Your Business eZine | Liverpool | January 2010

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CONTENTS Cover •

STUDIO2

Team Talk

Empolyer/Union Relationships

Technology For business

We meet TechHaze.com’s team and they bring us 3 great articles.

Have your Say imap From Rags to Riches

Ask The Expert

• Business Coach • life coach • Solicitor • Tax Accountant • Humour Consultant • International Trade • Guest Expert - HR Our panel of experts are offering their expertise to the members. Also get an insight to what they see effecting us this month and what advice they have. We also introduce our new expert.

STUDIO2 John Haynes meets Warren Bradley Networking

We see what everyone got upto in November and look at the month ahead

January Calendar

The months events all in one place. Arrange your month in advance and target the events more effectively.

Business Scene Nugent Care Offers To Readers Contact Us

TEAM TAL What is a union?

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade_union A trade union (or labour union) is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve common goals in key areas, such as working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members (rank and file members) and negotiates labour contracts (Collective bargaining) with employers. This may include the negotiation of wages, work rules, complaint procedures, rules governing hiring, firing and promotion of workers, benefits, workplace safety and policies. The agreements negotiated by the union leaders are binding on the rank and file members and the employer and in some cases on other non-member workers.

Originating in Europe, Labour unions became popular in many countries during the Industrial Revolution, when the lack of skill necessary to perform the jobs shifted employment bargaining power almost completely to the employers’ side, causing many workers to be mistreated and underpaid.

This gave rise to the concepts of Marxism and Communism.[1] Trade union organizations may be comprised of individual workers, professionals, past workers, or the unemployed. The most common, but by no means only, purpose of these organizations is “maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment”.[2] Over the last three hundred years, many trade unions have developed into a number of forms, influenced by differing political and economic regimes. The immediate objectives and activities of

trade unions vary, but ma

 Provision of bene trade unions, like Friendly ed a range of benefits to unemployment, ill health, penses. In many develop tions have been assume the provision of professio and representation for m tant benefit of trade union

 Collective bargain are able to operate openl employers, they may ne over wages and working c

 Industrial action: T strikes or resistance to lo particular goals.

 Political activity: mote legislation favourab members or workers as a may pursue campaigns, u nancially support individu (such as the Labour Part fice.

All in all, a union is a go ous harsh dictator types t of the unions as early as formed to protect the work iour. Over time the union and the balanced tipped workforce democracy. T Thatcher was elected as

LK

ay include:

efits to members: Early y Societies, often providinsure members against , old age and funeral exped countries, these funced by the state; however, onal training, legal advice members is still an imporn membership.

ning: Where trade unions ly and are recognized by egotiate with employers conditions.

Trade unions may enforce ockouts in furtherance of

Trade unions may proble to the interests of their a whole. To this end they undertake lobbying, or fiual candidates or parties ty in Britain) for public of-

ood thing. It was previthat forced the formations s the 1800’s. The Unions kforce from bullish behavns became very powerful in their favour relating to This wasn’t to last. When s PM she made a couple

of changes that put the power back into the hands of the employers who where obviously p**sed off with the unions and wanted revenge. They made sure that they took full advantage of their new found power and tipped the scales back the other way. For many years there was no balance between employers and employees and the battles continued until the law eventually caught up and the legal system was able to help employees as it gave them rights and a sure and understandable structure was in place for employers to follow.

Union/Employer relationships don’t seem such a bad thing. Both if I’m not mistaken are working together to get the best for the employees. The relationship is to help the employees understand their rights and help the employers make the right management decision without potentially damaging the moral of the employees and upsetting the workforce.

Now, to me this seems to be a bit of a no brainer, to have a format in which to co-operate effectively with the workforce in a formal and professional manner without having to worry about upsetting the boundaries is a very good thing. In fact it takes away a little bit of pressure from both the employers and the employees as there is a mutual common ground for resolution and to take the business forward together. Everything is “hunky dory”…

Errmmm… No it isn’t. What seems to be the case is employees see an employer as a pot hole in the pavement that they are working out a way to trip over it and cause minimum damage to themselves but get the maximum reward for their misfortune.

In this case the Union is the solicitor.

That’s probably not completely accurate either.

Well especially for the larger organisations such as the recent strike action threats from British Airways employees and the recent action from the Royal Mail employees.

From one angle it looks as though the union leaders instigate the strikes and cause the problems.

After all it’s not like the employees are on bad wages. In most cases they are paid more than most others in the same position or at least have greater benefits and their jobs would be more secure due to the market share their employer has. It seems that in these cases it is the union digging the pot holes and telling people how much they can get for tripping over.

Ok, this a bit harsh, after all they want the best money and working environments for their members, but it has to be said that it seems a little irresponsible to take such action in such a financial climate when most would be grateful to even have a job at all never mind being well paid for doing it.

Maybe this is a prime example of how the media will twist a story to get people talking about it and generating biased opinions and confrontation from both sides.

It’s not just the employers who are tied down by regulation. The unions are too. Because of the Employment Relations Act 2004 (revised from 1999) the law has made sure that both parties must follow a certain set of processes. Before any strike action takes place a ballot must take place and fall in favour of those who wish to strike versus those opposed.

Should the negotiations fail to produce a mutually beneficial outcome the union can still decide to strike. As an employee in this situation your hands are tied firmly behind your back and you are almost forced into submission. Is this not the unions bullying the employer? After all the “attack” would be

pre-meditated. The union work out what they want have to give them the bes

Do the union and its mem picture? My guess is no nius to understand that a a business. The key are services they provide to th not seem to be taken i knock on effect of this ac to the clients means that another supplier therefor more restricted than befor making more cut backs. son for the strike, why d the company will just pull of hundred million pounds

To me, a strike is not in the pany and it certainly does In my eyes you are less o operative and more resist amount of change. If you people (member of a unio white you’re not employab

If you continue to act this you will bring the employ the good way either. You to shut up shop due to th debts. You will be left w seen as one of those peop the contamination of a co

Don’t get me wrong. I’m ment and rewards, pay ris stuff but it’s sometimes th go backwards in order to the same for employees t

The past 5 paragraphs o a rant, mainly on the situ

n and its members would t and what leverage they st possible outcome.

e best interest of the comsn’t help protect your job. of a team player, less cotant to the ever increasing u where/are one of these on or not) in plain black & ble in today’s society.

way as a person or union yer to it’s knees. Not in u will force the company he potential of increasing without a job and will be ple that where involved in ompany.

m all for positive employses and all related happy he case that you have to o go forwards and that is too.

or so have been a bit of uation the Royal Mail and

Apart from Ali G and his herbal remedies, other alternatives to companies could be more realistic and have a much greater effect and develop relationships much further than any union could ever imagine. Here are a few ideas: • Allow time for employee focus groups to meet and discuss in house how to improve the working standards.

• Provide these focus groups with access to heads of departments so that their questions and concerns can be addressed immediately.

• Be completely honest with your employees. This could mean you provided them with the financial records (i.e. profit & loss, forecasts etc…) and set clear targets for company achievements.

By turning to your workforce for suggestions they will feel important and can offer some great suggestions to try and make things better. This can be anything from working an extra half hour for free to going part time or even voluntary redundancy.

You never know what resources you have in house until you try them out. My suggestion is no matter how big or small your organisation is get to know everyone and what they like. It’s called bonding.

That includes you dinosaurs of the business community too.

Craig Brake

mbers look at the bigger ot. It doesn’t take a gea strike will almost cripple eas to effect would be the he clients. But what does into consideration is the ction. Stopping services they will shop around for re making the cash flow re, risking more jobs, and If this was the initial readoes the union think that l a couple if not, a couple s out of its back pocket?

British Airways are going through. As I said earlier, not all unions and employers have this kind of breakdown in communication.

Maybe if we had Ali G facilitate the meeting and provide some of his herbal tea, everyone would get along nicely and have a bit of a party after some pleasant discussions.

submit Your Comments to Craig by emailing him at teamtalk@yourbusinessezine.com

TECHNOLOGY forBUSINESS W elcome to this ever changing and growing section of Your Business eZine. Once again technology for business is on the rise and to keep up we have drafted in some of the best people from around the world to keep you (the business community) up to date and completely in the know.

On my travels (in twitterverse), I came across TechHaze.com which much to my suprise i found out is brand new. After a quick email to the technology blog i had a prompt responce from Florian Wardell, Founder of TechHaze.com. Enthusiasm from both Florian and myself started to grow as we discussed sharing these great stories and reviews with our business communities.

I would like to formally introduce the TechHaze .com team...

Florian Wardell is the founder and editor of TechHaze.

Born in Austria to a French mother and British father, he always had a taste for long trips and unknown destinations. At the age of 13, he was fortunate enough to skip a whole year of school and to travel all around Asia.

He has visited places like Tibet, Pakistan and Myanmar and lived in Italy, France, Austria and Cambodia, where he met Raimondo and Calixte Pictet, Red Lebrun and Timothee Salze Lozac’h who are now part of the TechHaze team.

Now, Florian studies at the Insitut d’Etudes Politiques of Paris. During his free time, he writes for TechHaze, roams the internet, designs websites and takes pictures.

He used to be a hardcore PC user, but a year ago, light shone upon him: he switched to Mac after giving a shot at Linux. You can visit his personal photography website or contact him at florianwardell@techhaze.com

Mariano Calixte Pictet was born in a barbaric land in Western Europe but grew up in Africa and Asia.

He had to leave civilisation less than a year ago for his studies, and is still regretting it (appart for his bandwidth, he loves that). He’s a constantly irritated fan of fallingedge* technology, because using an application for more than a month is boring. He’s ideologically pro-freedom (i.e. opensource), but likes to consider himself open-minded as he does not always believe in the viability of an open model. He’s also pro- everything that’s supposed to be ideologically cool (love, anarchism, democracy, ecology, open source, pink elephants, and people rubbing his back). He uses mainly open-source software because he’s a cheapskate and because he’s lazy (aptget is his God) but he gets frustrated from time to time and secretly daydreams of switching to Mac. Calixte has used several Operating Systems as he grew up (Windows 95, 98, ME, XP, Vista, Mac OS 9, Mac OS X, Ubuntu Linux and others). He hates any interface that exists by principle, loves configuring them to his needs and tastes and firmly believes that the less they are configurable, the better. Calixte is the contributing editor of TechHaze, you can drop him a line at calixtepictet@techhaze.com

French, Swiss and somewhat Italian, Raimondo Pictet lived in Burkina Faso and Cambodia for about twelve years, before moving to Switzerland to study mechanical engineering at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne (EPFL). He’s passionate about machines that glide, machines that lazily hang around in total emptiness, and machines that do other cool and useless stuff. He loves playing drums. Raimondo has very strong opinions, and is always eager to have an intense debate on what makes space exploration essential to human survival or what defines quality in music. Raimondo will write about aeropace engineering and other really complicated things. You can contact him at raimondopictet@techhaze.com

Red Lebrun is an art/technology enthusiast. Fascinated by the thin line that separates technology from culture, he often seeks to challenge society’s pre-conception that technology belongs only in computers, though it has been shaping the way we live our lives for decades.

Most often this is subtle, like cities being structured around roads, but he is always on the hunt for the next eccentric clash of the digital realm with our analog lives. Red currently lives in Singapore where he studies at the Lasalle College of Arts. Feel free to ask him questions at redlebrun@techhaze.com

Native of Seoul, South Korea, Steve Kim has lived in New York for 10 years and graduated from Phillips Andover.

He founded his first business at age 16 and created two new Internet ventures upon graduation. He is interested mostly in RIA, Adobe Flex, and SaaS. Holder of several communication and UX-related patents, Steve is now concentrating his efforts to go into the field of intellectual property aggregation. He is currently an undergraduate student at the Insitut d’Etudes Politiques of Paris and wil cover the business section of TechHaze. com. Please feel free to write to him at stevekim@techhaze.com

“Innovative Converged Devices (ICD), a world class design and engineering company in the mobile and computing industry, today unveiled Vega, their first in a future line of Android products of low priced, full featured High Definition entertainment and information devices that feature 3G connectivity, a Tegra processor, full streaming media, and a touch interface.

[There will be] 7-inch, 11-inch and 15-inch devices.”

Ok, that’s just some yada yada for bloggers who will repeat it in their own words (notice I haven’t). To know the truth, just look at the image.

Innovative Converged Devices (gotta have a simple name!) already does two products. An “innovative photo-frame” (way cool) that automatically streams pictures from Windows Vista and a Windows Mobile phone. Interestingly their next device will be based on android instead. ICD announced this sleek tablet (do it fast before Apple unleashes their tablet and we’re all crushed death by sheer marketing power). There will be an “emphasis on ease-of-use and sleek and attractive design”. Just like everybody else, right? Well, we don’t know about the ease of use yet, but you might want to check the design.

It will be low-cost, but nobody outside the company has any idea of what that could mean. For the more technically inclined, here’s what you would find if you’d try to disassemble it (please don’t ruin it, it looks sleek how it is).

The list is copied from the website. As only the 15 inch device is detailed, I’m guessing that the 7 and 11 inch devices will have less horse-power, ram, etc.

- Android 2.0 Eclair - 373mm x 254mm x 16mm - 15.6″ Touchscreen - NVIDIA Tegra - 512 DDR / 512 NAND - 1.3 MP Web Cam - Micro SD - Bluetooth 2.1 - Wireless 802.11 b/g - USB 2.0 - 2g/3g Data - Cellular - 3.5mm Audio Jack - Magnetic Docking - Tablet/Dock Charging - Accelerometer - Ambient light sensor - Dual digital microphones

The magnetic docking seems pretty neat. They also precise that it will have 262,000 colors (6 bit). Not exceptional, but why not. Notice that the processor is built by NVIDIA. It seems like a smart move to me, but leaves me doubting on the actual use of the tablet. A muscular photo-frame with bad colors and a few apps would probably not shake the industry. I’m hesitating: is the Vega doing too much, or too little. Or maybe I’m just too skeptic. We’ll have to wait until next year.

It seems like a big move for a company making picture frames and mobiles. Do you think it will catch?

Oh! and I forgot to mention it’s “kitchen-friendly”!

By Calixte Pictet calixtepictet@techhaze.com www.Techhaze.com www.convergeddevices.net

L

ast week, the world’s largest video sharing site, YouTube, has launched a new service, named YouTube Direct . Through this latest offering from the Silicon Valley firm, conglomerates in journalism will be able to use YouTube’s open API and other public source codes to implement tailored video sharing platforms on their own websites, allowing freelancers, civilian reporters, and amateur video journalists to upload their videos directly to some of the most prominent newspaper sites. This concept is different from the conventional method of uploading videos to YouTube, as professional editors of various news reporting firms hold the right to review and screen videos transmitted to them by amateur reporters of all kinds. In other words, the public now has an opportunity to share their stories through notorious organizations, such as The Washington Post, ABC News, and the American NPR. For these news giants, the upside lies in the fact that they are now able to plant YouTube’s stable video sharing platforms directly within their online presence without dipping into the negative zone for budget. Considering that many of them are experiencing deficits, YouTube Direct might garner some enthusiastic media supporters.

YouTube believes that this service will pave the path for a new era of civilian journalism, while bestowing organizations the possibility of publishing firsthand, realtime video reports from various parts of the world – including those hit by abrupt natural disasters or wars – without having to dispatch their own professional reporters to the spot. You-

Tube thus proclaims that their newest offering will prompt maturity of civilian journalism. Fortunately for the news organizations, YouTube Direct’s official page already provides API that will bring the concept into action, as well as a detailed guidebook that will help the firms customize, plant, and exploit the video sharing platform – even in a personalized widget form.

As of today – in addition to those previously mentioned – various other firms, like The Huffington Post, which is already perceived as a leader in civilian and blog journalism, San Francisco Chronicle, and a Boston-based broadcasting company, WHDH-TV, are expanding their interaction with the public by using YouTube Direct. The Huffington Post, for instance, is currently holding a video contest, through which it will select a civilian journalist to be sent to the UN Climate Change Conference, to be held in Copenhagen, Denmark between December 7 and 18, 2009. This contest is coordinated in conjunction with a nonprofit organization, called Hopenhagen (www.hopenhagen. org), to choose 10 finalists from a pool of public journalists, civilians, and bloggers, who will submit their own videos using the platform offered by YouTube Direct. Among these 10, one winner will be selected earlier next month, named Hopenhagen Ambassador, and dispatched to the UN Conference in Denmark. This Hopenhagen Ambassador will carry on an active role as a civilian journalist, interviewing politicians from 192 member states, social activists, and environmentalists, as well as reporting behind-the-scene footages of the con-

ference. The stories and videos submitted by the winner will be directly published on the Huffington Post website and YouTube.

Another renowned media, the American National Public Radio, is also holding a contest called The WONDERSCOPE: Sciency Stuff Through Your Eyes. Readers of the NPR will be able to upload a short video, ranging from 30 seconds to 3 minutes,

by December 17, 2009, and the winner selected by a panel of professional editors will see his or her video introduced on the homepage of the NPR site. The general topic for this contest is time, and readers can submit videos about any relevant curiosities, like “Why does it feel like time flies quicker as we get older?” or “Can time be scientifically measured?” Again, the contest is made possible

by YouTube Direct, and the awarded video will be published both on NPR and YouTube, simultaneously. Besides from these rather serious competitions, The San Francisco Chronicle is encouraging its readers to upload videos of local festivals and street performances to portray the Thanksgiving season in the States. ABC News is also receiving videos through YouTube Direct platform to publish Thanksgiving messages from its public viewers.

The New York Times recently analyzed that YouTube Direct will become a strong threat to CNN’s iReport (www.ireport.com), which also allows amateurs to freely upload videos to the site. The Reuters also claimed that YouTube Direct will serve as a catalyst to the expansion of news organizations’ interaction with the public, as the firms can now implement a reliable video sharing platform at no extra cost and receive reports and communications submitted by civilians. While the service was launched with the active use of several news reporting behemoths, YouTube Direct may also be utilized widely in the private commercial sector. For one, companies can plant YouTube Direct into their corporate sites and blogs to promote their newest

products or services by holding various marketing activities based on free video submission and publishing. As an extension of that thought, one can also imagine potential exploitation by nonprofit organizations, politicians, and even government offices to plant the YouTube platform within their own web domain to increase interaction with the public.

It all seems brilliant, but there may also be some critical aspects of this new service. For example, by pulling media and news corporations onto their sides, YouTube is now actually capable of collecting their upcoming contents for free. If this is seen as an unequal capitalization on the part of YouTube, it certainly will not bode well for its parent company, Google, who has already created a deep gorge of conflicts with some prominent media firms by gathering and amassing their contents at no cost – all for the sake of its content search objectives. And as for professional journalists hired by the firms, they cannot rest at ease at the sight of this emergence of YouTube Direct, as it creates a whole new array of possibilities for civilian journalists and amateur reporters to gain more authority.

If the freelancers and their reports become more attractive in the future, all the penny-saving news media corporations will surely prefer the public over their salary-seeking professionals.

Even at this moment, the boundaries between journalism and public and distinctions between professionals and amateurs are crumbling down all thanks to YouTube Direct. But, be careful: Google’s intents, as exemplified by this rather sneaky backdoor entrance into journalism under the sweet guise of free platform renting offer, may not be so innocent and generous in the long run.

By Steve kim stevekim@techhaze.com www.TechHaze.com

Exclusive Interview With

Jóhann Þorvaldur

W

elcome to our first ever TechHaze interview, the first of many. Stay tuned, because we have much more coming up!

The 50 million of us lucky enough to have iPhones spend a good deal of time playing games on them, especially when two iPhoners meet where there is wireless internet. Whether or not we look silly is not a question worth answering, where these games come from, however, is. We interviewed a slightly geeky 22 year old Icelander named Jóhann Þorvaldur who recently joined the world of iPhone game creators and asked him about his creative process and what software was essential to it.

So Jóhann, who are you and how did you get into making iPhone computer games?

I am a man who discovered the wheel and built the Eiffel Tower out of metal and brawn. That’s the kind of man I am. I also have a B.Sc in Mathematics from The University of Iceland and felt so exhausted that I decided to try to do something ridiculously creative. So I founded the game development studio Dexoris, that currently focuses on iPhone and iPod touch games. We have released two titles to critical acclaim: the harrowing sheep herding ad-

venture of Peter und Vlad and Audio Puzzle, the game that reinvents the jigsaw puzzle and allows you to rediscover your music collection through engaging game-play.

How do you get your ideas?

Before I started working on games I hadn’t realized that the easiest part of the whole game creation process is getting an idea. We were obviously looking for the next big thing, so I started writing down every idea I got; every dream that I remembered and every mundane thing that I felt might be interesting. My mantra was that every little thing was potentially important and as a result I got most of my ideas sitting in a bus on my way to work. There is an very interesting palette of people who accompany you for a short time every day and they just get my creative juices flowing.

This idea process quickly filled up a small notebook and I discovered that the really difficult thing about ideas is the part where you sift through the sprawling ideas and try to spot the great ones amongst the ordinary ones. I think that everyone gets a lot of interesting ideas but it takes a lot of skill and practice to recognize the good ones. My current rule of thumb is that if it is hard to explain your idea then you should probably think harder.

How many people work together?

When we were developing Peter und Vlad, we had a team of 5; two programmers, a graphic designer and two marketing experts that also served as game designers. In a small company like Dexoris, you quickly realize that it is necessary for everyone to be able to change roles, – we talk about wearing a lot of different hats – so while I am mostly in charge of game design and programming, I’m also responsible for the music and sound effects, script writing, the marketing material and even editing the promotional videos. I have therefore become quite the juggler as I juggle these different roles from day to day.

What technology / software do you use?

We decided to focus on the rapidly growing iPhone platform so we obviously had to use Apple computers and software. When we started out we shamelessly acknowledged the fact that although we had good experience in software engineering, marketing and design, we didn’t know anything about the creation of computer games. We therefore decided to start by choosing the right tools that would allow us to bypass most of the solved problems, such as how to draw an image on the screen or play a sound file, and allow us to focus on the things that made our game special. After a brief search we found Cocos2D, an excellent framework for creating 2D games for the iPhone and iPod touch, that served as a thin layer that encapsulated all the stuff that we didn’t need to learn yet.

Peter und Vlad took approximately 3 months to develop and market and we couldn’t have done it so quickly without the use of Cocos2D, as then I would have had to reinvent the wheel over and over again, and I simply like the wheel as I discovered it in the prehistoric era.

Is making computer games difficult?

Studying mathematics is really difficult so I thought that I was prepared for anything, but the process of creating games still took me by surprise as it is genuinely difficult! There are so many layers of

expertise needed to succeed and the level of complexity grows very quickly. It is, however, a very giving and enjoyable process as it allows you to put to use much of the seemingly useless stuff you learned in college/university.

Is there a major difference between your two games? What is new about your game?

Although our games have some things in common, for example a high level of polish and instant playability, they are quite different beasts as they originate from two different design principles. In Peter und Vlad, we wanted to create a small, narrative heavy, arcade game that would allow us to get a feel for the whole process of creating games; from a simple idea to the complex implementation that involves the creation of an artificial intelligence, composition of music, level design and play testing.

With Audio Puzzle we had a more focused goal as we wanted to create a game that turned your music collection into game-play; i.e. allowed you to experience familiar music in a new and exciting way. So we created Audio Puzzle, the world’s first musical jigsaw puzzle! Instead of using boring panoramas to create the jigsaw puzzle, the game uses the tracks from your iPod library and therefore allows you to rediscover your music.

Are you planning to make real videogames later?

What is a real videogame? One that has a budget of millions of dollars? One that is created by a team of 60? There are approximately 50 million iPhone and iPod touch users in the world. This is a market of approximately the same size as the Nintendo Wii or Playstation 3 market but has the advantage of requiring no distribution costs and the user can immediately reach our product. I would say that a game developed for the iPhone is just as real as a game developed for the XBox or PC. This is just a question of scope and focus. We surely intend to grow and create more games, and as we grow and learn, we’ll be able to expand our scope and attempt to execute more ambitious ideas. Currently we are proud of creating small games that achieve their goal of providing short burst of entertainment to your phone.

A big thank you to Jóhann Þorvaldur for finding some time to answer these questions!

Kamma Thordarson kammathordarson@TechHaze.com www.TechHaze.com

HAVE YOUR S A Y

Have You haveyoursay@yourbusin

ur Say & email nessezine.com

T

his section of the magazine is for you, the local business people of Merseyside. It is a platform for you to voice your opinion about anything you feel you need to say.

If you’re particularly not happy with something, maybe it’s something holding you back, then let us know, we may even be able to help. Also, if you are particularly happy with something or someone, tell us about it here. We are not a news paper and we don’t need to push doom and gloom to push our readership. We believe there is a lot of positivity around at the moment and it’s good to share that. So we are happy to print genuine testimonials for people, (not a blatant advert though).

Here at Your Business E-zine we also believe that working together makes us all stronger. People whom you may have traditionally thought of as your competitors can actually be your greatest allies. If you need support in a certain area of your business, why not let us know, we could put you in touch with the right people to fill your particular gaps. Maybe you have a proposal or an idea that you just want to put out there and see what response you get, this is the place for you to do that to.

Your Business E-Zine also believes that business should be fun. There is nothing wrong with enjoying what we do and even our extra curricular activities. With this in mind we have a proposal we would like to put to you. We would like to organize an event for next summer. Something fun that we can all get involved in. My thoughts are to run a soap box derby. Each company building there own machine, fully logo’d up of course, and we would get a suitable road closed off somewhere in or around the city centre, build a bit of a track and race down it. Prizes for the winners of course and even a podium with champagne spraying etc.

What do you think? Is it something you would get involved in, either taking part or helping to organise? Let us know, or any alternative suggestions you may have.

The previous edition of this magazine had in excess of 50,000 views. That was our launch edition, it’s only going to increase from there and increase substantially. So use us to your best advantage and have your say, we will put your name and your company name after your piece. Let me tell you, the exposure won’t hurt. We look forward to your comments.

HAVE YOUR S A Y If social media can get Rage Against the Machine to No.1, what can it do for your business?

When Rage Against the Machine secured last year’s Christmas number one, it finally made people sit up and take notice of the power of social media. Businesses are now beginning to plan their 2010 marketing strategy with far more focus on social media.

Big brands used to spend millions on making big budget TV adverts as it was the only marketing strategy that provided big results, not anymore. Times have changed and we are now beginning to see these brands embrace social media.

This generation are far more interested in reading online reviews than fancy tag-lines; they want to see a YouTube video demonstrating a product, not a famous celebrity just posing with the item. Today, your customers want to find out for themselves how good your product is, what others think and whether it’s value for money.

Last year, there was an element of confusion surrounding social media, with people asking, “How will Twitter make me money?” In fact, social media is a far cheaper marketing option than others and when used correctly, can be ten times more effective.

So this year, forget about blowing your budget and make 2010 the year you took advantage of the all the opportunities social media can offer your business.

Charlotte Penketh PH.Creative www.ph-creative.com

Looking Forward to 2010 As I look back through the events of 2009, I realise how lucky I am to have survived the recession, both personally and professionally!

It has been a real struggle for small businesses especially and what has been very apparent, is the strength of business support amongst the Merseyside community. Those of you who have worked very hard to create a presence for your business or rather a foundation that will stand the test of time will understand what I mean.

We ourselves have created a small business “family” and during the difficult times over 2009, a hand extended to get us through. Thanks to those involved, you know who you are!

Business support is a pretty vague statement, but I truly believe that it should include a combination of advice, guidance, creditability and most importantly respect for each other’s business attributes.

There are still some struggling out there within employment and business in this competitive market and my wish for them is a bright 2010!

Nancy Sutton Corrin Kenny www.corrinkenny.com

haveyoursay@yourbusinessezine.com

What Good

Makes A Password?

We regularly come across systems with passwords that could easily be cracked within a few minutes using readily available tools.

Here are a few ideas as to how to avoid this. · Don’t use personal data like a name or any other information that someone could easily discover about you from other sources · Don’t choose a word (English or otherwise), proper name, a TV show · Put a number at the start or end, write a word backwards or simply substitute a letter for a number Ideally a password should be a minimum of 8 characters although longer passwords are recommended (Windows XP supports a maximum of 127!)

Selecting a password … · Have a mix of letters, numbers, punctuation marks and upper/ lower case · Make up an easy to remember sentence, take the first letter of each word, add in the punctuation and substitute letters for numbers I like to play golf at the weekends. becomes I1tpgatW · Take two random words, join them with a non alphabetic character or two and change a letter to a substitute letters for numbers July & Golf becomes Ju1y%G01f · There are many other simple methods (try just searching passwords on Google for ideas)

How do I remember all these passwords ?

Try Keepass (http://keepass.info) or RoboForm (http://www.roboform.com). In addition to storing passwords Roboform also sits on your PC in the background and when you navigate to a web site with a UserID / Password entry box it will allow you to pre-fill the information with one click on the toolbar. It can also be used to complete those web forms with name & address details.

So stay safe and make sure you have secure passwords Pam Case PC Support Group www.pcsupportgroup.com

imap Business Centres

Fro

R

om

Rags To Riches

N

estled in the heart of Wavertree lies Sandown Lane, a quaint conservation road lined with Victorian houses, leafy gardens, and even has its own public house for Friday evening tipples - The Edinburgh.

There are few streets that are so varied as Sandown Lane, with examples from almost every period from 1830’s to the 1980’s. Central to the lane stands a Wesleyan Methodist Chapel built in 1837, which faces a row of twelve large town houses known as “Sandown Terrace”. No longer a chapel, this building now houses many businesses in its ageing walls.

When the chapel closed its doors to its paritioners, it was bought by a local business man, who rented space to make wardrobes and at a later date produce j-cloths. Over a period of time, and after both business had moved on, the Chapel became victim to anti social behaviour, and became decayed and derelict. Three enterprising men Keith Morrisroe, Andrew Gavin and Ian Shields purchased the Chapel with a view to convert the building into affordable modern office space. The conversion was granted (amid some careful conservation area planning) and work began early in 2007.

Now I know many of you will be wondering what’s so special about this office space compared to the hundreds of others available at present? Well I’m going to tell you what makes this centre unique.

The offices are reasonably priced and are affordable for small businesses just starting out. The location is quiet, pleasant and some what whimsical (only applicable if you’re a women who reads Jane Austin) without all the hustle and bustle of town, not to mention extortionate rental prices and huge parking costs that come with the town location.

They are perfect for any start-up or business wanting to cut their costs but retain their profile. This centre offers a real sense of community not just in the Imap centre, but on the whole of Sandown Lane itself. It has great links to both the city centre and airport, with the Wavertree station 2 stops from town and just five minutes walk from the centre. There is no payment required for parking and traffic to and from the office is reasonable. There is the benefit of being close to Wavertree Technology Park for business relations, but without the cost of renting there. So why go anywhere else? The Imap Centre has it all, and can save you time and stress.

The centre also offers a virtual reception service, so if you’re away from the office you’re calls will be taken for you in your business name by the helpful receptionists. Their mailbox service is fantastic for those who are looking for a an office presence in Liverpool, and their “Hot Desking” service is perfect for those busy sales reps who need a base in Liverpool for just one day per week.

The centre benefits from having their own on site IT support for those hairy moments we all dread as our computers decide to go crazy. There is the high spec training, meeting and conference room which has an overhead projector, AV system and boardroom layout with eight directors’ chairs. This room can be organised into a seminar format for training sessions, and is available for evening or weekend hire. Its also perfect for those monthly special interest club meetings.

The centre offers a warm, friendly, professional atmosphere. The offices are furnished (optional) spacious and well lit. They are also fully air-conditioned and have high speed wireless internet access. The modern décor throughout the building is

tasteful and the onsite catering facilities, such as adjoining kitchen and canteen areas with seating and refreshment machines are both pleasant and convenient, but if you want to go out for something to eat, Picton Road is a one minute stroll, boasting bakeries, a petrol station and post office for those busy lunchtimes.

Businesses are encouraged to view what’s on offer at the Imap centre and if interested can rent their own space. The wide range of businesses currently renting an office at the Imap centre include, Letting agent Belvoir, Energy Experts, Gas Engineers, School Utilities, Tax Assistant, Swift security, etc.

With a recovering economy, very reasonable rents and such flexible terms, the Imap Business Centre is set for a very healthy 2010. If your interested in looking at the centre, why not contact Kieth, Ian, or Andy through the email below.

imapreception@gmail.com

Photography By Paul Clifford Images www.paulcliffordimages.com

Ask The Ques

Ask The Exper

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Business Coach Life Coach Commercial Solicitor Tax Accountant Humour Expert International trade Guest Expert - HR

Ask The Expert

Busine Richard Dickinson

Richard started out in his working life in the Navy, were he served for a number of years, travelling around the world learning some fantastic skills and meeting people from many different cultures. After leaving the navy, Richard entered the world of banking and finance, ending up in a role as East Midlands Region Development Manager for a high street bank. Richard then decided he was ready for another challenge, so he left the bank and set up his own national insurance brokerage, which he ran for 5 years, until selling the business in 2005. Given Richards extensive experience over the years in dealing with businesses and more importantly business people, Richard felt he would make a very good business coach. He then trained and was accredited by the Adler School of International Coaching and took on a franchise from Ology Coaching, which gives him the support of a multi national company, whilst at the same time still being able to give a local personal service to his clients. We are very pleased to have Richard on board and are sure you will benefit from his wisdom and experience.

“Don’t Know What You DO Know???”

(10 reasons why)

I

n many companies information and knowledge exists in many forms but for some reason it’s not shared. Leveraging the knowledge that exists in a business could be the difference between success and failure; acting before it’s too late; creating a competitive advantage by the reapplication of existing knowledge. Yet in many instances knowledge isn’t transferred resulting in many companies really not knowing “what they DO know!”

As behavioural experts we have recognised the following are some of the major reasons behind why companies exhibit this failing: 1.

Bad news rarely travels upwards in organisations: Everyone dreads telling the boss bad news. It also doesn’t travel down either -- executives are famous for soft-pedaling bad news, or for living in denial until it’s too late to fix the problem.

2.

People share information generously peerto-peer, but begrudgingly upwards, and sparingly

downwards in organisational hierarchies: most people hate preparing reports for ‘superiors’, since at best they are paperwork that has no value to them personally, and at worst they are self-incriminating. Information in most organisations flows down only on a need-to-know basis, which is why the grapevine is generally a faster and more accurate source of information than the boss.

3.

People only accept and internalise information that fits with their mental models and frames: Ask people after a presentation what they learned and what they thought was the central message, and you’ll find that most people will respond with something that reinforces what they already believed, which is often very different from, and sometimes even contradicts, what the speaker actually said.

4.

People cannot readily differentiate useful information from useless information: Most people are not very good at separating what’s important from what’s not.

ess Coach 5.

People know more than they can tell, and tell more than they can write down: We all have expertise and understanding of things we cannot express in written words, and what we can express is much more effectively expressed orally and iteratively than by capturing it in some database.

6.

People can internalise information presented graphically more easily and fully than information presented as text, and understand information conveyed through stories better than information presented analytically:. This is why we trust face-to-face conversations more than telephone conversations (we are, largely subconsciously, processing a huge amount of data from people’s facial expressions and body language). It is also why we like charts and photos much more than text and ‘bullet points’, which force us to create our own mental images before we can be informed by them.

So what can we do: • flatten the organization • introduce personal coaching • develop trust and better team working • provide staff with informal places to meet and exchange information with peers, • provide more information in graphic, dynamic model, mind map and story formats, and in web blogs and other context-rich ‘containers’, Tap the ‘wisdom of crowds’ and the wisdom of wallflowers whose voice is rarely heard in organisations

7.

Most people want their friends and even people they don’t know, to succeed, and people they dislike to fail and this has a bearing on their information-sharing behaviour: The more politics are at play in the office, the more likely the flow of information is likely to be impinged.

8.

People are averse to sharing information orally, and even more averse to sharing it in written form, if they perceive any risk of it being misused or misinterpreted: So it’s safer not to share such information with anyone 9.

People are generally reluctant to admit they don’t know, or don’t understand, something: The higher in the hierarchy you are, the more this applies. So higher-ups tend to consult with other higher-ups, leading to groupthink, and also delegate searches for information to underlings somewhat cryptically.

10.

Some modest people simply underestimate the value of what they know:

To ask Richard a Question, Please email him at: richard.dickinson@yourbusinessezine.com or visit Ology Business Coaching at www.ologybusiness.com/richarddickinson/

Ask The Expert

Life C Lisa Madariaga

Lisa is a life coach of some distinction. She is what you might call one of life’s achievers. Allow me to explain. Lisa is a qualified Barrister and a Chartered Accountant. She has worked around the world for both NYSE and FTSE 100 companies. Then one day, in November 2005, she collapsed in her London office. Not only was she unable to work, but could barely get out of bed for 5 months. As her health slowly improved, she was able to re evaluate her life.

Lisa found that with her unique experiences of life, she was able to help others. She re trained and is now also qualified with the Institute of Leadership and Management, (ILM), as a life coach and executive business coach. Lisa is the founder and trainer of the Finance Coaching Academy of RSA, (formerly Royal and Sun Alliance). Soon to publish a self help book for people living with or recovering from ME, we are truly privileged to have Lisa contribute for us. So, don’t be shy, use this fantastic opportunity and ask Lisa some questions and don’t miss her articles, they may just change your life.

Let the Santa Dash feeling rule!

Did you enjoy Christmas? We all love a bit of Christmas don’t we, presents, nights out, catching up with people we don’t see the rest of the year. It’s a fabulous excuse to be in a brilliant mood for a few weeks! But, last month I heard so many people muttering to themselves, or complaining to others how they ‘have’ to do this, ‘must’ buy that or ‘need’ to visit whoever. When I hear these phrases, the hairs on the back of my neck rise and I think, “You don’t ‘have’ to do anything”. Do you agree? Please let me explain.

Everything we do or feel is a choice. We can all choose when we do things, some people plan and make lists, others are last minuters (apologies Mark for my last minute submission of this very article!) Some of us are early risers who are up and ready bright and breezy in the morning, others are night owls, who prefer to stay up and watch the TV into the wee small

hours, so yes, we all have natural tendencies toward certain habits and ways of life.

However, we can choose our day to day actions and therefore, some of us had our Christmas shopping done, presents wrapped and cards written by the end of October (yes, I know such people, I’m sure you do too).

Some of us still had no clue what to buy our nearest and dearest up to the last minute; we hope inspiration will strike as we stand at the perfume / after shave counter of Boots on 24th December at about 2pm. All of this though, is our personal choice.

So, it stands to reason that whether we choose to do something or not is also our choice. That duty-bound visit to Great Auntie Enid (we all have an equivalent) which we groan about but insist we “have” to do – do we really? Honestly? Or are we actually doing it because deep

Coach down we are a nice, decent person who realises that Great Auntie Enid is loved and we realise how much she appreciates our visit, although she may not show it, except with a soft, stale biscuit and a cup of water-weak tea? If you really believe that you go out of duty, then here is a test for you, next time don’t go! Just don’t go. Then, afterwards, see how you feel, if you feel nothing, then that’s great, it means you have saved wasting some time and you have no nasty after effects so you need never go again. If however, you do feel bad or guilty (the biggest waste of energy ever the feeling of guilt, it achieves nothing, what a waste!) then you have just proven to yourself that you choose to want to go to Great Auntie Enid’s and by default, I’m afraid, you’re a nice, decent person.

The point of all this? Well, for those of you who have now realised that you did actually want to go and see your poor dear aunt, why not enjoy it? Yes, really, why not choose to enjoy the visit? Your head, your thoughts and therefore your emotions can all be changed and the visit can be turned into a joyful experience, let’s face it, you’re going to go anyway, so why not have a laugh? Take a nice, fresh packet of biscuits with you – or go mad and take a few cakes! Insist that they are opened there and then, as Great Aunts have a tendency to “save for best” such treats. You could even offer to make the tea yourself and throw an extra teabag in the tea pot! Go with some funny stories to tell, or some old photos that Enid can tell her own stories about – and see how the time passes more quickly!

Of course I am not suggesting that we all go

out and find a Great Aunt, the same principle can be applied to everything, shopping trips, walking around town in this freezing cold, school plays (the bits where your children aren’t performing of course!) etc So, in summary, let’s all turn next Christmas into what it should be – a great big ball of fun, where we do say “Happy Christmas” to the meeter and greeter in the Asda – go on! It will make his day and yours! I know this mood exists as I experienced it last month at the Santa Dash – thank you to all those who organised it and made it as enjoyable as it was, and a big well done to all those who took part. It was a fabulous day, where the traditional Red Santas ran, jogged, dawdled or wheeled alongside the Blue Santas with an atmosphere of camaraderie that was inspiring. So we know we can do it, why not do it for longer?

With a big smile I wish you all a wonderful 2010 – have a great time and enjoy it, every minute!

To ask Lisa a Question, Please email her at: lisa.madariaga@yourbusinessezine.com or visit Lisa’s site at www.lisa4coaching.com

Ask The Expert

Solicit

BMD Law are now in the process of spreading there wings and in the throws of opening 2 more branches outside of Liverpool. Your Business Ezine would Like to thank Bernadette for her contribution over the past 4 months. We will be sad to see her go, but wish her every success for the future.

As a result of this we are now looking for another solicitor within the Liverpool area to give advice to our readers each month If you think you have what it takes to be our resident expert then you need to email

editor@yourbusinessezine.com

What Does An Expert Do? • Submit a 150-200 word Bio about yourself and your background • Submit a 800 -1100 word article based on your area of expertise • Provide a lovely picture of yourself so people can put a face to the name • For the month your article is featured you must answer questions from members within you area of expertise

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Y C AN

C A V

What Does An Expert Get? • A fantastic double page spread in a reputable business publication • Your face and your brand infront of 1000’s of professionals in your area • Expert credability • Link through to your company’s website • A link directly to your article to share with your contacts • Article distributed on various digital channels such as Viigo, Click, Facebook, etc...

• embedd the magazine on your website/blog to share

Ask The Expert

Tax Ac Pat Cobham

Pat Cobham used to be a tax inspector. She has more than 30 years experience in accountancy. Mostly from the side of the inland revenue. Pat set up Cobhams tax consultants and accounts in 2004 and has not looked back since. With a no nonsense and plain English approach to accountancy, Cobhams is going from strength to strength. You not only get knowledgeable one-to-one advice, but you also get it at a fraction of the cost you would pay a large company. They even go that bit further and offer a one-to-one service out of hours should you require it. With background in the corporate world, they are better placed than most to help you with your corporation tax and whether you’re a sole trader, small business or established company, they will make sure everything is done quickly and efficiently to meet all HMRC deadlines.

Difficult Times

G

iven the current chilly financial climate I thought I would dedicate this article to some help and possible allowances out there to assist.

Business Payment Support Service In November 2008 HMRC introduced a new service designed to help businesses manage their tax, VAT debts etc. Prior to the introduction of this service it was quite difficult to get HMRC to agree to payment of tax debt via instalments. However, the support service has proved to be very sympathetic and in most cases all that is needed is a telephone call and generally a decision will be made there and then.

In the Budget 2009 the Chancellor announced an extension to this service. A number of businesses are anticipating making losses in the current year.

Prior to the extension a business could only claim for carry back of losses once the accounts have been drawn up and the figures proved. However, if a business can reasonably estimate the loss then this can be taken into account as part of any re-

scheduling of corporation tax or income tax owed on the previous years profits. HMRC might ask for some evidence in support of the anticipated loss depending upon the size.

In the pre-Budget in December the Chancellor announced that the business payment support service would continue for the foreseeable future.

Note that the service is for new enquiries only. The support line is open seven days a week on 0845 302 1435.

Further information can be found by going on to the HMRC website www.hmrc.gov.uk.

Loans to Traders If a person has made a loan to a UK trader whether incorporated or unincorporated and the loan becomes irrecoverable then that person can make a loss claim. This may be of limited use as the loss cannot be claimed against income but only against capital gains. If the person has no capital gains in the year of loss then the loss can be carried for-

ccountant ward ad infinitum for set off against future capital gains.

The above also extends to payments made under guarantees.

Losses on Shares in Unlisted Trading Companies In most cases if a person disposes of shares at a loss or they become of negligible value then that loss can be claimed as a capital loss as above.

In certain limited circumstances the loss can be claimed as a loss against income tax which in most cases is more useful.

The shares must be ordinary shares in a qualifying trading company for which the individual has subscribed.

As an example, an Audi A4 meets the 120 g/km requirement and the cost new is about £24,000. If this was purchased new for, say, a company director then the company would get a tax allowance for £24,000 in the year of purchase. The benefit to the director would be £3,120. Note that this is not the cost to the director, the cost depends upon whether the person is basic or higher rate. For a basic rate tax payer this works out at £12 a week and for higher rate tax payer £24 a week.

On a final point regarding cars, in addition to the car benefit itself there is also a fuel benefit if the employer pays for the fuel. There is no hard and fast rule but in most cases it is far more tax efficient for a person who has the company car to pay for their own fuel and claim a fuel mileage allowance from the company rather than have the fuel benefit.

A qualifying trading company is one which is UK resident, is unlisted and carries on a trade-as is obvious from the definition.

Low CO2 Omission Cars Traders, whether incorporated or unincorporated, can claim tax allowances for cars. The size of the allowance per annum depends upon the CO2 omissions. The allowance is a percentage of the purchase price. For cars with CO2 omissions exceeding 160 grams/km the annual allowance is 10%. For cars with omissions between 121 and 160 it is 20%. However, for cars with CO2 omissions of 120 or less the allowance is 100%.

If the business is incorporated then personal benefits arise on the person who has use of the car.

The benefit is calculated as a percentage of the list price- again depending on CO2 omissions. Note that the figure used is list and not the cost of the car to the company.

For your average family car the benefit based on list price is 20% for petrol cars and 23% for diesel.

However, for a low CO2 omission car i.e. 120 or less then this is reduced to 10% for petrol and13% for diesel.

To ask Pat a Question, Please email her at: pat.cobham@yourbusinessezine.com or visit Cobhams at www.cobhams.co.uk

Ask The Expert

Humour

Stephanie Davies

Director and Founder of Laughology, Stephanie Davies has over 10 years experience working in the public and private sector which has gained her an unsurpassed reputation for designing and delivering laughter and humour interventions for businesses, practitioners, clients, young people and adults. Stephanie is recognised as one of the UK’s leading voices in laughter and humour. She was recently invited by the University of Chester to develop and deliver the UK’s first MA course in Humour in the Workplace and will soon complete an MA on The Psychological Benefits of Laughter, Humour and Personal Growth.

On leaving Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts in 2002 she began performing stand-up comedy, firing her fascination with the power of laughter and humour.

After attending Dr Kataria’s Laughter Leader course Stephanie was accepted as a participant in world-renowned, Dr Patch Adams’s Health Care Intensive Training in the USA. She worked with Patch exploring the relationship between health, humour, community and the arts.

On top of her busy training schedule, Stephanie is often asked to contribute to popular television programmes, such as Trisha, The Bank of Mum and Dad, BBC’s Heaven & Earth and ITV’s Stand-up Jenny. She is also a regular on BBC Radio

December a Cracker of a Month

A

s the new year sets in and I reflect on what has been, I find myself thinking December is a funny month. When it arrives people are constantly surprised saying things like “I can’t believe it’s December and Christmas has crept up on me again this year”. This always brings a smile to my face and a chuckle to my chuckle muscles: it’s not as if the months change order each year and December is sprung upon us. In fact we have 12 months to realise it is on the way, but still each year the same comments are heard, I even catch myself saying it. You would think by now when it gets to October people would be thinking well here’s October, that means the next month is November then it’s December, then it isn’t so much of a shock. So take

heed, you now have twelve months to start preparing for next December. I always joke that as you get older a day is taken off each year so actually it does come around quicker, which would be a good explanation for why it’s such a surprise to us all when December does comes around. Perhaps it’s because as we become older we pack so much into our lives that the days, weeks and months go quicker and we don’t spend as much time actually in the moment and enjoying life as we do when we’re younger. We become involved in life and work that we forget to look up and recognise what date it actually is. There are lots of festivals going on this time of year that are celebratory and make us stop and think for a moment about families, appreciating what we have and miracles. Christmas

s

Consultant being the obvious one, but we also have the Buddhist day of Bodhi: which celebrates the birth of Buddha and the founding of nirvana by Buddha.

Ashura is a Muslim festival. this is a day of fasting for Sunni Muslims. The day that Nuh (Noah) left the Ark and the day that Musa (Moses) was saved from the Egyptians by Allah. It is also the month when the Jewish festival Chanukah celebrates the miraculous victory over persecution in the holy land and also commemorates the re - dedication of the second temple in Jerusalem and the miracle of the burning oil. In Hindu culture as well as other dates there is Vaikunta Ekadashi which is said to be the date that the gate to Lord’s Inner Sanctum’ is opened. And of course Christmas day celebrates the birth of Jesus who Christians believed was the son of god and there is also Yule in pagan celebrations the time of winter solstice.

If I’ve missed anyone or religion out I apologise and happy celebrations to you also for anytime of the year. Looking back the one thing that strikes me about December, discounting religion, is the difference in the way people act. There seemed to be a joyous air about people and in the cities, especially Liverpool I noticed this year there was more street theatre and entertainment. Which on a number of occasions made me laugh out loud (which isn’t always a good thing when you are on your own) and other activities which brightened up the town centres and created a vibrant and good humoured atmosphere. So why is it that December seems to brings out the best in people? Is it because we are thinking about others by coming together to celebrate or remember significant dates in religious calendars? Or is it because we make and buy gifts for others? Or is it because we have a day off where we can spend time with our loved ones knowing that work can take a backseat for a couple of days and we don’t feel guilty about doing so? Whatever it is and it is different for each individual, I found myself embracing the feeling and being in particularly good humour and happy myself in December. I even found myself laughing at the dreadful cracker jokes that are regurgitated each year and if spent a little extra and bought a

pack of crackers that were more expensive, not only do you get a better quality of toy but sometimes if your lucky although the same joke there’s even a topical twist on it.

I have found myself reflecting on December and wondering why do we wait until the end of the year to feel like this, come together and be what can only be described as jolly and in good cheer. It’s of my opinion that we would benefit from feeling more like this at other times of the year and taking time to appreciate people in our lives. I thoroughly enjoyed the celebrations this year, spending time with people in a fun way, playing games like charades and making gifts for others and will make it my new year’s resolution to continue this jollity into the new year and would encourage others to also.

I wonder if I can get away with using mistletoe midyear too as that’s a tradition I enjoyed and if I can use it as an excuse to jump on unsuspecting hunks at other times of the year I definitely will. Though it’s not so funny when you have to oblige others that perhaps are less desirable.... So continue the good humour, joyfulness and even, dare I say kissing into the New year, you really don’t have to have the excuse of December to do so.

Ask Stephanie Question by emailing her at: stephanies.davies@yourbusinessezine.com You can visit Alans website at

www.laughology.co.uk

Ask The Expert

Internat Alan Taylor

Alan’s early career was in IT (when this included punch cards and paper tape). He quickly moved from programming into analysis which gave him the opportunity in the mid-1980’s to work for an insurance company in the Bahamas. This gave Alan the bug for travelling and he has managed to cover five continents to date on his travels, South America still eludes him.

His career in IT eventually developed into project & business change management and Alan has been involved in a number of large projects of this type. This lead him and his business partner to set up their first business together, a business change consultancy (PSI), in 1993. PSI initially grew in the UK & South East Asia and, once acquired by a FTSE-quoted parent, it subsequently expanded to forty-five people across five continents.

He has now been developing businesses both in the UK and Internationally for over sixteen years. During this time he has built a global network of contacts including senior level decision makers.

As a seasoned professional Alan is able to help a business to focus on the definition and delivery of its development strategy, ensuring drive & momentum are maintained to achieve the company’s strategic goals. This is non more evident than in his passion for international business development where Alan is able to leverage his global network of contacts to generate significant business development opportunities.

An adaptable character, with a pragmatic approach, Alan has an open (if determined) mind and the ability to make a significant contribution to a team delivering a product or service to a clearly defined market.

Alan lives on Merseyside with his wife and two children and has recently returned to university part-time where he is studying for a Qualifying LLB Law. Of all of the places he has visited San Francisco (and nearby Sausalito) and Singapore remain his favourites.

‘Evangelising The Possibilities’ In September 1997 two excited business people were sat in the departure lounge at Manchester Airport waiting to board an Emirates Airlines flight to Dubai on their way to Singapore.

The trip was the result of a casual comment over dinner a year earlier in Singapore during a visit to the region by one of them on holiday. Their company provided business change/project management consultancy services specialising in procurement and payments. A local lawyer friend observed that there were opportunities in the region for this form of consultancy. After some consideration they had decided to take the plunge and investigate the market further.

The result? Within eighteen months they had secured a six-figure contract with the regional office of a global financial organisation. The company established a local office and a team of consultants based in Singapore which serviced this contract over a three-year period.

This team managed projects in: South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong.

Their presence in the region was also a contributing factor to their consultancy company subsequently being acquired by a FTSE-quoted software company a few years later. This then lead to them expanding further to forty-five people on five continents. I was one of those two excited people.

And the moral of the story? Well, there are several points that can be highlighted.

Firstly, UK products and services are eagerly sought by customers in many of the markets around the world.

The UK has an enviable reputation for innovation and quality. So there are contracts to be won. Secondly, such opportunities are not the preserve of large companies. Any large multinational has at some stage spread its wings and expanded abroad. So why not your com-

tional Trade pany? Thirdly, when UK companies do think ‘internationally’ they often turn to markets in the USA and/or Europe and miss the opportunities that can be found in other regions. Language and culture need not be barriers and in many countries (Singapore, Malaysia, South Africa and the Scandinavian countries included) English is widely spoken.

Finally, although such opportunities can be uncovered by chance, as in my example above, global expansion will be more effective if it is planned.

As traditional home markets falter UK companies are being urged to look at overseas markets for ways to maintain their revenues, or to even expand.

Exporting, setting up an office in an overseas market, finding a local partner or appointing a local sales agent can be scary if you have not gone through the process before. A multitude of questions must be answered: commercial, legal, financial and logistical. And all of this must be dealt with without jeopardising your existing UK core business.

But, I can tell you from personal experience, there is nothing more exciting than signing your first contract in a new market and working to set up the facilities needed to deliver it.

And companies are not alone if they do decide to expand into international markets. The UK government has realised that the UK’s economy will not recover quickly without help from exports and UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is the government department charged with encouraging UK companies to embrace international opportunities. This department has a number of UK regional offices and links to British Embassies and High Commissions around the world which enable it to offer a range of services to support companies to do so. UKTI also organises regular market visits around the world and companies are not restricted to the visits organised by their region. In many cases there is also grant support available to help with the costs of such visits.

There are also consultancies that offer support to companies wanting to open up international markets, many specialising in a particular country and/or region with direct experience and business contacts. Many contacts are companies that are able to consider risk-sharing joint ventures in their home country and/or the surrounding region.

But the first step is to make the decision to consider international markets and be open to opportunities from wherever they may arise.

The BRIC economies (Brazil, Russia, India and China) are seen as offering strong growth in coming years but many smaller economies such as Singapore are already making a strong recovery from the recent economic downturn.

So, this is the focus of this new regular monthly feature: ‘Evangelising The Possibilities’ and encouraging companies to be the first to exploit international markets and international opportunities.

In coming months articles will (amongst other things): offer advice on how to expand your company abroad, feature companies that have already been successful internationally, present interviews with people involved in exporting and turn the spotlight on particular markets around the world.

And you are encouraged to take part. If you know of a company that you think deserves highlighting as an international success, or have a particular question about trading internationally that you would like answered, or are interested in a particular market that you think should be featured then let me know. I will endeavour to include as many of these as I can.

So, I urge you to think outside the ‘UK box’ and perhaps you will find yourself in a similar position to the one I did years ago, on the brink of something new and exciting.

What is stopping you?

Ask Alan Question by emailing her at: alan.taylor@yourbusinessezine.com You can visit Alans website at

www.ttnp.co.uk

Ask The Expert

Guest Ex

Hi, my name is Elaine, I run a local HR & recruitment support consultancy called Courtney Consultancy. We specialise in helping local small businesses with their day to day HR needs, and make sure they have the right systems in place.

Taking on staff during the recession?

A word of warning for employers…

For many businesses, just standing still in the business world these days can be difficult enough, but expanding is quite an achievement! So although we find ourselves in an economic downturn, it’s great to see that there are still many businesses across Merseyside that are doing well and are in fact taking staff on.

And to take people on at this moment in time can be a very positive move for employers, as we are seeing what can be described as an ‘employers market’ – due to the numbers of recent redundancies, employers have the luxury of having a huge pool of amazing talent to chose from. The employer can take their pick from any number of highly skilled, highly qualified applicants for their job.

And what becomes of this situation? Well, at 1st glance, it does seem as though this is a great thing.

The employer has lots of choice – What could be wrong with that?

But what employers need to consider further about this is their potential employees’ tremendous willingness and flexibility during this economic downturn, and although this seems perfect, if the employer is not mindful of this, it could possibly be to their detriment a little further down the line.

A notable, yet possibly unsurprising situation I have observed in recent months is the willingness and adaptability of people seeking work. This attitude of flexibility, I have found, is right across the board, in people seeking various different types of employment. People are generally more willing to accept perhaps ‘less ideal’ terms of employment than they would typically be used to, for example a lower salary than they have been accustomed to, to work a little further afield than they had previously, to work longer hours or to work in a capacity which would perhaps be considered a backwards step for them, career wise. And who wouldn’t?

These are great people with great skills who are out of work through no fault of their own; of course they are going to be willing to seek whatever work they can – after all, those bills have to be paid!

This does give the employer an advantage to a degree, as they have larger numbers of people applying for vacancies, and a greater pool of talent to choose from. However there is a potentially negative connotation to this situation! If the recruitment is not carried out carefully, if the applicants’ long term goals and intentions are not fully understood, the recruiter may stand the risk of selecting the wrong person, and may see staff turnover increase as a result.

xpert HR As I see it, in my role as a HR & Recruitment Consultant, my task is to identify a person with not only skills and experience which match the role, but with the right reasons for applying for the role.

This is the way employers need to think in the current market.

For example, if a person in, let’s say, a Receptionist role, and then progressed to become a Receptionist/Administrator, and the salary they last earned was £12,000 per annum, you would fully understand their reasons for seeking a position of Administrator paying, let’s say around £14,000 per annum. However, if a former Office Manager was used to receive £20,000 per annum applied for the same role as a result of their unemployment, there could be a possibility that this highly skilled and experienced person could perhaps have sought this role as a ‘stop-gap job’ until they were able to secure what they might consider to be ‘more suitable’ employment.

I suppose my overall message comes from a fear that if recruitment is not handled correctly during the economic downturn, this could possibly develop into a larger issue once the economy starts to recover. If we have considerable numbers of employees in ‘stop-gap jobs’, and more suitable jobs start to become available to them as economic recovery kicks in, we may see huge numbers of employees leaving their current positions to move into

a better role – this could result in major instability of the workforce, just as the economy is trying to recover.

My advice – Take great care when taking on staff just now. Enjoy the luxury of having such great people to choose from, but always check that the applicants long term goals meet with the needs of your company. Ask the applicant what sort of role they are hoping to move in to, what salary they last received, what salary they would like to have in their next role. And be as sure as possible to double check these answers - if there is a 2nd stage of interviewing, this is your chance to have the questions asked again, to be sure of receiving the same answers.

Of course, it is human nature for applicants to give the employer the answers they feel the employer would like to hear during an interview, but to protect your company and its growth, my advice is to be a tad more vigilant during these times.

Ask Elaine a Question by emailing her at: asktheexpert@yourbusinessezine.com You can visit Elaines website at

www.courtneyconsultancy.co.uk

808 State, Act of Faith, Alfie, Alterkicks, Amorphis , Anathema, A Spacemen, Atomic Kitten, Atonal, Aquarius Baby Mother, Badly D Bandits, Belly , Barry Manilow, Basement, Beautiful South, Berri Yoga Muffin, Bizaar Inc, Bjork, Black Sabbath, Black Star, The Blac Blueseed, Boa, Bolt Thrower, The Boo Radleys, Bottom Dollar, Bou Jacques, Brianna Corrigan, Brotherhood, Bullyrag, Brutal Truth, Bro cass, Carla Werner, Carmel, Cassidy, CAST, Cat Scratch Fever, Cecil, Crisis, Christians, The, Chris Norman, Cleopatra, The Clint Boon E Coldplay, Coral, Crackout, Cradle of Faith, Crane Builders, Cresce DBH, Dead 60’s, Deadline, Deadly Living Sins, Dearly Beheaded, D Ross, Disincarnate, Dodgy, Dogs, Dom Rowlet, Doves, Drop Scien the Bunnymen, Eden, Edsel, Elbow, Electrafixion, Elvischrist, Emb Everton Football Club, The Farm, Feeder, Fish Monkey Man, Foobar Fudgetunel, Gheko, Girlfriends, Glass, Gluebound, God Boy, Gome Mynci, Grace Jones, Hankypark, Hayley Westenra, Headswim, He High Brass, Howard Jones, Howling Bells, Hurricane, I am Kloot, Ian If I Were King, The Infections, Inspiral Carpets, Jack Roberts, Jan Rae, Joanna McGreggor, Jill Jones, John Butler, John Martyn, Joh ing Joke, K-Klass, Kings of Convienience, Kings of Infinite Space, L Lionrock, Listening Pool, Liverpool Football Club, Liverpool MVC Blood, Llanddulas M.V.C., Lucid, MN8, Machinehead, Manbreak, Man Marconi, Mark Owen, The Master Singers, Mat Turner, Medusa’s Sp Mike Peters, Miriam Lamen, Moby, Monoco, MULU, My Red Cell, My Head, Napalm Death, Neville Skelly, New England, New Model Army , Near the Garden, N-Trance, N-Trust, Oceanic, Oleta Adams, OMD, O Osun Arts Foundation, Other Side of Sound, Paolo Nutini, Paul Co Pitchshifters, Power Junkies, Pride, Pulp, Pure Essence, The Quarr Bottlers, Rain, Real People, Ricky Thomlinson, River City People, R Philharmonic Orchestra, Roy “Chubby” Brown, Russell Watson, Ry Scaffold, Scorpio Rising, The Sessions, 747’s, Shed Seven, Simo Soleil, Skin, Skinlab, Skyscraper, Sleeper, Small, Snow Patrol, Sop ny, Space, Speedball, Spice Girls, Space Monkeys, Starsailor, Step Jacket Fits, The Stands, Super Furry Animals, Sussed, Stereolabs The Stranglers, Supernaturals, Take That, Terror Vision, Thea Gilmo club, ThisWay, Gavin Thorpe, Total Chaos, Tour De Force, Uncut, Verve, Voy, Waikiki, The Wedding Present, Wireless, Witness,-W

Hidden

Andy Prior, Aswad, Apes Pigs & Drawn Boy, Bandit Queen, The i, Beyond, The, Big Circus, Big ck Velvets, Blaze, Blue Amazon, utique, Burn, Buzzcocks, Brian otherhood, Butterfly Child, Car, The Charlatans, Chelsea, China Experience, Clinic, Copacabana, ent, Daisy Hicks, Dave Hughes, Demon, Departure, Diablo, Diana nce, Dr Phibes, Dubwar, Echo & brace, Emily Remic, Energy 26, r, Formula One, Frank & Walters, ez, Good Earth, Gorky’s Zygotic eartland, , Herbert Gronemeyer, n Asbury, Ian Gillan, Ian McNabb, Johnson, Jazz Kooner, Jimmy hn Murphy, Jo Cang, Keiko, KillL20, The Laze, Lightning Seeds, C, Lobster, Longview, Love Like nmade, Mansun, Marillion, Mike pite, Maya, Mew, Michelle Gayle, ystic Meg, My Vitriol, Molly Half New Order, The North , Nowhere One Minute Silence, Ooberman, ooper, Pele, Pete Wylie, Pinhole, rymen, Q-Stix, Quest, Rail Town Roberto DaNova, Rooster, Royal yan Carter, Sandi Thom, Saxon, on Wilcox , Simply Red, Sister phie Ellis Baxter, Soul Symphophen Triffet, Stick Boy, Straight s, Stereophonics, Stone Roses, ore, The Embassy, Teenage FanVanessa Brown, Velvet Jones, Whatever,-Wildhearts,-YearZero

Haven

I

f your planning a night out in Liverpool you are somewhat spoilt for choice. Liverpool has so many bars and restaurants that every demographic and taste is catered for. Dependant on your age, lifestyle, social class and again taste, will depend on which locations you would consider. For every group and sub group, there is still a great choice of places to go, such is the volume and diversity of venues in and around the city. But what of the Bars and restaurants themselves. With such choice, how do they stand out? How do they get you, their target audience, to choose them? Next time you’re out and about have a look around at what these establishments are doing to attract your attention.

What if your Bar / Restaurant didn’t have any windows visible to passing traffic? What if it didn’t even have its own front door? How would you get your trade, or even just let people know you existed? To most bars and restaurants this would be fatal, but there is a way you can make this work. What if your premises were so unique that you didn’t need to drag in passing trade? If the history of your location was such that people would seek you out.

If you remained true to that history and provided a completely unique and quality service, appealing to a diverse array of people that all shared a common interest in what you were offering. That would work.

S

TUDIO2 at Parr Street recently celebrated its 1st birthday, although you may not have known that. In fact when it first opened, they didn’t have a big launch party. They didn’t need to. To explain why I need to give you the history of the building and how STUDIO2, the bar, came to existence.

Originally the building was a warehouse. Nothing exciting there. Then towards the end of the 80’s a company called Amazon Records, who were previously based in West Derby bought it. What Amazon did was incredible. They converted the space into the largest recording studios outside of London. In fact they were the second largest in the entire country. No expense was spared in the fit out. In fact the speakers alone in the mixing room, (which are still there built in to the walls), cost in excess of £300,000. Everything in the recording studios themselves was done to ensure the perfect acoustic for any/ all types of instrument. There is the percussion stone room with its high ceilings and stone walls and floors, another room for guitars and similar instruments, a small and extremely sound deadening room for pure vocals and the main room which has various shapes to the ceiling for specific placement of different instruments. Not to mention the huge mixing room with those amazing speakers, which is now appropriately the bar, (still the mixing room then). There were originally 5 studios at Parr Street. Studio 1 is a mirror of what is now the bar at STUDIO2 and studios 3,4 & 5 are on an upper floor and smaller space than the main studios.

At some point in the 90’s Amazon Records got into financial trouble, (perhaps due to the colossal amount of money they spent on the fit out). This was when the group Genesis’ pension trustees stepped in and took the place over. Unfortunately it wasn’t their intention to continue to run the studio’s – around 4-5 years back they sought permission to convert the building into apartments. This created somewhat of a public outcry. This amazing creative resource could have been lost forever and in it’s already relatively short history it had a phenomenal amount of artists record there and some

very well known ones too. In fact the list is so comprehensive we thought you might like to see it so have included it on separate pages in this feature.

Eventually, after much negotiation, 2 local businessmen, Gary Millar and Steve Macfarlane, were able to buy the premises with a view to keeping it as true to what it was supposed to be as possible. With that in mind, 2 of the studios still operate as recording studios to this day. Given the sheer size of this place it was just too much to have all 5 studio’s running, so a decision was made to convert STUDIO2 to a bar. Gary and Steve were introduced to Cameron Acott who was running The Railway bar in Liverpool. He joined STUDIO2, and

by November 2008 the bar opened.

It is difficult to compare STUDIO2 to any other bar as it is so unique. It is a lounge type bar, but as Gary has said from the start, it is a haven. It is somewhere you can go to relax or escape. Escape is actually quite a good way to describe it. As a recording studio, it had no windows to the outside world or even its own door to get in, first you must enter the Parr Street Studios building and only then can you get into the bar, so once inside, you could be anywhere. For the first 6 months of trading, it was all about the music, which Cameron felt was key to the bar. Entry had to be free and the music had to be from live Liverpool acts. Once this was established and STUDIO2’s reputation grew, they then pushed the bar out to corporate clients as well. And why not, it certainly has lots to offer.

With 2, 10ft projector screens, a large plasma with 7 smaller multi linked LCD’s for presentations, a soundproofed 14 seat board room, and networking space for up to 200 people and a 12 bedroom on site boutique hotel, you can see why.

You can also book STUDIO2 for private functions.

Either in it’s entirety, or just part of it. You can have private dining for up to 14 people and with their excellent chef, there is no need to stick to a conventional menu. You can actually sit down with him and either tell him what you would like, or throw some idea’s around and see what you come up

with. Your own dinner party with the food you want, and no washing up, brilliant. STUDIO2 is also open for breakfast from 8am weekdays and 9am on the weekends. The bar opens from 11am each day until late.

It’s always difficult for new bars to get recognised in their first year, but STUDIO2 has done exceptionally well. They have been included in the Independent newspapers magazine of the top 50 bars in the UK, they have been bar of the month in both Esquire and Olive magazines and have been nominated for various other awards including for the theme award for best bar design.

People don’t just wander in to STUDIO2, that doesn’t happen because they will have wandered past 300 other bars on their way there. The people you see there intended to be there. They planned to go to STUDIO2 because they wanted to, not because it looked good from the street, because you can’t see it from the street. It’s certainly one of our favourite places to have meetings, to network and to socialise. Why not search it out for yourself, see if you can find it, it may just be the haven you’ve been looking for.

www.parrstreet.co.uk/STUDIO2

Photographs provided by howardsphotography.co.uk

DID YOU KNOW

Parr Street Recording Studios Artists and Bands – A

808 State, Act of Faith, Alfie, Alterkicks, Amorphis , Anathema, A Aquarius Baby Mother, Badly Drawn Boy, Bandit Queen, The Ban yond, The, Big Circus, Big Yoga Muffin, Bizaar Inc, Bjork, Black S seed, Boa, Bolt Thrower, The Boo Radleys, Bottom Dollar, Boutiq hood, Bullyrag, Brutal Truth, Brotherhood, Butterfly Child, Carcas The Charlatans, Chelsea, China Crisis, Christians, The, Chris Nor Coldplay, Coral, Crackout, Cradle of Faith, Crane Builders, Cresce Living Sins, Dearly Beheaded, Demon, Departure, Diablo, Diana R ence, Dr Phibes, Dubwar, Echo & the Bunnymen, Eden, Edsel, E 26, Everton Football Club, The Farm, Feeder, Fish Monkey Man, friends, Glass, Gluebound, God Boy, Gomez, Good Earth, Gorky’s swim, Heartland, , Herbert Gronemeyer, High Brass, Howard Jone McNabb, If I Were King, The Infections, Inspiral Carpets, Jack Rob Jill Jones, John Butler, John Martyn, John Murphy, Jo Cang, Keik Space, L20, The Laze, Lightning Seeds, Lionrock, Listening Pool, Like Blood, Llanddulas M.V.C., Lucid, MN8, Machinehead, Manbre Master Singers, Mat Turner, Medusa’s Spite, Maya, Mew, Michelle G Cell, Mystic Meg, My Vitriol, Molly Half Head, Napalm Death, Nevil , Nowhere Near the Garden, N-Trance, N-Trust, Oceanic, Oleta Ad tion, Other Side of Sound, Paolo Nutini, Paul Cooper, Pele, Pete W sence, The Quarrymen, Q-Stix, Quest, Rail Town Bottlers, Rain, Re Rooster, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Roy “Chubby” Brown, Ru Rising, The Sessions, 747’s, Shed Seven, Simon Wilcox , Simply R Patrol, Sophie Ellis Baxter, Soul Symphony, Space, Speedball, Sp Straight Jacket Fits, The Stands, Super Furry Animals, Sussed, Ste rals, Take That, Terror Vision, Thea Gilmore, The Embassy, Teena Uncut, Vanessa Brown, Velvet Jones, Verve, Voy, Waikiki, The Wed

W?

A quick run through …

Andy Prior, Aswad, Apes Pigs & Spacemen, Atomic Kitten, Atonal, ndits, Belly , Barry Manilow, Basement, Beautiful South, Berri, BeSabbath, Black Star, The Black Velvets, Blaze, Blue Amazon, Blueque, Burn, Buzzcocks, Brian Jacques, Brianna Corrigan, Brotherss, Carla Werner, Carmel, Cassidy, CAST, Cat Scratch Fever, Cecil, rman, Cleopatra, The Clint Boon Experience, Clinic, Copacabana, ent, Daisy Hicks, Dave Hughes, DBH, Dead 60’s, Deadline, Deadly Ross, Disincarnate, Dodgy, Dogs, Dom Rowlet, Doves, Drop SciElbow, Electrafixion, Elvischrist, Embrace, Emily Remic, Energy Foobar, Formula One, Frank & Walters, Fudgetunel, Gheko, Girls Zygotic Mynci, Grace Jones, Hankypark, Hayley Westenra, Heades, Howling Bells, Hurricane, I am Kloot, Ian Asbury, Ian Gillan, Ian berts, Jan Johnson, Jazz Kooner, Jimmy Rae, Joanna McGreggor, ko, Killing Joke, K-Klass, Kings of Convienience, Kings of Infinite Liverpool Football Club, Liverpool MVC, Lobster, Longview, Love eak, Manmade, Mansun, Marillion, Mike Marconi, Mark Owen, The Gayle, Mike Peters, Miriam Lamen, Moby, Monoco, MULU, My Red lle Skelly, New England, New Model Army , New Order, The North dams, OMD, One Minute Silence, Ooberman, Osun Arts FoundaWylie, Pinhole, Pitchshifters, Power Junkies, Pride, Pulp, Pure Eseal People, Ricky Thomlinson, River City People, Roberto DaNova, ussell Watson, Ryan Carter, Sandi Thom, Saxon, Scaffold, Scorpio Red, Sister Soleil, Skin, Skinlab, Skyscraper, Sleeper, Small, Snow pice Girls, Space Monkeys, Starsailor, Stephen Triffet, Stick Boy, ereolabs, Stereophonics, Stone Roses, The Stranglers, Supernatuage Fanclub, ThisWay, Gavin Thorpe, Total Chaos, Tour De Force, dding Present, Wireless, Witness,-Whatever,-Wildhearts,-YearZero

And Many More...

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Interviews...

Cllr

Warren Bradley

Leader of Liverpool City Council

image By Liverpool City Council

I

have worked with, admired and interviewed many top people throughout the city for many years. The one person who I really admire overall is a young man called Warren Bradley, in short he is the Leader of the city council. I believe leadership is about being a role model and a role model is not just about saying the right things at the right time but a role model is about having clear in depth values. A role model is not about talking it is about taking action. A role model is about having the honesty and integrity to stand on the side of things even when the world is saying you’re wrong, a role model is about a person who cares for their fellow human beings and

What’s right and with my interview with warren Bradley you are going to find all these virtues coming out strongly. Warren Bradley has served this city and the Fire Brigade for many years now with dignity and pride. I want you to sit back and enjoy this interview with one of the true leaders of Liverpool.

Warren Bradley is born and bread in Liverpool. His father was from the Scotland Road area and his grandfather was the first British boxer to fight for his country. Warren himself was born in Wavertree, where he still lives today. He has served as a fire fighter for the past 20 years and continues to do so today.

Warren has as long as he can remember been involved in politics. He was an active trade unionist and initially was elected to the Church ward which was then changed to Wavertree, where he beat Mike Story to take the seat in 2000. After 4 and a half years, he was made leader and remains so today.

Being leader of Liverpool City Council certainly has its challenges and I wanted to know just how Warren maintained his passion. “It was difficult at first, but if you have a fire in your belly, a passion to make change for the better, then you can deal with any challenges that arise.� Warren went on to tell me that when you

see passion in others it is easier to maintain it in yourself and there are lots of people who are passionate about Liverpool. In fact for all the negative press or comments that get made about Liverpool, Warren estimates there are 25 positives for each negative, unfortunately rarely does positive news get reported or talked about as much as negative. There has been massive investment in Liverpool over the past few years and this level of regeneration can only come from private investment. Warren see’s that it is the job of the City Council to provide an environment were this is possible.

They must have got something right because over the last few years Liverpool has seen an

inward investment of £10 billion. £5 billion of which has gone to the city centre and a further £5 billion to the surrounding communities. For Warren it is about the private sector driving this regeneration with public sector support.

Being able to cater for everyone in the city is also a key driver for Warren. It is very important that the city works and creates opportunity for all members of society, from the poorest to the most affluent. You need people from all walks of life in order to have a cohesive and effective community. As with any other city, the SME community plays a vital role in the health and prosperity of the area as a whole and whilst there has been considerable funding available for SME’s on Merseyside, which Warren maintains was essential to kick start the economy, SME’s will need to be self sustaining. In fact it turns out that the Economy in Liverpool has been bucking all of the national trends throughout the downturn. Besides supporting the SME community, Liverpool City Council have also help set up and sustain around 150 social businesses which have had a huge impact in the lives of many people and communities around the city.

So what does the future hold for Liverpool?

Warren believes that one of the best things that Liverpool is doing at the moment is the World Expo in Shanghai. Liverpool is the only city in the UK to exhibit in Shanghai and getting there wasn’t easy. There has been 20 delegations come to Liverpool in the last 18 months from China in order to validate Liverpool’s involvement. Liverpool is to have it’s stall along side Venice, Cairo, Susio, Hang Jo and Pon De Cherry, on the basis of our world heritage status. When we say stall, try not to think about a stall at your average business exhibition here.

To give you an idea of scale, the exhibition covers an area the size of Gibraltar. Mostly only countries are represented, but a few cities have made it in, Liverpool being one of them.

The exhibition itself runs from 1st May to 31st October. In fact on 16th October the entire exhibition is turned over to us. The 16th October 2010 is Liverpool day in Shanghai. If that’s not something we should get behind and be proud of, then I don’t know what is. “This is a chance of a lifetime for Liverpool businesses” said Warren. A fantastic opportunity to build rela-

tionships with businesses from other countries around the world all in one place. Besides the exhibition, there are many other opportunities opening up for Liverpool all of the time. Not least of these is the proposed development by Peel Holdings for both the Liverpool and Wirral sides of the Mersey. Without going into any detail here, (we could probably write a full magazine on this alone), this is one of Europe’s, if not the worlds largest regeneration schemes.

All of this inward investment, development and our proud displays of our achievement in the likes of Shanghai have all happened under the leadership of Warren Bradley. His passion and unwavering commitment to the long term success of this great city is phenomenal. For Warren it’s all about the city. He wants Liverpool to be a place where our kids grow up and have fantastic opportunities available to them right here. He doesn’t want our kids to grow up and think, “I need to get out of here to do something with my life”.

So there we have it, just a remarkable man who learnt his skills and his trade from his mother and father. So thank you Warren, thank you for your honesty, thank you for your integrity but more importantly thank you for your passion, yours skills and determination to make this city a wonderful place to live in. Warren Bradley you have left your legacy. The international coaching academy and the city of Liverpool are proud of you.

www.liverpool.gov.uk

Images of Liverpool One & Albert Dock Provided by: Colins photogrpahy www.colinsphotography.co.uk

EASY READING FOR HANGOVERS

WORKING IN ASSOCIATION WITH

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etworking In The City Business Networking

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etworking In The City Business Networking

Out

Networking

Please send your pictures to events@yourbusinessezine.com

Business for Breakfast is a business club whose key aim is to help its members significantly grow their businesses through relationship marketing and the passing of qualified referrals. We run fortnightly meetings at locations in Liverpool and Wirral.

Business for Breakfast only allows one person per industry sector to join a forum. This effectively prevents any of your competitors from participating - so all the referral business for your particular industry is yours.

Why not take a look at the opportunities and benefits that your Business for Breakfast membership offers?

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Benefits of Business Networking It is the most cost effective way of attracting new clients and generating new orders.

It provides you with invaluable contacts that gives your company a dramatic boost, regardless of size or turnover.

It frees up your time, reduces your overheads and opens doors to great success.

Guest Membership We welcome guest members regularly to our meetings. It is the perfect opportunity to come along to chat to our members and listen to their real experiences. It only costs ÂŁ10 to come along and we usually indulge in a great breakfast to start the day!!

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Juice has a friendly, professional and unique approach whereby there are NO rules. Just one simple request which is that each member attends the meetings with a zest to demonstrate commitment.

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Our Next Event: Andersons Bar, Exchange Street East (a right off Dale Street just before Royal Bank of Scotland), Liverpool City Centre -26th January 2010 www.plus1networking.com

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JANUARY Juice Networking Home Cafe at Woodside Ferry Terminal £10 for first visit and Breakfast 0700 - 0900hrs

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JANUARY Sefton Chamber of Commerce Scarisbrick Hotel, Southport 1200 - 14.30hrs £10 breakfast no commitment for non-members first visit required

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www.mywirralhub-westkirby2010.eventbrite.com

21st

JANUARY Sexy Networking - DLIB Sir Thomas Hotel, Sir Thomas Street, Liverpool

Free for visitors who haven’t been to a DLIB event before For further details contact Lucy change@downtownliverpool.com

www.downtownliverpool.com

My Networking PA is an exclusive site that will find suitable business networking and referral events in your area, tailored to your specifications. So you can spend less time searching and more time networking.

www.mynetworkingpa.com

22nd

JANUARY Networking Studio 11 St Mary’s Complex Waverley Street Bootle

vocal coaching for both public Speaking and singing, group and one to one presentation skills workshops. Singing groups and recording and lots more! There will be refreshments and a few drinks, and opportunities to network and chat with other businesses

26th

JANUARY Plus 1 Networking Andersons Bar, Exchange Street East

1630 - 1830hrs £15 entrance fee Contact Ian Denny for further details www.plus1networking.co.uk www.plus1networking.co.uk

27th

JANUARY Juice Networking Home Cafe at Woodside Ferry Terminal 0700 - 0900hrs £10 for first visit and Breakfast

www.juicenetworking.com

29th

JANUARY Juice Networking Sir Thomas Hotel, Liverpool 0700 - 0900hrs £10 for first visit and Breakfast Fantastic fresh networking now in Liverpool City Centre. www.juicenetworking.com

www.business-scene.com

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etworking In The City Business Networking

LIVERPOOL

Curry

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etworking In The City Business Networking

MANCHESTER

Curry

CHESTER

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www.networkinginthecity.co.uk

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usiness Scene was founded in 2006 by Warren Cass. Warren previously worked in an events background and travelled throughout the country networking as he went. Something Warren quickly realised is that whilst there were many really good networking groups, there didn’t appear to be any cohesion.

So one day whilst back home in Swindon, Warren decided to set up an on line business network for the Swindon area, which listed all the networking opportunities in the area and allowed businesses to effectively network online, as well as having a quarterly connections network event of his own.

Within 6 months 40% of the Swindon business community were registered on the site and Warren decided that there is obviously a real need for what he was offering so would roll it out nationally under the name of Business Scene. Warren soon got speaking to Eric Hearn. Eric lives in the North West and describes himself as an early adopter.

He loved the idea of what Warren was trying to do, so a deal was done and Eric took over the North West of England for Business Scene. Over the last couple of years Eric has managed to take the membership in the North West from zero to a very impressive 52,000 members and from an empty events page to 12,500 events listed per year. In fact, nationally Business Scene now has an amazing 750,000 members and for the vast majority of them, the service they receive from Business Scene is completely free of charge.

Much of what business scene provide is online.

But that doesn’t mean that if you register with them you will be connecting with businesses from the far reaches of the British Isles, (although you can if you wish). Business scene is very much a local organisation, connecting local business people who wouldn’t otherwise meet, but backed by a national brand, so you can also make those national connections if you need to. They have been described as the Ticketmaster of business events, but are keen to stress that they are not an open access social media site, whilst they do have their place, you won’t receive any pokes, hugs or invitations to Farmville or Mafia Wars here. The idea is you put a professional profile up on the site, not an on line sales pitch, but something that would give a passing stranger an idea of who you are and what you do. It’s like networking on line. You need to put a bit of your personality into it, because after all, people buy from people.

Another big part of what Business Scene do is their quarterly connections networking events. These informal, laid back events, held of an evening and with a relative and informative guest speaker. They are normally very well attended, the numbers often exceed 200 although this is dependant on the venue. These events are designed to get people face to face, creatively networking, sometimes out of their comfort zones and in front of the right people. After all, the overall aim of Business Scene is to provide a vehicle for their members to raise their visibility and access knowledge and opportunities.

Being a member of Business Scene also has a curious by product. It improves your search engine optimisation. That is your profile text, any press releases you put on the site and articles you publish will all help promote your search engine rankings.

Business Scene also syndicate their text into Telegraph Business Club, Microsoft Small Business Community and various other publications, like Business Matters, which also helps with members rankings. In fact publishing an article has multiple benefits. You will also be seen as an expert in your particular field and this will also further raise your visibility to other businesses in your area and beyond. Of course there is the problem that some business people simply haven’t got to grips with this technology yet. In fact Eric is amazed how many businesses are still trying to use traditional printed media directories in order to promote their businesses. There is also a certain level of suspicion amongst some other membership based organisations that don’t understand the concept and think that Business Scene is competition to them, all this achieves is their own members missing out on some fantastic add on benefits.

Business Scene has just had an amazing couple of years going from strength to strength. With their dedication to their members and their business ethics, along with the support of their sponsors, Microsoft, Santander Group, Blackberry and others, this growth is set to continue for many years to come.

Check out Business Scene for yourself, simply click on the links below and raise your profile.

www.business-scene.com

Eric Hearn - Regional Leader Merseyside & Wirral

The concept makes real sense. You effectively create 3 winners. Firstly, in this case me. We can get business not just at the event (which we did), but at any time when people in their community hear about our offer.

Secondly, our new clients. They will pay slightly less when they buy.

Business Networking Concept Where You Can Actually Walk Away With Business And Help A Charity…

Have you ever been to a networking event, met a potential customer, and had them buy from you there and then? Well that’s what happened to me last month at Nugent Care’s new monthly networking event.

Nugent is a huge charity. In fact we never knew how big until we got to know them. They employ 800 staff and have 500 volunteers supporting their work in the North West.

Because of their size, companies of all sizes – from SMEs to large blue-chip organisations are involved as either, supporters, donors, or suppliers.

They currently have more than 1,300 businesses associated with their work in one form or another.

So by attending their event in January at Andersons Bar, Liverpool, you too can become part of that community.

When you think of a charity business networking event, you’d be forgiven for thinking you have to put your hand in your pocket. You know the routine, collection bucket at the door, or people walking about rattling a tin. You may not mind giving to a worthy local cause for that sense of well-being, but you certainly wouldn’t expect what happens at their event.

And lastly, Nugent Care themselves. Instead of giving all of the discount to the client, the discount is split. So if you decide to offer all of the Nugent community a 5% discount, you need to match that with a 5% donation to Nugent.

Get Yourself Even More Business – Become An Endorsed Networking Partner I love the idea that if we’re at their event, and in the market to buy a particular product or service, then we can meet someone who will give a small proportion of what I spend to the Nugent cause.

This works two-ways. People who need to gain exposure for their business can choose to become a member of the E-Zine while I’m there, knowing that they’re helping the Nugent cause too. Anyone can attend, create their offer and potentially walk away with business just like we did. Because there’s lots of decision makers from both small and larger businesses active in their community, it attracts a broad audience of delegates.

But there’s more. Beyond the event itself, we discovered that our business can apply to become a fully endorsed partner. And by doing so, those not at that particular event will get to hear about us too. Having met the type of businesses Nugent deal with, we decided to sign up as a partner. This is a privileged status for those who want to get far wider exposure for their business.

You get:

It’s straight forward networking but with a significant difference. Firstly, the proceeds from the event (£15 per person to attend) go towards the work Nugent does and straight away you’re part of their networking community. More importantly, you’ll be mixing with both old and new members of the same community.

- A page on the networking section of their web-site promoting the offers of endorsed partners,

Newcomers (like me in October) were invited to network on a table with several others. We were asked to help each other one-by-one, to create a marketing offer for the entire community of businesses associated with Nugent Care.

- Attendance at all future networking events for £10 (as opposed to £15)

- A “Nugent Partner” logo you can use as a statement that your offer has been endorsed - Coverage in their e-newsletter

The ability if you choose to send a hard-copy mailing of your approved offer to their entire community

- The chance to have an exclusive speaking slot at their events - The ability to sponsor an event (as an approved partner) But before Nugent can do this, they need to approve you. And that’s pretty straight forward. You need 3 references from clients. If it’s possible, you need to let them sample your service. Or if not, have a chat about your business, and in particular, the offer you wish to make.

Tough Times Bring People Together In a testing economic climate, businesses need to really stick together. And what better way than trading within a community that is united in a common cause? For those expecting a heart-wrenching plea on behalf of Nugent as a natural follow-on to that sentiment, think again. Nugent really are reversing the tin-rattling businesses expect. That’s why their focus is on you and making sure you get value. They are offering something every business needs these days – access to potential new customers. They are NOT asking you to dig deep for the privilege. Those businesses that are seeing

the light at the end of the tunnel are not surprisingly those who are getting out there and networking.

They’re finding the business that is still there. And for just £15 to attend this event, you are instantly part of a unique networking community.

Because this really works, like us you may choose to become a full Nugent Partner and take it to an even higher level.

We decided to become one of their very first partners prior to the full launch of the programme in January. If you want to either just attend the event, or like us, find out about becoming a full partner, please visit their partner pages:

www.nugentcare.org/partner

ABBERLEY HEATING & PLUMBING

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Premium Member

Courtney Consultancy Courtney Consultancy’s provide the services that an internal HR Manager would for any company that needs such support.

We assist businesses with all aspects of HR including: taking people on, interviews, understanding legal obligations, getting the right paperwork in place (employment contracts, personnel files etc...). elaine@courtneyconsultancy.co.uk www.courtneyconsultancy.co.uk

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Mustang Creative

The Grey Elephant Company Your Business e-Zine readers will receive 20% off Vocal Coaching by contacting

su@suzg.co.uk

07717 181 826

Pride In Liverpool

Mustang Creative is a innovative design and print company. We offer a wide range of services, and understand the need to work to deadlines and equally to make what we do interesting and fun!

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Empire Business Solutions This project open to everyone.

No qualifications or exclusions.

It’s about our city – all the neighbourhoods!

It is fun, it brings happiness – you learn about your city.

Let’s bring back that community spirit!

www.prideinliverpool.org.uk

We specialise develop bespoke information systems to help our clients to improve the efficiency of their operations and offer better customer service.

Visit our website for more information or call us to arrange a free consultation. www.empiresolutions.co.uk

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To become a member and advertise here as well as receiving business support and gaining access to business resources, please call 08000 432 734 or you can email

membership@yourbusinessezine.com

Rest & Relax

Step Clever A government funded organisation that serves sefton based businesses & residents with support & resources. We have a team of business managers fto offer start up advice

Rest & Relax is an award winning chauffeur service at a taxi price, which includes:Expertly trained drivers. clean and well maintained vehicles.

On time - efficient service, with all drivers arriving 15 minutes early.

Bottled water in every vehicle.

A large selection of vehicles to suit each clients needs

www.rest-relax.co.uk

0871 226 1993

www.stepclever.co.uk

It’s About Websites Ltd

Horlock Horticulture

Save £100 on email marketing this Christmas. Start your email marketing by sending your Christmas Cards via email this year. We will design and send your eChristmas Card to your mailing list, including full statistical reporting.

Allerton based Landscape gardener offering complete garden services throughout Merseyside. FREE estimates given, with 15% off any ground clearance.

horlockhorticulture@hotmail.co.uk

0800 030 4376

07952368437

Total –Reclaim

www.itsaboutwebsites.com

0151 324 0102

Diamond Events & Weddings If you have ever had a loan or credit card and were sold unemployment cover by your lender you could be entitled to thousands of pounds in refunded premiums. Receive your free consultation.

www.total-reclaim.net

01925 269 642

Myriad Mortgage Services Ltd.

www.diamondeventsandweddings.co.uk

08445 763 240

Biz Space

Free Consultation - Here at Myriad we offer a in depth look at your monthly and annual expenditure.We can review mortgage interest rates, insurance premiums and even tips on cutting your household expenses. Call Brian info@myriadservices.co.uk

get in touch to arrange a free consultation and let us add that sparkle to your special occasion. Plus, quote ‘eZine’ and receive a 10% discount off the management fee.

Looking to cut costs? Expanding? Starting up in business?

We won’t be beaten on price and are offering 2 months free rent if you sign up before Christmas. Contact for a no obligation visit.

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0844 980 8160

Lean,We’re Green, We’re Your Business eZine

ec o

We’re

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT US CALL

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