and I could not be happier with the help, advice and support that I got. The team have been so amazing and supportive.”
Ruth Davies who has created Spiritual Designs in some of her work
The Warwickshire tech company helping SMEs take a step up in financial management
When it comes to business success, financial management is something organisations of all sizes must get right. With a wealth of digital platforms designed to introduce smooth financial management processes available, this shouldn’t prove too difficult – but small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are making one common mistake.
By delaying making the leap to a comprehensive finance system like Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, SMEs are draining valuable time, resource and, ultimately, money on painstaking manual processes. While many have outgrown an existing finance system, others still foster a reliance on spreadsheets, leaving them at risk of human error.
For SMEs, making the decision to upgrade a legacy finance system can be daunting but if you’re a finance director or similar, it could be one of the most business-savvy decisions you ever make.
Key considerations
Warwickshire-based tech consultancy and Microsoft Gold Partner, Tisski, pride themselves on their understanding of the challenges organisations face. Their enterprise resource planning (ERP) team know just how difficult it can be for SMEs to commit to a finance system upgrade.
“Over the last year, we’ve been doing a lot of research into Business Central and its place in the SME market and, as a result, have found numerous difficulties SMEs currently face with smaller-scale financial management systems,” said Tisski’s chief financial officer (CFO), Richard Baxter.
“As a finance director, CFO or even a business owner, you have several key things to consider and perhaps the most important of those is the accuracy and timeliness of data.
“Long gone are the days when you should be waiting three weeks to unearth information on your business’s position three weeks ago; you need to be able to face forward and use that timely information to help you make key business decisions.
“Automation is another thing finance professionals shouldn’t underestimate the power of,” Richard said. “Laborious tasks can hinder employee productivity and investing in a finance system that can automate those tasks will increase time spent carrying out activity that drives the business forward, in turn generating a cost saving.”
Introducing Business Central
For organisations who are fast outgrowing their finance system and feel they’re lacking in the timely information and automation Richard called out, Business Central can provide a natural ‘step up’.
“The thing about Business Central is that it’s a genuine ERP solution with the ability to grow alongside your organisation. As an SME, you may only need the core features on day one. General ledger, purchase ledger, sales ledger and VAT are all vital to financial management – but Business Central offers a far more diverse range of features, which you can access as and when you’re ready to.
How Tisski can help
With their independent research into Business Central and the SME market behind them, Tisski not only understand the challenges smaller organisations face in adopting technology like Business Central, but also the business impact an all-encompassing ERP system can have.
It was with SMEs in mind that Tisski crafted their Business Central package offerings, which hit the market in February.
“There’s no doubt that this can feel like a large, costly and sometimes unachievable step for SMEs,” said Richard. “That’s exactly why we’ve created preconfigured packages – to help these small and medium-sized businesses get to that next step without the need for a migration programme that lasts six to 12 months.”
By opting for a package with Tisski, organisations have the opportunity to adopt the Microsoft ERP solution at a fixed price and spread the cost of implementation, licensing and support over 36 months.
The Core package covers the aforementioned ledger and VAT features, and there are eight available add-ons, two of which have been designed in-house by Tisski’s expert team. Additional modules cover fixed assets, banking, approvals, inventory management, resourcing, jobs, deferrals and charity accounts; organisations can choose as many or as few add-ons as they’d like.
“Speaking to SMEs, we’ve discovered they need that capability to really drive themselves forward but don’t necessarily have the confidence to make a big investment, so they continue to live and breathe in a small finance system and an abundance of spreadsheets.
“For organisations wanting to move away from this way of working but unable to overcome that fear factor, Tisski’s packages allow you to get the ERP system your organisation deserves on a subscription-type model, lowering the risk, making costs more manageable and delivering a return on investment in next to no time at all. In today’s climate, it’s a smart way to move your financial management forward.”
To find out more about Tisski’s Business Central packages, please visit: www.tisski.com/business-central-packages or email the team on hello@tisski.com /Tisski @Tisskiltd /Tisski
