Business Connected Essex Edition 7

Page 1

BUSINESS

June / July 2014

CONNECTED ESSEX

Introducing our latest Premier Partners

Save locally At Shawbrook, we believe your bank should be a pleasure to deal with and that your savings should

1.50%

AER *

1.25%

always achieve a good return.

AER *

Our best-buy business accounts have friendly, experienced support from our team in Brentwood and a

1 YEAR FIXED RATE

100 DAY BUSINESS

BUSINESS BOND

NOTICE ACCOUNT

Moneyfacts award to support our ethos. You don’t need to change your bank to save with us, just save with a new kind of bank - Shawbrook Bank.

S TA R T S AV I N G W I T H S H AW B R O O K

IN-HOUSE SAVINGS TEAM T 0845 266 6611 savings@shawbrook.co.uk

DOWNLOAD AN APPLICATION FORM ONLINE W W W. S H AW B R O O K . C O. U K

www.cbhc.uk.com SHAWBROOK BANK LIMITED IS AUTHORISED BY THE PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY AND REGULATED BY THE FINANCIAL CONDUCT AUTHORITY AND THE PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY. REGISTERED OFFICE, LUTEA HOUSE, WARLEY HILL BUSINESS PARK, THE DRIVE, GREAT WARLEY, BRENTWOOD, ESSEX, CM13 3BE. REGISTERED IN ENGLAND, COMPANY NUMBER 388466. SHAWBROOK BANK LIMITED IS A MEMBER OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES COMPENSATION SCHEME. * AER STANDS FOR ANNUAL EQUIVALENT RATE. IF YOU LEFT A SUM OF MONEY IN YOUR ACCOUNT ALL YEAR, THE AER WOULD BE THE INTEREST RATE YOU’D GET IF WE PAID YOU INTEREST DURING THE

Passion energy commitment Our aim is to support you to achieve your goals

COURSE OF THE YEAR AND YOUR SUBSEQUENTLY HIGHER BALANCE THEN EARNED MORE INTEREST (THIS IS KNOWN AS COMPOUND INTEREST).

A4_SB_SA_Save_Locally_Business_May2014.indd 1

01277 230347 | nicole@antonybatty.com | www.antonybatty.com

Help when you need it most

0127701277 230347 | nicole@antonybatty.com | www.antonybatty.com 230347 | nicole@antonybatty.com | www.antonybatty.com

Help Helpwhen whenyou youneed needit itmost most

Founded in 1997, Antony Batty & Co LLP is an established and well respected Insolvency Practice with offices in London and Brentwood.

Specialising in Business Recovery and Turnaround, Corporate Insolvency Founded in 1997, Antony BattyBatty & Co&LLP is anisestablished and and well well Founded in 1997, Antony Co LLP an established and Financial Restructuring, the Brentwood office is headed up respected Insolvency Practice withwith offices in London and and Brentwood. respected Insolvency Practice offices in London Brentwood. by Nicole Southwell who has over 22 yearsNicole experience in helping Southwell Nicole Southwell Specialising in Business Recovery and and Turnaround, Corporate Insolvency Specialising in Business Recovery Turnaround, Corporate Insolvency Head Head of ABC of Brentwood ABC Brentwood businesses across Essex and the UK. and and Financial Restructuring, the Brentwood office is headed up Financial Restructuring, the Brentwood office is headed up

Leading B2B Magazine

by Nicole Southwell whowho has over 22 years experience in helping by Nicole Southwell has over 22 years experience in helping We pride ourselves on giving Companies and Directors professional, businesses across Essex and and the UK. businesses across Essex the UK. honest advice, and our initial ‘no obligation’ meeting is confidential and free of charge. Our aim is to guide our clients through the available We pride ourselves on giving Companies and and Directors professional, We pride ourselves on giving Companies Directors professional, options, treat them with courtesy and respect, make Garyand Waskett Gary Waskettthe process honest advice, and and our initial ‘no obligation’ meeting is confidential honest advice, our initial ‘no obligation’ meeting is confidential Business Development Manager Business Development Manager as straightforward as possible. We have extensive experience in ABC Brentwood ABC Brentwood and and free free of charge. Our Our aim aim is toisguide our clients through the available of charge. to guide our clients through the available most areas of business, with Construction, Travel, Transport and options, treattreat themthem withwith courtesy and and respect, and and make the process options, courtesy respect, make the process Retail being particular specialties. Our Firm has over 150 years as straightforward as possible. We have extensive experience in in as straightforward as possible. We have extensive experience combined experience. mostmost areasareas of business, withwith Construction, Travel, Transport and and of business, Construction, Travel, Transport Retail being particular specialties. Our Our FirmFirm has over 150 years Retail being particular specialties. has over 150 years Please visit our website for client testimonials, combined experience. combined experience. and examples of how we have successfully helped businesses in financial difficulty. Please visit visit our website for client testimonials, Please our website for client testimonials,

Nicole Southwell Head of ABC Brentwood

Gary Waskett Business Development Manager ABC Brentwood

Business Networking

Featured Local News

19/05/2014 11:10


The all-new Mercedes-Benz C-Class

Born to Drive. Introducing the sensational new Mercedes-Benz C-Class - available to pre-order from Lancaster Mercedes-Benz Corporate now. The new saloon is designed from the ground up to give class-leading performance, cutting edge style and pioneering technology - not to mention just 104 g/km^ and up to 70.6 mpg combined*.

From just £339 a month** PRE-ORDER TODAY FROM LANCASTER CORPORATE

Contact us on 0844 649 7074 for more information

@lancastermb

Lancaster Mercedes-Benz Corporate Whatever your business needs, you can trust our Essex and Suffolk expert teams to help you every step of the way. Let us know what you’re looking for - and we’ll take care of the rest. CONTACT YOUR LOCAL FLEET SPECIALIST

Chelmsford Colchester & Ipswich Southend & Lakeside

John Vickers Kim Hutson Adam Fisher

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*Business Users Only. Advance payment and fee applies. All payments subject to VAT: Finance based on Contract Hire agreement, 10,000 miles per annum. Excess mileage charges may apply. Rental includes Road Fund License for the contract duration. Guarantees and indemnities may be required. Orders/credit approved on selected new C-Class models between 1 May - 30 June 2014, registered by 30 September 2014. Subject to availability. Offers cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer. Some combinations of features/options may not be available. Credit approved subject to status by Mercedes-Benz Financial Services UK Limited, MK15 8BA. Prices correct at time of print 05/14 - subject to change at any time. Model pictured is representative only and may not reflect the actual specification featured.


BUSINESS

June / July 2014

CONNECTED ESSEX

Introducing our latest Premier Partners

Save locally At Shawbrook, we believe your bank should be a pleasure to deal with and that your savings should

1.50%

AER*

1.25%

always achieve a good return.

AER*

Our best-buy business accounts have friendly, experienced support from our team in Brentwood and a

1 YEAR FIXED RATE

100 DAY BUSINESS

BUSINESS BOND

NOTICE ACCOUNT

Moneyfacts award to support our ethos. You don’t need to change your bank to save with us, just save with a new kind of bank - Shawbrook Bank.

S TA R T S AV I N G W I T H S H AW B R O O K

IN-HOUSE SAVINGS TEAM T 0845 266 6611 savings@shawbrook.co.uk

DOWNLOAD AN APPLICATION FORM ONLINE W W W. S H AW B R O O K . C O. U K

www.cbhc.uk.com SHAWBROOK BANK LIMITED IS AUTHORISED BY THE PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY AND REGULATED BY THE FINANCIAL CONDUCT AUTHORITY AND THE PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY. REGISTERED OFFICE, LUTEA HOUSE, WARLEY HILL BUSINESS PARK, THE DRIVE, GREAT WARLEY, BRENTWOOD, ESSEX, CM13 3BE. REGISTERED IN ENGLAND, COMPANY NUMBER 388466. SHAWBROOK BANK LIMITED IS A MEMBER OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES COMPENSATION SCHEME. * AER STANDS FOR ANNUAL EQUIVALENT RATE. IF YOU LEFT A SUM OF MONEY IN YOUR ACCOUNT ALL YEAR, THE AER WOULD BE THE INTEREST RATE YOU’D GET IF WE PAID YOU INTEREST DURING THE

Passion energy commitment Our aim is to support you to achieve your goals

COURSE OF THE YEAR AND YOUR SUBSEQUENTLY HIGHER BALANCE THEN EARNED MORE INTEREST (THIS IS KNOWN AS COMPOUND INTEREST).

A4_SB_SA_Save_Locally_Business_May2014.indd 1

19/05/2014 11:10

01277 230347 | nicole@antonybatty.com | www.antonybatty.com

Help when you need it most

0127701277 230347 | nicole@antonybatty.com | www.antonybatty.com 230347 | nicole@antonybatty.com | www.antonybatty.com

Help Helpwhen whenyou youneed needit itmost most

Founded in 1997, Antony Batty & Co LLP is an established and well respected Insolvency Practice with offices in London and Brentwood.

Specialising in Business Recovery and Turnaround, Corporate Insolvency Founded in 1997, Antony BattyBatty & Co&LLP is anisestablished and and well well Founded in 1997, Antony Co LLP an established and Financial Restructuring, the Brentwood office is headed up respected Insolvency Practice withwith offices in London and and Brentwood. respected Insolvency Practice offices in London Brentwood. by Nicole Southwell who has over 22 yearsNicole experience in helping Southwell Nicole Southwell Specialising in Business Recovery and and Turnaround, Corporate Insolvency Specialising in Business Recovery Turnaround, Corporate Insolvency Head Head of ABC of Brentwood ABC Brentwood businesses across Essex and the UK. and and Financial Restructuring, the Brentwood office is headed up up Financial Restructuring, the Brentwood office is headed

Leading B2B Magazine

Nicole Southwell Head of ABC Brentwood

by Nicole Southwell whowho has over 22 years experience in helping by Nicole Southwell has over 22 years experience in helping We pride ourselves on giving Companies and Directors professional, businesses across Essex and and the UK. businesses across Essex the UK.

honest advice, and our initial ‘no obligation’ meeting is confidential

and free of charge. Our aim is to guide our clients through the available We pride ourselves on giving Companies and and Directors professional, We pride ourselves on giving Companies Directors professional, options, treat them with courtesy and respect, make Garyand Waskett Gary Waskettthe process honest advice, and and our initial ‘no obligation’ meeting is confidential honest advice, our initial ‘no obligation’ meeting is confidential Business Development Manager Business Development Manager as straightforward as possible. We have extensive experience in ABC Brentwood ABC Brentwood and and free free of charge. Our Our aim aim is toisguide our clients through the available of charge. to guide our clients through the available most areas of business, with Construction, Travel, Transport and options, treattreat themthem withwith courtesy and and respect, and and make the process options, courtesy respect, make the process Retail being particular specialties. Our Firm has over 150 years as straightforward as possible. We have extensive experience in in as straightforward as possible. We have extensive experience combined experience. mostmost areasareas of business, withwith Construction, Travel, Transport and and of business, Construction, Travel, Transport

Gary Waskett Business Development Manager ABC Brentwood

Business Networking

Featured Local News

Retail being particular specialties. Our Our FirmFirm has over 150 years Retail being particular specialties. has over 150 years Please visit our website for client testimonials, combined experience. combined experience.

and examples of how we have successfully helped

businesses in financial difficulty. Please visit visit our website for client testimonials, Please our website for client testimonials, and and examples of how we have successfully helped examples of how we have successfully helped Contact our team in Brentwood to get some businesses in financial difficulty. businesses in financial difficulty.

impartial and confidential advice on 01277 230347

or email Nicole Southwell nicole@antonybatty.com Contact our team in Brentwood to get Contact our team in Brentwood to some get some impartial and and confidential advice on 01277 230347 impartial confidential advice on 01277 230347 or email Nicole Southwell nicole@antonybatty.com or email Nicole Southwell nicole@antonybatty.com

Get In Touch Tel: 01702 513113

Email: info@businessconnected.co.uk

Or Visit: www.businessconnected.co.uk

Welcome... Welcome to the June / July edition of the Business Connected Essex magazine. Our biggest news of the summer is that we are moving our ever popular networking events from bi-monthly to monthly, each of our venues will host a Business Connected event on the same Friday each month to help you plan your networking easier, more details can be found on page 4. We have been out and about a lot over the last few months including exhibiting across many venues in the South East, you may have seen us at Colchester Means Business one of the many expo’s the Business Connected magazine was represented at. In this edition we tackle the issue of auto-enrolment. Look at the latest HR update from SVC, discuss our Premier Partner scheme further and see the first regular editorial from ActionCOACH. The St Helena Hospice £50 challenge is well under way with take up this year increased so we are really pleased to be involved with that. More info on the challenge can be found on our local news round up on page 30. I hope you enjoy this latest edition of Business Connected and look forward to seeing you all soon.

Richard Pond Managing Director

Contents 06 Lead Feature 07 Premier Partner Scheme

Follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/ BusinessConnected

08

HR Update Flexible Working, Maternity and Paternity

Follow us on Twitter @Connected_Essex

18 19 20

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part in any way without prior written permission of Business Connected Ltd.

24

Whilst every effort is made to ensure accuracy, no liability can be accepted for any errors or omissions.

28

Printed in the UK by Printwize www.printwize.co.uk

30 34

Essex Networking Events Recommended by Business Connected

Charity News CHAPS - The Men’s Health Charity

Business Coach How to Build Your Business in 2014

Business Advice Pension Automatic Enrolment

Essex Round Up News From Around The County

Technology Update Google Glass, Yes or No? www.businessconnected.co.uk

03


BUSINESS

CONNECTED

To book tickets for any Business Connected event please visit: www.businessconnected.co.uk/our-events or call 01702 513113

ESSEX

About us Business Connected is proud to be operating the county’s premier b2b magazine, networking events and online portal that focus on the business community of Essex. We bring local businesses together via the many platforms that we operate. Our magazine is distributed across the whole country in print and online. The business connected website which receives over half a million hits a month is dedicated to up to date business news, a business directory and the number one place to find out what’s going on in Essex. You may have heard about the Business Connected Premier Partner scheme which helps businesses be seen not just in print but also online and through our fantastic social media offering, full details on pages 6 and 7.

of time to network, listen to one or two short but informative talks and get fed well. We always make sure there is a real focus on networking. Still not convinced? Then have a look at the videos of

If you are like us and still like to see potential customers

our events at www.

regulaly face to face then our networking events might be

businessconnected.

just the answer. We hold

co.uk you can also

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book your tickets here.

quality

networking

business events.

Details of our upcoming events below.

forthcoming

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At all events we follow

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Connected related please

send

call us today on 01702

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advance, have plenty

businessconnected.co.uk

Business Connected

Business Connected

Business Connected

@Essex Cricket Club

@Colchester United

@Southend Airport

@Ipswich Town FC

next event 18th July

next event 25th July

Every month

Every month

and then every month

and then every month

from

from

from September

from September

September

September

Business Connected

04

To advertise in any of our

www.businessconnected.co.uk


Does your business have a Twitter account? There is now over 500 million registered accounts worldwide!

Can you believe over 65% of UK businesses now have a Twitter account?

We here at Business Connected understand your time is valuable and we are here to help. LinkedIn, Facebook and now Twitter! Twitter is growing so rapidly.

We can set up, manage and run your account. We can set up, manage and run your complete twitter campaign.

Our Twitter service includes: Page branding 3 month Twitter strategy 4 tweets per day Replies to all incoming messages Attracting new followers (Average 1000 new folllowers in 90 days) Links to your website and other social media

BUSINESS

C ON N E C T E D Follow us on Twitte r @Connected_Essex

Here is an outline of our great value Twitter service. Not only will it help with your companies marketing but will also open you up to a whole other world of social media.


The Business Connected

Premier Partner Scheme

Radio

Printers

Recruitment

Driving Dynamics

Asset Finance & Water Coolers

Training, Coaching and White Collar Franchise

Lending

Car Dealer

You may have heard us talking recently about our Premier Partner Scheme and we are proud to announce the latest partners to the Business Connected family.

We only work with one company for each industry so we can champion them and only them within in their industry across the whole county. Shown right are our current Premier Partners and their industry categories.

With plenty of categories still available Business Connected is looking to work with you.

Designed to support companies who need to introduce a cohesive and co-ordinated marketing strategy or a company who wishes to enhance an existing offering. We provide companies with an effective, structured solution at an affordable price.

Save locally

www.cbhc.uk.com

Accountants Car Leasing Passion energy commitment Our aim is to support you to achieve your goals

At Shawbrook, we believe your bank should be a

01277 230347 | nicole@antonybatty.com | www.antonybatty.com

pleasure to deal with and that your savings should

How often do you promise yourself that you’ll

always achieve a good return.

1.50%Help when 1.25%you need it most

AER * AER * 0127701277 230347 | nicole@antonybatty.com | www.antonybatty.com 230347 | nicole@antonybatty.com | www.antonybatty.com

Helpwhen whenyou youneed needit itmost most invest more in social media, run regular email Help Insolvency

Our best-buy business accounts have friendly, experienced support from our team in Brentwood and a

1 YEAR FIXED RATE DAY BUSINESS Moneyfacts award to support our ethos. Founded in 1997,100 Antony Batty & Co LLP is an established and well BUSINESS BOND

Human Resources

NOTICE ACCOUNT respected Insolvency Practice with offices in London and YouBrentwood. don’t need to change your bank to save with us, just

and print campaigns but simply don’t have the time or expertise to do it?

Our Premier Partner Scheme could be the answer.

Nicole Southwell

save withInsolvency a new kind of bank - Shawbrook Bank. Specialising in Business Recovery and Turnaround, Corporate Head of ABC Brentwood Founded in 1997, Antony BattyBatty & Co&LLP is anisestablished and and well well Founded in 1997, Antony Co LLP an established and Financial Restructuring, the Brentwood office is headed up respected Insolvency Practice withwith offices in London and and Brentwood. respected Insolvency Practice offices in London Brentwood. by Nicole Southwell who has over 22 yearsNicole experience in helping Southwell Nicole Southwell Specialising in Business Recovery and and Turnaround, Corporate Insolvency Specialising in Business Recovery Turnaround, Corporate Insolvency Head Head of ABC Brentwood of ABC Brentwood businesses across Essex and the UK. S T A the R T SBrentwood A V I N G W office I T H S is HA W B R O up OK and and Financial Restructuring, headed Financial Restructuring, the Brentwood office is headed up

Practitioners

by Nicole Southwell whoIN-HOUSE has over 22SAVINGS years experience in helping by Nicole Southwell who has over 22 years experience in helping WeTEAM pride ourselves on giving Companies and Directors professional, businesses across Essex and0845 the UK. T 266 6611 businesses across Essex and the UK. honest advice, and our initial ‘no obligation’ meeting is confidential savings@shawbrook.co.uk and free of charge. Our aim is to guide our clients through the available We pride ourselves on giving Companies and and Directors professional, We pride ourselves on giving Companies Directors professional, options, treat them with courtesy and respect, make Garyand Waskett Gary Waskettthe process honest advice, and and our initial ‘no obligation’ meeting is confidential DOWNLOAD AN APPLICATION FORM ONLINE honest advice, our initial ‘no obligation’ meeting is confidential Business Development Manager Business Development Manager asO straightforward as possible. We have extensive experience in W WisWto H A Wour BRO K . Cthrough O . U K the available ABC Brentwood ABC Brentwood and and free free of charge. Our Our aim clients of charge. aim. Sisguide to guide our clients through the available most areas of business, with Construction, Travel, Transport and options, treattreat themthem withwith courtesy and and respect, and and make the process options, courtesy respect, make the process Retail being particular specialties. Our Firm has over 150 years as straightforward as possible. We have extensive experience in in as straightforward as possible. We have extensive experience combined experience. mostmost areasareas of business, withwith Construction, Travel, Transport and and of business, Construction, Travel, Transport

Gary Waskett Business Development Manager ABC Brentwood

SHAWBROOK BANK LIMITED IS AUTHORISED BY THE PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY AND REGULATED BY THE FINANCIAL CONDUCT AUTHORITY AND THE PRUDENTIAL

Retail being particular specialties. Our Our Firm has over 150 years Retail being particular specialties. Firm has over 150 years REGULATION AUTHORITY. REGISTERED OFFICE, LUTEA HOUSE, WARLEY HILL BUSINESS PARK, THE DRIVE, GREAT WARLEY, BRENTWOOD, ESSEX, CM13 3BE. REGISTERED IN Please visit our website for client testimonials, ENGLAND, COMPANY NUMBER 388466. SHAWBROOK BANK LIMITED IS A MEMBER OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES COMPENSATION SCHEME. * AER STANDS FOR ANNUAL combined experience. combined experience. andLEFT examples of how we have successfully EQUIVALENT RATE. IF YOU A SUM OF MONEY IN YOUR ACCOUNT ALL YEAR, THEhelped AER WOULD BE THE INTEREST RATE YOU’D GET IF WE PAID YOU INTEREST DURING THE

Loyalty System

Banking

COURSE OF THE YEAR AND YOUR SUBSEQUENTLY HIGHER BALANCE THEN EARNED MORE INTEREST (THIS IS KNOWN AS COMPOUND INTEREST). businesses in financial difficulty. Please visit visit our website for client testimonials, Please our website for client testimonials,

and and examples of how we have successfully helped examples of how we have successfully helped Contact our team in Brentwood to get some A4_SB_SA_Save_Locally_Business_May2014.indd 1 businesses in financial difficulty. businesses in financial difficulty. impartial and confidential advice on 01277 230347 or email Nicole Southwell nicole@antonybatty.com Contact our team in Brentwood to get Contact our team in Brentwood to some get some impartial and and confidential advice on 01277 230347 impartial confidential advice on 01277 230347 or email Nicole Southwell nicole@antonybatty.com or email Nicole Southwell nicole@antonybatty.com

19/05/2014 11:10


BUSINESS

CONNECTED ESSEX

Exclusivity – We only work with one company of any type within the county.

Business Connected Magazine – A full page in every edition of this magazine, we print and distribute 6000 copies, email 30,000 copies as well as uploading to the Business Connected website and social media sites.

Social Media – Yes you may have a Twitter / LinkedIn / Facebook account but how about a helping hand, we can set up and run your account, interact as a “raving fan” or simply come over and give you regular training to all your staff.

Email Campaigns – Need to get the message out the masses? we have a number of options which we can tailor to suit the needs of your business. From monthly newsletters, your logos and links on our email campaigns or simply a help with data.

Networking Events – Many people know Business Connected from our countywide events and we want you to be part of them, fancy being a speaker or displaying your banner at all our events? Being a Premier Partner of Business Connected gives you tickets and access to all of our events from Ipswich to Southend and everywhere in between.

Website – Our Business Connected website gets thousands of visitors a day, being a countywide news based website we are the number one place to find business news. We are offering our premier partners prime advertising space throughout the site.

Account Manager – Probably the most important feature of the Partnership scheme. Our account managers are working around the clock to find our partners leads, from the many networking events we attend and run to the list of leads. Our staff are introducing and passing referrals on a daily basis. To find out how to become a Premier Partner and to see if your business category is still available then give us a call today and we can pop in for a chat and run you through the many features of becoming a Business Connected Premier Partner. 01702 513113.


HR Update

Flexible Working, Maternity and Paternity

F

lexible working regulations are changing on 30th June. SVC have been updating their clients policies to reflect the new guidelines. Here are the basics to flexible working, maternity and paternity leave. Until now only employees who are the carer of a child being of the correct age could request to work flexibly, however, as a result of recent amendments this right will be extended to all employees that have 6 months continuous service. The initial points to consider for a flexible working request are: • Is the employee eligible? • Do they have the correct length of service? • Have they already applied for flexible working within the last 12 months? If they qualify then they are entitled to request an adjustment to their hours, times of work, or place of work. You must consider the request within a reasonable time and if there are valid business reasons as to why you may refuse a request for flexible working, for example: • The burden of additional costs; • A detrimental effect on the ability to meet customer demand; • The inability to reorganise work among existing staff; • The inability to recruit additional people; • Detrimental impact on quality; • Detrimental impact on performance; • Insufficiency of work during the periods proposed to work; • Planned structural changes; You must communicate these reasons in writing to the employee but they have the right to appeal the decision.

Maternity Leave There are a few things to know about statutory entitlements: • 2 weeks compulsory Maternity Leave immediately follows the birth (4 weeks for factory workers); • 26 weeks of Maternity Leave; • A further 26 weeks that the mother can take, or she can transfer them to either the father or her partner; • Maternity Pay (you can choose to provide enhanced Maternity Pay with a minimum of SMP) as follows: Higher: 6 weeks at 90% of average weekly earnings; Lower: 33 weeks at SMP or 90% of the average weekly earnings (whichever is the lesser);

08 10

www.businessconnected.co.uk

To qualify for SMP they must: • Have 26 weeks continuous service at the 15th week before expected week of childbirth (EWC); • Have had average earnings at or above the lower earnings level for the 8 weeks before the last pay day prior to the qualifying week; • Still be pregnant at the 11th week before EWC or have had the baby; The earliest that maternity leave can start is the 11th week before the baby is due. Not all employees qualify for Maternity pay, because of length of service or earnings, if they do not qualify for SMP they must be provided with an SMP1 form for maternity allowance. Ten ‘Keeping in touch’ (KIT) days, may be completed if mutually agreed by you and the employee, these were brought in to help integration back into the work place and will be paid at, at least minimum wage, but normally at the employees usual rate of pay, this does not effect SMP. When returning from maternity leave the employee can: • Request to return early providing at least 8 weeks notice; • Return to work the next working day after their Maternity Leave with no notice; • Return to their previous role on the same terms and conditions but can request to work flexibly; • Choose not to return back to work and provide the required notice as stated in their contract of employment;

Paternity Leave There are two types of paternity leave: • Ordinary Paternity Leave (OPL) which is two weeks leave (taking in one or two consecutive weeks and not odd days); • Additional Paternity Leave (APL) which is up to 26 weeks leave and is where the mother can transfer some or all of her 26 weeks leave; An employee must qualify for the OPL to be eligible to take the two weeks and the APL to be eligible to take the 26 weeks. Statutory Paternity Pay is calculated the same as SMP and the employee will only receive Additional Paternity Pay during the time their partner would be receiving SMP. If you require any further assistance or guidance on how to manage these processes or any other HR related issues please do not hesitate to contact our qualified consultants on 01206 262117. * Written by Claire Linton, SVC Group


Human Resources SVC Human Resource provide a professional, cost-effective way to manage Human Resources. From offices in Colchester, we serve the whole of East Anglia and the UK beyond. Outsourcing to SVC can save you time and money, providing advice from qualified personnel, when you need it most. You pay for what you want -

Human Resources Support REWARD MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

getting the exact support you require at an agreed price. Whether a

EMPLOYMENT LAW COMPLIANCE WITH CURRENT LEGISLATION

“one off” service project or a regular monthly HR service, SVC can help.

MANPOWER PLANNING

To find out more about SVC HR services, contact Roz Mortlock on 01206 262117 or rmortlock@svcgroup.co.uk or visit www.svcgroup.co.uk


ESSEX COUNTYWIDE WINNERS 2014 – SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

After over a decade of working in recruitment Vicki Edwards decided to establish her award winning company Success Recruit in 2012, a genuine consultancy business supplying staffing solutions to local businesses. Success is going from strength to strength and

The following step by step guide helps illustrate

making a real impact on the Essex

how Success Recruit will help your business

business community.

when providing recruitment and HR support:

• INITIAL CONSULTATION – We will arrange

• MANAGEMENT OF PROCESS –

to visit your premises for a formal discussion

We will arrange interviews, prepare

about your business and its requirements;

candidates for interview, discuss

• DELIVERY OF OUR SERVICE PROPOSITION – We have taken great care to develop a range of packages that help us meet our clients needs; • SEARCH & SELECTION – We are able to appeal to a vast range of candidates and our experience enables us to identify who are most suitable for an interview;

feedback with you and deliver feedback to candidate; • AFTERCARE – Success values our clients and will always be on hand to provide exper t guidance and advice, both during and after the recruitment process.

Please visit our website for client testimonials and fur ther information on how we can help,

www.successrecruitltd.co.uk Or Contact our team in Chelmsford on 01245 409839 or email vicki.edwards@successrecruitltd.co.uk


The high end London tailoring service that comes to you Our unique service will enable every client to benefit from our extensive knowledge to achieve well fitting clothes with quality touches that single out the stylish from the safe and the samey. We also provide made-to-measure shirts with fabrics and styles that are fresh and totally individual.

• Made-to-measure suits and shirts • Personal attention • Colour analysis • Corporate packages • Loyalty scheme

To arrange an appointment call John Parrett

01708 438761 187 Station Lane Hornchurch Essex RM12 6LL john@foxtailoring.com

Orient Business Club Sponsor and supplier of Match Day Suits

www.foxtailoring.com


Save locally At Shawbrook, we believe your bank should be a pleasure to deal with and that your savings should

1.50%

AER *

1.25%

always achieve a good return.

AER *

Our best-buy business accounts have friendly, experienced support from our team in Brentwood and a

1 YEAR FIXED RATE

100 DAY BUSINESS

BUSINESS BOND

NOTICE ACCOUNT

Moneyfacts award to support our ethos. You don’t need to change your bank to save with us, just save with a new kind of bank - Shawbrook Bank.

S TA R T S AV I N G W I T H S H AW B R O O K

IN-HOUSE SAVINGS TEAM T 0845 266 6611 savings@shawbrook.co.uk

DOWNLOAD AN APPLICATION FORM ONLINE W W W. S H AW B R O O K . C O. U K

SHAWBROOK BANK LIMITED IS AUTHORISED BY THE PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY AND REGULATED BY THE FINANCIAL CONDUCT AUTHORITY AND THE PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY. REGISTERED OFFICE, LUTEA HOUSE, WARLEY HILL BUSINESS PARK, THE DRIVE, GREAT WARLEY, BRENTWOOD, ESSEX, CM13 3BE. REGISTERED IN ENGLAND, COMPANY NUMBER 388466. SHAWBROOK BANK LIMITED IS A MEMBER OF THE FINANCIAL SERVICES COMPENSATION SCHEME. * AER STANDS FOR ANNUAL EQUIVALENT RATE. IF YOU LEFT A SUM OF MONEY IN YOUR ACCOUNT ALL YEAR, THE AER WOULD BE THE INTEREST RATE YOU’D GET IF WE PAID YOU INTEREST DURING THE COURSE OF THE YEAR AND YOUR SUBSEQUENTLY HIGHER BALANCE THEN EARNED MORE INTEREST (THIS IS KNOWN AS COMPOUND INTEREST).


CHEVINGTON

CFL

FINANCE & LEASING LTD

01787 312 817 www.chevingtongroup.co.uk

TA I L O R E D S O L U T I O N S T O S U I T Y O U R B U S I N E S S N E E D S

Leasing and Finance for Companies in Essex, East Anglia and the UK

Securing funding takes time and effort no matter how experienced you are. The good news is we’re here to get the finance you need, and to make the process as straightforward and stress free as possible.

Chevington Finance and Leasing is a family run business that specialises in bespoke finance and leasing packages to companies within the UK. We pride ourselves on outstanding customer service and can tailor a package to your business needs.

We are an independent finance and leasing company who underwrite all of our financial solutions. We are not a broker and as such you will be dealing directly with the decision maker. Finance packages are available from as little as £500 to £100,000.


How can an SME afford a Finance Director?

www.cbhc.uk.com

So how can a small business like ours justify the Passion energy commitm www.cbhc.uk.com is toa support yo expense of a financial director?Our And aim what does your goals financial director do that my accountants don’t do anyway? Those are questions we often get asked when Passion energy commitm Our aim is ones. to support you talking to either existing clients or potential

your goals

Well quite simply an accountant works on recording the historical numbers and ensures that they comply with all relevant tax and Companies Act legislation but an FD takes matters much further into areas such as:


outsource@cbhc.uk.com www.cbhc.uk.com

here is the company now and where does W it want to get to over the next 5 years. hat do those numbers look like if I achieve W them and what is the exit route from my business? ow can the FD and the business owners work H together to ensure they meet those numbers? ow does the company really make its profits H and what does it need to do more of (and stop doing) to ensure it is more successful. hat succession plan does the company have W to ensure that the owners can pass the business down successfully to management or the next generation, or maybe achieve a sale to a third party and maximise the proceeds in the process. ow can business owners maximise profits, H not just by good cash and cost management, but by maximising sales revenues and ensuring our brand and intellectual property within the business is maximised. As I am sure you will agree, the foregoing areas are very much above and beyond what you would expect from an accountant you may currently only meet once or twice each year. We ensure that we are fully linked to our clients’ finances by getting them on cloud based accounting packages like Xero so that we can drill down to their current actual numbers at any time and help them to manage the key areas that have most impact on their bottom line. Xero is the world leader in accounting software in the cloud and are fast growing in the UK and the USA, having originated in New Zealand and Australia. As Gold Partners of Xero we have in excess of

40 companies on their accounting system so far and are keen to get this to 200 within the next year or so. We see this as dramatically changing the dynamics of the accountant: client relationship and we see our service offering now much more akin to that of an outsourced FD rather than just as an accountant. Of course, we still do all the year-end accounting and tax work you would expect of an accountant but take it up to the next level.

If you need the input of highly qualified FD’s but at only a fraction of the cost of hiring one full time, contact Gary White now at: gary.white@cbhc.uk.com


01277 230347 | nicole@antonybatty.com | www.antonybatty.com

Help when you need it most Founded in 1997, Antony Batty & Co LLP is an established and well respected Insolvency Practice with offices in London and Brentwood. Specialising in Business Recovery and Turnaround, Corporate Insolvency

Nicole Southwell Head of ABC Brentwood

and Financial Restructuring, the Brentwood office is headed up by Nicole Southwell who has over 22 years experience in helping businesses across Essex and the UK. We pride ourselves on giving Companies and Directors professional, honest advice, and our initial ‘no obligation’ meeting is confidential and free of charge. Our aim is to guide our clients through the available options, treat them with courtesy and respect, and make the process as straightforward as possible. We have extensive experience in most areas of business, with Construction, Travel, Transport and Retail being particular specialties. Our Firm has over 150 years combined experience. Please visit our website for client testimonials, and examples of how we have successfully helped businesses in financial difficulty. Contact our team in Brentwood to get some impartial and confidential advice on 01277 230347 or email Nicole Southwell nicole@antonybatty.com

Gary Waskett Business Development Manager ABC Brentwood


1 November 2014

30km – 6 hours – 1 night Have you got what it takes to complete Fright Hike? The Fright Hike challenge is simple, but not for the faint hearted! Set in Epping Forest, one of the spookiest of forest locations, each walker makes their way around the 30km route within 6 hours.

Charity No. 1091058

Taking part

The Fright Hike Package

Fright Hike is designed for both teams and individuals – sign up as a team and support each other or sign up as an individual and our Fright Hike crew will support you.

To help you prepare we will provide you with a comprehensive event guide, training guides, kit and equipment lists and fundraising advice. We have also teamed up with some great retailers to give you some great discounts on gear and equipment.

Individuals – if you want to join us but can’t get a team together please don’t let that stop you. We will ensure you get the right motivation to see you complete the event. There will be groups of other individual walkers taking part to meet and share the Fright Hike experience along the way. Teams – why not take part and support each other? Many teams will be taking part – corporate teams, groups of family and friends, sports clubs – anyone can form a Fright Hike team.

EARLY BIRD BOOKING OFFERS! Sign up for only £29 before the end of August 2014.

For more information please visit: www.ageukessex.org.uk or telephone 0800 840 7114 The organisers – Global Adventure Challenges has been successfully operating worldwide charity challenge events since 2000. The Fright Hike Event Crew will be made up of experience challenge leaders and will follow Hikers to ensure continued safety.


Essex Networking Events Recommended by Business Connected

June

June

June

June

09 & 23

12 & 26

17

June

03 05 Brentwood Biscotti

Friends of

Success in the City

ebn Basildon

Thurrock Biscotti

Marygreen Manor,

Braintree Town

The Bay Horse

The Campanile Hotel

Brewers Fayre,

Brentwood CM14 4NR

Braintree Town FC

Chelmsford

SS14 3AE

Thurrock

9.15am to 11.00am

CM7 3RD

CM2 0LG

7.00am to 9.00am

RM16 6YJ

Cost: Free

7am to 9am

5.00pm to 7.00pm

Cost: £10.00

9.15am to 11.00am

Membership Required:

Cost: Free

Cost: Free

Membership Required:

Cost: Free

No

Membership Required:

Membership Required:

Yes, £195 per year

Membership Required:

Optional

No

No

June

For more information on

June

June

June

20 20 20 27

these or any Essex based networking groups please call Business Connected 01702 513113

Chelmsford

FSB

The Business

Friends of

Professionals Lunch

Thames Barge Trip

Woman’s Network

the City Expo

The Bar, Chelmsford

Barge: The Thistle

Five Lakes

Chelmsford City FC

CM2 6FH

CM9 5HN

Crowne Plaza

CM1 2EH

6.00pm to 10.30pm

CM9 8HX

12.00 noon to 3.00pm

Cost: Free

Cost: £43.50

10.00am to 12.30pm

Cost: Free

Membership Required:

Membership Required:

Cost: £15.00

Membership Required:

No

Optional

Membership Required:

Optional

1.00pm to 3.00pm

No

18

www.businessconnected.co.uk

The FSB is the UK’s leading business organisation represen In Essex, the FSB is campaigning on the importanc Keep Trade Local Trail during Visit: www.fsb.org.uk/es


Sponsored by

July

July

July

July

07 & 21

10 & 24

15

July

01 01 Bishop’s Stortford

Brentwood Biscotti

Success in the City

ebn Basildon

Thurrock Biscotti

Chamber of

Marygreen Manor,

The Bay Horse

The Campanile Hotel

Brewers Fayre,

Commerce

Brentwood CM14 4NR

Chelmsford

SS14 3AE

Thurrock

9.15am to 11.00am

CM2 0LG

7.00am to 9.00am

RM16 6YJ

Cost: Free

5.00pm to 7.00pm

Cost: £10.00

9.15am to 11.00am

Membership Required:

Cost: Free

Membership Required:

Cost: Free

No

Membership Required:

Yes, £195 per year

Membership Required:

Great Hadham Golf Club SG10 6JE 8.00am to 10.00am Cost: £15

No

Membership Required:

No

Optional

July

July

July

July

July

18 18 24 24 25 Business Connected

Chelmsford

@Essex Cricket Club

Friends of the City

FSB Auto Enrolment

Business Connected

Professionals Lunch

Chelmsford City FC

Pensions

@Colchester United

Essex Cricket Club,

The Bar,

CM1 2EH

The Eagle Pub

Colchester United

Chelmsford

Chelmsford

7.00am to 9.00am

CM15 0AA

CO4 5UP

CM2 0PG

CM2 6FH

Cost: Free

6.00pm to 8.30pm

7.30am to 9.30am

7.30am to 9.30am

1.00pm to 3.00pm

Membership Required:

Cost: £5 members

Cost: £20.00

Cost: £20.00

Cost: Free

Optional

£10 non members

Membership Required:

Membership Required:

Membership Required:

Membership Required:

No

No

No

Optional

nting the interests of around 200,000 members nationwide. ce of Keeping Trade Local and in July launches the Independent Retailers Month. ssex or search: #ktltrail

www.businessconnected.co.uk

19


Charity News

CHAPS – The Men’s Health Charity

C

HAPS Men’s Health Charity aims to be a single, independent and authoritative source of information and an advocate for men’s health issues in Essex. Why? Because men are notoriously reluctant to seek medical care and advice. Too many are unaware of the significance of warning symptoms or ignore them till too late and present with advanced or incurable diseases such as cancer. Perhaps this is why our cancer cure rates still lag behind those of most of our European neighbours. Here in Essex we are luckier than in many parts of the country with people living longer than the average across the UK. But we cannot be complacent as there remain many local areas of social deprivation closely linked to poor survival rates. For instance a man living in Jaywick is likely to live 13 years less than one only 5 miles along the coast in Frinton! How can CHAPS make a difference? We believe that by constantly highlighting the causes of premature death in men, constantly repeating the early warning symptoms that indicate underlying disease and constantly promoting the benefits of awareness, early detection and prevention, we can save lives and make a difference.

commonest cause of male deaths and impotence which is frequently an early warning sign of serious underlying heart disease.

Fortunately we perceive that men themselves are beginning to take active steps to safeguard their health and the men’s health agenda is getting much more publicity and support. CHAPS has now run 3 successful annual Men’s Health Days at The Weston Homes Community Stadium in collaboration with Colchester United and the number of men coming for heart checks, prostate cancer checks and aortic aneurysm screening has increased each year from nearly 200 to over 300 this March. Because of this success we have received a Big Lottery Fund grant and been engaged by Enable East to run health days across East Anglia with ma jor events at Southend United on May 19th, Newmarket Racecourse on 7th June, Ipswich Town Football Club on 16th October and with Clacton Lions on Opening the event at the Weston Homes 13th November. Community Stadium are Chris Booth, In subsequent issues Business Chief Inspector Richard Phillibrown and Connected will deal with specific the Mayor and Mayoress of Colchester, conditions and offer advice on how Cllrs Colin and Laura Sykes to get the best out of various medical services available to you for their detection and treatment. I hope this will serve as a useful introduction and pointer for the future.

The queue waiting to come in So far CHAPS has produced booklets and leaflets that tackle important questions, describe the main problems that afflict men, Mr Chris Booth, FRCS and provide specialist advice. Our Men’s Health Passport Consultant Urologist & Clinical Director lists “red flag” symptoms, outlines the benefits (and risks) CHAPS Men’s Health Charity of cancer screening programmes and provides a handy Master Weavers House format for keeping key personal medical data. Southfields Dedham We are expanding the range and number of organisations Essex CO7 6AH for whom we can provide speakers on men’s health and related topics such as the NHS reforms, not just to men’s groups but to women’s groups as well. Women are much more familiar with the benefits of screening! If you need a speaker, please contact us – the talks are free but donations to the Charity are welcome. The diseases we continue to target for special attention are prostate cancer – now the number one male cancer diagnosed in the UK – heart disease, which remains the

20

www.businessconnected.co.uk

Tel: 01206 321253 Email: chris.booth@chaps.uk.com Chris Booth, FRCS, CHAPS Clinical Director


th

We return to Castle Park in 2014 for the 100th anniversary of the Colchester Cricket Festival. Once again, we will provide an action packed festival programme with hospitality packages to suit both corporate and family diners.

Sponsored by

Ve Limi ry ted pack T20 ages left for a ll gam es

Saturday 12th July - Wednesday 16th July

Colchester T20 Beer & BBQ Package Saturday 12th July

The First Class Package (Monday-Tuesday)

Superb chefs BBQ meal with dessert table and an unlimited selection of beers, ciders and soft drinks.

Join us for a traditional day of English cricket. With the First Class package you will receive a two-course meal, match day afternoon tea, ground entrance tickets, admission to the hospitality area and superior viewing facilities.

Packages start from just £99 + VAT per person

Prices from £75 + VAT per person

Royal London One-Day Cup Packages During the 2014 season, 50 over domestic cricket will return to The Essex County Ground. A format in which Essex Eagles have been successful in recent years, join us for a full one-day match experience.

Royal London One-Day Cup Packages

Royal London One-Day Cup

50 Over

Tuck into a charcuterie style grazing buffet whilst indulging in a game of One-Day cricket. Enjoy a hot buffet served during the interval and make use of the Woodland Group Pavilion Marquee pay bar. Price includes ground admission, matchday programme and superior viewing facilities.

Thursday, 31 July

Leicestershire Foxes

Chelmsford

Tuesday, 05 August

Lancashire Lightning

Chelmsford

Friday, 08 August

Gloucestershire Gladiators

Chelmsford

Prices from £69 + VAT per person

Wednesday, 13 August

Hampshire

Chelmsford

Book Now!

Call: 01245 254120 e-mail: commercial@essexcricket.org.uk

Essex County Cricket Club

@EssexCricket

Essex Cricket


0844 800 7371 www.chevingtongroup.co.uk

Suppliers of Professional Workplace Solutions Chevington Services specialises in making your workplace better. Not just with great products, but with great services delivered by great people ! Friendly, well trained, knowledgable personnel delivering efficient, reliable services are the reasons why our customers choose Chevington.

We’re built around servicing your business with the very best and the best prices

The business has moved on from being focussed only on water coolers to now much more of an overall environmental services provider. We are now able to supply, service and maintain a wide variety of services for the business sector. It now operates in three main areas which each have their own appeal and use to business:

Waste Processing • Chevington Services can supply equipment that you can use to make money from your waste, waste compaction is an easy way to turn your waste paper and cardboard into £££’s, so you benefit and not the refuse company.

Vending • Modern and stylish vending machines now available, which can supply freshly ground coffee, snacks and cold drinks.

Water • Water dispensers available in a variety of styles and capabilities. • Bottled water in branded glasses. A business chooses from a selection of bottle style which is branded in their way to provide freshly filtered water to its customers, as an alternative to the more expensive ‘branded’ water. Very popular to offer this to customers, and is a cheaper alternative for business, but also more environmentally friendly as it does not require lorries travelling up and down the country refilling and collecting.


WE LIKE TO SE THINGS FROM A DIF ERENT ANGLE (tilt this page down to read)

Some see things as they’ve always been and ask ‘why?’ We see things as they have never been and ask ‘why not?’ As a creative marketing team, we offer a complete service to arm your business with bluesky marketing; from strategy and planning to all the finished tools from the box: print, web & SEO, digital, PR and social media. Call Steve Brown on 01449 765720 or email steve@bluesky-co.com for a chat on how we can help your business.

bluesky-co.com | team@bluesky-co.com | 01449 765720


Business Coach

How to Build Your Business in 2014

W

e have been seeing the economic indicators steadily going the right way in recent months but how are you using this change in environment to ensure you build your business? At ActionCOACH we use a six step process to coach clients through to ensure that they systematically and methodically keep moving in the right direction. Here is an outline of these six steps:

Step One – Mastery Before any business can grow it has to ensure it is stable and in control. There are four areas that need to be addressed in this step. They are :Destination – have you got a business plan that will support your personal goals and ensure your business supports your life? Financial – do you know your business numbers and do they show that if you grow your business revenues you will also grow your profits? Delivery – Do you offer products or services that your customers value and that keep them loyal to you?

to know your numbers. Break your recent business performance down into these numbers and see what you learn from them. Then set an improvement target for each area and see what profit result that would deliver. NB if you grow each area by 10% you will see an increase in profits of 61%. Then decide what strategies you need to implement to achieve this target and take appropriate action. There are a list of strategies available for each of these five ways that I coach my clients on to assist in the achievement – 353 in all. It is the implementation of multiple small improvements that deliver big results reliably rather than looking for “the big idea”!

Step Three – Leverage Once profits and cash are reliably being generated within your business it is time to think about how you can implement business systems that grow your business efficiency and start to give you more time to spend ON the business rather than IN it. The focus here should be on systems, people and their use of time. A simple way to look at it is – systemise the routine and personalise the exceptions.

Step Four – Team

These four areas need to be in a state that you can answer YES to each of these questions before you can move to Step Two. Spending time on this step provides the foundation for sustainable and profitable business growth.

This is when an owner can really believe they are building a structure for further growth. Most of the time is being spent on developing the team, so the team looks after the customers, the customers provide profit and cash for the business and the business truly supports the owner. Areas where I suggest you focus on here are recruitment and retention of staff, implementation of a business culture and “rules of the game” – the way the team members behave as part of your team, creating a business vision and mission.

Step Two – Niche

Step Five – Synergy

This is the step where you set a plan to systematically grow profit and cash in the business. ActionCOACH use a five way method where attention is turned to five areas where results can be improved that direct affect business profits. These are best explained in these word equations

Implement a general manager to run the day to day aspects of the business.

Time – Is there enough time in your business to enable you and your team to do all that needs to be done to take your business forward?

Lead Generation X Conversion Rate = Number of Customers Number of Customers X Number of transactions per customer X Average transaction value = Turnover Turnover X Margin = Profit. To grow your profits you need to select strategies to implement to improve your numbers in the five areas of focus – lead generation, conversion rate, number of transactions per customer, average transaction value and profit margins. How do you do this I hear you cry!! Well first you need

24

www.businessconnected.co.uk

Step Six – Results Decide what your exit strategy is and implement it. This may be buying another business, selling the business for maximum value or other outcomes such as making nonbusiness investments to grow your personal wealth as a result of the business results you have built. So there you have it, a six step method to grow your business and to achieve your personal goals. Thanks for reading. I hope you can take some lessons from this and apply them in your business and use this as a structure for future business plans. If I can help you on your journey please contact me and ask for a complimentary coaching session so I can show you how you can achieve this in your business.


Personal Biography

“If you always do what you’ve always done… you’ll always get what you’ve always got”

Roger Pemberton I am no stranger to success, both as a business owner and as a General Manager in the corporate world. I have an extremely successful track record in all aspects of business gained over twenty five years in blue chip companies and of late have transferred these learnings as a business owner. The successes in my previous role led my area of the company to a 325% increase in turnover with profit increase in line with this over a period of six years. This was achieved through major investment in my team and through implementation of robust systems. I also coordinated marketing, sales and product development activity to achieve this growth. I have always enjoyed training, coaching and developing team members. I have a love of learning and I am extremely passionate about sharing my learnings with people I come into contact with. The key to my success is having the ability to take on any business whether it be old or new, thriving or failing and helping you to focus on getting what YOU want out of it.

So what? Well, I’m not just a theorist - I’ve had many years hands on experience in developing companies, executing financial, manufacturing and technical strategies and building great teams - experience that I am able to draw on for you as a client. I understand how lonely it can be running a company, and how difficult it is to build a business and a team that can succeed. This empathy helps me to help you get through the dark days and cast off whatever is holding you back. I also understand the pressures of severe cash flow challenges; I’ve experienced the problems of market downturns as well as the problems of rapid growth. In short, I know what you are going through and how to help you. As an organisation with over 1000 coaches

worldwide, ActionCOACH has a massive amount of intellectual property, business knowledge and experience available to me for you as my client. So, if I don’t have the answer to a particular challenge, the chances are that somebody in the system will, because at least one ActionCOACH coach from our worldwide network will have either worked with, managed, worked in or even owned a business that was the same or very similar to yours. ActionCOACH, as a company, are not preachers. Whatever we teach you or show you how to do, we have implemented not only into our business but thousands of other businesses around the world. I’m there to help you, push you and teach you to become the business person that you would want to be, and to make your business into the successful concern that you dreamt it to be when you founded it. Your knowledge of your business with my experience and the wealth of knowledge in the ActionCOACH system of sales and marketing, team building, customer service, systems and business development make a fabulous team to achieve your success.

Roger Pemberton ActionCOACH Business Coach T 01508 494414 or 07511 969690 F 01508 494414 E rogerpemberton@actioncoach.com W www.actioncoach.com/rogerpemberton A 26 The Ramblers, Poringland, Norwich, NR14 7QN


www.fleximize.com Call us: 020 7100 0110 Email: support@fleximize.com 86-90 Paul Street, London, EC2A 4NE

Fleximize is a UK-based direct funding company and web platform launched in January 2014. Our mission is to help small and medium British businesses grow by providing them with flexible financing solutions tailored to their unique needs and preferences. We are striving to provide our clients with experience and service traditionally available only to larger corporates. Your dedicated relationship manager will guide and support you from the moment you apply - no bouncing from person to person or waiting for hours on hold.

WE ARE UK BASED

WE PROVIDE A DEDICATED RELATIONSHIP MANAGER

WE FUND BRITISH BUSINESSES

Up to £50,000

How much would you like to borrow?

£25,000

How long would you like to borrow for?

12 months

Your revenue in the last twelve months

£500,000

Repayments are flexible

GET A QUOTE Visit our website

www.fleximize.com


Do you have what it takes?

Bu of W sin the inn es UK er s O ’s pp Be or st tun ity

To join The World’s Number 1 Business Coaching Team... What sets ActionCOACH apart?

The returns are market-beating; on a single-operator licence for £41k including training, you can expect a six figure income with our guaranteed business model, if you meet 7 non-negotiables to be awarded the franchise.

“The quality of individuals in our network is second-to-none.” Lucas Vigilante, Franchise Partner

Here are just a few reasons why the best people are choosing to invest in the UK’s best: ✔ Client generation centre means you can focus on the fun stuff ✔ Opportunity to make a meaningful and major difference ✔ CompareTheFinancialMarkets.com’s Best UK Business Opportunity ✔ Access to a great support team and over 3,500 strategies and tactics to assist in your day-to-day business coaching ✔ Guaranteed £8,500 to £14,000 monthly income by month 7 - ask us about the terms and conditions ✔ First to achieve 5 Star Franchisee Satisfaction Status

“It’s run by a great team in the UK who are fun to work with and always looking for ways to ensure the best chance of success.” Andy Hemming, Franchise Partner

Watch the opportunity overview video at actioncoach-franchise.co.uk/overview It could be the best 6 minutes you’ve ever invested.

To find out more call Rainy or Sam on: 01284 701 648


Business Advice

Pension Automatic Enrolment - What Is All The Fuss About?

Fiona Cowie, Pensions specialist talks about automatic enrolment and the reality for small businesses.

I

n October 2012, the UK Government’s new Workplace Pensions Reform legislation came into effect. For the first time, all UK employers are required to automatically enrol employees who meet certain minimum criteria into a qualifying workplace pension plan and make minimum contributions to that plan. You may know this as ‘Automatic Enrolment’. After a number of years of hearing about automatic enrolment, the practical reality has now finally arrived for small and medium sized businesses! Employers with between 1 and 250 employees must meet the new pension automatic enrolment requirements on specific dates over the next few years. A significant number of small businesses are burying their heads in the sand, choosing to leave the planning right until the last minute. Small business owners and managers are asking “What is all the fuss about?”. Many believe that automatic enrolment means simply putting in place a pension plan. Other small businesses that already have a company pension plan believe that there is nothing else they need to do to meet the automatic enrolment obligations. This could not be further from reality. So what IS all the fuss about? It is a common misconception that automatic enrolment is all about the pension plan. The pension plan is important, however, research and experience suggests that only around 10% of the additional work that automatic enrolment will bring to a business is related to the pension plan. More than 90% relates to additional employee data management, administration, business processes and payroll activities. These can quickly have a huge impact on small businesses, putting strain on already stretched internal resources and adding significant additional cost.

Does automatic enrolment affect me? If you are a UK business and you have at least one UK based employee, automatic enrolment will apply to you.

workforce every time you run your payroll, automatically enrol employees who meet specific age and earnings criteria into your pension plan, make contributions into the pension plan, communicate with all employees on automatic enrolment and keep records for 6 years.

When do I need to do it? The Pensions Regulator has written to every employer with a Staging Date. This is the date on which you must meet your new legal obligations. You can find out your Staging Date at www.tpr.gov.uk

What happens if I don’t act? The Pensions Regulator has the power to issue fines for noncompliance. The initial fixed fine is £400 followed by £50 to £10,000 per day for continued non-compliance.

Where do I start? There are useful sources of information on automatic enrolment at www.tpr.gov.uk and at the government provided pension scheme website at www.nestpensions.org.uk. Fiona Cowie of Essential HR Solutions has the expertise to explain the new automatic enrolment legal requirements in plain English, saving you time and taking away the worry of getting something wrong. She can provide practical advice on everything from how to find a qualifying pension plan, to dealing with employee data and communication. Fiona works with local service providers such as your accountant, payroll provider and IFA and others in the wider pension’s arena such as www.pensionplaypen.co.uk to ensure the most cost-effective solution for your business. She can help you to analyse the likely cost of automatic enrolment so you can plan ahead with confidence and she will also work with you to ensure that you get the best value from your additional spend and help to keep staff productive and motivated through this period of change. Visit www.essentialhr.co.uk/pension-auto-enrolment/ or call Fiona on 01245 349492 to find out more.

Why do I have to do it? Meeting the automatic enrolment regulations is a legal requirement. If you are a UK business and you do not do it, you will not be meeting your legal obligations as an employer.

What will I be required to do? In very broad terms, you will need to put in place a pension plan that meets minimum requirements, assess your

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www.businessconnected.co.uk

Tel: 01245 349492 Web: www.essentialhr.co.uk Fiona Cowie, Pensions Specialist


g n i h t y l n o e h t s i This p u w e r c s r e v e l l i w e w f or you!

MARKETING DEVELOPMENT WEBSITES EMAIL DESIGN

0844 586 0020

BUSINESS OBJECTIVES WITH NO LIMITS DESIGN

CREATIVITY

STRATEGY

RESULTS


Essex Round Up

News From Around The County Essex Auto Group wins Gold at Business Award Business Connected Premier Partner Essex Auto Group has scooped a gold award for Use Of Video For Business at a recent Essex based Business award. Essex Auto Group was entered into two categories and successfully made it to the five-strong shortlists in March.

St Helena Hospice

Mover and shaker

Registration for the Birkett Long £50 challenge has now closed and for the next three months the participating teams will be turning their £50 into as much money as possible for St Helena Hospice. To find out what the teams are doing to fundraise, and get information on how you can take part in their events, visit the ‘Birkett Long £50 Challenge in aid of St Helena Hospice’ page on Facebook.

Alex Ward MCMI, former Digital Director of Colchester-based Mosaic Publicity, has joined sustainable design agency Zero Above as part of a growth strategy to extend the scope of the business’ senior level team.

Stansted airport has busiest month in 2.5 years Earlier this year in April saw the busiest month at the Essex airport since 2008. It took the passenger total for the previous 12 months to 18.16 million. This was 3.4% up on the total for the 12 months ending April 2013 and it was the first time the “rolling year” total has passed the 18 million mark since December 2011.

Business Award win for Success Recruit Business Connected Premier Partner Success Recruit won the Small Business company award at the Essex Countywide 2014 Business Awards on Friday 9th May 2014. Ten companies were judged in the shortlist of finalists by Steve Atkins and Guy Hocking from Utilize IT Support. Vicki Edwards, Lian Van-Der-Kwast, Sam Edwards, Rosalind Knight & Mandy Carr all celebrated the finals with over 500 other guests at the black tie event that was held at The Cliffs Pavilion.

BUSINESS

CONNECTED ESSEX

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For more from around the county and to find the sources to all of these and many more Essex news stories please visit www.businessconnected.co.uk Business news stories are updated every day.


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Technology Update

Google Glass, Yes or No?

T

here has been much talk about Google Glass over the last few years, so how far are we from seeing hoards of people on public transport wearing this sci-fi looking creation? Well the answer is I am not sure. Will it take it off for the masses? I hope so, It certainly will make a refreshing change than seeing a nation with their eyes glued downwards tapping away on small boxes and bumping in to people in the street. So what is Google Glass, if you haven’t been caught up on this new tech age device then let me explain. Google Glass is in effect a wearable computer and in simple terms a device built in to a pair of glasses. To get a list of options you say ‘ok glass’ there is also a Google Glass app called MyGlass. Google Glass displays information in a smartphone-like hands-free format allowing a number of features including hands free photography operated by the sound of your voice, integration of social media which in turn allows you see an image take a picture and upload to twitter for example whilst not using you hands. You can send sms messages, access sat nav and go nuts in google hangouts. Google search is the most-used search engine on the World Wide Web, so why shouldn’t it be available at a blink of an eye. If like me you are forgetful then have reminders beamed in front of your face with Google Now which is an intelligent personal

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assistant developed by Google that is available within the Google Search mobile application. It’s surreal but what new technology isn’t at first? They come in charcoal, tangerine, shale, cotton and sky or to me and you that’s black, orange, grey, white and blue. Google Glass officially is available to buy across the pond as of last month. So what are the upsides and downsides? Well, the battery bulges behind your ear which is too big and doesn’t have a great battery life, barely enough for a full days use. It is surprisingly light though and fits in to pockets so don’t worry Google aren’t going to make you carry it around in its own brief case. It is extremely lightweight and weighs just 42 grams. Original prices for developers was £900 but the consumer model is expected to be considerably less. In summary Google Glass isn’t there yet and is a product plagued by bugs with poor battery life. It’s disorienting with lots of headache reports and you currently still need a smartphone to get the most functionality out of it but hey what new gizmo hasn’t got its floors. Google will sort these issues and when they do sign me up as this is one gadget I wont want to be without. * Written by Simon Peterson



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Vehicle Solutions That Mean Business THE OFFICIAL FUEL CONSUMPTION FIGURES IN MPG (L/100KM) FOR THE ALL-NEW MAZDA3 RANGE: URBAN 37.7 (7.5) - 60.1 (4.7), EXTRA URBAN 58.9 (4.8) - 80.7 (3.5), COMBINED 48.7 (5.8) - 72.4 (3.9). CO2 EMISSIONS (G/KM) 135 - 104. THE OFFICIAL FUEL CONSUMPTION FIGURES IN MPG (L/100KM) FOR THE MAZDA6 RANGE: URBAN 36.2 (7.8) – 60.1 (4.7), EXTRA URBAN 57.6 (4.9) – 83.1 (3.4), COMBINED 47.9 (5.9) – 72.4 (3.9). CO2 EMISSIONS (G/KM) 136 – 104. The mpg figures quoted are sourced from official EU-regulated test results obtained through laboratory testing. These are provided for comparability purposes only and may not

reflect your actual driving results. *All monthly figures exclude VAT. Offer available to Business Users for orders received between 01.04.2014 and 30.06.2014. £189 (exc VAT) figure is based on an all-new Mazda3 150ps SE Diesel, without Metallic paint, on a non-maintenance contract hire package over 36 months. Advance payment equal to 6 monthly payments is payable followed by 35 monthly payments. £199 (exc VAT) figure is based on a Mazda6 Saloon 150ps SE Diesel, without Metallic paint, on a non-maintenance contract hire package over 36 months. Advance payment equal to 6 monthly payments is payable followed by 35 monthly payments. Excess mileage charge applies if contract mileage is exceeded. For full terms and conditions and specification please refer to the Mazda Contract Hire Master Agreement and your local dealer. All quotations are subject to availability, status and agreement. Free Metallic paint is only available in conjunction with Mazda Contract Hire offer and applies to selected models only. Guarantees may be required. Terms are unavailable to existing customers under specific enduser terms with Mazda Motors UK Ltd. Details correct at time of print and may vary, e.g. if list price changes. Mazda Contract Hire Limited does not offer tax advice to individuals: company car drivers should consult their accountant on their tax position. Contract hire by ALD Automotive Ltd, trading as Mazda Contract Hire, Oakwood Park, Lodge Causeway, Fishponds, Bristol BS16 3JA. ^mpg figures shown are combined. Test drives subject to applicant status and availability.

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