SBT June 2018 ISSUE 424

SBT

ISSUE 424

FREE

SUSSEX BUSINESS TIMES

GALLAGHER

RIVERVALE

THIS MONTH WE WELCOME BACK GALLAGHER TO OUR PAGES AS SPONSORS OF OUR FINANCE SECTION. SALES DIRECTOR, ANDREW DIX EXPLAINS HOW TO MAINTAIN BUSINESS CONTINUITY SHOULD DISASTER STRIKE.

AS OFFICIAL SPONSORS OF OUR MOTOR SECTION. THIS MONTH USED VEHICLE DIRECTOR JEFF TAKES AN IN DEPTH LOOK INTO CAR WARRANTIES.

RED 7 WE INTRODUCE RED 7 TO OUR PAGES THIS MONTH AS SBT GETS AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH ENTREPRENEUR AND FOUNDER OF RED 7, IAN LUCAS. HE CELEBRATES 21 YEARS IN BUSINESS BY DISCUSSING HIS JOURNEY SO FAR AND WHAT’S NEXT.

IN THIS MONTH’S COVER FEATURE, SUSSEX BUSINESS TIMES’ FOCUS IS ON LAW EASIER. WE TALK TO JASON EDGE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT HOW THIS NEW START-UP IS SET TO DISRUPT THE LEGAL MARKET AND MAKE LAW EASIER AFFORDABLE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES. SERVING THE SUSSEX BUSINESS COMMUNITY SINCE 1975

We are a Brighton based creative agency specialising in design, web and marketing.

Founded by three passionate creatives.

whitespace.studio

SBTWelcome MEET THE TEAM

Sam Thomas, Managing Director/ Publisher

Greg Carroll, Partner

Mark Butcher, Partner

James Morrison, Production

Belinda Bennett, Editor/ Head of Social Media

Stephen Lawrence Photographer Snap it Now

CONTRIBUTORS

Welcome to our latest issue of SBT! The heatwave continues as we all enjoy an amazing summer in Sussex. We have another packed issue for you with all the local news, local insights and reviews from across the county. Written by the Sussex business community for the Sussex business community. We hope you enjoy the issue.

Our team is expanding and we have great pleasure in welcoming to the Sussex Business Times team Greg Carroll and Mark Butcher, who bring a wealth of experience to the Magazine. Greg and Mark have worked together for many years in various industries, including financing as well as scaling different concepts. Most notably for SBT Greg also owned one of Dubai’s foremost digital marketing agencies, from which SBT will benefit watch this space. We are delighted to have them on board.

We also have great pleasure in welcoming as part of the editing team and head of social media the experienced Belinda Bennett. Belinda is a former newspaper reporter, editor and senior page editor who previously worked for Archant and Newsquest, before becoming a freelancer. She was also former Editorial Person of the Year for the South West (Archant).

This month’s cover feature focus is on Law Easier. SBT had great pleasure in speaking with Jason Edge to find out more about this amazing online platform that is set to disrupt the legal market. This is now a great alternative for small businesses to use technology to deliver legal services. They really are making the Law Easier for small businesses.

We welcome Gallagher Insurance Brokers and Risk managements consultants back to our pages this month as sponsors of our finance section, as sales director Andrew Dix explains how to maintain business continuity should disaster strike.

James Dempster, Managing Director, Cobb Digital

Leon Deakin, Partner & Head of Employment, Coffin Mew

Matt Turner, CEO of Creative Pod

James Kitching, Corporate Solicitor, Coffin Mew LLP

We have pleasure in introducing Red 7 to this month issue as we managed to get an exclusive interview with entrepreneur and founder of Red 7, Ian Lucas, as he celebrates 21 years in business and he discusses his journey so far and what’s next.

As always alongside these great features we have Ask the expert columns and our Made in Sussex feature, focuses on My PT Hub. As ever our popular motor section, sponsored by Rivervale Leasing extends their exclusive offer for all SBT readers and used vehicle director Jeff takes an in depth look into car warranties. This month working lunch was bought to us by founder of Yelo Architects, Andy Parsons as he hosts his MIB networking lunch at the fabulous Blanch house, in conjunction with Kanthi at the Spice Circuit. With these pages we bring you some fantastic Q&A’s in our Ask the Expert section as well as your usual local, national, motoring and chamber news.

Enjoy this month’s read.

Max Robinson, MCR Media

Sam Thomas, Managing Director

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 3

Issue 424

Cover: Law Easier

Managing Director/Publisher Sam Thomas sam@thebusinessgroup.co.uk 01323 819 012 Head of Production Sam Thomas sam@thebusinessgroup.co.uk Web Designer/Developer Tom Alexander Accounts: Clare Fermor accounts@thebusinessgroup.co.uk 01323 819 016 Published by The Business Group Sussex Ltd. Unit 1a Swan Barn Business Centre, Swan Barn Road, Hailsham, BN27 2BY Printed by L&S Printing Limited Hazelwood Close Worthing BN14 8NP 01903 821005 www.ls-printing.com

All material in this publication is strictly copyright and all rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.

The views expressed in Sussex Business Times Magazine do not necessarily represent the view of The Business Group Sussex Ltd. Every care is taken in compiling the contents but the publishers of Sussex Business Times Magazine assume no responsibility for any damage, loss or injury arising from the participation in any offers, competitions or advertisement contained within Sussex Business Times Magazine. All prices featured in Sussex Business Times Magazine are correct at the time of going to press.

Copyright The Business Group Sussex Ltd. 2018 ©

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News

View the latest local and national headlines.

Spending It

With the Summer in full swing, SBT has put together some must-have products and accessories for eating alfresco.

Finance: Maintaining Business Continuity when Disaster Strikes

Whether caused by fire, flood, IT failure or crime, an unexpected disaster can turn your business upside down in an instant. Andrew Dix, Sales Director at UK insurance broker Gallagher, based in Metro House in Chichester, explains how to maintain business continuity should the unexpected happen.

Legal – Irwin Mitchell: Business Succession Planning

Irwin Mitchell return to our pages again this month as the sponsors of our Legal section. Here in these pages, Caroline Shelton and Lucy Samy advise on business succession planning.

Charity

Beach Volley Ball fundraiser backs children’s charity, plus Search Seven’s #share7 campaign reaches 50% target.

Insight – Turning the Gin World Upside Down – nginious

Sussex business encompassing curiosity, aspiration and innovation, the aptly named gin brand successfully turning the gin world upside down since it burst onto the scene in 2014.

Cover Feature: Making the Law Easier

Many start-ups and small businesses simply can’t afford traditional law firms to help them make sure they have all the correct documentation and advice, consequently they can often leave themselves unprotected by, and sometimes in breach of, UK business laws and regulations. There is now an alternative for these small businesses that uses technology to deliver legal services.

Tried and Tested in Sussex

Our working lunch this month combined networking from Andy Parsons’ Mates in Business (MIB) at Blanch House with a delicious menu supplied by Kanthi from Spice Circuit.

Chamber News

For this month’s Chamber news section, we have again partnered with Sussex Chamber of Commerce.

Motoring – Rivervale

This month used vehicle director Jeff takes an in-depth look at car warranties.

Made in Sussex– My PT Hub

Until recently My PT Hub was one of the untold success stories of enterprises in Sussex.

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www.sussexbusinesstimes.co.uk 5

SBTLocal News Midnight shortlisted for four awards

Local PR and digital content agency, Midnight Communications has been shortlisted for four awards at the forthcoming CIPR PRide Awards 2018.

The consultancy has been recognised for its outstanding work across the South of England and Channel Islands region, including two peer-judged awards for its campaign on behalf of group travel specialist Red7 and two on behalf of regional law firm Coffin Mew:

• Best Use of Media Relations: on behalf of Red7 • Travel, Leisure or Tourism Campaign: on behalf of Red7 • Regional Campaign of the Year: on behalf of Coffin Mew • Corporate and Business Communications Campaign: on behalf of Coffin Mew

Midnight was sold to PR specialists Flo Powell and Alex Hankinson, now Joint Managing Directors, in January 2018.

Flo Powell commented: “We’re over the moon that our hard work has been recognised by the CIPR. We work tirelessly on behalf of our clients to help them grow their businesses and are truly motivated by securing great results on their behalf. Happy clients make a happy Midnight team and being shortlisted for these awards has certainly put a smile on all our faces!”

The CIPR PRide Awards recognise the outstanding talents and achievements of public relations practitioners across the UK’s regions and nations. They are the most prestigious and rigorous awards of their kind.

Rag‘n’Bone Man joins forces with local music youth charity AudioActive Multi-award-winning musician Rag‘n’Bone Man has joined forces with local charity AudioActive to help support young grassroots talent in Sussex.

Rory Graham aka Rag’n’Bone Man visited Brighton and Worthing during a series of short documentaries raising awareness of AudioActive and its social change projects for underprivileged teens.

The documentaries follow Rory speaking with participants at AudioActive, highlighting the positive impact the charity is having on young people, their mental health and their future prospects.

Paying It Forward and Room To Rant can both be viewed on Red Bull Music’s YouTube channel.

After supporting the work AudioActive does to nurture local musical talent

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informally since 2012, Rory came on board as a patron of the charity when his international career started to take off in 2016. Commenting on work with AudioActive, Rory said: “AudioActive are doing something to ensure that ‘regardless of wealth or background, young people get a chance to be creative. I can’t support that enough.

Big love.”

Adam Joolia, CEO of AudioActive, added: ‘We are delighted to be working with the extremely talented Rag’n’Bone Man. Partnership is a key part of our philosophy and young artists are at the heart of our work, so it’s great to collaborate with such a positive role model.

“Many of the young musicians at AudioActive come from disadvantaged backgrounds, where there is violence in the home or where they are affected by mental health issues, and music

offers the platform to overcome these obstacles.

“Our mentors not only support emerging artists, they also help them become a positive influence on a new generation of talented and marginalised teenagers. We’ve just started on our next mission, to further nurture young talent through establishing the UK’s first Centre of Excellence in urban and electronic music.”

AudioActive is a Brighton-based charity dedicated to improving the lives of young people through music. The charity and its beneficiaries believe it’s a powerful tool for social change, education and personal development.

For more information on fundraising for AudioActive or to donate, visit – www.audioactive.com

SBTLocal News Four promotions announced by Grant Thornton’s Gatwick office Grant Thornton UK LLP, one of the world’s leading independent assurance, tax and advisory firms, announced four new promotions at their Gatwick office, which serves clients in Kent, Sussex and Surrey.

Gatwick, 04 July 2018 -Ellen Walsh, who has led the South East office for over nine years will now take responsibility for the whole South region, working closely with over 20 partners in the firm’s Gatwick, Bristol, Southampton, Reading, Oxford and Cardiff offices. She will also continue to provide audit and advisory services to dynamic companies in the mid corporate market.

Jon Maile will take responsibility as Practice Leader for the Gatwick office, which serves clients in Sussex, Surrey and Kent. A highly experienced audit partner, Jon works with both large complex and entrepreneurial corporates and has a particular focus working with businesses with international operations, or who have ambitions to expand their business overseas. In his new role as Practice Leader, he will lead our management team to ensure we continue to deliver excellence to our dynamic client base.

around after her one-year-old son who has just learnt to walk.

Rachel Parker has been promoted to Partner and will continue to provide company and shareholder tax advice to a wide range of clients from privately held business to listed companies. Her primary focus is advising on tax issues facing business at key milestones such as restructuring, exit planning, expanding into new territories and raising new finance. When Rachel is not in the office, she can be found running

“I am looking forward to working with colleagues across the South to strengthen our service offering to clients and support the vibrancy of the region by helping dynamic organisations to unlock their potential for growth. My whole team is focused on making a difference to clients, colleagues and the communities in which they live and work,” explained Ellen Walsh, Business Leader, South Region.

Nutshell Construction on the project providing the detailed design required to restore historic elements, convert the outbuilding and refurbish the main house.

enabled us to bring together big ideas for the property and ensure that we delivered outstanding quality. We look forward to working together on many more projects to come.”

Jon Oakey is now an Audit Director, taking responsibility as engagement lead for a significant group of clients to add to his existing portfolio.

With 14 years’ experience working in the South East and London, his passion is working with owners and management teams of privately owned growing international businesses. Jon is also the proud father of three young boys.

Sussex Construction Firm Scoops Two Awards Nutshell Construction, a leading Sussex construction firm that specialises in the restoration of Grade I and Grade II listed buildings has won two industry awards in two weeks.

The family-run firm picked up the winning award for ‘Best Extension or Alteration to an Existing Home’ at the LABC Building Excellence awards for their work on a home in Ditchling.

The team then went on to win the ‘Small Scale Residential’ category at the Sussex Heritage Trust Awards for the same property in Ditchling.

The Grade II listed property built as two mirrored flint cottages had undergone several revisions most significantly becoming a single dwelling in the mid-late 19th Century. The new works comprised of a total architectural, mechanical, electrical, and structural renovation to enliven the property for future generations.

Cityzen, an award-winning design practice based in Brighton, worked with

The teams spent nearly two years on site, an archaeology team were employed, and every single room was refurbished.

Ben Copper, Managing Director at Nutshell Construction, said: “It’s great to have our work recognised in the South East. We work hard to create and renovate exceptional buildings, with design longevity, permanence and an eye to detail at the top of our agenda.

“The expertise of the Cityzen team

Charlotte Smith, Director at Cityzen said, “The moment the Nutshell team walked onto site you saw their delight in the historic Sussex construction.

They brought their heritage knowledge, care and craftsmanship to the project and the results speak for themselves.

The teams will now go through to the LABC Building Excellence Awards Grand Finals which take place on Friday November 9 in London.

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SBTNational News Are we working too much?

Most people would shout out a resounding yes… whilst dreaming of sitting at home with a cold drink in the sunshine by 5pm every day.

In Sweden they have tried a 6-hour work day and it has shown that there are some core benefits to the both the workforce and the employer. Namely, less sick days, feeling healthier, having more energy and therefore being more productive.

However, there are some downsides.

Some industries can’t survive with less hours being worked. Nursing, for example, still needs to have nurses, so, although the 6-hour work day was good for those doing it, it wasn’t good for those who had to pay for more nurses to replace the shortfall.

If people were willing to take a pay cut aligned with their reduced hours that would work too, but we all know that most people can’t or won’t do that either.

There have been some trials in the UK. One such company being Agent Marketing in Liverpool. Meeting times were cut and became more efficient, but perversely the shorter hours led to more stress given people had less time to complete what they had to do.

So, what to do? Richard Branson has even voiced the idea of people having as much time off as they want, so long as they get their work done. Again, this has pros and cons to it. Maybe the problem is not any of these ideas but the transition to these ideas being

adopted as the norm and the sacrifices that have to be adopted alongside them. It’s not that unreasonable to be paid less for less hours, surely? The maths still has to work, unfortunately to most people that is someone else’s problem!

Despite Brexit, industry experts believe these regulations will still be maintained in UK law.

Experts anticipate that the new EU guidance documents will include increased responsibilities in the design, construction and operation of industrial facilities, specifically including water treatment.

PIMFA warns on the consequences of a no-deal Brexit Following the fast-moving Brexit developments, PIMFA – the UK’s leading wealth management and financial advice association – has raised concerns on the potential impacts of a ‘no-deal’ Brexit and how it will affect private investors and PIMFA’s member firms.

The recently increased risk of a no-deal situation at the end of March 2019 may have appeared to have receded a little following the passing of Government’s Chequers and White Paper proposals and the start of a summer negotiating campaign with EU member States and the European Commission. However, it remains a distinct possibility in the light of continuing differences and numerous unresolved issues.

For PIMFA members such an outcome would be disruptive and expensive.

The people who would ultimately pay for any increase in costs or reduction in investment possibilities would be the clients of our firms. These are often ordinary individuals and families who in many cases are voters. In order to avoid this consequence for ordinary citizens, PIMFA has consistently argued that a no-deal Brexit must be avoided and that a broad-ranging and well-founded UK/EU agreement based on the principles of mutual recognition

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should be in place by the end of a transition period.

John Barrass, PIMFA Deputy CEO said: “at present, focus is on the application of ‘enhanced equivalence’ rather than mutual recognition, but equivalence does not apply to dealing with clients in the retail investment sector so, unless the final delineation of enhanced equivalence changes this, there will be no effect on the position of PIMFA firms.”

“PIMFA has repeatedly made it clear that an orderly, 3-phase approach to Brexit is both essential and achievable.

This necessitates securing consensus around a Withdrawal Agreement in phase 1 to include a transition period as the core of phase 2 in which the final agreement for phase 3 is negotiated and agreed. The aim is to secure a one-step Brexit at the point of implementing phase 3, which firms can be aware of and plan for well ahead of time. This would minimise disruption and the costs of changing to business patterns suitable for a non-EU state.”

Currently, the draft Withdrawal Agreement would make this possible.

While tight on time in phase 2 the transition period it advocates until 31 December 2020 effectively means that no changes to business models will

be needed until then. During those 21 months the government and EU partners can be expected to negotiate the final form of the UK/EU agreement to operate from 1 January 2021 onwards. Firms can be made aware of how this is shaping up and plan accordingly.

It is therefore vital that the Withdrawal Agreement is not jeopardised in the current focus on the key principles of phase 3. Without a proper phase 2 and smooth transition, phase 3 itself could become disorderly and highly disruptive to business. This will adversely affect employment, growth, costs, tax revenues and investment.

There will be little benefit to UK consumers or firms.

PIMFA calls upon the government, EU member states, and the European Commission and Parliament, to ensure that a proper phase 2 with a minimum transition period, as enshrined in the March 2018 version of the draft Withdrawal Agreement, is retained and not sacrificed in negotiations on the principles of the phase 3 agreement.

This would lead to a no-deal Brexit that would be damaging across the board for EU members, including to all PIMFA members and their retail clients.

SBTNational News Farmers and estate agents most likely to socialise with work besties, survey reveals

Eating and Drinking for England Food retailers have reported their best sales for 5 years because of the British heatwave. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has stated that food sales were up by 4.5% while non-food sales declined by 1.2%.

A new survey has revealed the professions which are most likely to see their work mates in their free time.

one another and see each other from a new perspective, which can help make work life less tense and more fun.

Farmers topped a list of professionals who are most likely to socialise with workmates, meeting 12 times a month on average.

“We know from our survey the happiest people are those who make time to socialise with friends and family. The results also showed that almost half of people didn’t feel they made the most of their time outside of work. Perhaps it’s time to dedicate extra effort into planning our free time more carefully to ensure we give ourselves the best opportunities for happiness.”

By contrast, those who work in sports and leisure are least likely to see colleagues outside of work hours, meeting less than once a month.

The research, conducted by Boundless, an experiences company with a 95-year heritage, aims to discover the factors which contribute to individual happiness, both in professional and private lives.

The UK’s five most social professions “How many times do you meet with colleagues outside of work each month?”

Farmer 12 Estate/letting agent 10.4 Electrician 9.6 Builder 7.3 Advertising/media 6.8 The UK’s five least social professions Sports and leisure Property developer Taxi/Lorry Driver Teacher Customer service/call centre

0.2 0.9 1.8 1.9 1.9

Ian Holmes-Lewis, director at Boundless, said: “Striking a healthy balance between a home and work life is key in any industry. Socialising with colleagues outside of work hours allows for workmates to get to know

Other findings from the survey include: Plumbers are shown to be the happiest profession – with 55 per cent saying they are ‘very happy’ in life.

The most dissatisfied workers are those in advertising – with 42 per cent saying they are unhappy in life.

As well as being the most sociable profession, farmers also spend the most time outdoors each day, at 7.5 hours.

Farmers are also the profession who most consider themselves very active, with 60 per cent responding as such.

Men are more likely to socialise with colleagues outside of work than women, meeting 4.4 times a month compared to 2.3.

Those in the private sector are more likely to socialise with colleagues outside of work than those in the public sector, meeting 3.6 times compared to 3 each month.

Helen Dickinson the BRC’s chief executive has gone on to say that we should not be to happy as the underlying weakness in consumer spending was noted in non-food spending.

Possibly the heat doesn’t help because no one relishes the thought of browsing hot stuffy shopping centres, but mostly retailers are still reeling from lower footfall and increasing business rates.

Another reason of course that spending went up is because of the World Cup. Pub spending rose by nearly 17 percent from last year.

Average UK House prices reach Record high July saw a rise in UK house prices taking the rate of property inflation to 3.3%. This has pushed the cost of buying a home to a record high, with the average house price reaching £230,280.

Halifax said in July alone the price rose 1.4% which was the largest increase since last November with annual growth jumping from 1.8% in June to 3.3% in July. They have said the increase has been supported by employment rising by 137,000 in the three months before May and this has eased the pressure on household finances as wages have begun to outstrip inflation.

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Alfresco dinning With summertime in full swing, SBT has put together a list of some of the must have products and accessories to ensure you get the most out of eating alfresco.

AWESOME AWNINGS Long gone are the days where a parasol will do. Now awnings and sail are part of any exterior design. Different colours, shapes and materials are available to adorn the side of your house or be hung between trees in the garden. A must have not just for the aesthetics but to also dine in comfort under the hot British sun!!! At the time of writing this is only £44.99 down from £89.99. www.waitrosegarden.com

MELANINE PLATES Al fresco melamine dinner plates are ideal for taking on picnics, camping trips or for serving food at a summer barbecue. The dinner plates look just like glazed ceramic, but because they are made from lightweight melamine they are great for parties!

INSECT REPELLENT CANDLE Whilst on the subject of pesky interests be doubly sure to get rid of them with this outdoor candle. This citronella candle in glass jar is ideal to use in any garden or open space and is the ultimate summer candle scented with citronella to help keep those summer bugs at bay. £9.99 for 4 www.avena.co.uk

www.souschef.co.uk

BAR B Q Gas / charcoal / gas / charcoal – the debate has waged on for years. Now there is a click solution to put this to bed once and for all, designed by Heston Blumenthal no less. Imagine a Bar B Q that works on electricity and charcoal instead. Click the link to to find out more details.

You can get one in John Lewis for £899.

Yes, it’s not cheap, but there are far more expensive ones out there too. www.johnlewis.com

BAMBOO FOOD COVERS No one wants a wasp sandwich.

Apart from the safety concerns, these bamboo covers are very useful with the tray that comes with it.

Set of 3 £19.99 www.jakjakhome.com

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BRIM WITH STYLE

THE PICCADILLY 2 PERSON PICNIC HAMPER Not all al fresco is on a table so why not put a pin in the map or find a great view and settle down to a picnic. Not the normal Tupperware stuff – go upmarket with this beautiful picnic hamper from Fortnum and Mason. £265

You can’t turn up to an alfresco dinner party and not make the effort to look presentable. How about a handmade Panama hat from Peter Christian in West Sussex. £60 www.peterchristian.co.uk

www.fortnumandmason.com

EYE-CATCHING FIRE PIT Ok you have had your dinner and now it’s time for that post-dinner drink, but it can get a little chilly in the UK unexpectedly. Why not make a statement while getting warm. These firepits are incredible if you don’t mind the price tag.

Depending on size they range from £949 to £1449 www.thefirepitcompany.co.uk

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Global perspective.

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Gallagher provides Insurance Broking and Risk Management services for clients ranging from new start-ups to some of the largest PLC’s.

We transact business in over 150 countries

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with a national backing.

For more information contact In this local area we have a large dedicated team to service your insurance needs and an in-house claims team with the ability to settle claims on behalf of our partner insurers.

Gallagher Representatives: T:

0800 612 3761

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©2018 Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. | ajginternational.com “World’s Most Ethical Companies” and “Ethisphere” names and marks are registered trademarks of Ethisphere LLC. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. named one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies® for 2018. Ethisphere Institute, March 2018.

Arthur J. Gallagher Insurance Brokers Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered Office: Spectrum Building, 7th Floor, 55, Blythswood Street, Glasgow, G2 7AT. Registered in Scotland.

Company Number: SC108909. FP454–2018 Exp. 09.05.2019.

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3rd Floor, Metro House Northgate, Chichester West Sussex, PO19 1BJ

Insurance

Maintaining business continuity when disaster strikes Whether caused by fire, flood, IT failure or crime, an unexpected disaster can turn your business upside down in an instant and put you at a potentially crippling disadvantage. Andrew Dix, Sales Director at UK insurance broker Gallagher, based in Metro House in Chichester, explains how to maintain business continuity should the unexpected happen.

When an insurer accepts a claim, the specific policy Insurance – premises, cyber or fraud insurance, for instance – will cover the immediate damage, be it physical, financial, intellectual property or data-related.

That’s their function, but Business Interruption (BI) cover delivers protection to shield you from the long-term fallout that can take months or years to fix. It will help sustain the business financially, while you get back on your feet.

That said, when it comes to protecting your business from any type of disaster scenario, the most important ‘insurance policy’ will always be having a sound business continuity plan in place. This should cover all critical systems and will enable you to successfully navigate your firm from disrupted status and back towards normal operations. But don’t just plan for traditional disasters like fire and flood — make sure you also consider other, much more common emergency situations such as loss of utilities, equipment failure or supply chain disruption. They may sound less catastrophic, but each could still have a considerable impact on your business.

It’s also important to remember the key objectives of your plan: how do we stay safe, how do we stay in touch and how do we keep doing our jobs?

Here are the simple steps that will give your BI preparation suitable structure: Scenarios: identify the likely threats – like loss of power, loss of IT or loss of office due to flash flood or fire.

People: identify the key people you rely on and their roles – who calls the insurer and who alerts customers?

Supply chain: document your critical vendors, contractors, partners, suppliers and customers.

Kit: document your equipment – and identify contingency replacements.

Information: identify your critical documentation – like finance, legal, banking, HR and insurance.

Back-ups: back-up your computer data and systems; store them securely off-site.

Office: contingency location – can your employees work from home?

Staying in touch: contingency communications – like re-routed telephony, a wholesale switch to mobiles or creating a back-up social mediabased communications channel in event of systemic interconnected IT failure.

Review, revise and renew: don’t let your plan gather dust. Revisit it annually and make sure it’s still relevant.

a 12-month indemnity period sounds like a long time, it may not be long enough to get you fully back on your feet; that’s why it’s important to select a practical indemnity period that will get you through the everyday wrinkles and obstacles that can delay a complete recovery. 12 to 36 months is common in UK insurance depending on the complexity of your business.

While it may appear that getting your BI protection right is a lot of work, in truth it’s based on common sense analysis.

Don’t overcomplicate things: look at your business as a whole and the threats it could face. If you need advice regarding your continuity planning, or to find a BI policy that’s suitable for your business, then get in touch.

Would you like to talk?

For more information contact us: T: 0800 612 3760 E: Andrew_Dix@ajg.com W: www.ajginternational.com

Your insurance broker is your business adviser that shouldn’t let you down at the moment of truth and can demonstrate in-depth BI understanding and skills. In these moments, expertise and specialist advice can make all the difference to how successfully you negotiate the aftermath of a disruptive incident.

They will also pay close attention to the BI indemnity period and work hard on your behalf to ensure the length of this suits the needs of your business. While

Andrew Dix

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 13

Finance

Barclays provides Crunch with £1.2m of funding to support its future growth ambitions Barclays has confirmed its working partnership with Brighton-headquartered Crunch by providing a £1.2m loan to support the UK’s first online accountancy firm in its future growth ambitions.

Barclays has confirmed its working partnership Finance with Brightonheadquartered Crunch by providing a £1.2m loan to support the UK’s first online accountancy firm in its future growth ambitions.

Launched in 2009 by CEO Darren Fell, Crunch helps freelancers, contractors, small businesses and sole traders with their accounting needs. Alongside innovative accounting software, every client has an accountant, a dedicated client manager and unlimited access to support. The company operates from its head office at Telecom House, Preston Road, Brighton and employs more than 180 people. Annual turnover grew by 18% last year to just under £10m and is set to more than double over the next three years.

The firm plans to use the additional funds to accelerate organic growth by further developing its accounting software, expanding its services for SMEs, as well as increasing its online customer base which currently stands at over 10,500 clients across the UK.

has been fantastic and has shown real support for our ambitious growth plans.”

Darren Fell, CEO and Founder, commented: “Almost ten years after setting up Crunch this level of external funding is a first for us. This is super exciting as it will enable us to branch out into new markets by expanding our small business accounting service to the bigger 10-49 employee businesses.

This loan proves the strength of the business and leads the way to further equity investments to catapult the business forward. Our team at Barclays

In recent years Crunch has also offered many other tools to help empower the self-employed – including specialist mortgage, insurance and investments & pensions products.

Crunch’s free community for microbusinesses, Crunch Chorus, has so far helped over 50,000 freelancers, contractors, and small businesses by providing jargon-free business guides, useful templates, and access to events and networking opportunities.

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Graham Coley, Corporate Relationship Director for Barclays, commented: “As part of our plans at Barclays to enhance our high-growth offering to the market, we are extending our lending capabilities and credit appetite for ambitious, entrepreneurial tech businesses like Crunch. Barclays is uniquely placed to support high growth businesses and entrepreneurs, from start-up, to scale up, to IPO. The UK economy needs innovation and innovators need finance and our aim is support clients such as this up and down the UK.”

About Crunch

Crunch is the UK’s first and fastest-growing online accountant, combining a team of expert in-house accountants available on-demand with simple online accounting software.

Designed specifically for freelancers, contractors, sole traders and small businesses, Crunch is more than just an accountancy firm – it’s everything you need to manage your finances.

Complete accounting solutions start at £29.50+VAT per month.

Darren Fell, CEO of Crunch

For further information please visit www.crunch.co.uk

About Barclays

Barclays is a transatlantic consumer and wholesale bank offering products and services across personal, corporate and investment banking, credit cards and wealth management, with a strong presence in our two home markets of the UK and the US.

With over 325 years of history and expertise in banking, Barclays operates in over 40 countries and employs approximately 80,000 people. Barclays moves, lends, invests and protects money for customers and clients worldwide.

For further information about Barclays, please visit our website www.home.barclays

Finance

MHA Carpenter Box Partner shortlisted in Accounting Excellence Awards It includes digital signatures for online approval and the firm now has a total of 4,598 active accounts and over 48,000 documents have been uploaded since the portal was introduced.

Nathan Keeley, Partner

Nathan Keeley, Partner in the Business Services Finance Group at Worthing and Gatwickbased chartered accountants, MHA Carpenter Box, has been shortlisted in the Software & Technology Pioneer of the Year category of the 2018 Accounting Excellence Awards.

It is unusual for a Chartered Accountant from an accountancy and business advisory firm to be considered for this award, which is usually reserved for prominent individuals within technology companies. Nathan, however, has always been a strong advocate of cloud accounting and has been at the forefront of the practical application of this technological advance and key

to helping the firm achieve significant success and growth in this area over recent years.

“Our approach is based on a real indepth understanding of the choices available and being able to talk knowledgeably regarding the solution that would best fit a client’s particular circumstances” As well as adopting cloud accounting software, Nathan has led development of MHA Carpenter Box’s own portal system, which clients can use to receive and send data confidentially.

Nathan commented: “I am delighted and surprised to be shortlisted for this award. Although I know that we have made tremendous progress at MHA Carpenter Box in developing our cloud accounting offerings, it is still a tremendous honour to be nominated. Our approach is based on a real in-depth understanding of the choices available and being able to talk knowledgeably regarding the solution that would best fit a client’s particular circumstances. We now have 1,550 cloud accounting clients as a result. We also have open dialogue and collaboration with software providers and fellow accounting professionals, feeding back where we think products could be improved or in areas that may not have been considered. The next big challenge will be the Making Tax Digital roll out which we’ve been planning for.”

MHA Carpenter Box achieved Xero Accounting Partner of the Year 2016/17 and ran its second successful technology-focussed exhibition for clients in 2017, BITE – Business, Information, Technology & Efficiency, with 46 exhibitors and attended by over 400 delegates.

Nathan now has to wait until 20 September when the winners of all the awards are announced at a glittering ceremony at the Intercontinental London, Park Lane.

www.carpenterbox.com

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 15

When Business Gets Personal Business Succession Planning The death of a business owner will invariably give Legal rise to some tough challenges for a business so it is important to make appropriate plans for this. The process can be difficult, particularly where a business owner isn’t ready to retire or finds the whole thing too daunting to contemplate. However, the “head in the sand” approach and the potential cost of inadequate planning and advice might lead to family fallout later down the line and, in a worst case scenario, could place the future of the business in serious jeopardy.

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Succession Strategies

If you are a business owner, be that as a sole trader, a partner, or a shareholder in a private company, it will be important to ensure that both your business and family are protected by having a Will that implements a suitable succession plan.

Carefully drafted Will structures, often involving trusts, can be vital in securing valuable inheritance tax (IHT) reliefs and avoiding a large tax bill. Early planning is essential to ensure that the business is not too heavily invested or that its investment and trading activities are separated at the risk of losing IHT relief.

Trusts are often employed to make provision for more vulnerable younger family members, where it may be more appropriate for them to receive their inheritance and/or assume control of the business at a later time, and can ensure that a fair balance is struck between

those family members who are involved in the business and those who are not.

Expert advice can provide structure to family conversations and ensure a smooth business transition.

Aside from IHT, there will be other tax considerations. Although capital gains tax (CGT) does not apply on death, it is likely to arise on a lifetime transfer of business assets where, for example, a business owner opts for a staged retirement by reducing their ownership over a period of time, or a sale. Where applicable, Entrepreneurs’ Relief can reduce the effective rate of CGT to 10% on any gain crystallised on the gifting or sale of an interest in a business.

However, advice and planning are crucial to ensure that lifetime transfers are arranged tax efficiently.

Legal

Caroline Shelton

“If you are a business owner, be that as a sole trader, a partner, or a shareholder in a private company, it will be important to ensure that both your business and family are protected by having a Will that implements a suitable succession plan” Income tax will also be relevant; the rules relating to the taxation of share dividends have changed in recent years and the well-advised business owner will ensure that their company’s profits are being extracted in the most tax efficient manner. A retirement plan might, for example, involve the transfer of part of the business into a trust that, with careful structuring, will enable the trustees to control the distribution of trust funds whilst enabling beneficiaries in receipt of dividend income to set their personal dividend allowance (currently £2,000) against this.

Where there are existing business partners, it is particularly important to have an agreement setting out how they can acquire a deceased owner’s interest. A crossoption agreement will

Lucy Samy

allow the surviving business owners to purchase a deceased owner’s interest (call option) for an agreed sum and can also give the deceased owner’s beneficiaries the right to require the surviving business owners to acquire the deceased’s interest (put option).

The agreement will invariably be supported by life assurance to ensure that sufficient funds are available on the exercise of a call or put option. This gives peace of mind, both to those who wish to ensure the continued viability of the business and for a deceased owner’s loved ones who will receive their inheritance in cash instead of becoming embroiled in a business which they do not understand and working with a business partner who lacks the means buy them out.

The Price of Procrastination

Many businesses put off these crucial discussions at the risk of family fallout but failure to plan is a dangerous business, as is failure to review existing plans. The aspirations of the younger generations may change over time; where initially there may be no obvious successor to the business within the family, over time children and grandchildren may become more involved. Consideration should also be given to how other key employees might be incentivised and how potential conflict of interests between them and those to whom control of the business

will pass can be circumvented.

Appropriate planning ensures that a business is fit for its next chapter and provides much needed peace of mind for all concerned.

The Tax, Trust and Estates Team based at Irwin Mitchell’s Gatwick office act for a range of business owners to assist them with transitioning and moving their business on in a tax efficient way - be that to the next generation, existing business partners or others. We offer a holistic service to clients working with financial planners, our corporate and pensions teams and other professional advisers to understand a client’s aims and priorities both in relation to their business and their personal lives.

Authors: Caroline Shelton, Partner Lucy Samy, Associate

Would you like to learn more about succession planning?

We will be holding a free seminar at our Gatwick office on 26 September where you will have an opportunity to hear from and meet our team of experts.

To register your interest in attending this event, please get in touch with our events team at events@irwinmitchell.com

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 17

Brighton Designer Wins International Fashion Award

Brighton fashion start-up wins big in Handbag Designer Awards, New York.

Fashion

Brighton, June 22nd 2018

Jennifer Hamley, founder of fashion start-up “Jennifer Hamley England” came back home to Brighton from New York with a prestigious award from the Independent Handbag Designer Awards. The 12th annual awards were held at the SVA Theatre in Downtown Manhattan, attracting over 400 members from the international fashion community.

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The award-winning design picked up the Best in Category award, decided by an esteemed panel of judges from a group of 5 finalists. Her design was entered in the ‘Pure and Natural Yoga Bag’ category, sponsored by new coconut water brand, TAJA. Form & function meet nature

Jennifer’s bag design, which is being developed alongside the team at TAJA coconut water as part of their brand launch, provides a stylish solution for yogis and non-yogis alike. The bag

features ingenious compartments and padded pockets, as well as straps to carry a yoga mat and a bottle pocket (or TAJA coconut water bottle pocket!). The bag is created in soft and durable vegan cork leather, which is naturally water resistant with antibacterial properties.

The triangular bucket bag design is inspired by the shape and volume of a young coconut and is complimented by Jennifer’s signature bag interiors, which keep you organised so that you can keep a clear mind.

“It’s amazing to think that my design has attracted so much attention. I’m passionate about stylish practicality and for me this bag totally sums that up.”

Brighton’s helping hand

Jennifer has called Brighton home since February of this year, helping out local residents by house and pet-sitting to save money to put into the upcoming brand.

‘I want to find the right area in which to settle, so house sitting with Brighton business ‘TrustedHousesitters’ means I can try different areas of Brighton & Hove and help out pet owners, whilst saving money – it’s a win/win as I love it here’.

Jennifer hit the ground running when

she arrived in Brighton and has made connections through networking and business meet-ups groups.

Jennifer Hamley Taja coconut water cork bucket bag

She has also been accepted onto the Brighton Natwest Entrepreneur Accelerator programme. Specialising in coaching and office space for Entrepreneurs. The programme encourages business owners along a path that can otherwise be extremely challenging and daunting; helping them to grow and create local jobs.

‘Brighton has such an amazing energy and entrepreneurial spirit. I’ve met so many dynamic business women here already; they are my ultimate inspiration.”

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 19

Getting to know Whitespace

Milly Stone, James Morrison and Steve Elford are the three founders behind creative agency Whitespace. We asked the entrepreneurial trio to give us an insight into their world…

Interviews

Who is Whitespace and what do you do?

Whitespace is a Brighton-based creative agency specialising in design, web and marketing. We founded the business after having worked together in various guises for the last 12 years so we have a really solid and collaborative working relationship. Each of us leads one of our three focus areas.

Some clients come to us for just one of our services, others are keen to use

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all three. We are really focused on our areas of expertise – we don’t try to be all things to all men, instead we do what we do well and are supported by an exceptionally strong network of collaborators and friends in the industry.

collaborating on various successful designs and marketing projects.

How did the three of you come together?

“We recognised we could build something together that we could be proud of and haven’t looked back”

Steve and James also previously worked for years on web and app projects, while Milly was James’ client

All of us share the same core values, creative approach and love of good design. We each have our individual specialisms and strengths. We recognised we could build something together that we could be proud of and haven’t looked back!

We worked together as heads of department in the same company before forming Whitespace.

Interviews

Steve, Simon (Ticktockrobot), Milly, James and Sally

What makes Whitespace special?

Our clients tell us that they love the fact that Whitespace is owner-managed and that we’re personally involved with each and every project and client, from concept to delivery.

We have a personal, down-to-earth approach which seems to resonate well with our clients.

And, of course, good, thoughtful design underpins everything we do. We pride ourselves on listening carefully and truly understanding a brief before even thinking about putting pen to paper to start the design process.

What type of businesses do you help?

We work for such a wide range of business, large and small. Some of the organisations we have helped this year include the Green Party and Brighton University, both of whom we have ongoing relationships with. We work with charities such as Grace Eyre, a number of publishers including William Reed, OX Mag – and Sussex Business Times! We’re currently working on a brand new website for Mayo Wynne Baxter.

It’s a diverse mix and we don’t operate on a sector-specific basis. To us the brief is more important than the sector.

And chemistry with the client is really important to us too.

Give us an overview of one of your favourite projects There are so many! One piece of work we’ve really enjoyed working

on this year has been supporting the Green Party’s recruitment drive to gain new members. We developed a web page, predominately for mobile users, which incorporates a radial dial giving users the freedom to pledge whatever amount they feel appropriate for their membership (rather than being constrained to certain brackets).

The Green Party’s main website includes fairly static web pages, so we were keen incorporate video, lots of colour and dramatic images to drive up engagement levels. We also included elements such as testimonials from real people talking about what the party meant to them, to capture the essence of the party.

The web page produced a much higher percentage of people pledging more money. We’re so pleased that the average donation was significantly increased – and the client was too! This campaign is a classic example that shows how clever, considered design can drive hard return on investment for clients.

Talk us through your own branding. What’s behind the name Whitespace?

We chose on the name Whitespace as it perfectly reflects our clear, simple way of thinking, our creative approach and love of good design.

The term whitespace is a significant one in the design industry. It is at the heart of good design and helps strike a balance between positive and negative spaces and is key to aesthetic composition.

The three accent colours represent our three core areas of expertise: design, web and marketing.

“We pride ourselves on listening carefully and truly understanding a brief before even thinking about putting pen to paper to start the design process” Talk us through some key industry trends

The concept of ‘Responsive Logos’ has been around for a little while now but is certainly gaining momentum. In a modern world, where screens come in all shapes and sizes, logos that can adapt and make best use of the available space really stand out.

Your logo no longer has to be a one size fits all solution - it can move, evolve scale and engage with the device and even your location like never before.

Getting it right can elevate your brand and has huge potential benefits from a creative and marketing perspective.

28 Foundry Street Brighton BN1 4AT hello@whitespace.studio www.whitespace.studio 01273 258000

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 21

It’s all change at Midnight

Midnight Communications is one of the most successful and longest established PR agencies in the South, with an impressive roster of business and consumer clients and a string of awards to its name. At the turn of the year Alex Hankinson and Flo Powell bought the business from Caraline Brown, who founded the business in 1995. We caught up with the new Managing Directors…

Interviews

Midnight has new MDs at the helm!

Tell us a little bit about yourselves.

Alex: I’m a PR through and through. I studied languages and then publishing at Postgraduate and went on to work at PR agencies in London for 10 years, specialising in strategic

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b2b consultancy and media relations.

Soon after first daughter was born we moved to Brighton for a better quality of life. I joined the management team at Midnight eight years ago and haven’t looked back!

Flo: My background is in the travel industry, where I spent many years as Director of the Association of Cruise Experts and of the Tourism Society.

I then moved into business development and travel PR and really got the PR bug. I called time on my commute to London five years ago when I joined Midnight. Having those director roles so early in my career has been a massive help in taking the helm at Midnight and my travel days have helped us to build a great roster of leisure and lifestyle clients.

Interviews How do you plan on building on a 23-year legacy?

Midnight is a great business – the last 23 years are testament to that. We plan to preserve the special culture we have at Midnight, nurture and invest in our teams, continue to do great work for our clients, and to constantly challenge each other to be curious. The industry is changing so rapidly, with all the disruption that new technologies and new social norms have brought about, and we intend to stay ahead of the curve. Midnight was the first agency to specialise in digital media and we know that our future will involve much more of that.

Some consider PR to be a ‘dark art’, what do you actually do?

It’s definitely not a dark art, actually it’s about shining a light on what businesses, organisations and brands do best.

When we take a new client on we often see that they are so busy doing great things that they forget to tell the world. No client is the same, they all have different challenges and different objectives but the one thing they have in common is that they come to us to help them get the credit they deserve.

Essentially - we help build, maintain and protect reputations and in doing so help to grow our clients’ businesses.

Why did you decide to buy the business?

We both love what Midnight stands for: it’s creative, energetic, entrepreneurial, nimble and unafraid to challenge. It’s such a strong brand with so much goodwill towards it. We respect Caraline’s fantastic achievements over the years and we want to continue her legacy in our own way. We’re keen to evolve our brand while staying true to its spirit. So, really, it was an easy decision to make!

“We both love what Midnight stands for: it’s creative, energetic, entrepreneurial, nimble and unafraid to challenge.

It’s such a strong brand with so much goodwill towards it”

Our skill is analysing the client’s commercial objectives and identifying ways in which we can achieve that and also give the media what it wants and needs too. We are a broker of sorts!

Day to day it’s eclectic. We’ll develop a strategy and the tactics will flow from that. We’ll be producing calendar-driven stories, research papers, comments on the news agenda, thought pieces, engaging social media campaigns, content for websites and blogs, videos and much more.

What sort of clients do you work for?

Our heritage is in business-to-business and professional services and over the years we’ve also handled the PR for some great brands and not-for-profit organisations. It’s a bit of a running joke in the office about just how diverse our jobs are. One minute we will be producing a 15-page research report about the impact of Brexit on the global

workforce, the next we’ll be arranging for the BBC to attend a medieval jousting tournament, then the next we might be diffusing a potential crisis.

We’re proud to be a national agency that happens to be based in Brighton.

We have local Brighton and Sussex clients, national and multinational clients.

There are very few boutique agencies who will handle such a wide range of clients. It is challenging - and we love that! We find it keeps our wits sharp and ideas fresh. We draw on consumer tactics on behalf our of businesses’ clients and vice versa – we’re determined to never be an ‘off the shelf’ ideas kind of agency.

How has this year gone so far for Midnight?

It’s been an incredible year. We’ve been overwhelmed with the support we’ve had from the Brighton and Sussex business communities and from our clients. We’ve had good organic growth as well as a raft of new clients come on board, including three in just one week!

We’ve also welcomed some talented new team members on board and have forged new partnerships with some complementary agencies to enable us to create even more diversity in our offer to clients. And today, we’ve just had news that we’ve been shortlisted for another four CIPR PRide awards.

Life is good!

What does the future hold for the company?

We plan to consolidate and hone our sector specialisms more in the coming months and years. We’re also keen to offer our clients an even more rounded package. Many of our clients are asking for more content support for their marketing teams. In the last few months we’ve developed several aspects of our in-house offer, including paid media, we’ve invested in our in-house video service and expanded our capabilities to deliver digital content. The lines are blurring between marketing disciplines but one thing is for sure: content is king – and PR agencies are ideally positioned to own that space. Exciting times ahead!

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 23

Sponsored by

E A S T B O U R N E

Raising funds for

With very special Guest Speaker

David Dimbleby and

At

Hosted by your MC

Danny Pike

The Grand Hotel EASTBOURNE

BBC Sussex & BBC Surrey

FRIDAY 14TH SEPTEMBER 2018 Tables of 10 now available at £750 To book please contact ryan.heal@rockinghorse.org.uk Co-sponsored by:

Media Partners: SUSSEX

24 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

Beach volleyball fundraiser backs children’s charity 1 Crown Office Row in Brighton staged their 8th annual beach volleyball tournament on Friday evening (20 July) to raise funds for local children’s charity, Rockinghorse.

Held at Yellowave’s seafront beach sports venue on Madeira Charity Drive, the charity event is dedicated to the memory of Ghulam Hussain who practiced as a barrister at 1 Crown Office Row in Brighton and sadly passed away unexpectedly in 2015.

Seventeen teams from the Sussex business community made the most of current heatwave conditions, going head-to-head to compete for the Ghulam Hussain Cup. Following a tense final, the team from Coole Bevis LLP were crowned the overall winners taking home the trophy.

The event raised £2,550 for Rockinghorse, bringing the total raised from the volleyball tournament over the last eight years to almost £18,000.

As the official fundraising arm of the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital (the Alex) in Brighton, funds raised will be donated to the charity’s ongoing projects supporting sick children at the Alex, including the current ventilator appeal for the high dependency unit.

Event organiser James Hart, First Junior Clerk at 1 Crown Office Row barrister chambers, said: “We are delighted to have raised £2,550 for Rockinghorse children’s charity. Our thanks go to all the firms who participated with so much

enthusiasm in support of this worthy cause.”

Terrina Barnes, Corporate Fundraising Manager at Rockinghorse, added: “We are ever so grateful to 1 Crown Office Row in Brighton for their continued support. The Ghulam Hussain Cup is always such a great event and it’s wonderful to see it so well supported year after year. Thank you to everyone involved for raising a fantastic amount of money for the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital.”

To find out more about the charity, visit www.rockinghorse.org.uk

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 25

#Share7 campaign reaches 50% of target

...and tees off golf event to achieve fundraising goals.

Brighton-based digital marketing agency Search Seven Charity today announces that #share7, its 2018 fundraising campaign to raise £17k for seven charities, has reached half of its target. Their innovative approach to fundraising has recently been recognised at Brighton and Hove Business Awards, where they won Corporate Fundraiser of The Year.

“Our fundraising initiative has got off to a fantastic start by already making half of our target thanks to the support of colleagues and friends”

26 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

Gavin Willis, Managing Director of Search Seven says: “Our fundraising initiative has got off to a fantastic start by already making half of our target thanks to the support of colleagues and friends. However, we still have another 50% to go and we want to let people know how they can get involved to help us raise the further funds we need to make our target of £17k in 2018.”

The next fundraising event is a charity golf day at Mid Sussex Golf Club on Thursday 30th August 2018. The star ‘hole in one’ prize on the day is £10,000 cash, with fantastic prizes to be won for a hole in one on all other par 3s on the course, including a three-night stay for two at 5* Praia D’El Rey Marriott Golf & Beach Resort in Portugal, a two-night stay for four at Marriott Forest of Arden and a set of F7 Graphite Irons.

Lee Andrews, MD at Mid Sussex Golf Club says “We’re really looking forward to hosting Search Seven’s charity golf day. With 18 teams of four and a mixture of businesses of all sizes, including self-employed; there will be something for everyone. We look forward to welcoming representatives from the charities to our awards dinner that night.”

Registration is now open for the Charity golf day, which is £300 for a team of four. To book a place, or to enquire about sponsorship opportunities, simply visit the website www.searchseven.co.uks7golfday2018 or contact events@searchseven. co.uk

CHARITY 7 GOLF DAY THURSDAY 30TH AUGUST 2018 MID SUSSEX GOLF CLUB, DITCHLING 17K TARGET – 7 CHARITIES – 7TH BIRTHDAY DONATE: SEARCHSEVEN.CO.UK/S7GOLFDAY2018 Prizes: Hole in One ar day, New C li o H e iv s lu All-Inc cash! or £10,000

7

ENTRY INFORMATION

WHY ENTER?

• £300 per team or £80 per person • Teams of Four • Stableford Points

• Great prizes for nearest pins and longest drives • Chance to win a new car or an all-inclusive holiday • Dinner included • Refreshment Buggy • Sweepstake, Auction and more

Register now at: events@searchseven.co.uk

Sponsorship opportunities available

IN SUPPORT OF 7 CHARITIES: www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 27

Insight

Turning the gin world upside down nginious!

Sussex Business encompassing curiosity, aspiration and innovation, the aptly named gin brand has successfully been turning the gin world upside down since it burst onto the scene in 2014.

Capturing the attention of many, when it successfully Insight crowdfunded the capital to fund the construction of its distillery and thanks to the support from markets across Europe, this small independent company was catapulted to new heights. This was solidified when the company won the Best Swiss Gin brand of the Year in 2018.

This success is no doubt one of the reasons why they have recently been announced as a gin partner of the Goodwood Estate and are expected to make a big impact at their three flagship events, Festival of Speed, Qatar Goodwood Festival and the Goodwood Revival.

Naturally curious to find out how a Swiss gin has caused such a stir in such a competitive market, we sat down with the creators; the husband and wife team, Oliver Ullrich and Iris MenneUllrich, to find out more.

What was your original motivation for nginious! ?

“After being busy with wine and spirits for half of my working life, I wanted to change sides and see what it was like to be the producer. So, in 2014, my wife Iris and I decided to take the plunge and

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set about developing our own unique product. Our aim was to create a Swiss gin of the highest quality. However, even back in 2014 the hype around gin had already taken a mighty ride and we couldn’t have predicted the huge ‘gin boom’ we have seen in recent years, or to such an extremity!” - Oliver.

“At the time of conception, many people asked us if the world really needed another gin brand, but we were passionate that there was simply not another gin out there, which could be recognised as ‘The Swiss Gin’. Given the variety of great Swiss gins, which have since come on the market, this claim is somewhat presumptuous, but as an initial driver at the time, it served us well. After all, we are very used to the question, ‘there is gin from Switzerland?’ but it is this questioning and curiosity that drove us to push the boundaries a little bit further, with the development of our unique flavours and iconic bottles, which of course we are incredibly proud of.” - Iris.

How was your business developed since its conception?

“We originally established in 2014 and after many sleepless nights developing the product, (which I am sure is the same with many new start-ups), we introduced the product onto the market, to a great reaction. It was this reaction, which spurred us on to create more.

So, we turned our sights to developing this further. In year two, we began to implement and organise ourselves for the future, developing two new products and expanding our distribution into markets such as Belgium, Denmark and the UK. “2017 was the year that a lot changed for us, it was the year that we moved from Zurich to our old home of Basel, where we built not only our first distillery but the first ever distillery in the city of Basel. It is also the year we became completely independent. This meant that not only the production, storage and the bottle making was easier, but

most importantly it granted us the space and opportunity to experiment with new ideas.” - Iris.

“By the end of last year (2017) we had grown from just Iris and I to a team of five and were working in 15 different markets. 2018, so far, has seen us step out of Europe and make our first move into Asia, which has probably been the biggest step for us yet. This, coupled with the new distillery, means we strongly believe that the brand will continue to develop in unique and creative ways.” - Oliver.

Gin has become incredibly popular in recent years and in turn has created a fiercely competitive marketplace. How does nginious! stand out from the other boutique brands out there?

“To put it simply, for me, nginious! is always new, something that was not there before, and what nobody has done before us. That makes us different and sets us apart from the mass of gin manufactures.” Oliver (nginious! were the first to mature a gin in the vermouth barrel, with their ‘Vermouth Cask Finished Gin’).

“Right from the start, we wanted to establish ourselves internationally, not just within the UK but as ‘the Swiss Blended Gin brand’ globally.

That’s why from day one, sales did not focus exclusively on Switzerland but also in Europe including England, Belgium, Denmark and Austria. With the construction of our distillery, we outgrew our initial infancy and I like to think with sales in over 15 countries, we are no longer just ‘an insiders’ tip’.

I firmly believe we are well on our way to making an established name for ourselves, not just within Europe but globally.

“From the beginning, we wanted to ensure this product stood out. This included everything from the way it was made, to the taste, to the bottles themselves. The ‘nginious! look’ was a big part of this and since the start we always had the idea of making the bottles on the principle of a hip flask.

The unique shape is something we are now known for and I am incredibly proud of it. Not many people know that the bottle actually stems from a Victorian hip flask I bought in a London flea market. I have always treasured it and when the decision came to creating the bottle, I was inspired by the beautiful treasure that I had found.”

- Oliver.

“Now the iconic bottles are firmly part of the brand and what perhaps not many people realise is that everything is bottled by hand. Even the labels are made by the team and are painstakingly

and lovingly labelled by hand.” - Iris. nginious! has just celebrated its fourth birthday (congratulations by the way!), what do you see for the next 4-5 years for nginious!?

“Almost four years since conception, I am at a stage now where, as I said, I see nginious! has shed its infancy, having said this we are still effectively launching a new brand. Shaping and developing it for new markets, therefore going forward I am keen to ensure we keep pushing the boundaries without neglecting the tradition of gin.” - Oliver.

And Iris your thoughts?

“If you are always experimenting with new ideas as we are and as our team are, then the future is very exciting.

Combine this with the new distillery, entering the Asian market, and the Goodwood partnership, the possibilities are quite interesting. I’m particularly keen to see what new varieties we can come up with and how we can translate this to the nginious! look.” - Iris.

For any further information get in touch at www.nginious.ch/en

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 29

Making the law easier

UK businesses are some of the most regulated in the world and for even the smallest business there are many legal requirements to keep compliant. Many start-ups and small businesses simply can’t afford traditional law firms to help them make sure they have all the correct documentation and advice. Consequently they can often leave themselves unprotected by, and sometimes in breach of, UK business laws and regulations.

There is now an alternative for these small businesses that uses technology to deliver legal services. We spoke to Jason Edge of LawEasier to find out more.

Cover Feature

What is the background to LawEasier?

I work for one of the region’s largest law firms, Mayo Wynne Baxter, where my role is managing the sales and marketing functions. About two years ago our Chief Exec, Chris Randall, shared some research released by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority (SRA) that suggested on average a business has eight legal requirements per year but shockingly only one in ten businesses use a solicitor when perhaps they should.

This was obviously of great concern and the question was raised as to why nine out of ten businesses didn’t seek

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legal advice from solicitors. We didn’t need to be rocket scientists to know that cost is a major factor and with most solicitors charging upwards of £200 per hour even a relatively straight forward legal document can be more than £400-£600. Multiply that by the number of documents most businesses should have, and business owners are often forced to make a choice on whether they can afford to properly protect themselves.

launched’ LawEasier in October 2017 and we have been so excited by the reaction.

With nine out of ten small businesses possibly unprotected by the law, or worse in breach of it, we really wanted to do something to help.

The Googler is the sort of person that relies on search engines for the answers which is all well and good but there are pitfalls particularly if the author of the website/blog is not legally trained or if the law has changed since that content was written.

We set up LawEasier Ltd as a separate business and after over a year of planning and development, we ‘soft-

So if businesses aren’t using solicitors what are they doing?

We identified that many businesses seek advice from other sources and we have categorised them into four main types; The Googler, The Ostrich, The Copy Cat and the Pub Goer.

Cover Feature The Ostrich is the sort of business that ignores the problem or perhaps is unaware of some of the laws and regulations that they must abide by.

The Copy Cat is a business that perhaps copies a competitor’s T&Cs and just changes the company name. Or perhaps they reuse an employment contract from a previous role and adapt it to hire someone themselves. The danger here is in knowing that the thing you are copying is actually correct, meets your needs and isn’t something that was previously copied from elsewhere.

The Pub Goer is more that type that asks friends, peers or other trusted advisors like accountants for advice.

These well-meaning people will often share their thoughts on your particular issue but they are unlikely to be legally qualified to advise.

The types of businesses that I have described may seem a bit flippant but most small business owners that I have spoken to can see a bit of each of these in how they have approached legal matters at some point.

Given the company’s name it begs the question as to how do you make law easier?

We use some clever technology to cut out the human cost as much as possible. Our service is mostly delivered online and is a combination of searchable plain-English legal guides and a form of AI that asks the questions that a lawyer would and creates legal documents for you. The system explains everything at every step and you can always speak to one of our LawEasier lawyers if you have a query.

Being online means you can access legal support when you want and not just during law firm office hours. We work on a subscription basis which starts at just £35 + vat pm which gives you unlimited access to the guides, online advice and as many documents as your business needs. You can’t get much easier than that.

Do you specialise in a specific size company or have turnover criteria?

We are mostly trying to help small businesses and start-ups where cashflow may be tight as these are often the ones that leave themselves unprotected and don’t see the value in

using solicitors. For example, something as important as a shareholder’s agreement can cost £1,250 -£1,750 + vat which is a lot of money to find when you start out. Luckily it is one of the hundreds of legal documents you can create in your £35 + vat pm membership of LawEasier.

We priced the service to be as affordable as we could for small and growing businesses, but we even have one member who turns over £80million and employs over 200 people!

Doesn’t this just conflict with Mayo Wynne Baxter?

We were acutely aware that some people might think it was a potential conflict but the target audience for LawEasier are those businesses that don’t use ‘bricks and mortar’ law firms. In reality we are plugging a huge hole in the provision of legal services to the small business community that firms like MWB don’t ever get the chance to serve.

MWB has nine offices across Sussex and a sizeable proportion of the work we do is for private clients. LawEasier has a national reach (including Scotland and Northern Ireland) and focusses on the smaller business. The two law firms can also cross refer as LawEasier can’t handle some areas of the law such as property transactions and anything litigious.

What level of legal expertise are potential members accessing when they contact your company?

The business is the culmination of 150 years of legal expertise from MWB and 10 years of technology development from the world’s leading assisted document company. LawEasier members can be assured that they are in the very best hands. We offer a telephone advice line so that members can discuss issues with our lawyers who can also check documents and make sure that they do what you need them to do.

How does it work?

To be honest the technology involved in the assisted document creation system is far cleverer than I am, but the interface is so simple that if you know how to log on to a website, you can use LawEasier. We use a form of artificial intelligence to ask you the

questions that a solicitor would ask and then create the document there and then, bespoke to your needs. There is help at every stage and the questions are explained in plain English. No legal knowledge is needed to use the system, it’s all self-explanatory. We also have a legal healthcheck that asks a few questions about your business and then tells you what documents you should have and what the risks are if you don’t.

What happens if the law changes?

Our content team are constantly monitoring any changes to the law and updating the guides and documents to make sure that you can’t create an out of date document. There are regularly changes to things like employment law and this often means updating a whole suite of documents as we cover everything from the offer letter and employment contract through to the employee handbook and disciplinary documents. Earlier this year the introduction of GDPR meant that we had to update lots of our documents, including our Privacy and cookie policy for a website and a new GDPRcompliant policy for our Employee handbook, as well as creating new privacy notices for other contexts.

We had a number of businesses join LawEasier just for GDPR reasons and they saved thousands versus using a traditional law firm to create the compliant documents and policies.

We also provide our members with a monthly legal bulletin which highlights some key legal issues or changes to the law and explains what they need to do to remain protected and compliant.

There are plenty of legal situations where a business owner would seek legal advice or guidance but what would you say are the main reasons where expert advice is needed by the smaller UK business?

Without a doubt the biggest areas of use of our service is for employment law. LawEasier provides information and documents helping you deal with and manage a range of employment issues including employee rights, discipline and dismissal, employment agreements, employee handbooks and much more.

As the legislation regarding hiring and managing staff becomes ever more complicated, the only way to protect your business is to make sure you have the right policies and paperwork in place.

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Jason Edge and Miles Crilly

Last year the fees for bringing an employer to a tribunal were deemed to be unlawful and were stopped. As a consequence, there has already been a huge rise in tribunal claims this year so many of our members are making sure that their employment contracts, handbooks, policies and procedures are up to date to offer them maximum protection.

We also look after a number of creative businesses who are interested in protecting their intellectual property. Our system not only gives advice on how to protect your ideas and design rights, it creates non-disclosure agreements and LawEasier sends cease & desist letters on behalf of our members included in their membership.

We often get asked if we cover industry specific documents, if the demand is there then we can create them. For example, we will shortly be launching a series of contracts for builders and landscapers to use with their clients.

On the whole the documents you can create are aimed at helping with general business requirements, the laws and regulations that cover every business regardless of industry. £35 + vat per month doesn’t sound like a lot of money for what you are offering, are there limitations on how often you can use the system?

Our pricing is based around mobile phone contract pricing as we figured that if you can afford a mobile then you can afford to protect yourself and your business properly.

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Bronze Membership is £35 + vat pm and gives you unlimited access to the legal guides and business suite of documents as well as a number of other benefits. There is no limit to how often you use the system or how many documents you create.

Silver comes in at just £50 + vat pm and also includes access to the legal advice line to talk to one of the LawEasier lawyers. Whilst there is no limit on how many times you call we do operate a fair use policy.

Gold is £75 + vat and includes a document review service which allows you to send any document you create to one of our lawyers and they can make sure that it does exactly what you need it to.

Platinum is our premium package and surprisingly one of our most popular. It’s £100 + vat pm but also includes access to our personal document suite which includes things like Wills, powers of attorney and even a sales agreement for selling a kitten. Platinum members can also set up ten of their employees with access to the private documents as an employee benefit.

So, what should readers do if they want to know more?

Everything they might need to know is on our website www.laweasier.co.uk however I would like to offer all SBT readers a free basic membership which includes:

• 12 months’ unlimited access to our extensive jargon-free, searchable and up to date online guides to business laws and regulations. An invaluable legal resource.

• Monthly bulletin with updates to business law and what members need to do to remain compliant.

• Access to the legal healthcheck – an online tool that helps to identify areas of risk within members’ businesses.

• Access to the full business document suite. These documents will be redacted until they upgrade to a paid membership which can be done instantly and at any time.

Access to member area offers: • System support phone line and online chat.

• Access to closed LawEasier User Group – closed Facebook group to share best practice, updates, offers and member to member promotions.

• Discounted upgrades to Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum if needed.

To take advantage of this offer readers will need to sign up at www.laweaiser.co.uk/sbt no credit card required, this is a genuinely free offer.

Cover Feature

www.laweasier.co.uk www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 33

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Insight

Brighton business offers relaxation therapy to nurses in UK’s most stressed-out city As Brighton is named the most stressful place to live in the UK, The Float Spa is giving away £7,000 worth of relaxing floatation therapy to the city’s local nurses.

Insight

New research used wellbeing data from the Office of National Statistics and found Brighton to be the number one most stressful place to live in Britain.

To alleviate this for some of the city’s most important and stressed workers,

the Float Spa is offering every nurse in the High Dependency and A&E units at The Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital a free floatation therapy session.

The offer is part of a wider Float Spa wellbeing campaign, designed to destress Britain’s most frazzled city.

Camille Pierson, founder and managing director of The Float Spa, said: “Having experienced the effects of stress after

being diagnosed with PTSD myself four years ago, and studying its causes and remedies, I made it my mission to educate others and provide a service of deep relaxation for a city I’m proud to be part of.

“Brighton’s character is defined by the people it attracts and nurtures: a unique blend of artists, academics, makers, and free-thinkers. Stress is one of the biggest threats to a person’s creativity, mental health and general wellbeing. I believe it is everyone’s responsibility to look after and nurture each other just as it is to nurture our community.”

Jill Forrester, children’s emergency department manager at the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital, said: “NHS staff consistently put 110% in to their job. Their dedication and hard work can mean that staff feel the effects of stress more frequently than not and find it hard to relax during their time off.

“As a manager, I would encourage staff to actively seek out ways to reduce their levels of stress whilst they are on their days off. The opportunity for our staff to spend time relaxing in a floatation room to distress is wonderful and really makes us feel that someone cares for our wellbeing.”

To find out more about The Float Spa and its ‘De-stress the City’ campaign, visit www.thefloatspa.co.uk.

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The Monty achieves kitemark for its cancer unit

The Montefiore Hospital in Hove has been awarded the Macmillan quality environment mark (MQEM) for its dedicated oncology unit which provides care for people living with cancer.

Health

was even opened.

This is a huge achievement for the unit which was designed by and for cancer patients seven years ago before the hospital

The charity kitemark recognises The Monty has an environment sensitive to the needs of people being treated for cancer, providing them with comfortable surroundings which offer privacy and dignity.

“We had to undergo a rigorous assessment by the Macmillan inspectors, but are delighted to achieve the MQEM,” says Hospital Matron

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Lynette Awdry. “Cancer is a tough disease and you can feel like you don’t have much control. It is essential that patients have as much choice as possible during their treatment and the environmental choices are part of that such as lighting, temperature, privacy and food timings and selection.”

Working closely with skilled architects, patients were fully involved in the design of the unit prior to the hospital opening five and a half years ago.

The oncology unit posed many challenges as part of the building goes under the road which limited the amount of natural light. To overcome this, large glass ‘pods’ were created with manifestations of plants used in some of the cancer treatment drugs.

To ensure privacy, the height of these etchings was selected by patients, therefore optimising a light and airy feel, particularly from where the patients are sitting. Large floor to ceiling glass doors lead onto a courtyard garden with giant ferns, giving patients and their families easy access to an outdoor seating area.

“The message was very clear from our patients - ‘this is a private journey and we want the choice to be on our own sometimes but also the ability to communicate with other people undergoing treatment to share support and experiences’,” says Clare Dikken, lead oncology nurse.

An environment designed by patients for patients – The Montefiore oncology team in garden of the unit which has been awarded the Macmillan Quality Environment Mark.

Musician and multimedia artist, Brian Eno, designed a quiet room – an enclosed private area with soft lighting, gentle music and easy chairs where patients can go to reflect or relax. A side exit to the outpatients’ department was also created, so cancer patients can leave the hospital without having to walk through the waiting rooms again.

Sandra Schueler, a breast cancer survivor from Cooksbridge near Lewes, started her treatment at The Montefiore in June last year and returns every three weeks for Herceptin injections and every six months for bisphosphonate infusions.

“I am not surprised they achieved the quality mark and very well deserved,” she says. “At the start of my treatment I had to visit the unit several times a month and I looked forward to the contact with the team of nurses there who were very supportive and caring. Apart from the fact that I think the staff are amazing, they have got the unit set out in such a way I could receive my treatment in a very comfortable relaxing way.

Large glass treatment pods bring a light, airy feel with privacy. Pictured left to right is Anna Taylor, chemotherapy nurse, Sarah Duquenoy, administrator, Richard Longrigg, Macmillan Partnership Quality Lead, and Clare Dikken, lead oncology nurse.

“I had my own pod, so the treatment felt very personal and stress free. I found the 24-hour on call service a life line - I used it on more than one occasion for support and advice (once at 7am and once late at night) when I felt concerned about symptoms I was having and needed reassurance and advice from a nurse who was very familiar with my treatment. On both occasions, I got straight through to a nurse I knew and was able to discuss my concerns.”

The MQEM is a detailed quality framework used for assessing whether cancer care environments meet the standards required by people living with cancer. It is the first assessment tool of its kind in the UK and the MQEM standards were developed in collaboration with over 400 people living with cancer.

Richard Longrigg, Macmillan Partnership Quality Lead, said: “When you’re diagnosed with cancer you can spend a lot of time in hospital and you want to know you’re getting the best treatment, information and support in

the most comfortable environment. The MQEM recognises things that are really important to people living with cancer, who helped develop the award, such as receiving a welcoming greeting, the use of natural light and the availability of quiet, private rooms. Congratulations to the team on their achievement.”

Every week The Montefiore treats up to 25 patients for various types of cancer and has a dedicated team of oncology consultants and Macmillan nurses.

The unit treats patients Tuesdays to Thursdays and offers access to staff round the clock for emergency use.

As well as ongoing treatment, support and complementary therapies, the team provides after care such as its Survivorship Programme. This provides a listening ear and practical advice for patients who are struggling with the after effects of cancer treatment, both physically, emotionally and financially.

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Keep the family happy at Bodiam Castle

Bodiam Castle stands undeniably as one of East Sussex’s major historical attractions.

Fit for year-round visitations the castle has something for everyone, but with the fine weather of the summer, there are few better days out than this.

One of the great things we have in Sussex (as soon as you set out from the major towns) is space. As with a few of the other sites that I’ve reviewed, it’s the grounds that make Bodiam so special along with the site itself.

Built in 1385 by Sir Edward Dalynrigge (try spelling that after a night on the mead), a former knight of Edward III. The castle was built to defend the area from the French during the hundred years’ war.

I know many people feel fairly ambivalent about the thought of a castle visit, but I think that’s because of how many “ruins” there are in the UK. Marked as a “castle” on a map, when in reality they could often be referred to as “sites where a castle once was but is now home to an ice cream stand and some disappointed children”.

The interior is in very good condition, with plenty to allow the visitors’ minds to relive stories of knights, battles, bloodcurdling soldiers storming up staircases and good old fairytales.

Bodiam is here to restore your faith in an atmospheric day out with plenty to see, touch and get involved with.

With spiral staircases, battlements and operational portcullis – this is a “proper” castle. Dating from the 14th Century, we’ve moved forwards a few centuries from the Norman conquest, but battles were still very much the order of the day. With plenty of windows to gaze out onto the Sussex countryside, I like to imagine myself aiming a bow and arrow out to defend the imposing structure.

If you don’t want to imagine yourself running down a winding staircase to defend the castle, there are also great stories to listen to from the Webster and the Forester. While I think of it, one of my favourite stair-related anecdotes (if you don’t have one, what’s wrong with you?) is that medieval spiral staircases tended to be clockwise. Why? I hear you shout. Well, most people wielded a sword in their right hand, so building a clockwise staircase made sure that the defending troops had more room to swing a sword, with their attackers blocked by a wall. Clever knights.

As with all good historical attractions, there are plenty of stories that are

associated with Bodiam Castle, not all of them gruesome. One of my favourite concerns the very motive for building the castle itself. As mentioned earlier, the building was ostensibly built for defence but recent analysis points to other reasons. Too far from the sea (at least ten miles from it) and defensive frailties (issues with the portcullis, gatehouse and drawbridge blocking speedy use of each element) caused recent historians to ponder the idea that Dalynrigge built this to show off and solidify his position as a senior military official. People making up stories to get a better position? Never! I’m on the fence. It seems a tad over the top to build something that’s lasted multiple centuries for a promotion, but it’s a good story and one to think about as you meander round the grounds.

Luckily the building has been owned by the National Trust since 1925, meaning that generations of the future will be able to enjoy it for many centuries to come. If you have children under the age of 12, you can also tick off six of the National Trust’s 50 things to do before you’re 11 ¾ - but you’ll have to visit to find out which!

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A Q&A with Red7 Founder Ian Lucas Interview

You founded Red7 in Brighton in 1997, and you’ve been in business in the city ever since. Has your location been key to your success, and why?

Yes, it has. The business culture in Brighton is vibrant and diverse and it’s long been a unique and trend-setting place. Working in a city with this kind of creative vibe really helps us stay ahead of the cultural curve and offer the best possible travel experiences and products to our clients. I’m so proud that Red7 is a part of the Brighton scene and we are here to stay!

We were the first to hit the market, offering UK city based, preplanned activity, entertainment and accommodation packages to bars, clubs, restaurants and hotels in need of advance bookings. It was business that was valuable to the local economy as well as the partner venues and demand

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was swift and kept coming. From zero start-up, we quickly grew to a turnover of £10m without any capital investment.

Red7 has a work hard, play hard ethos. How do you, at the helm of the business, strike the right balance?

Red7 has been working and playing hard for 21 years now and it’s our fantastic staff that have made this possible. Last year I took my entire workforce on an all-expenses paid trip to Marbella and, earlier this year, I sent two long-serving members of my team on luxury long-haul getaways to celebrate their respective 10-year anniversaries at Red7. In both cases, the team returned refreshed, relaxed and fired up to tackle our next chapter.

As an entrepreneur, I understand the importance of working, socialising and travelling but also having down time. There is just no point arriving somewhere for business feeling drained, or not being able to kick back, chill and reflect.

You’ve recently launched your Business Travel Service, why now?

We’ve had our finger on the pulse for over 21 years and, in that time, we have developed long-standing key relationships across the global travel industry, winning awards, acclaim and international attention.

Business travel is often regarded as just the logistics of getting from meeting to meeting but, for me, it’s an essential part of business success and these days it encompasses so much more than that. Travel needs to be sexy again - if business is the new rock-n-roll, then why not feel like the business stars we are?

The boundaries between work and social life are more blurred. Plus, we recognise that talent retention is one of the most important HR elements to achieve success in modern companies, and, with that in mind, we have developed a series of rewards and benefits at fantastic rates.

Interview

Why should businesses choose your service above others, or use a service at all?

What about travel for businesses on a budget, smaller companies that might not think corporate travel is for them?

Our Business Travel Service meets the needs of today’s professional in a fast-paced and digitalised world where ‘retention’ is the word on everyone’s lips.

The benefits of incentive travel are countless. First up, you control the budget. Go low cost or high end: a weekend of cocktails, fish and chips, roller disco and rides at Dreamland in Margate can be just as much fun for your staff as a five-star getaway to a luxury resort in the Caribbean (plus you avoid the jet lag).

Our specialists are dedicated, experienced and flexible, and our technology is top-of-the-range. We take the stress out of corporate travel and look after employee incentives so that entrepreneurs and CEOs can focus on their companies.

The Staff Travel Club allows employees to pay for their holiday in instalments (whilst they remain in post) and most holidays require just a £50 deposit. An accrued bonus system is applied to everything that they book, providing the company with an effectively free method of offering employee rewards, incentives and prizes.

When booking a staff trip, the company will have its own dedicated Travel Technician and Travel Manager to assist with everything from designing the getaway to checking the team onto the flight ahead of time. 24/7 support with zero reliance on call centres, as well as deals with leading private charter brokers and private jet companies, mean that clients can rely on my team for a seamless experience.

Next up: getting out of the office makes employees happy. Not only do they return refreshed and more productive (and research bears this out), they become advocates and ambassadors for your business; telling family, friends and social media followers that your company is a great place to work.

Time away from your own desk might feel like a waste of working time, but spending time with employees in an inspirational destination helps them understand your company and vision better than during endless meetings or the day-to-day office grind. The promise of great reward trips also promotes healthy competition among staff.

What are the biggest trends you’re seeing in group travel?

Group travel trends for the coming year have been very heavily influenced by social media and reality TV – in a way I’ve never seen before. Travellers are now opting for luxury and aspirational trips, just as they see celebrities take.

They want to create a perfect Instagram record of their trip, so the stunning Las Vegas strip at night, the sunset as seen from Ibiza’s Café Mambo, a glamourous night out at Olivia Valere or TIBU in Marbella fits the bill perfectly. Premium travel to Greece is incredibly trendy if you’ve got cash to splash and Red7 has some fabulous luxury villas with stunning pools and views.

For groups that are looking to stay ahead of the curve but keep within a tighter budget, Portugal offers great value for money at the moment. Red7 also predicts destinations a little closer to home will also grow in popularity.

Margate has been nicknamed ‘the Shoreditch of Kent’ and can offer groups a premium experience with all the home comforts of the UK. The real trendsetters in group travel will be heading to Malta, Zante, Mykonos and Croatia next year. They are all destinations that are really on the up and have a lot to offer groups of all different compositions. Just like discovering Adele before she made it big, those that visit Malta or a Croatian island next year, before they become standard group locations, will have a real sense of uncovering a hidden gem.

A trend we’re seeing increasing enquiries for is ‘healthy’ options for group trips. We recently secured an exclusive deal with Obonjan Island in Croatia, which offers fitness classes in everything from yoga to paddle boarding, plus organic, seasonal and raw dining experiences.

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Working Lunch: The Spice Circuit As a business owner I go out for lunch a lot Lunch and often in Brighton so there aren’t many Review restaurants I haven’t been to. I also organise a lunch club that meets every 3 months and I’m sure between the 35 of us we’ve done 90% of the local restaurants.

So the dilemma when I’m organising an event for 35 like-minded business owners is how to provide something different to their usual lunching routine.

Prior to arranging the most recent one i’d been observing that the number of pop up events in Brighton had been increasing and in particular at some excellent venues such as V and H cafe, Murmur and Etch. If you’ve never been to a pop up night they’re certainly worth trying as they’re often very different to the host restaurant.

Several of the chefs have loyal fans and the man that many have followed since he left the Curry Leaf is Kānthi who now

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runs events through his new company The Spice Circuit. Sadly through an over -worked diary I’d not been to any of his pop ups so I hatched a plan to have him cook at the next MIB event.

Finding a daytime venue on a Friday for a pop up is challenging, fortunately having attended the Blanch House Business Club dinners I knew the hotel would work well for us. So within the space of a few hours Kerry at the hotel had booked us in and agreed that we could bring in Kānthi as our chef for the lunch.

Fast forward to the summer and we started the lunch with a welcome drink in the bar before heading down to the dining room which seats 35 comfortably. As well as doing pop ups all around the world Kānthi arranges culinary tours in India and Sri Lanka so before the meal he gave us an overview of one of the tours in October.

They really sound incredible and it’s clear that a lot of care and effort has been dedicated to ensure each tour is really special. I’ve now booked into the October tour with my daughter which is

a ten-day trip in Kerala involving stays in eco hotels and house boats. Each day there are culinary-themed tours to places such as spice plantations and tea museums as well as cookery workshops.

Back to the lunch and after the talk Kānthi headed back into the kitchen (he was a one-man show cooking for 35!) and then the amazing food started hitting

the tables. If you’re ever eaten at places like Indian Summer or Curry Leaf Cafe you’ll know that their great Indian food is very different to the standard British influenced ‘Indian’ meals . We began with poppadums and homemade chutneys and then moved onto vegetable pakoras and spicy fried fish. I could eat pakoras all day and I’m pretty sure I did when I visited Goa earlier in the year, a cold beer and pakoras are a fine combination. The starters were a big hit with everyone and it’s worth mentioning that the entire menu was very accommodating for anyone with intolerances.

“We began with Poppadums and homemade chutneys and then moved onto vegetable pakoras and spicy fried fish” Following the starters we had a table full of bowls filled with delicious curries, the meat option was Chettinad Chicken and there was also a Potato and

chickpea masala and Spinach Daal all accompanied with a raita and coconut rice.

Dessert was controversial and caused much discussion prior to serving with many people saying I don’t eat beetroot! As I looked around the tables afterwards I could see however that everyone had enjoyed their Beetroot halwa with vanilla ice cream.

Now I should also mention that in tandem with the amazing food was the most attentive service from the Blanch House team which continued on into the bar afterwards, I think we didn’t finally leave until after 8pm.

We’ve had some excellent meals at the MIB events but the combination of The Spice Circuit and Blanch House was a clear winner, I’m looking forward to working with both again in the near future.

If you didn’t know Blanch House is excellent for businesses, they are able to host meetings as well as lunches and

are a great launch venue for events.

They also have beautiful guest rooms upstairs which are ideal if you have clients needing to stay over in Brighton for the night.

And finally, the star of the kitchen Kānthi, I really can’t recommend him enough. Such a lovely man and the most wonderful chef. Please check out his website www.spicecircuit.com for his contact details and to discover the culinary tours he is hosting over the next year. In addition the Spice Circuit has pages on Facebook and Instagram either as @the_spice_circuit or @chefkanti which detail the next pop ups he is hosting. Also bear him in mind for catering for business events and weddings.

Finally, if you’re a senior professional in a property-related business and would like to join the Mates In Business lunches you can contact me at andy@yeloarchitects.com for an invite.

Happy dining - Andy

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2018 Lewes District Business Awards Winners Revealed The winners of the fifth Lewes District Business Awards Awards were announced at a glittering ceremony at the Amex Stadium on Thursday 19 July.

Over 300 of the Lewes District business community were in attendance including 38 finalists, with 12 trophies presented by comedian Simon Evans.

The biggest award of the night was saved until last, with Tomsetts Distribution from Newhaven scooping the prestigious Company of the Year trophy. Terry Nitman and Steve Hayman, Joint Managing Directors of Cheesmur Building Contractors and category sponsors commented: “We were impressed by the clear strategy for growth which has enabled Tomsetts to extend their area of operation to a global service in 2017. They have a strong commitment to the local area, with drivers, office staff and mechanics all based within a 15-mile radius of the business. From a number of impressive,

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high calibre entries this year, we were delighted to award the Company of the Year accolade to Tomsetts for their outstanding performance and vision.”

The Depot Cinema in Lewes came away with two awards, having won both Tourist Destination of the Year and Businessperson of the Year for Creative Director Carmen Slijpen, making it the first year that a woman has picked up this coveted award.

Other winners included Richard Soan Roofing Services for Best Customer Service, Tiny Box Company was named Best Green Business, Barcombebased So Sussex took the Business in the Community award, Fundraising Auctions was named Best Employer, Sarah Williams from The Patchwork Cat won the LEAP Entrepreneur of the Year award and Front Room in Seaford was named Small Business of the Year.

The judging panel, chaired by David Sheppard, Chairman of the Sussex Chamber of Commerce, was tasked with choosing the winners. Well-

respected businesspeople from sponsoring companies made up the panel, including representatives from Allied Irish Bank, Cheesmur Building Contractors, Basepoint, Veolia, Whitespace, Platinum Business Magazine, Wave Leisure Trust, RSE Group, Uniglobe Preferred Travel, LEAP and Viva Lewes.

Councillor Andy Smith, Leader of Lewes District Council, commented: “I’m delighted to see the continuing success of this award scheme and honoured to be able to highlight the success of businesses from the district each year.

“Lewes District is home to some truly fantastic and diverse businesses and this year’s list of awards showcases the very best that the whole of the district has to offer. I would like to extend my thanks to all the supporters, sponsors and organisers that have helped put on another great show and wish all the finalists and winners the very best of luck for the future.”

Winners 2018

Hotel Review

Best Customer Service - Sponsored by Basepoint WINNER: Richard Soan Roofing Services FINALIST: Cleankill Pest Control FINALIST: Plants4Presents Best Green Business - Sponsored by Veolia WINNER: Tiny Box Company FINALIST: Depot FINALIST: King’s Academy Ringmer Food & Drink Destination of The Year Sponsored by Whitespace WINNER: Foodhaven FINALIST: Downsview Dairy Produce Ltd Best Independent Retailer - Sponsored by Platinum Business Magazine WINNER: Alexis Dove Jewellery FINALIST: Alistair Fleming Design FINALIST: Bake Out Business in the Community - Sponsored by Wave Leisure Trust WINNER: So Sussex FINALIST: Lewes Football Club FINALIST: The Runaway Employer of the Year - Sponsored by RSE Group WINNER: Fundraising Auctions FINALIST: Lewes Football Club FINALIST: Seahaven FM Professional Services Award - Sponsored by Allied Irish Bank WINNER: Oakley Property FINALIST: Alistair Fleming Design FINALIST: Mayo Wynne Baxter Tourist Destination of the Year - Sponsored by Uniglobe Travel WINNER: Depot Cinema FINALIST: Branching Out Adventures FINALIST: Driftwood Garden East Sussex FINALIST: Lewes Light Community Interest Company Entrepreneur of the Year – Sponsored by LEAP WINNER: Sarah Williams, The Patchwork Cat FINALIST: Laura Callaghan Grooms – Plastic Free Baby FINALIST: Ben Clear – Clear Surveys FINALIST: Wendy Reed – The Remarkable Group FINALIST: Brett Wheldon – Solseed Landscapes Businessperson of the Year - Sponsored by Viva Lewes WINNER: Carmen Slijpen, Depot Cinema FINALIST: Richard Light, Fundraising Auctions FINALIST: Victoria Young, Front Room Small Business of the Year - Sponsored by Allied Irish Bank WINNER: Front Room FINALIST: The Beauty Rooms FINALIST: SO SUSSEX Company of the Year - Sponsored by Cheesmur Building Contractors WINNER: Tomsetts Distribution Ltd FINALIST: Industrial Construction Sussex Ltd FINALIST: Wilson Wilson & Hancock Opticians

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 45

Ditch the Plastic campaign

The Sussex Chamber has launched a Ditch the Plastic campaign in collaboration with The Creative Group (a full-service marketing agency based in Gatwick).

The two companies have worked together Chamber for many years and have once again News come together for a common cause and are leading the way in raising awareness of the catastrophic effects that plastic pollution is having on our environment.

Headed up by CEO of the Chamber, Ana Christie, and CEO of The Creative Group, Matt Turner, the two organisations will be organising several beach cleans across the region with the hope to expand to parks and villages in an effort to clean up Sussex’s award-winning natural spaces. As part of the initiative, the duo is calling for other organisations to do their bit and to get involved in this important initiative; with the two explaining that they are particularly keen to speak to organisations who are interested in partnering or sponsoring the events.

We are urging businesses across the county to make a real difference. The aim is to encourage businesses to

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reduce their plastic usage and waste.

By helping improve the environment we live in, we can make it safer for our wildlife, our oceans and seas, and everyone who visits and lives in Sussex.

important initiative. Therefore, I urge the businesses across Sussex to help us make a real difference and get in touch to discuss potential partnership and sponsorship opportunities.”

Ana Christie, Chief Executive of the Sussex Chamber of Commerce, said: “This is a huge issue for the Sussex region and with this campaign we hope to encourage people to cut down on their plastic waste and in doing so clean up Sussex’s beaches and reduce the growing tide of plastic, washing up on our beaches every day.

However, they haven’t stopped there in an effort to continue the good work, the two organisations have both also committed to reducing their plastic wastage in their office spaces and have already started putting measures in place, to encourage their staff to recycle any rubbish and to limit their use of single-use plastic. They have developed their own internal pledge to reduce and recycle plastic and are also working with suppliers to encourage them to do the same.

“This is a huge issue for the Sussex region and with this campaign we hope to encourage people to cut down on their plastic waste” Matt Turner, CEO of The Creative Group, added: “This is an issue that businesses can no longer ignore.

We need other organisations to get involved to help spread the word of this

If you’d like to find out more about getting involved, please contact the Sussex Chamber or The Creative Group. Follow @DitchPlasticUK

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Representation @SussexChamber 01444 259259

Jeff’s Judgement Car Warranty This month Rivervale’s Used Vehicles Director Jeff takes an in depth look at car warranties.

“I have always said in many ways a vehicle is like a light bulb. You can be sat there and all of sudden without warning ‘ping’ and the lightbulb blows.

The same can happen with any vehicle, whether you are driving along, and a fault appears without warning, or whether you have just used your car 10 minutes ago and now it won’t start. It is a nightmare situation for any driver that you cannot predict A warranty can

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help a little by providing the comfort of knowing the problem will be fixed.

What is a warranty?

A warranty will generally cover the cost of mechanical and electrical failure, usually including the cost of replacement parts and labour.

A warranty will never cover any fault due to normal wear and tear of the

vehicle or any damage caused by user error or outside influence such as damage.

So, if your wiper blades need replacing it will be at your own cost as these are wear and tear items, but if the motor controlling your wiper were to malfunction this would likely be fixed under warranty as it is a mechanical fault.

“A warranty will never cover any fault due to normal wear and tear of the vehicle or any damage caused by user error or outside influence such as damage” There are 2 main types of warranty, those provided with a brand-new vehicle which are the manufacturer’s warranty and those available for a used vehicle.

Manufacturer’s Warranty

When you purchase a brand-new car the manufacturer’s warranty will cover you, these all tend to be very similar and will cover almost all mechanical and electrical faults. The cost of this warranty will be included in the price you pay for the vehicle, you do not have to ask for it, you will automatically be covered. Normally a manufacturer’s warranty will run for 3 years from when the vehicle was first registered.

There are likely to be conditions that need to be adhered to for the manufacturer’s warranty to remain valid.

One common clause is that genuine replacement parts are used during any servicing or repairs you undertake. You are also likely to need to keep up with the servicing schedule recommended by the manufacturer.

If you sell your vehicle before the manufacturer’s warranty runs out, this will be transferred to the new owner.

Used Vehicle Warranty

A warranty on a used vehicle is normally 3 or 6 months depending upon the dealer’s criteria. However, although any vehicle can experience a fault, the chances of this happening do increase as a vehicle ages so many people do choose to pay for an extended warranty on top of what they receive within the vehicles purchase.

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 49

“What will probably never be covered by a used vehicle warranty is the same as a manufacturer’s warranty - any fault due to normal wear and tear of the vehicle or any damage caused by user error” What is covered by a warranty on a used vehicle will and can vary wildly.

There are often many different levels of cover offered by sellers, so it is important to read what is included at each level to make sure you have adequate cover for your vehicle.

For instance, many standard warranties will not cover any 4x4 technology or satellite navigation systems, this is fine if they are not included on your car but could be expensive to fix if they are and you are not covered.

It is also important to understand how long the period of cover lasts for, how

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much you can claim for at one time as well as how much the labour costs are for your vehicle. Imagine you drive an Aston Martin and have taken out standard warranty cover which allows for a maximum of a £500 claim at one time. If there is then a failure and the part costs £500, then you have reached the maximum amount for your claim before the labour charges have even been considered. Therefore, if the warranty allows a labour rate of say £50 but the repairing garage has a labour rate of £80 you will have to cover the difference.

What will probably never be covered by a used vehicle warranty is the same as a manufacturer’s warranty - any fault due to normal wear and tear of the vehicle or any damage caused by user error.

Rivervale Warranty

A used vehicle warranty will normally be supplied by an insurance company.

At Rivervale we were finding involving a third party in this way could lead to a bad experience for our customers.

It increased the length of time

customers were waiting for repairs and confirmation that these would be paid for, so we have launched our own Rivervale warranty. We have found we can provide a faster service and the customer can speak directly to the people who are fixing their car whether it be with us or nationally.

As standard at Rivervale we will provide all customers who purchase one of our used approved vehicles a 6-month warranty. For an additional cost this can be extended to 12 months and includes additional cover for items such as wheel bearings, fuel injection systems and suspension.

The maximum cover available is Driver Optional Cover where 4x4 systems and turbochargers can be covered.

No matter who you are getting your warranty with, the most important thing to remember is to read and understand exactly what is covered.

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 51

SBTMotoring News A High Rolling auction indeed

The Queen of all people is selling her car. The 1950’s Rolls-Royce Phantom IV is a car like no other – apart from being the Queens) It has been adapted to enable the public to get maximum visibility of the royals and even has space to put a coat of arms on the door and will go up for auction for £2 million.

The car has been all over the world and joins a collection of cars to be sold by Bonhams at the Goodwood Revival Sale on September 8th.

Malcolm Barber, co-chairman of Bonhams, said only “very very rarely would cars like this come onto the open market”.

In thirty years he has not been able to think of a similar item sold at auction.

If you wallet is deep enough you truly have the opportunity to get a car only fit for a queen.

Sports not Sporty Global product manager, Sarah Lessmann has said that the brief of the new 8 series BMW was to “define how a sports car should be”, adding: “Everyone in the project had the vision of BMW getting back to sports cars, and not just sporty cars.”

The £100,045 M850ixDrive fuses sportiness and luxury, as well as providing an impressive bit of “oomph”. Here are some of the facts to get you salivating.

• 4.4 litre V8 petrol engine • 523bhp • 554lb of torque between 1800 rpm and 4600 rpm • 0-62 in 3.7 seconds.

Lessmann also mentioned that customers will get a “true sporty sound experience”, adding that “You don’t just have the driving experience of a sports car, but the true V8 engine sound. There’s no sound generator; it’s pure.”

It ALL sounds good to us at SBT, now where did I put that spare 100k!

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1,000 Mph Or Bust: Reams Of Data Drive Land-Speed-Record Attempt Roger Bannister first ran a mile in under 4 minutes in 1954.

Africa’s Kalahari Desert with the car topping 1000 mph in 2019.

Concorde was the fastest plane reaching supersonic status on 21st, August, 1961.

The bloodhound project will partner with Oracle which will collect data from s 550 components in the vehicle, available to anyone in real time Noble further says: “It essentially becomes a formidable online education game—but, of course, with a real car and a real driver and a real desert and a real team,”. “We want students to feel they are right there with us as we chase 1,000 mph, and by working with Oracle we’ll be able to deliver on that promise.”

Now in our search for quickest, a UK firm rheaded up by Richard Noble is trying to break the 100-mph record.

The project known as the bloodhound project is not just about the vanities of being the fastest land vehicle in the world, it also has high ambitions to reinstate a love of engineering in students, inspiring then to become mathematicians and engineers. The Apollo missions did exactly that in the 60s and 70’s.

The general public can access all the data that goes into the project, this includes 129000 students in the UK alone.

As Richard Noble has noted “It took us a long time to realize that the teachers had given us a unique selling proposition,” he says. “A lot of countries have the same problem as Britain, which is a shortage of STEMeducated people. It’s become a mega-, mega-problem. But now we’ve got something that appears to be working.

Next year we can expect to see the car reach 800 mph, flying across Southern

“Where it gets really interesting is when we can start using things like virtual reality to let students, educators, and team members immerse themselves in data that’s never been seen before,” says John Abel, Oracle’s Bloodhound project lead. “The idea is for students to put a VR headset on and walk up to a car at a thousand miles per hour and pop the back panel off and see the data flow out. And then they can start seeing how a vibration sensor, for example, is generating data at different speeds.

It’s like a view of the future.”

All I can say is that it is a far cry from the science class I remember back in the days and great to see Britain leading the field in their exciting project.

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SBT

ASK THE

EXPERTS

WE ASK THE EXPERTS TO GIVE YOU THE ANSWERS YOU NEED

EXPERT

When should you consider a rebrand?

Businesses continually evolve over time; their customers’ needs change, customer behaviour changes or the market environment changes. The most important part, however, is how brands evolve in response to it. Rebranding is a natural part of this progression, but the timing is everything.

EXPERT

Matt Turner, CEO of Creative Pod One of the top reasons we always see businesses rebranding is when they have launched a new product or service. This is, of course, in response to a market update and is a great way to make a change and to keep up the momentum. It’s also a great way to inject some vitality into the brand, both internally and externally.

Rebranding too quickly can look like you have something to hide and rebranding without taking into consideration all the facts is a recipe for disaster. It’s essential for your brand identity, that whenever a rebrand is taking place there is a PR and marketing plan in place to manage the public’s perception.

We have also seen cases where clients need a rebrand because something has happened in the market to ‘tarnish their reputation’ or they want to shed their ‘old fashioned image’. Both of these reasons are 1) very valid reasons to rebrand and 2) both perception based, meaning it needs to be managed carefully.

As a general rule, the best time to rebrand is when you have the time to commit to it.

There’s no use starting a rebrand activity if you don’t have time to contribute, you just won’t get the results you want. Creative Pod is here to assist you throughout the process, from start to finish.

Leon Deakin, Partner & Head of Employment, Coffin Mew employment or sickness policy, so the amount payable often varies.

How much notice pay should employees receive if their contract comes to an end while they are signed off as unwell and in receipt of sick pay?

What are the most common misconceptions about sick pay?

Employees are entitled to full pay when off sick, aren’t they?

Many employees believe they are entitled to receive full salary for a significant period if they are off sick, but there is no statutory right to receive full pay for time spent on sick leave at all. The law only provides for statutory sick pay (SSP), which currently pays £89.35 per week for up to 28 weeks.

Employees may be entitled to enhanced sick pay as per their contract of

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Visit www.creativepod.uk.com for more information.

This depends upon the terms of their contract. The minimum statutory notice for employees with less than two complete years’ service is one week.

Over two years’ employees are entitled to at least one week’s notice for each complete year worked, subject to a cap of 12 weeks. However, employers can contractually enhance this minimum entitlement.

Confusingly the Employment Rights Act dictates that employees should be paid in full during their notice when off sick if they are only entitled to the statutory minimum notice period. However, if an employee’s contractual period of notice exceeds the statutory entitlement by at

least one week (i.e. the employer has contractually provided for at least one week more notice than the minimum entitlement), the employee is only entitled to SSP, not full pay (if SSP has been exhausted they are not entitled to any pay).

Can employees with Permanent Health Insurance (PHI) be dismissed?

PHI pays employees when they are off sick if they meet insurers’ qualifying criteria. Their entitlements, rights and qualification requirements depend upon each policy, but most PHI schemes require that they remain in employment.

If an employee’s contract is terminated, they could lose their PHI entitlement. As a result, this could lead to a potentially expensive breach of contract claim.

This is a complex area of law and one to take advice on.

SBT

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EXPERTS

WE ASK THE EXPERTS TO GIVE YOU THE ANSWERS YOU NEED

EXPERT

James Kitching, Corporate Solicitor, Coffin Mew LLP and cut costs on staff.

Can I, as a business owner, take advantage of LegalTech to reduce my legal spend?

The short answer is unfortunately not.

LegalTech is the buzz word of the moment and investment in all kinds of start-ups and scales-ups is rife, but the impact is not yet at the level where business owners themselves can directly benefit. But it will come.

The LegalTech we are currently seeing is very much targeted at law firms themselves to help increase efficiencies

EXPERT

Why is it important that businesses consider their environmental impact?

How they can measure this?

At MCR we think it is vital that businesses start considering the impact of certain materials on the environment including: Hazardous waste (including chemicals and inks with VOC’s in) Unfriendly films / laminates Certain foils Certain coated stocks These materials effect global warming,

For example, there are products that can help speed up the way in which we, as lawyers, conduct due diligence on M&A transactions and prepare complex contracts that are bespoke to our clients. Companies have already developed software that can read thousands of contracts in an instant and highlight key terms, deviations from the norm, and potential issues within them.

In the long run this means that those cost savings should feed through to you as the customer, but these are external savings as opposed to internal benefits.

Building on from this, tech will arrive allowing more legal work to be conducted in-house. There is already a boom in the number of lawyers that work in-house (between 2000 and 2014 the number of in-house solicitors doubled). The technology being developed will only

increase these numbers further, as the role of the in-house lawyer extends from the large body corporates into SME’s.

In-house solicitors are often restricted in numbers, many businesses will have just a single lawyer to provide support, and those lawyers are under pressure to not rely too heavily on external legal advice. LegalTech helps offset the need for external assistance and increase the capabilities of an in-house legal team.

While LegalTech develops what you should be expecting is a more complete service from your lawyers. It is drilled into us during training that we need to be commercially aware and this means providing more than just a legal answer to a business enquiry. Expect and request that your lawyers provide a service that builds on the technological developments that are provided to them so that they become a trusted advisor able to help you and your business to grow.

Max Robinson, MCR Media the wildlife, our health and many other factors. If we can slow down the impact and eventually reverse it, it will contribute to making our Earth a healthy planet to exist on. At MCR we can measure our carbon footprint on each print and packaging job we do with our carbon calculator helping businesses be environmentally aware and fully transparent to their customers.

How does MCR Media differ from other printing and packaging businesses?

The impact that plastics are having is well-publicised but will only change if we change our thinking and take accountability. MCR Media has many years of experience, we have studied the environmental effect of the materials and inks we use and have had a structured rethink about sustainability within the print and packaging sector.

We have always focussed on client

satisfaction with competitive pricing and meeting delivery dates.

How using MCR Media can assist your business to become more sustainable?

We are a forward-thinking service and offer sustainable printing and packaging where possible to our clients helping them realise that going green doesn’t have to cost the earth.

At MCR we look after our clients in a way that you don’t find when buying print online. We will pick up the phone if there is something unclear. We advise on sustainable methods and will also advise on saving money where possible. This could be on the way the artwork has been supplied to us or minor adjustments to make the job more economical, therefore giving the client what they want whilst meeting high professional standards. We aim to maintain corporate responsibility. www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 55

Brighton Business Expo 2018 Sussex Business Times are delighted to once again be media partners at this year’s Brighton Business Expo, at Brighton Racecourse.

Since launching the event in Brighton in 2016, Mike and his team have grown the event to help it become the B2B Expo to Expo attend in Brighton. The growth over the past two years has seen the expo expand and take additional space this year, in order to accommodate the large number of businesses wishing to exhibit as well as attend.

The growth of the expo is shown by the support from Sussex Chamber of commerce as well as this year’s headline sponsor Castle Water Ltd. There are limited stands now available for this October’s event, with the expo announcing their eclectic exhibitors list including Gemini Print, as print partner, Viisana, Basepoint Centres, Gaydio, ASL group, MHA Carpenter Box to name a few.

For full exhibitors’ list go to www.b2bexpos.co.uk/ brighton-exhibitor-list The business exhibition is the ultimate networking event for all ambitious businesses who are looking to grow and prosper in Brighton & Hove.

Whether you’re an existing business looking to grow, a business in the early stages, or want to explore the possibilities of starting your own business – you will find something of interest at the show.

At this free-to-attend business show, you will find a hive of creativity and activity from both our seminar programme featuring high-paced speed networking and inspirational keynote speakers, as well as from our variety of exhibitors showcasing the very best of local and regional businesses.

As headline sponsors of the Brighton Business Expo we have been impressed with the preparation, planning and marketing of the event. We will be exhibiting on the day and look forward to another enjoyable event delivered by Mike Monk and his team.”

Alison Watson, Operations Manager, Sussex Chamber of Commerce

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I am pleased to announce that Castle Water Ltd, the largest independent water company in the UK are a Headline Sponsor for the Brighton Expo in October. This along with Sussex Chamber of Commerce as a headline sponsor shows the Expo is going from strength to strength’ Mike Monk, B2B Expo Brighton Mike Monk, B2B Expo Brighton

‘I have attended the event for the past two years, the structure and format of the event means there is something for everyone, from the networking breakfast, fantastic speakers and seminars as well as some great exhibitors.

I would highly recommend any Brighton & Hove business to attend and am looking forward to this year’s event’ Sam Thomas, Managing Director FirmBalls Ltd.

Working with the B2B expos at both Brighton Racecourse and Fontwell Park Racecourse has provided us the opportunity to meet with hundreds of businesses in the respective areas, to raise our profile and generate lots of new leads and business opportunities Bradley Hatchett

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 57

Network My Club

Who Said Networking Was Dead in August?

Sell Out Sussex Networking for Network My Club!

At what is supposedly the quiet time of year for networking, both of Network My Club’s Sussex-based business clubs at the Amex Stadium and the Goodwood Estate enjoyed sell out events in August.

Firstly, the Network Albion Business Club welcomed over Networking 120 businesses to the iTalk Lounge at the Amex Stadium for a morning of networking, breakfast and to hear from Brighton & Hove Albion FC Executive Director, Martin Perry.

Martin spoke following the football club’s first ever season in the Premier League, the work that followed having remained in the league and the ambitions for the upcoming season.

Reiterating how lucrative financially not just playing in the league is to the club, and the local economy, but also the global reach it brings to the city, with the club alone having a combined worldwide TV audience of over 102 millions people across 198 countries!

Martin explained that survival in the Premier League was worth £100m to

the club annually through television revenue and prize money, compared to just £4m the club would receive in the divison below.

Find out more about the Network Albion Business Club at www.networkalbion.co.uk.

August also saw Network My Club host their growing Network My Club at Goodwood group, which this month took place at world famous Goodwood Motor Circuit! Over 50 businesses were attendance to meet new like-mineded contacts in the West Sussex area and afar, enjoy breakfast, as well as hearing the latest from new members and Goodwood Estate personnel itself.

Festival racing fixture was one of their most successful to date, with increased attendees and revenues.

Network My Club at Goodwood offers members more than just monthly networking events, but also exclusive member benefits, which include: two free tickets to a raceday of choice, discount on hospitality, discounted golf membership and much more! Find all the information regarding the benefits of joining via www.nmcgoodwood.co.uk.

To find more information about Network My Club and see where they’re hosting events near you across the South and in London, visit www.networkmyclub.co.uk.

Jamie Williams, Sporting Sales Executive at Goodwood, explained to guests that the recent famous Qatar

Learn more about Network My Club at www.networkmyclub.co.uk

58 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

Network My Club

“I’ve found the business club to be an excellent way to meet like-minded professionals and those are often in senior positions.”

- Engage Healthcare

“Network My Club make you feel very welcome and allow you the time to actually network!

They take a keen interest in your business and try to help any way they can, which I find very refreshing.”

- Best Vehicle Leasing

“The structure Network My Club have created really is the future of networking.”

- Detect Fire & Security “In today’s fast-paced business environment, I was struck by the time and care the Network My Club team dedicated to getting to know our business and objectives.” - Hero IT Support

Contact them on 01903 898025 or info@networkmyclub.co.uk

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 59

Networking in Sussex

SBT

Social

Eastbourne Professionals Club Eastbourne Professionals Club is a valuable space where specialists can network and catch up with colleagues in a friendly and stylish environment. Back at Cru on the 2nd August the latest meet up was kindly sponsored by Whitespace. Come and join us next time around for a post-work drink and some quality networking. www.facebook.com/EBProfs

Chris Mansfield and Paul Corney

Mike Monk and Ana Corney

60 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

Steve and Andy

Networking in Sussex

Hollie Goldsmith and Claire Cousens

Paul Rawlinson and Simon Hunt

Sophie Archer and Gemma Duffield

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 61

Phil Carr, CEO of PT Hub

Made in Sussex: My PT Hub

Until recently, My PT Hub is one of the untold success Brand stories of enterprises Focus in Sussex. With offices in Burgess Hill, the company has quietly grown by 4.5 times year on year and sees over 18,000 new users a month. The operation is headed up

by Sussex born CEO, Phil Carr, who having gone from bedroom to market leader in three years and having recently turned 30, is arguably one of Sussex’s youngest and most successful entrepreneurs.

Since its inception in January 2015, the business has gone from strength to strength and is about to take on more floor space to keep up with the business growth. What’s refreshing to find and is perhaps what makes My PT Hub, stand out from the slew of other fitness apps (that are all too clearly focused on just the monetary outcome) is that Phil and his team are genuinely focused on creating a great product for his user base. All of his support team are qualified personal trainers, as he wanted each team member to provide real contextual answers when questions popped up from customers.

So what exactly is My PT Hub?

“It is a web and mobile application,

62 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

which can be used on a multitude of devices and it enables personal trainers and fitness professionals to create workouts, nutrition plans, schedules, to take payments and to essentially connect with their customers in a much better and professional way.”

The idea came when former Warden Park student Phil would see best friend Lewis walking around the gym with clients. Both trainer and client would have their phones out trying to organise their next session, as well as several bits of paper, trying meticulously to manage his schedule, book new appointments and achieve results for his clients.

“Various scrap bits of paper, PDFs and WhatsApp messages were being flown about and payment was just an administrative nightmare. So, I just thought there’s got to be a better way to do this. You’re walking around the gym with your phone anyway, so let’s build an app that can help with this.”

Combining the knowledge of the fitness and digital sectors, in just 5 months, the product was created and launched.

“We started out as just a team of three.

We were thrilled when we had our first paying customer in August 2015.”

The market place was competitive and there were similar products available

and whilst this would put off the bravest of investors, undeterred Phil pushed on in the belief that “if anything, if there is competition in a market, it defines that there is a market there, and ultimately money to be made. He said “Being small, like us enables you to be a lot more agile and not necessarily ‘future proof’ but ‘future friendly’. What a lot of older and of course more established competitors can’t do is replicate this.

Within My PT Hub, we have hired a team of specialists to make the product what it is today and unlike many larger companies, we have on the ground knowledge of what it is like to be a personal trainer.”

My PT Hub is now a team of 20 and hiring at a rate of someone new every 6 weeks.

It’s a product which can genuinely provide a full service solution - no third-party add-ons required. The growing team includes best friend Lewis as (COO) and sister Steph (ACA Qualified) as (CFO). The app is now used by over 70,000 trainers, 1.2 million clients and acquires a new customer every 2 minutes. My PT Hub is now the world’s number 1 software for personal trainers, and this all started in the heart of Sussex.

To find out more about My PT Hub, please visit www.mypthub.net

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