ADVICE SUPPORT PROTECTION Improving business productivity & profitability
@the_fpb Forumofprivatebusiness Forum of Private Business @forumofprivatebusiness
WHY JOIN THE FORUM? The Forum provides you with the time and space to develop your business. The Forum offers unlimited support and advice covering: Employment law
Tax advice
Health & safety
PR & marketing
Finance & funding
General business advice
Also included is our comprehensive Management Liability insurance which covers the cost of defending claims in key areas. As the busy owner of a small business, you don’t always have time to do everything; that’s where Forum members have a big advantage over other businesses. Our members spend less time and money on compliance issues than non-member companies, as the Forum looks after all the things that get in your way, enabling you to get on with running and growing your business.
WHAT IS THE FORUM? The Forum of Private Business was founded in 1977 as a not-for profit membership organisation which supports small, private and family firms who need to comply, but don’t have their own internal HR and Legal teams. All our profits go back into providing better services and support for our members.
OUR MEMBERS Our members are business owners, covering many different industries, who don’t necessarily have the internal expertise or resources to manage the more complex compliance aspects of their business. With our advice and support, Forum members spend at least 15% less on dealing with employment law and health & safety issues than other businesses. A Forum member’s average spend on external support for employment disputes is £630. A non-member would pay £3,952. Forum members spend 27% less time on health and safety issues than non-members. Forum members spend considerably less than the average company spend of £6,570 in dealing with tax investigations. Our members have the trust and confidence that they can withstand any traumatic event they are faced by having access to all the support and expertise they require whenever they need it.
ADVICE Whatever business problem you have, we’re here to help. We provide a helpline and offer advice covering all aspects of business. For any Health & Safety or Employment/HR issues we will put you in touch with our expert legal team are on hand to advise and support. We can also advise with other problems your business might encounter including late payment, digital tax, importing/exporting, general regulatory and compliance and much more.
SUPPORT Forum membership means you can get on with the day-today running of your business as we are here to support you through any areas you are unsure of. As part of our membership we provide the following resources to help support and inform your business. Comprehensive guides on Employment, Health and Safety, Compliance, Start-Up and an Ethical workbook giving you updated, comprehensive information on procedures, rules and regulations that are critical to the successful running of a small business. Mini guides providing business advice on a wide range of topics. Business editable templates that are easy to understand, comply with the law, and are designed to save you valuable time. Business advice line - as a member you can contact us with any business issue you may be facing. We will research the issue and advise our members quickly and efficiently.
EMPLOYMENT LAW AND HR Your staff are the people who drive your business! The employee lifecycle begins the moment you think about recruiting a new staff member. That being the case, it’s important to create a positive atmosphere and keep morale high! But how do you maintain this? Becoming a member of the Forum of Private Business is like having your very own HR department. Whether it’s a query on legislation, a tricky employee or a full on HR crisis, our friendly, expert employment advisors are on hand to assist and support you and here’s how we do it.
Member contacts our advice line.
Our expert advisor listens and advises you. We work for you the employer, so all advice is aimed to assist you and is legally compliant.
As a member you will have access to a comprehensive suite of helpful documentation such as templates and mini guides.
If the issue cannot be resolved by any of the above steps, the case will be passed to our expert legal team. The benefits of a Forum of Private Business membership means you’ll have peace of mind knowing you have the right support in place and will give you more time to do what you’re best at and that’s running a successful business.
HEALTH & SAFETY 1.4m working people suffer from work related illness. 30.7m working days are lost due to work related illness & injury. You have a legal requirement and responsibility to follow and implement the HSE guidelines if you employ 5 or more staff. You need to have things like a Health & Safety policy, regular risk assessments, fire safety procedures and training, all documented and communicated to staff. Becoming a Forum of Private Business member gives you peace of mind and support in putting together a robust management system. Here’s how we achieve this:
Member contacts our advice line.
Our expert advisor listens and advises you. We work for you the employer, so all advice is aimed to assist you and is legally compliant.
We also offer additional services including a full health & safety audit, online training and our exclusive in-depth health & safety guide.
If the issue cannot be resolved by any of the above steps, the case will be passed to our expert legal team. We advise all members to regularly review their health & safety and follow our advice to help prevent accidents in the work place and remain legally compliant!
PROTECTION As a member of the Forum of Private Business, you are covered by a leading insurance policy, which has been negotiated to provide your business with comprehensive protection against the most common legal pitfalls experienced by businesses. The insurance includes*: Employment disputes
Debt recovery
Health and safety
Jury service
Tax investigation
Personal injury
Data protection
Wrongful arrest defence
Don’t just take our word for it... Bridget told the Forum that when they first opened the garden centre business they didn’t have the business support they needed, and going back to 1980 they now realise that the support that they have now wasn’t available. It was important to Bridget and her family to turn the business around and make it profitable and successful. “The Forum supported us and they became a great knowledge base for us, and we have now used the Forum for any query about ‘business’ we may have. We find the Forum are a great help to our business and certainly a great support”. “If anybody approached me and said they were looking for business support, I would say join the Forum of Private Business”. Bridget McCreery, Knutsford Bloom *Insurance included is dependant on membership subscription. Exclusions may apply.
WHAT CAN WE DO FOR YOU? The Forum of Private Business represents in excess of 30,000 SME’s. Here are just a few examples of where the Forum of Private Business can assist your business. Vehicle and drivers policies and procedures Did you know that you only need to operate one or more vehicle(s) to be considered as a fleet owner? That being the case it’s crucially important that you understand and follow the guidelines set by the relevant bodies. As a member of the Forum, we can work closely with you to be compliant. Health and Safety Without a health and safety management system in place, you’re leaving yourself open to potential criminal prosecution. We can help you design a system to avoid accidents, ensure legal compliance and enable your business to be more efficient. We will also insure you against any health and safety incidents that may occur. HR Employing staff is a big responsibility and the process can be a minefield without the right advice. The Forum provide indemnified, comprehensive advice and support. Business legislation and compliance It’s not just about meeting your legal obligations, it’s about utilising them to prepare for inevitable growth within your business. Businesses need to be aware of responsibilities such as, health, safety, wellbeing, food hygiene, payroll, tax etc. We can show you how to make legislation compliance work for you.
WHAT’S INCLUDED IN YOUR FORUM MEMBERSHIP Our membership helpline offers advice and support on everything from legal issues to business development. Whatever the issue we’re here to help you. Access to our legal partner who is able to advise our members on a wide range of legal and HR issues as well as everyday business matters. Management liability insurance which includes*: Employment disputes
Criminal prosecutions
Health & safety disputes
Statutory license protection
Data protection
Property disputes
Tax investigations
Jury service
Contractual disputes
Personal injury
Debt recovery
Wrongful arrest
Access to our Forum partner network. Get leading expert advice on funding, business efficiency, company formation, corporate health care, PR and much more. Access to FREE exclusive mini guides and templates along with regular newsletters and legislation updates. Comprehensive range of detailed business guides covering all aspects of employment, health & safety, compliance, business start-ups and business ethics.** *Insurance included is dependant on membership subscription. Exclusions may apply. **Terms and conditions apply. Please see our website for full details fpb.org.
JOIN US TODAY Forum membership is the best decision you can make for your business. Contact us to see how we can help. No. of Employees Membership price per annum*
Sole Trader
0
1–10
11–30
31–50
51–100
100+
£80
£150
£275
£375
£450
£550
POA
Are you a start-up business? Call us today to discuss your discounted rate. * Membership subscriptions are annual and are displayed exclusive of VAT. A Forum Start-up membership subscription is limited to start-up businesses only. You must be in your first six months of trading and discounted pricing will be applicable for three years. A Standard Forum membership subscription will become applicable at the end of the third year. Standard Forum membership is available for all businesses. Full T&C’s are applicable and can be found on our website fpb.org.
For more information on how we can help your business, contact me: 01565 626001 07990 016135 matthew.walker@fpb.org @the_fpb Forumofprivatebusiness Forum of Private Business @forumofprivatebusiness
Business advice, support and protection. The Forum was founded in 1977 as a not-for-profit membership organisation supporting small, private and family firms that need to comply, but don’t have their own internal human resource departments and legal teams. All our profits go back into providing better services and support for our members. We know how important it is to support our members' businesses, from start-ups in the early years of operation, to businesses that have been trading for many years. It is vital to have the right advice, support and protection in place, and that means more than just the average one-size-fits-all business advice that is currently out there. We offer friendly, accessible and practical advice, supported by legal protection insurance. With a Forum membership, your business will have access to a team of experienced membership advisers and a Forum partner network that will share their knowledge, support and advice in some of the most complex situations you may come across in business. Our members' businesses cover many different industries, but they don’t necessarily have the internal expertise or resources to manage the more complex compliance aspects of their business. Forum membership will give you support across a wide range of business-related issues.
Employment law
Tax advice
Health and safety
PR & marketing
Finance & funding
General business advice
Making your business better. Forum of Private Business Ltd Ruskin Chambers, Drury Lane Knutsford, Cheshire WA16 6HA
@the_fpb Forumofprivatebusiness Forum of Private Business @forumofprivatebusiness
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