Sussex Business Times - Issue 401 2016

SBT SUSSEX BUSINESS TIMES

NATWEST ROUNDTABLE: MAKING IT HAPPEN: AN ENTREPRENEUR’S ROUNDTABLE

IF YOU LEAVE ME NOW

A BREXIT REPORT

GOING ON A SUMMER HOLIDAY?

SBT CONSIDERS THE CHALLENGES THAT SCHOOL HOLIDAYS POSE TO SMALL BUSINESSES AND BUSINESS OWNERS

COUNTY CLEAN GROUP: AT YOUR DISPOSAL SBT’S SIMON SKINNER SPEAKS TO MIKE WALKER, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF COUNTYCLEAN GROUP; THE LEADER IN EFFECTIVE LIQUID WASTE MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS ACROSS LONDON AND THE SOUTH EAST

SERVING THE SUSSEX BUSINESS COMMUNITY SINCE 1975

ISSUE 401

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SBTWelcome MEET THE TEAM

Lee Mansfield, Managing Director/ Publisher

Simon Skinner, Clare Fermor, Group Director/Editor Operation Director

Jenny Ardagh, Deputy Editor

Thomas Allen, Features Editor

James Marchant Features Editor

Lou Dobson, Sales

Elliott Mansfield, Sales

Geoff Diamond, Sales

Harriet Weston, Production Manager

Amy Watson, Amelia Wellings, Production Designer Financial Controller

CONTRIBUTORS

By Glen Foster, National and Sussex Sales Manager, Xero

Samantha Wilding, Style & Grace

Ragnar Barnsby, Director at Fitsystems

Mike Walker Founder and Managing Director, CountyClean

Alison Sampson, Senior VAT Advisor, Knill James Chartered Accountants

Christina Ewbank, ACES Facilitator

Like most businesses, and in fact anyone concerned over the future of our country, SBT HQ has been riddled with uncertainty in the lead up to the EU Referendum.

On 23rd June, we will all have to make a very difficult and significant choice: in our out. Now, this debate has been going on long enough and some may be frustrated with not knowing the outcome, so we simply couldn’t ignore it. This month, we bring you the final ‘if’ debate on the vote, debunking some of the most talked about issues and myths surrounding Brexit.

Elsewhere, we cover our latest and biggest roundtable event to date on the topic of Entrepreneurship. On Friday 13th, SBT and NatWest, alongside representatives from local businesses, education bodies and organisations, attracted an audience of over 50 people to hear about the current start up business climate in Sussex. See pages 16 – 23 for the edited transcription.

Summer brings a wealth of positive attitudes and motivation but how does it affect those in business?

SBT investigates how summer holidays impact business owners and how flexible working may be the answer.

Equally, productivity in the workplace is essential to a successful business. We feature some top tips on how to best keep cognitive productivity and fitness at a high standard in the workplace. Plus, the influx of new graduates is just around the corner, so read pages 40 – 43 for an article on recruitment in SMEs and what graduates look for.

There’s simply too much to mention in such a small space, so read on and enjoy!

Jenny Ardagh - Deputy Editor

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 3

SBTContents

Issue 401

SBT

ISSUE 401

FREE

SUSSEX BUSINESS TIMES

NATWEST ROUNDTABLE: MAKING IT HAPPEN: AN ENTREPRENEUR’S ROUNDTABLE

IF YOU LEAVE ME NOW

A BREXIT REPORT

GOING ON A SUMMER HOLIDAY?

SBT CONSIDERS THE CHALLENGES THAT SCHOOL HOLIDAYS POSE TO SMALL BUSINESSES AND BUSINESS OWNERS

COUNTY CLEAN GROUP: AT YOUR DISPOSAL SBT’S SIMON SKINNER SPEAKS TO MIKE WALKER, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF COUNTYCLEAN GROUP; THE LEADER IN EFFECTIVE LIQUID WASTE MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS ACROSS LONDON AND THE SOUTH EAST

SERVING THE SUSSEX BUSINESS COMMUNITY SINCE 1975

Cover: Mike Walker - Founder and Managing Director CountyClean Group www.countycleangroup.co.uk Managing Director/Publisher: Lee Mansfield lee@lifemediagroup.co.uk 01323 819 007 Group Director/Editor: Simon Skinner simon@lifemediagroup.co.uk 01323 819 017 Operations Director: Clare Fermor clare@lifemediagroup.co.uk 01323 819 007 Sales: Lou Dobson lou@lifemediagroup.co.uk 01323 819 007 Elliott Mansfield elliott@lifemediagroup.co.uk 01323 819 012 Geoff Diamond geoff@lifemediagroup.co.uk 01323 819 013 Deputy Editor: Jenny Ardagh jenny@lifemediagroup.co.uk 01323 819 011 Features Editor: James Marchant james@lifemediagroup.co.uk 01323 819019 Production Manager: Harriet Weston harriet@lifemediagroup.co.uk 01323 819 010 Production Designer: Amy Watson amy@lifemediagroup.co.uk 01323 819 018 Subscriptions: Linda Grace linda@lifemediagroup.co.uk 01323 819 015 Accounts: Amelia Wellings amelia@lifemediagroup.co.uk 01323 819 007 Published by Life Media Group, Unit1, Swan Barn Business Centre, Swan Barn Road, Hailsham, BN27 2BY Printed by Berforts 17 Burgess Road, Ivyhouse Lane Hastings, East Sussex, TN35 4NR 01424 722733 www.berforts.co.uk 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 Life Media Group 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 Life Media Group LTD 2016 ©

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06 08 12 16 28 32 36 40 50 52 56 62 66

News

View the latest local and national business headlines.

A Brexit Report

Rathbones has published a report to help with knowing what is fact and what is fiction, busting the top 5 myths of a Brexit vote before the big day.

Spending it

Now is the perfect time to consider some must-have cars and accessories to enhance your time spent behind the wheel.

NatWest Roundtable: Making it Happen

We discuss how we can support and collaborate with start up businesses, educate young people on enterprise and how we can create the best environment for successful entrepreneurs.

Flexible Working

SBT considers the challenges that school holidays pose to small businesses and business owners.

Cover Feature: CountyClean Group

SBT speaks to Mike Walker, Managing Director of CountyClean Group; the leader in effective liquid waste management solutions across London and the South East.

Cognitive Fitness

Following a warning from the CIPD that UK workplace productivity has been at a standstill for the past few years, SBT takes a closer look at the importance of maintaining staff cognitive fitness.

Graduate Recruitment

With a fresh batch of university students soon to be looking for gainful employment, we look at the growing relationship between new graduates and SMEs.

Tried and Tested in Sussex

Features Editor, James Marchant takes a French-inspired gourmet lunch break at The Sundial in Herstmonceux

Chamber News

All the latest news and events from ACES.

Motoring

SBT’s Motoring Correspondent Simon Skinner takes to the wheel of the latest Clubman: in association with Vines of Gatwick BMW.

Ask the Experts

Local Sussex business experts advise on relevant issues.

Made in Sussex

This month’s home grown hero is Veasey & Sons Fishmongers.

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SBTLocal News Richard Place Dobson Celebrate Their Contemporary New Brand Crawley based Chartered Accountants and Business Advisors Richard Place Dobson have celebrated the launch of their new look with an evening of networking, entertainment and light refreshments at their office in the town centre.

Matthew Tyson, Director at Richard Place Dobson, said: “The firm has been established in Crawley and the region for over 100 years providing exceptional service to our clients. We are a modern firm with a highly motivated and capable team of professionals who are anxious to give a stunning service to our clients and we wanted our outward image to convey this more fully.

“The new look incorporates a stylish modern logo and a fresh corporate colour scheme. Numerous clients have already made contact to say how much they like the new image.”

Ross & Co - Your “New” Hybrid Estate Agent Willingdon and Hailsham based Estate Agents, Ross & Co have launched a new hybrid package. becoming one of the first high street agents to adopt the new way to sell your property, whilst still maintaining the traditional method.

The hybrid package includes a full colour brochure, floorplans and a detailed description of the home, and publishing the property on Rightmove and On the Market.

Angela Marden, Sales and Lettings Director of Ross & Co says she has witnessed a lot of change and it will only continue: “As an Agent we must continually assess change and look at how we can serve our customers in the best way possible that suits their needs and wants.”

She added: “We aim to offer more than the Online Agent with the benefits of the Traditional High Street Agent at a more affordable price.”

6 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

Seven Integration Shortlisted for Flagship CEDIA Award Award-winning made in Sussex home technology specialist, Seven Integration, has beaten off huge competition across the EMEA region to secure a place on the CEDIA Awards shortlist in the Best Home Cinema over £100,000 category.

Established in 2003, Seven Integration has become the port of call for residential customers across London and the South East. Based in Sussex, the team specialise in bold, fully integrated systems that provide

innovative, at-home experiences.

A final assessment this July will determine whether the installation – one of only two UK installations in the category – will be crowned the winner. Seven Integration Director, Matt Josling said: “The CEDIA Awards are like the Oscars in our industry, so to be shortlisted in its flagship category – like the ‘Best Actor’ award – is amazing.”

He added: “We are confident ahead of July and extremely proud of what we’ve achieved across the year.”

Checkatrade.com Boss Crowned Director of the Year Kevin Byrne, Founder and CEO of leading tradesperson vetting and monitoring service Checkatrade.com, has been named Director of the Year at the prestigious London and South East Director of the Year Awards - widely recognised to be one of the most important events in the UK’s business calendar. Following his win, Kevin commented: “I am utterly thrilled to have been given this award. Checkatrade.com has

changed hugely since it was first created – and I could not be more proud of the business it has grown into. It is a real pleasure to be recognised for my leadership of the company, but I believe that our success is also in part down to the fantastic team that work at Checkatrade.com. I would like to take this opportunity to thank each of my employees, our members and, of course, the judging panel at the Institute of Directors.”

Lawyers Expand to Brighton London and Sussex law firm, Warren’s Law & Advocacy has opened its fourth office, with a new base in Brighton.

The new office, headed up by Anthony Waller and Dominic Murphy, will work hand-in-hand with the firm’s other offices at Old Bailey in central London, Lewisham and Eastbourne. Located on Middle Street, Warren’s Law Brighton will focus on providing specialist advice on all types of dispute resolution, family and education law, litigation as well as general and corporate crime.

Rodney Warren, Founder and Senior Partner, said: “We are delighted to have an office in the heart of the city - it

perfectly complements our full service offering across the South East and, while we deal with many high profile cases, we always provide the same exceptional personalised service to every client, irrespective of the size or nature of the case.”

SBTLocal News TechResort Digital Youth Project Wins SPARK Enterprise Achievement Award A scheme that matches young people with Eastbourne businesses has been recognised for outstanding achievement at the SPARK Awards 2016.

TechMatch aims to nurture talented tech and digital A Level students from Sussex Downs College and give them a real taste of working with local businesses. Students are provided with a year-long, part-time project opportunity. TechMatch is the brainchild of TechResort, a not-for-profit community interest company.

Kev Jones, TechMatch Coordinator for TechResort, said: “Being recognised by a SPARK Award has really helped raise awareness of TechResort’s innovative TechMatch programme. We have a large pool of young creative and digital

talent and are looking to create more opportunities with local businesses to provide project opportunities.

Cllr David Tutt, Leader of Eastbourne Borough Council, said: “I think it’s excellent news and well deserved.

It supports the direction in which Eastbourne is heading in terms of future employment.”

CRL Launches New Sales Centre Bolstering Ambitious Growth Plans Structural defects insurance specialist CRL has launched a new sales centre to support ambitious growth plans and further enhance its customer service offering.

The new sales centre, based at the company’s Horsham office in Worthing Road, which opened on 3 May, has created 25 new jobs in the sales team, bolstering CRL’s workforce across London, Horsham, Liverpool and Newcastle by 35%.

Steve Mansour, CEO at CRL, said: “I believe that CRL is now firmly established as the country’s third largest structural defects insurance arranger and this new facility will give

CRL the capability to increase our share of the marketplace even further.

We are passionate about delivering exceptional customer service and the new sales centre is testament to this commitment.”

Brighton-Based Pegasus Joins Global Healthcare Services Group, Ashfield Healthcare Communications

Pegasus, the integrated healthcare communications consultancy has announced it has been acquired by UDG Healthcare plc, a FTSE 250 and LSE-listed international provider of outsourced healthcare services.

Lisa Bradley, Pegasus Chairman, said: “It is very exciting to be joining UDG Healthcare and Ashfield at this new stage in our development. We know they are the right cultural fit for our agency and they share our passion for delivering innovative campaigns across healthcare. Joining Ashfield will increase the breadth and depth of services we offer to our clients and will provide our staff with the opportunity to acquire new skills.”

David Moore, Director at Ashfield Healthcare Communications, said: “This is a strategically important acquisition for UDG Healthcare and Ashfield. It strengthens our existing communications offering and broadens our capabilities in patient and consumer communications programmes, as well as corporate reputation and crisis management for our growing client base.”

Skinners of Rye Purchases New Premises in East Sussex East Sussex-based Skinners of Rye, a family-run car sales and servicing business, has expanded substantially with the support of a £1.55 million funding package from HSBC. Skinners has used the funding to purchase additional premises, seeing the business expand its workshop space to 42,000 sq. ft. The enlarged premises will also allow the business to take on 10 new members of staff.

Cora McLaren, Regional Director for Business Banking in the South and East Region, said: “Skinners has been operating for over 150 years so has

a strong reputation and is a fantastic example of a family-run business. This latest deal will enable the business to evolve further to continue to meet customers’ needs.”

Gary Barlow, Owner of Skinners of Rye, said: “Our new premises in Rye will allow us to take on more customers and provide an enhanced car sales and repair service. It’s also been fantastic to be able to provide new jobs for the community.”

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 7

If You Leave Me Now: A Brexit Report

The EU Referendum has come around quickly, meaning it’s soon time to make that all-important decision. Rathbones has published a report to help with knowing what is fact and what is fiction, busting the top 5 myths of a Brexit vote before the big day

On 23rd June 2016, the government will hold a referendum on Focus the continuation of the UK’s membership of the European Union (EU). In the Referendum Bill currently progressing through Parliament, voters will be asked the big question: should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union?

Most people are likely to believe that leaving the EU represents the greatest risk. However, with the vast sea of unanswered questions, theories and suppositions of dubious integrity, it’s not surprising to see that more than 15% of voters are undecided on whether to vote in or out. At this point in time – as I am writing this article – the poll stands at 51% ‘remain’ vs. 49% ‘leave’ according to a What UK Thinks opinion poll by NatCen Social Research. The people of the UK are clearly divided on this decision, meaning that whether we vote Brexit or not may well be down to how many turn up on the day.

A new report by Rathbone Investment Management was recently released, which considers the implications of the

8 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

EU referendum, and aims to dispel five of the most common myths around a potential Brexit. Here is a roundup of the top five myths from Rathbones and how to interpret the real information that’s out there as best we can.

Myth #1 - Immigration: Immigration has held down wages and pushed up unemployment for UK nationals.

Foreign-born persons now constitute 16.6% of the UK’s working-age population – a figure that’s close to the average immigration share for developed economies, but one that has doubled over the past 20 years. But, looking at county data, there is no correlation between immigration flows between 2004 and 2012 and UK-born unemployment.

Although a study in 2014 did conclude that immigration has put downward pressure on the wages of workers in the bottom 15% of jobs when ranked by pay, it also concludes that immigration has increased the wages of those in the remaining 85% of jobs. Therefore, we do not expect wage growth to increase or unemployment to fall substantially if the UK votes in favour of Brexit.

Myth #2 - Trade: UK trade would collapse after leaving the EU. Firstly, the government may be able to withdraw but negotiate special terms of access to the common market — ‘soft Brexit’. Even under a ‘hard Brexit’, the UK would remain protected from any vengeful treatment by global trade rules. The trade relationship between the UK and the EU would revert to ‘most favourable nation’ (MFN) terms as negotiated by the World Trade Organisation (WTO), to which both economies belong. Under the WTO’s rules, the EU would not be allowed to enact legislation that discriminates against the UK specifically, although some sectors would suffer generally more than others, particularly autos, food and clothing.

Myth #3 - Financials: The Swiss financial services industry has thrived outside the EU, which is a model for the UK. Evolving legislation could push financial services activity towards the Continent if the UK votes for Brexit. This would have

profound effects on the economy and exchange rate: the UK’s trade surplus in services is almost entirely in financial and other professional and technical services.

This is not a risk that would be realised overnight.

Indeed around 40% of Swiss legislation derives from EU rules — more than twice that of the UK’s. Interestingly, the Swiss have never negotiated a broadbased deal on financial services, and Switzerland does not have full access to the EU’s financial services market. Its financial services continued to prosper due to a rich history (similar to the City of London), a unique taxation system (which is under threat) and its strong ties to London itself.

Myth #4 - Public Finances: The UK’s public finances would improve substantially if it leaves the EU. A simple calculation suggests the country would be £9 billion better off in the current tax year if it did not have to make contributions to the EU. Yet at least two-thirds of this saving would probably be eroded by associated losses

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 9

Brexit

and compensatory domestic public expenditure.

Perhaps the greatest risk to UK finances is that Brexit would create uncertainty, which could, by itself, reduce growth. Work by the Bank of England suggests that a one standard deviation increase in its quantification of economic uncertainty, if maintained for three years, could lower the level of GDP by around 0.9%.

Myth #5 - Foreign investment: Foreign investors will withdraw from the UK if it leaves the EU. Foreign Direct Investment is very important to the UK and occupies a rather prominent place in the campaign rhetoric. Many in the anti-Brexit campaign believe that investment into the UK would collapse if the UK leaves the EU. Its most likely outcome is a bit more finely balanced.

Surveys indicate that R&D will be the focus of investment projects over the coming years, and here the UK has unparalleled attractiveness. Although it is difficult to forecast the long-term implications of Brexit, we do not expect a divestment of foreign investment in the short to medium term, but suggest that investor uncertainty could adjourn future inflows.

Edward Smith, Asset Allocation Strategist and author of the paper, ‘If you leave me now’, says: “The Looking towards foreign investors is referendum result could push the UK one thing, but what about investors in several different directions, which here in the UK? makes it difficult to Would this be forecast the long“This is a clear impacted? term effects on the Greg Mahon, insight into just how economy. In an increasingly globalised detrimental uncertainty Regional Director at Rathbones Chichester world, the UK can be. The report by commented: “Interest economy should do rates have been at a well if the country can Rathbones concisely historic low of 0.5% successfully negotiate lays out the facts, for 86 months and as new treaties of so that we all can a result, over the past economic integration seven years, there has with higher growth make a decision” been an ongoing trend nations. In the short of our clients seeking term, the referendum better returns. With cash languishing is unlikely to have a substantial in low interest savings accounts, more directional impact on financial markets. and more investors have been turning to Yet we expect markets to react to the stock market in a bid to make their any lack of clarity and associated money work harder. uncertainty. Sterling is likely to suffer the “However, with the country’s vote on most volatility, and there are indications EU membership on the horizon, there that currency traders are positioning for has been a marked decline in investors some extreme moves.”

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in the South East taking any action.

Across multiple wealth profiles there is a reluctance to make decisions, with many clients opting to wait until after the 23rd June and beyond, when the consequences of referendum and its impact on potential investment strategy, will become much clearer.”

This is a clear insight into just how detrimental uncertainty can be. The report by Rathbones concisely lays out the facts, so that we all can make a decision. We’ve been told time and time again of how important this decision is; how it will affect future generations and change the course of history. However, it’s obvious that not knowing what the future holds is the most damaging part. Would this continue should we vote to leave the EU, or would we be able to get on with drawing up our own legislation, continuing our business in the process?

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Step it up a Gear

Although the weather in Britain is trying its best to tell us otherwise, summer is here, so now is the perfect time to consider some must-have cars and accessories to enhance your time spent behind the wheel BUSH 7IN DUAL IN-CAR DVD PLAYER Long journeys will fly by with this 7inch Dual In-Car DVD Player from Bush.

Great for keeping kids entertained while you drive, once they’ve decided what to watch that is! £89.99. www.argos.co.uk

JAGUAR F-TYPE SVR CONVERTIBLE From the choice of lightweight, innovative materials to its advanced aerodynamic design, SVR is the most powerful F-TYPE yet. The 5.0 litre V8 unit’s twin vortex supercharger eliminates drag and surge for responsive performance at all engine speeds. Hold tight – it will take you from 0-60mph in 3.5 seconds and on to a top speed of 200mph.

From quilted performance seats offering comfort and support to ultra-modern finishes that create a sense of total luxury. From £115,485. www.jaguar.co.uk

ORBIT KEY FINDER

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Attach the Handbag Butler Rose Gold Orbit Key Finder to your keys or other valuables and you’ll be able to locate them by making the Orbit beep using the free mobile app. If out of range, the last seen location will be shown on a map. You can also make your phone ring using Orbit to locate it. £19.67. www.whiteandco.com.au

The TomTom GO 51 is the new entry-level sat nav device in the GO range.

It offers free quarterly worldwide map updates, plus a free subscription to TomTom Traffic and speed camera alerts – for the lifetime of the device. £149.99. www.tomtom.com

SNOOPER DVR-4HD DASH CAM The new Snooper DVR-4HD dash cam is feature rich.

Boasting 1080p high definition recording, touch screen, forward collision warning, speed camera detection and a free app to share footage instantly online £149.99. www.snooper.co.uk 12 www.sussexbusinesstimes.co.uk

RANGE ROVER EVOQUE CONVERTIBLE The Range Rover Evoque Convertible is a convertible for all seasons. It is a unique combination of design leadership and world-class engineering that adds another dimension to the Range Rover Evoque name, further enhancing its desirability and appeal.

The thrill of a convertible SUV is beautifully enhanced by the four-seat capacity of the vehicle.

Front seats incorporate the latest technologies such as Climate Control options to ensure a truly relaxed and comfortable ride. The interior’s clean, architectural lines are complemented by the premium materials featured throughout, with the upgrade option of Oxford leather also available.

From £47,500. www.landrover.co.uk

HANDPRESSO AUTO Handpresso ‘Auto’ is the world’s first 12 V in-car espresso coffee maker.

One has simply to fill it with water, add an ESE pod of coffee, plug it into the cigarette lighter and wait two minutes for an instant caffeine fix. £147.38. www.thedesigngiftshop.com

NEW MINI CONVERTIBLE IN CARRIBBEAN AQUA The new Mini Convertible is more dynamic, stylish, practical and refined than ever before. Other great features include: • If the soft-top is down and rain is detected on-route, the new Rain Warner will display a time estimate of when the rain will be reached and where to pull over to put the roof up if travelling over 30mph.

• Boot volume increased by 25% and greater space for rear seat passengers – perfect for road trips!

• Striking new colours including Caribbean Aqua and Melting Silver – with a new Chester Leather in Malt Brown available for the interior.

From £18,475. www.mini.co.uk

JUMPACK CPP 8000 The new Cobra JumPack CPP 8000 will jump-start most cars multiple times on just one charge. ts new slim-line design houses a 6000mAh Lithium-Cobalt battery that holds a charge for longer and is smaller than other traditional jump-starters, making it the perfect glovebox companion. £79.99. www.cobraelectronics.co.uk www.sussexbusinesstimes.co.uk 13

Paying The Price:

Invoice Fraud

SBT highlights the growing issue of invoice fraud for SMEs and how it can be prevented Invoice fraud is an increasing problem and whilst Finance any business can be affected, it’s something that small and medium sized businesses are hit particularly hard by. New research has suggested that invoice fraud alone is costing UK SMEs up to £9 billion per year, amounting to some £1,658 per business. The research conducted by 3GEM Research and published by invoice financing and analytics company Tungsten Network, also found that of those affected, one in six businesses believe the fraud has cost them more than £5,000 in the last year alone.

Invoice fraud most often involves criminals duping companies into changing the payment details of their suppliers. Making contact with the finance teams within organisations

14 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

and posing convincingly as suppliers, the criminals request that payee bank account details are changed to that of their own. Payments are then repeatedly made to them, with the fraud often only discovered when the legitimate supplier chases for non-payment of invoice.

Invoice fraud can also take the form of employees using false invoices to defraud their employers, working alone or sometimes in collusion with a third party. Most instances are opportunistic and simple but some are a little more advanced, such as a ‘pass-through’ fraud, where an employee inserts their own intermediary company between a supplier of legitimate services and their employer. Payments are made for services but the employee’s intermediary company skims a percentage of the transactions.

Of the 1,000 companies surveyed, nearly half of all businesses (47%) have received a fraudulent or suspicious

invoice in the last year. Perpetrators most often catch businesses out with viruses embedded in attachments, unknown invoices attached to an email or sent by post, and by sending duplicate invoices.

Unfortunately the scale of this fraud is accelerating and there are still those who are unaware of the threat.

The research found that over half of businesses (54%) are concerned about the rise in invoice fraud, viewing it as their single biggest threat. However, worryingly 8% of businesses said they would take no action if they received a suspicious invoice, and 13% of micro businesses wouldn’t know what to do if they received one. Only 44% of businesses would contact the police or a reporting service like Action Fraud (the national fraud and cyber-crime reporting centre) showing that there is still a strong need for education.

Commenting on the findings of

the research, Tungsten CEO Richard Hurwitz, said: “UK SMEs face all manner of challenges, and it’s telling that cyber crime looms as one of the biggest.

What’s most troubling is that it needn’t be like this as there are steps companies can take to protect themselves.

Technology such as electronic invoicing can help battle invoice fraud as only confirmed suppliers can upload their invoices and then these are validated before they are paid, potentially saving firms thousands of pounds.”

The research makes clear the need to crack down on fraud in the UK and is backed up by the Government, which last February launched a new taskforce to combat fraud of all types.

The Joint Fraud Taskforce will consist of representatives from the City of London Police, National Crime Agency, Financial Fraud Action UK, the Bank of England, and Chief Executives of the major banks. While primarily focused on consumer fraud, the launch nevertheless shows the scale and seriousness of the situation and the Government’s desire to identify and remove weak links in the UK’s financial systems and processes.

On raising awareness of invoice fraud Pauline Smith, Head of Action Fraud, the UK’s national centre for reporting fraud and internet crime, said: “It is important that employees are made aware of invoice scams and are ready to recognise the signs of fraud. Incidents of invoice fraud are underreported and therefore it is difficult to know the true scale of this fraud type. However what we do know is that this type of fraud prevails across all types of business and no one type of industry is immune.”

Battle-based accountants MVL Business Services point out that while many large businesses have the resources to implement what they hope are effective systems of internal control to prevent fraud, SMEs often have to rely on a small team of people, who they trust, but will inevitably be working on more than one task at once. This makes them more vulnerable. SMEs should try to segregate duties as much as possible – a technique that’s proven to limit the possibilities of fraud.

For more information, please visit www.actionfraud.police.uk or call online fraud reporting tool 0300 123 2040 to report a fraud.

© Andrey Popov | Dreamstime.com

Finance

Advice from Financial Fraud Action UK to help prevent invoice fraud: • Ensure all accounts department staff are vigilant: checking for irregularities on invoices.

• Ensure changes to supplier financial arrangements are always verified with that supplier using their established on-file details.

• Inform suppliers of the payment details made after an invoice is received.

• Check company or organisation bank statements carefully and report all suspicious debits to your bank immediately.

• Use on-file contact details to call a contact back if you are suspicious

about a request before going through with a payment.

• Consider removing online supplier information from public view.

• Never leave sensitive material such as invoices unattended on your desk.

• Establish a designated point of contact with suppliers to whom your company or organisation makes regular payments.

• Consider a more vigilant/direct strategy for larger invoices. E.g a meeting with the supplier involved.

• Scrutinise every invoice.

• Look out for blurred logos on counterfeit invoices.

• Be vigilant for amendments to contact numbers and email addresses on company invoices.

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Making It Happen:

An Entrepreneur’s Roundtable SBT and NatWest came together for a third time on Friday 13th May to discuss Entrepreneurship in the Community, discussing how we can support and collaborate with start up businesses, educate young people on enterprise and finally how we can create the best environment for successful entrepreneurs

Roundtable

1

Enterprise

© Adam Hollingworth Photography adamhollingworth.co.uk

Fiona Anderson: There’s quite a lot that falls under the banner of enterprise. It’s actually RBS’ year of enterprise within the bank and what this covers for us is, firstly entrepreneurship, the key focus of which is of course Entrepreneurial Spark.

Another is Women in Business – we have over 300 accredited women in business specialists in the bank who have actually gone through a recognised accreditation through the chartered banker institute and we are one of the only banks who do that in the market. We also have a long and ongoing partnership with the Prince’s Trust: RBS has been one of the longest standing sponsors of the Prince’s Trust, with over 30 year’s worth of sponsorship.

It’s quite appropriate that this is the 40th anniversary of the Trust, so this is a key focus this year also.

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If I could open the floor to Tim Boag, our Regional Managing Director, who will give us a little bit of context around the businesses that we’ve helped.

Tim Boag: Of course. Enterprise is obviously a key theme for the bank – there are some very interesting statistics around this topic. Something like 50% of the people when asked in this country say they’d like to run their own business, but over half of them don’t take the plunge. Mainly because of the fear of failure. In addition, and this thankfully doesn’t reflect our own bank, only around 1 in 10 would go to their banks for advice when wanting to set up or run a business.

For us as an organisation, and for the banking industry as a whole, we have a big job to do in terms of building trust and being more active in the community; both employees of the banks and our customers. If those communities are successful then we are all beneficiaries of that success also.

There’s a whole range of ways we

can help, and our relationship with Entrepreneurial Spark and KPMG is just one of those ways. The success rate of the businesses who have gone through the program is huge: about 80% of them not only survive but succeed. That’s much higher than the national average, which tells us that it’s working. Of the businesses we’ve supported, 2000 jobs have been created, there’s an £86 million turnover from those businesses, and they’ve attracted around £45 million of investment. Again, these are small enterprises that are starting to grow and become successful.

Fiona Anderson: George, with regards to the university, is SME, innovation and enterprise a large focus for you there?

What role has the university played in this?

George Tsekouras: Our university has a philosophy of trying to support enterprises in the region as actively as possible. We have proven that through a number of initiatives. Some of you may be aware of our Profitnet program, run

by Judith Badger, that supports more than 1,500 businesses, so far with solid results. Also, we are very keen to support these small enterprises in the region through a number of other initiatives, such as student placements, training etc. We also have an integral element of our strategy, which is called ‘closing the loop’. Primarily, as an academic institution, we teach our students and do academic research at international standards. However, there are different strategies for academic research which can be followed. We use research in order to improve the lives of the people and companies that have participated in our research. We do research into peer-to-peer learning – how you can bring people on the same task together by sharing things between them without having the fear of losing information or others not being supportive of them. We saw this happening in different parts of the world, then we initiated a number of processes, jobs and systems around that, bringing people to speak to each other and benefit. We are continuing this adventure and keen to see small businesses come to our door for help.

Contrary to the common perception of a lot of small businesses that universities aren’t interested in their affairs, we are really keen to give aid wherever we can and continue to aspire to bring the

Tim Boag, Regional Managing Director, NatWest

Tim Rush, Managing Director for Enterprise KPMG;

Dr. George Tsekouras, Principal Lecturer on SMEs and Innovation at Brighton University

Isaac Howie Brewerton, CEO of Pixel Blimp

Aurelia Butler-Ball, Associate Solicitor of Media and Entertainment at Irwin Mitchell LLP

Gary Peters, Owner of Lovelocal jobs.com

Gayle Mann, Excellence Engineer for Entrepreneurial Spark

Melanie Lawson, Director of Bare Biology

Tom Bewick, B&H Councillor for Young People & MD of New work Training.

Fiona Anderson, Entrepreneur Development Manager, Commercial and Private Banking at NatWest.

Chair.

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 17

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NatWest Roundtable

outcome of our research to inform those small businesses. We’re translating this aspiration into action every day.

Fiona Anderson: Gayle, you’ve worked for a number of years with Entrepreneurial Spark and you’ve been in for over 4 years, so have seen a number of statistics about the increase in entrepreneurship across the country, haven’t you?

Gayle Mann: We started the Entrepreneurial Spark program in Scotland with an agenda to be positively disruptive, and shake up the country with a mission to start up a revolution. It’s safe to say that we did exactly that in a short period of time. Our mission has changed slightly to enabling social change through the action of entrepreneurship. Tim touched on a lot of the statistics from the 660 businesses that we’ve supported so far and, for us, the big one is the 88% survival rate. That really turns the national average on its head. Our mindset is completely on the entrepreneurs, so when you speak about trends, we see Brighton as this amazing digital hub – there are so many creative businesses, but there are also a lot of other amazing businesses, in particular in the food and drink sector. Our tech startups know about tech, so they don’t need to know more about that sector, they just want to be around other entrepreneurs, and we

facilitate that. Brighton has been a real experience for us.

Fiona Anderson: Brighton is so diverse.

Tim, you head up the enterprise division within KPMG. What have you seen trend wise over the past couple of years?

Tim Rush: A lot of people are surprised when they see KPMG in the enterprise space. If we are looking at it, we have always worked in the mid-market space but we haven’t shouted about it. We have now made a conscious decision that this is an area that we want to focus on. Companies are growing so quickly, and if we’re not involved at an early stage with companies, we are not going to work with them when they grow further.

Especially with entrepreneurs, there are lots of people who support them when they start who go all the way through with them. We want to go on a journey with clients. It’s about working with companies throughout their journey and really enhancing it. The other thing is that, we as a firm benefit from programs like Entrepreneurial Spark; we’re up-skilling our staff so that when they’re talking to other businesses, they’ve got a different mindset. We’re also seeing big and small businesses change the dynamic of how they work. There are so many more partnerships now: people learn from entrepreneurs. So we want to be introducing people to others as it helps our established companies as well as start ups. Yes, it’s a business need but it’s exceedingly exciting too!

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Isaac Howie Brewerton: We were actually on another accelerator, where we met KPMG in 2014, and the amount of support that you need when you’re starting up in areas such as finance and legal is phenomenal. So, when we first set up, we were straight out of university and we got to the accelerator and they got us in contact with the mentors and handed us this big wad of paperwork.

As people who just make games, we thought they had got it completely wrong, but we quickly realised that we needed to understand and get those types of things in place very rapidly in order to succeed.

That was a huge step, going from being a start up raising money, to talking to an investor. The whole process made that step so much easier and that’s something we wouldn’t have done if we hadn’t had that support from KPMG and others. In

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“Our children are only going to be focused on enterprise if they see other people like themselves making a go of it. There’s certainly no lack of talent in the UK, and no lack of will, but the incentives and definitions of success need to change” - Tom Bewick

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In Partnership with

terms of meeting larger businesses, when invited to these events, we got to meet big companies as well as other startups.

The larger corporations were very interested in speaking to us and seeing what we were up to. In return, we sent them a build of our game and got some great feedback. So, just from meeting at a low-key, casual dinner, we built that hugely beneficial relationship.

2

Education

Fiona Anderson: We are very fortunate in Brighton to have two leading universities, both of which have a slightly different focus. There’s a large focus on education in Brighton itself. Tom, could you tell us about some trends you’re seeing in Brighton with younger people in this capacity?

Tom Bewick: I sit as a member of the Labour administration at City Hall and I am really passionate about education in our city. I am accountable for the 70 schools, who we work very closely with.

I’ve spent around 15 years in post16 education and training. There’s a huge amount going on, but what I see in the city is a real gap between the mainstream education system – which is very much incentivised to get children to pass their exams and reach national targets. Our universities are doing some wonderful things within enterprise and innovation, but again are incentivised on the whole by attracting students. I take quite a hardline view: we need to change the incentives around how, for example, young people are encouraged to think about apprenticeships and setting up a business. This is one of the biggest challenges we face around our education and enterprise system now.

Arguably, in Britain today, the definition of success drilled into our children is

that unless they’re on that gold-standard path (GCSEs, A Levels and a degree) somehow they’re a failure. That’s why the work that NatWest is doing here with Entrepreneurial Spark is so important, because in the end our children are only going to be focused on enterprise if they see other people like themselves making a go of it. There’s certainly no lack of talent in the UK, and no lack of will, but the incentives and definitions of success need to change.

Gary Peters: I think it’s important for me to make it clear that I haven’t even got an education! I started my business when I was 25 and the word ‘entrepreneur’ probably didn’t exist at that point. My first business, called ICP Search, which is an executive search company that recruits globally – we placed people into 44 countries last year – happened almost by accident. My more recent company is called LoveLocalJobs.com, including BrightonandHoveJobs.com as

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NatWest Roundtable

part of the family. I of course started my first business thinking it would be easy, but that certainly wasn’t the case, however my experience and failures have given me the tools for the next generation. The chap who gave me my first job inspired the ‘Be the Change’ programme indirectly. He saw a 20 year old without any GCSEs or A Levels and he gave me a break, which was a pivotal moment. What I see in schools now is a lot of amazing talent, but I don’t see a lot of hope or confidence. The program is in its first year, and its focus is on working with disengaged young people across the county and perhaps further afield, working closely with a company called Human Utopia. The program aims to deal with the issues that they face individually and helping them through those problems through a sequence of events that prepare them for the world of work, and dare I say it, setting up their own businesses. But it’s more about giving them confidence and hope about the future.

Fiona Anderson: Mel, you’re an entrepreneur but you’re also a mum, so I wondered how your entrepreneurial spirit has rubbed off on your children and how you feel about the balance between education and entrepreneurship?

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Melanie Lawson: I was just thinking that. My middle child, my son, has just turned eight, and one of his favourite questions is, ‘Mummy, what job earns you the most money?’ Children like to see an immediate effect. My children are always asking to buy an iPad, so I tell them that they have to earn the money to pay for it. They then go away and consider the ways in which they

“I don’t know that you can teach common sense but that’s one thing employers are looking for. That often comes with experience of falling over and getting up again and again and again” - Gary Peters

can do that. Children do get it; they just need a push in the right direction. I did an event in February with a government minister about girls in underprivileged backgrounds, in order to help raise their aspirations. A range of female entrepreneurs were there and these girls just didn’t know what was on offer. A careers advisor from a school said to me that even they didn’t really know what jobs were out there, so how can they inspire the girls? One of the girls emailed

me afterwards saying that having met me and the other entrepreneurs, she now wanted to do what we do. That’s exactly what we were hoping for.

I was speaking at an APPG around Women in Enterprise and one of the questions was, ‘Why do more men start businesses than women?’ Well, I strongly believe that if men think they can do 30% of a job they will apply for it; if women think they can’t do 30% of the job, they won’t apply. Reshma Saujani said that girls are taught to be perfect and boys are taught to be brave. So, women are thrown into life with this idea that they can’t start anything unless they know it’s going to succeed, whereas men just give it a go.

This really affects the business climate, as women are so much less inclined to just start up a business without fear.

3

Supporting Success & Employability

Fiona Anderson: Let’s talk more about Brighton as a city. Brighton is actually one of the larger cities outside of London for start-up businesses but it also has one of the highest failure rates for start-up businesses. About 82%

of businesses that start up down here fail in their first year, which is incredibly high. One of the main reasons is a lack of support in their first year of trading.

It’s a complete minefield and I think a lot of people really struggle with the legal side, accountancy and finance. So really one of the key focuses is on trying to improve the survival rate of businesses in Brighton, but also maintain businesses here by encouraging employability. We want graduates not to immediately want to work in London but to work here. Gary, your business has grown hugely with regards to offering jobs and employment to people around, not just Brighton but Sussex, so it would be interesting just to get your take on this?

comes with experience of falling over and getting up again and again and again. So the things that employers seem to be missing are confidence, a can-do attitude, a professional attitude, preparation for work. Again, this comes down to the educational system in that they’re not necessarily encouraged to think like that. When it comes to business failures in Brighton, a large number of those, I feel are setting up businesses in the same old thing. They soon realise that there’s not a need for what they’re doing. You equally need to have a genuine passion for the business you’re in and that seems to be lacking for a number of the business start-ups that I see fail.

Gary Peters: It’s a minefield right now because if you ask a typical business what they think they are missing from young people, it’s the softer, noncognitive skills - which is partly true.

It must be true because over 70% of businesses that we speak to are saying that’s the problem. From what I understand, not much has changed over the last thirty years apart from the market that we work within and the environment that we work within. So there is a gap. I don’t know that you can teach common sense but that’s one thing employers are looking for. That often

Tom Bewick: In a city like this, 95% of firms employ less than 9 people in the area. Whilst it’s fantastic that the Chancellor is saying, ‘in 2020 all cities will be able to retain 100% of the business rates’ but at the same time, he says, ‘a lot of small micro firms are exempt from paying the business rates’. This says that, yes we want to encourage businesses, but particularly successful scale-up businesses, because they are the bigger businesses of the future that will pay business rates and contribute to a tax base in the city, as opposed to

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In Partnership with

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NatWest Roundtable

“People don’t get enough support or advice to grow their company to a successful, large company that can really benefit the economy.

It’s a critical issue that we need to tackle”

© Adam Hollingworth Photography adamhollingworth.co.uk

support or advice to grow their company to a successful, large company that can really benefit the economy. It’s a critical issue that we need to tackle.

Fiona Anderson: Gayle if I can just turn to you – I just saw you nodding your head obviously when Tom was talking about the scalability side because that’s very much something Entrepreneurial Spark focuses on.

lots and lots of bedroom businesses. It’s fantastic that people have those ideas but they’re not employing people, and they’re not paying business rates. Over time, you can see how that has a sort of downward spiral effect on an economy.

Tim Boag: I agree entirely with Tom. A lot of businesses get to wherever the turnover band is – a million, a million and a half – and then face the challenges around ‘can they get the right people with the right skills? It’s not just about finance: often people say it’s about access to capital. We talk a lot about ecosystems and what we do with Entrepreneurial Spark and the entrepreneur hub is arguably the first stage of that ecosystem. There’s a whole range of businesses in between that we need to join up, and if you can get the collaboration right, connect and create that community, then you’ll start to improve employability because the big businesses will start to help the

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small businesses. We’ve just taken on a whole load of apprentices last year and they have been a breath of fresh air to our business – unbelievable enthusiasm.

I think we need to give those people more opportunities. Small businesses can’t necessarily do it, but you can link to the big businesses and start to learn from that. The ecosystem is really, really important.

George Tsekouras: At the university, we actually compared the market share and number of employees employed in different groups of companies. You can see persistently from 1997 to today that smaller micro-businesses are going downwards in terms of the market share they present and number of employees, as opposed to self employed people and large companies. So we do have a problem in this country that we are a very entrepreneurial economy, it’s easy to start up a company, but once you start it, you are left alone. People don’t get enough

Gayle Mann: Absolutely. We’re not here for lifestyle businesses, we’re here for those businesses that a going to create that positive social change – that is jobs and turnover into the local economies.

I’m actually interested in your point there Tom about the scale-up businesses.

What we’re finding is that there’s a real fundamental gap prior to scale-up – there’s that pre-scale gap which is where companies are growing. They need access to finance, they need access to talent, they need access to space and a whole load of other things. And if you want to keep people in Brighton generating jobs and generating turnover into the economy then they need to have an international focus, they absolutely do, but they also need to be able to access all the resources they need within the local. Why are we not thinking about how we develop the talent within the local economy, pushing young people to work in these businesses?

4

Legalities

Fiona Anderson: I very much want to give Aurelia a chance just to touch a little bit on the legal side of when you’re

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In Partnership with

starting a business. Aurelia, perhaps you could touch on what Isaac said earlier about investment and legalities. What challenges do businesses have, as well as not really knowing where to start on the legal side?

Aurelia Butler-Ball: Absolutely, I think Isaac made the point perfectly when he said right from the beginning you had to address the legal issues and I think that’s one of the ways in which you can be sure you are one of the few successful companies. The three key areas we would suggest you look at are: having a solid founders or shareholders agreement in place, securing your IP and sorting out your terms and conditions.

This will set out the roles of each of the founders, what investment they’re going to make and what happens if one of them exits. Lots of companies now have good IP which they exploit with software development or other areas, and it’s about utilising the ways in which you can protect IP: maybe trademarking the name, patenting code etc. Once you have potential investment coming in, those investors will want to see that you own that IP. The next thing is terms and conditions. Business is all about transactions, be it with customers or suppliers, and when something goes wrong, these terms and conditions need to be there to ensure you know how to deal with it without causing thousands of pounds in dispute resolution. Once those three things have been addressed, we can help you and your business, as

lawyers and accountants, both in terms of advice and also with our networks. Do utilise us for that support network also.

Fiona Anderson: When you’re working with start-up businesses are there any kinds of key themes that you’re seeing around lack of knowledge or lack of experience that are really key things that could potentially help the legal profession that are here today start up businesses with in maybe a different way?

Aurelia Butler-Ball: Yes, I think especially now there are lots of companies focusing around IP and knowing what is automatically protected and what needs formal protection.

So there’s a number of ways we can help on that front. Legislation is always changing, especially around use of data, customer data – lots of companies now build up customer data and they think that’s something they can maybe sell or gain investment from. But if it’s breached regulations on privacy law – it’s a minefield when it comes to those things.

We’re always happy to give advice and share experiences early on, so do pick up the phone to all professional advisors.

Tim Rush: I won’t go into the technical detail but actually here’s the interesting bit – when I’m looking at start-up companies I just ask one question: ‘Do you know your cash?’

It’s as simple as that and it’s fundamental. And yes they know their cash now but they have no idea what’s

happening in six or twelve months and they don’t forecast it. You can make assumptions elsewhere, just know what your cash position is. I see a lot of profitable companies go out of business and it’s because they can’t fund their expansion. They’re making money, but it’s profit they’re looking at; they’re not considering the cash. I just go back to that in every single case – do you know your cash? Do you know your cash for the next six months/twelve months? – really simple but it’s what everyone needs to do.

Tom Bewick: If I just come back on the legal point. Aurelia, you’re very helpfully speaking in plain English today but I think part of the challenge for a lot of startups and indeed steady state businesses is some of the terminology around, for example, shareholders agreements and indeed commercial subcontracts that you might set up. I wonder how many times entrepreneurs find themselves a bit green behind the ears and don’t realise that with the right legal support, with the right agreements in place they could actually prevent quite a significant loss of money?

Fiona Anderson: We’ve had a lot of help from KPMG and a lot from other smaller accounting firms, and those from the legal profession have been particularly helpful with the Entrepreneurial Spark programme itself. We really do appreciate it. And on that note, I would like to bring this discussion to a close. Thank you all so much for attending today.

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© Mariusz Szczawinski

Get It Before It’s Gone: FREE Windows 10 Upgrade The Microsoft deadline for a FREE Windows 10 upgrade from Windows 7, 8 or 8.1 ends on 29th July, so what implications does this have for business customers?

According to Microsoft, Windows 10 is currently being Advertorial used on over 300 million devices. So, for those who have already downloaded Windows 10 to your home computer, you will know that it is simple and easy to use. An overwhelming majority of independent reviews have claimed that Microsoft have really come up trumps with this latest version of their infamous operating platform, and with the disappointment that was Windows 8, this is pleasing to hear. In his review, Matt Egan at PC Advisor describes Windows 10 as ‘the best Windows yet’, whilst Dan Grabham from TechRadarPro gives it a top review stating that ‘it’s robust and pleasant to use’.

As with all new software launches, it is usually best to wait whilst the dust settles

before rushing in and upgrading; there are always glitches with new systems and there have been a number of updates since Windows 10 launched in July 2015.

Over the past 8 months, we have seen the platform develop to what is now a stable system, and great for business use.

When Microsoft introduced Windows 8 back in October 2012, it faced widespread criticism for moving too far away from the familiar functionality highly valued by Windows 7 customers. As a result, the market was slow to adopt the new Windows 8 operating system and many either stayed with Windows 7 or waited until Windows 8.1 - particularly business users. Windows 10 brings back some of the favourite Windows 7 features, such as the Start Menu bar, which was dropped from Windows 8.

For simplicity, the new version also offers a single platform across smartphone

devices, PCs and tablets, also providing useful features, such as the virtual assistant app, Cortana in the desktop version and the new Internet browser, Microsoft Edge to replace Internet Explorer.

As some businesses may already know, Microsoft are offering a free upgrade to Windows 10, which is only available till 29th July 2016. Since Windows 10 will be the new standard going forward, with the latest features, performance and security updates, we recommend that businesses upgrade before the deadline to avoid the costs associated with upgrading at a later date. After the deadline your business will need to pay for Windows Pro for each device, which could set you back £189.99 per license. With just 2 months to go to take advantage of this offer, for businesses, now is the time to start putting steps in place to upgrade.

Call us on: 0845 034 2150

24 www.sussexbusinesstimes.co.uk

latest operating system available from Microsoft provides SMEs with an added level of protection against such threats.”

1. Speed 3. Usability The first thing business customers will The interface and new tiled menu is very notice when upgrading to Windows 10 intuitive, so employees find it very easy is an increase in speed. “As soon as I to use with minimal training right from upgraded to Windows 10 from Windows the start. The Cortana app can quickly 7, I noticed a difference to the speed of save notes and reminders, alert the user my desktop. All my applications were to flight delays for upcoming trips or help operating more quickly and it took me to locate specific documents on the hard no time at all to get used to the new drive - plus a lot interface,” says more.

Tanya Haeffele, “We have been running General Manager, Windows 10 for over a What’s the M2 Computing. month now. The integration upgrade into our existing network process?

2. Security Before upgrading The second most and current software has to Windows 10, notable benefit is been very successful, it is necessary the added level of thanks to M2 Computing” to carry out an security Windows assessment of the 10 can offer to - Neill Thompson, Production and IT current IT systems SMEs. The new Manager, Hayhouse Publishing Ltd in place in your operating system business. This is built with is to ensure Windows 10 is compatible advanced security protection to guard with the set up and runs smoothly from businesses against viruses, phishing the outset. The upgrade will need to be attacks and malware. Microsoft claims carefully planned to make sure it takes it to be the most secure Windows ever. place during a convenient time with For additional protection, you can turn minimal interruptions to the working day. on automatic security updates, which In addition, each desktop upgrade can be means your devices will always be conducted remotely, which reduces the protected by the latest software patches. need for an onsite IT Support Engineer, Paul Kollnig, Director, M2 Computing further reducing the project cost. explains: “No business is invulnerable to The team at M2 Computing have malicious attacks. However, having the

Paul Kollnig, Director at M2 Computing

What benefits does upgrading to Windows 10 offer to SMEs?

been using Windows 10 for the past 8 months and have upgraded a number of clients throughout this year. The team would be happy to help any businesses to understand a bit more about Windows 10, and to upgrade before the deadline.

Neill Thompson, Production and IT Manager, Hayhouse Publishing Ltd comments: “We have been running Windows 10 for over a month now. The integration into our existing network and current software has been very successful, thanks to M2 Computing.”

M2 Computing would be happy to help you understand how your business can become more secure and productive with Windows 10.

Please contact Paul Kollnig at M2 Computing on 01293 871971 or email paul.kollnig@m2computing.co.uk.

www.m2computing.co.uk www.sussexbusinesstimes.co.uk

25

Broadband

Connecting Crossed Wires

SBT looks at the issue of slow and unreliable Internet in rural areas. How much of a problem is it and is enough being done to improve it?

The internet has become integral to the operation of the Insight vast majority of – if not all - businesses.

Indeed, you’d be very hard pressed to find a company that doesn’t use the web for some aspect of its business. Ofcom have reported that 83% of small businesses consider communication services to be fundamental to their business, and 78% use a fixed broadband connection. They also estimate that UK turnover would increase by £18.8bn if all SMEs traded online. When one considers that the UK has 5.4 million SMEs, constituting 99.9% of UK businesses, the sheer extent of the

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numbers involved here is brought in to sharp focus.

Speaking during SBT’s Growth and Innovation in Professional Services roundtable discussion in March, Matt Turner of Young Start-Up illustrated just how dependent some businesses have become upon the internet: “I think for the SME sector in particular, when your internet service provider has a problem, the business literally stops” He explained: “One afternoon, our internet at Basepoint went down, and every business’ account systems, CRM, marketing platforms, emails and HR platforms are all in the cloud, so the businesses just ground to a halt.”

A report published by the Federation

of Small Businesses (FSB) recently suggested that a lack of fast and reliable internet access reduces productivity, stifles innovation and restricts the ability of British firms to grow and compete in global markets. Furthermore, surveys undertaken in 2013 and 2014 found that 94% of small business owners considered a reliable internet connection critical to the success of their business, and that as many as 14% of small businesses considered the lack of good broadband to be their main barrier to growth. Overall, only 15% of small firms said they were very satisfied with their broadband provision, while a quarter said they were fairly or very dissatisfied.

In an attempt to rectify such issues

Broadband

and overhaul the dated internet infrastructure, in February 2013 the government published details of a plan to achieve a transformation in broadband service by 2017. The headline aims were to provide superfast broadband (speeds of 24Mbps or more) for at least 95% of UK premises by 2017, and universal access to basic broadband (speeds of at least 2Mbps) for all from December 2015.

However, in spite of the considerable time and money that has been put into improving the broadband infrastructure thus far, there are many businesses for whom the service still isn’t cutting the mustard. And things are even worse for those residing in the UK’s rural regions, where in some cases improvements are yet to be seen. This is highlighted by research by the FSB which found 49% of rural small businesses were dissatisfied with the quality of their broadband provision: nearly double the level of dissatisfaction compared to urban small businesses. Speed and reliability were key issues, with the statistics representing an almost 50% lines). Taken with the EEF finding that gap in reported satisfaction levels with over a quarter of small firms and half of comparable urban businesses. That medium-sized firms are paying more the £400bn rural economy is being than £5,000 a year for broadband stifled by such a simple thing is beyond connectivity, this is a pretty shocking appalling. statistic.

Commenting on the research, Mike So what’s being done about it?

Cherry, National Policy Chairman for the In response to FSB, said: “This business’ mounting research paints a “Faster broadband concerns, in February worrying picture of 2016 the Secretary a divided business is a must-have for of State for Business, broadband companies to help Innovation and Skills landscape in the them compete and announced a joint UK. We risk seeing we are very pleased review into business the emergence of a two-speed that 100% superfast broadband by the Departments for online economy coverage has now Culture, Media and resulting from poor been achieved Sport and Business, rural broadband Innovation and Skills, infrastructure. throughout the to explore the barriers Continued poor Business District” facing businesses in connectivity in rural accessing affordable areas represents a superfast broadband. The findings are huge missed opportunity for economic yet to be published. growth in many parts of Businesses are also having to take the country.” matters into their own hands. At the Another survey conducted by the Manor Royal business park in West Manufacturer’s Organisation, EEF Sussex, the Manor Royal Business identified a particular problem in Improvement District joined forces business parks, where almost half of with West Sussex’s Better Connected the 128 businesses surveyed were partnership to deliver 100% fibre unable to access speeds above 10 broadband coverage across the 540 Mbps (excluding those using leased

acre site, which is home to more than 500 companies.

Upon the completion of the project in late 2014, Trevor Williams, Chairman of Manor Royal Business District Ltd said: “Prior to the Manor Royal BID, poor broadband speeds were a problem that a number businesses wanted us to get on top of and we made this a priority. Faster broadband is a must-have for companies to help them compete and we are very pleased that 100% superfast coverage has now been achieved throughout the Business District.”

In other cases, rural communities have clubbed together to literally build their own networks. In some cases, fibre cables have been laid right up to the premises, giving blistering ‘hyperfast’ download speeds of up to 1,000Mbps.

This, however, is a costly and drastic step that shouldn’t be necessary.

Superfast coverage for SMEs may have increased to around 68% of premises, and Ofcom anticipates that by the end of 2017, 82% of SMEs will have access to superfast broadband.

However, as this number still isn’t up to the mark, questions remain as to just how successful the government’s upgrade programme will really be and whether rural business will see the benefits that they so sorely need.

www.sussexbusinesstimes.co.uk 27

Going On A Summer Holiday?

With the summer holidays fast approaching, SBT considers the challenges that school holidays pose to small businesses and business owners

“Regardless of the statutory right to 20 days holiday each year, many self-employed workers took nowhere near that amount of time off”

28 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

It’s that time of year again where the Flexible excitement builds and school children Working gear up for the end of the summer term, humming the refrain of Alice Cooper’s School’s Out over and over. It’s a great time for the kids, the majority of which have six glorious weeks of freedom away from school, and quite possibly a holiday abroad with family or friends to look forward to as well. However, this sense of excitement is less likely to be shared by many business owners and professionals who are unable to run their businesses as they would like to due to the necessity of looking after children. While many parents would no doubt relish the opportunity to spend the duration of the holidays with their offspring, for the vast majority this simply isn’t possible.

There are some options, such as summer schools, clubs and camps but

places are limited and they may not always be within easy reach. There are also childminders of course but this can be an expensive option that’s simply not viable for many. None of these options are ideal, even not considering the cost or distance factors. So for those of whom would rather have a less regimented 6 weeks off for their kids, the summer holidays can create a very large, very long headache in terms of continuing to run a business.

A work/life study conducted towards the end of last year by insurance broker, Simply Business revealed a fifth of small business owners couldn’t afford to take a single day off work last summer. A further 30% were only able to have a summer holiday if they stayed at home or within the UK, so that they may keep tabs on their business. And with 72% of those surveyed being parents, this meant that the school holidays didn’t result in traditional family summer breaks for 750,000 small business owners.

Flexible Working

The study also found that, regardless of the statutory right to 20 days holiday each year, many self-employed workers took nowhere near that amount of time off, with a quarter of those surveyed admitting to taking less than 10 days annual leave. This was even when accounting for bank holidays. In spite of all this however, two thirds of those surveyed said that they were happy with their work/life balance.

It’s not all doom and gloom though.

Whilst running your own business may well have its work/life downsides, the study findings also revealed that almost half of micro-business owners benefit from fixing their own hours to make it work around family life. Additionally, in this era of ever-improving mobile technology, cloud sharing systems and every-present 3G or WiFi, small business owners are able to access work at any time - meaning that they are more able to fit their work around caring for their children. According to the survey, the majority of small business owners agreed that this kind of technology has been a help in balancing their work and life commitments.

Another survey from last year, this time commissioned by Direct Line for Business, found that home-based businesses were set to lose out on £658 million during the summer holidays, with owners in the South East losing out on nearly £120 million: the most out of any UK region. 60% of the 844,000 home business owners in the UK with dependent children said they planned to take time out of their business to spend time with and look after their children during the summer holidays. The home

In addition, almost a third of parents felt business owners surveyed said they that having their children at home during would, on average, be putting in an extra the holidays gave them a four hours of working time reason to work hard and every day, equating to 20 “10% of home succeed, while more than hours per working week, to make up for the time business operators a quarter received moral they take away from the even feel that they support from their kids. A business. are more productive surprising 10% of home business operators even There’s a silver lining when their children felt that they are more to this survey though. are on at home for productive when their Despite the financial the summer instead children are at home for and time implications for the summer instead of at home businesses, the of at school” school. research revealed that Another issue that affects 30% of parents believed the small business owner is that requests that through seeing them at work, their for annual leave reach a peak during children had the opportunity to learn holiday periods – especially summer. This entrepreneurial skills, while 27% felt that introduces another situation that needs it helped children learn the value of work. to be carefully managed; maintaining the delicate balance of productivity and employee satisfaction. Plus, the health and legal implications of giving entitled, statutory holiday time. Needless to say, maintaining a good level of business performance can be difficult with staff shortages, especially when key skill members or managers are absent.

Clearly, it is not always possible for an employer to grant every leave request during popular holiday periods without adversely affecting their business - they are not obliged to either.

Since 2002, employees with children under the age of 17 have had the right under the Employment Act to make a request for flexible working and for it to be formally considered by an employer. While

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 29

Flexible Working

it’s not necessarily the solution to solve everyone’s problems, there’s no doubt that flexible working presents benefits to employers as well as employees.

Employers have found that with greater flexibility comes improved staff relations, motivation, loyalty and consequently, staff retention. It can improve recruitment too.

In a speech delivered on the business benefits of flexible working, MP Jenny Willott suggested that many workers nowadays, especially new graduates, have higher expectations and see flexible working as the norm rather than the exception. She went on to say: “I think this trend will only continue. So I think employers have begun to respond to that by offering flexible working as another way of attracting the best staff. It is one part of the employment offer, like pay.”

In June 2014, the right to request flexible working was extended to all employees that had been working for a company for a minimum of 26 weeks.

This move was apparently aimed at creating a cultural shift towards more modern workplaces where working flexibly is the standard. However, this move also raised some concerns. With the right to request flexible working extended to all employees, it also meant that all requests would have to be dealt with fairly, meaning preferential treatment

QU could not be given to those with children through an informal process, so having – arguably the people that need it most. formalised it simply wasted time and As a consequence this may very well increased costs for those companies create discontent among - something which a workforce rather would be especially “The vast majority than help prevent it. unhelpful to smaller of employers, both Speaking to the BBC, businesses.

Federation of Small Flexible working has large and small, Businesses Chairman certainly gone some already offered flexible John Allen said: “Where way to addressing working through an requests are declined, the issue and when informal process, so combined with a clear, our experience shows ‘the right to request’ can fair and consistent having formalised it introduce an unwelcome holiday policy, presents simply wastes time negative dynamic into perhaps the most and increases costs the workplace. That effective means of for those companies” making sure that ‘negative dynamic’ could be exacerbated everyone benefits. when an employer is faced with multiple, In spite of the challenges, it appears conflicting requests.” that parents and businesses are doing In addition, a survey carried out by what is necessary to maintain the the Chartered Institute of Personnel juggling act, and the introduction of Development (CIPD) in 2012 found that flexible working has certainly helped the vast majority of employers, both large to nurture a better balance work/life and small, already offered flexible working balance for many.

30 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

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www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 31

CountyClean Group:

At Your Disposal

In under a decade, Sussex based waste management company, CountyClean Group, have grown from humble beginnings in Eastbourne to being a leader in effective liquid waste management solutions across London and the South East. Here, SBT’s Simon Skinner gets the full story from Mike Walker, Managing Director of CountyClean Group

“Within a week of the business I’d helped to build over the last 15 years being sold, the new owners decided I was surplus to their requirements and immediately made me redundant. This was my first taste of unemployment in almost 25 years”

32 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

Simon Skinner: Hi Mike, great Cover to catch up with you. Could you tell Feature us a little about the early days of CountyClean Group? What led to the formation of the company in the early days?

Mike Walker: Having successfully worked in various roles within the liquid waste industry for upwards of 20 years as an employee, I had always thought about taking the plunge and setting up and running my own business. The thought of this was daunting, so I always put this on the back burner due to self-doubt. I also had a young family to think about.

My employer at the time decided to sell the business that I had helped build over the previous 15 years and, within a week of the business being sold, the new owners decided I was surplus to their

requirements and made me redundant.

This was my first taste of unemployment in almost 25 years.

This was a bitter experience for me and it did take a while to readjust.

After applying for various roles within the industry, I settled for a middle management position.

I remember leaving my house at 4:30am to travel to Gloucestershire for a one week induction in the new job.

Arriving around 8am, I walked into the office and introduced myself to my new colleagues and was astonished that no one had told them that I was arriving or that I was even employed by the company. After sitting in reception being ignored for most of the morning I decided to quit. Yes, I didn’t last the day!

I was in the car travelling home, knowing I had to break the news to my wife, Debbie. I made the call and I could sense her disappointment. She told me I should have stuck with it and given it

Education: Bexhill College

more time, but I just knew it wasn’t for me and decided it was time to fulfil my ambition and take control of my own destiny. I told Debbie that I was going to put aside any fear and doubts and start our own business. That day, CountyClean Environmental was born, well at least in my head!

Debbie was so supportive, which was a great relief as she is always a levelling influence and actually, the sensible half or our relationship.

I was about to risk everything. We were about to start a business on a whim because I felt unemployable. So, the journey began and, boy, what a roller coaster…the highs and lows have been many but I wouldn’t change anything. Of course, looking back, I’ve made decisions on things that have ultimately bitten me on the behind but, ultimately, I believe that you learn by your mistakes and I pride myself on being able to adjust quickly to overcome these bumps in the road.

Who made up the team at that time and what types of service were on offer?

Initially, it was Debbie and me and I remember it like it was yesterday. On the 7th May 2007, we bought a five year old tanker and portable offices. We arrived to our new premises at around 6am awaiting the driver we had recently employed but he never turned up. We never heard from him, he just didn’t turn up, so immediately we were on the back foot. No work came in that day so we spent all day on the phone trying to attract business. We left the office after our first day and, at about

8:30pm that evening, the phone rang and it was a customer booking our very first job. I jumped in the tanker and off I went.

We offered every service associated with liquid waste management. We started with emptying local sewage plants and cesspools and then moved on to more commercial industrial waste types.

What jobs we couldn’t fulfil, we contacted other companies that could and used their services. In our first month of trading, we turned over £12,000, which didn’t even cover our costs, so that meant beans on toast for many months to come.

Determined to succeed though, Debbie and I just got our heads down and worked tirelessly day and night and finally finished our first year with a modest profit.

We both realised that the key to being successful was not just to employ people and buy more equipment but to make sure that we had the right people and quality equipment. This was a massive step financially for the company; however, we both knew we couldn’t continue on our own, so that’s how the growth started. More lorries + more people = more business.

So the company has seen growth with incredible pace since 2007. What would you say have been the main drivers of that growth, Mike?

It may sound a bit of a cliché but ambition and a desire to succeed is a key factor.

Working in a service industry, you are only measured on two things: obviously cost,

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 33

Cover Feature: CountyClean Group

but also excellent delivery of service.

Getting this right has been critical and key to our success over the years.

Attracting clients is expensive, so customer retention is crucial in any business. All profits from the get go have been reinvested in the company.

The entry level to this business in cash terms is massive and finding and attracting the team we have around us has been a challenge. What you have to understand is that this industry is very small and quite specialist, so attracting the right people who all have come from other well paid jobs in bigger organisations, to come and join us was quite a task, and also very humbling at the same time. It’s taken a long time and a lot of energy to attract the right people.

From our modest beginnings to this moment in time, yes, the growth has been massive and CountyClean Group is evolving all the time.

Has the growth of the business led to an expanded service offering?

It has indeed and the majority of this growth has been driven by customer feedback and demand. We feel that a complete service offering is a huge benefit to our clients, as they have the peace of mind that they have one point of contact for all their liquid waste and drainage needs.

For example, our pump services division was created due to clients with sewage treatment plants and pump stations constantly asking us if we could repair and service their installations and not just empty them. For us, this was a logical step up in our service offering, but we needed to ensure that any new service we offered continued to deliver the same quality of customer experience we are known for and that our customers expected.

The success of this division has now led on to the launch of our groundworks and civil engineering division, again, due to customers asking us if we could install new systems and drainage.

The growth of our commercial division has now prompted us to invest in our own waste treatment and recycling facility in Surrey, which will allow us to treat certain waste streams we collect ourselves, enabling us to reduce our reliance on third parties.

This investment in our new treatment facility has led to us also launching a road sweeper division as this seemed

34 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

Cover Feature: CountyClean Group

you are asked to perform tasks that are outside of your normal job description.

I am very lucky that we have a very low staff turnover and I work very hard to ensure that all staff, whatever their job role or function, are aware of the successes of the company and also the issues we face. This makes them feel part of the success and they, in turn, go that extra mile to ensure that our clients get the service we promise.

We like to develop and promote our staff from within and, as we have expanded, we have taken the staff with us. A recent example of this is two of our longest serving drivers being taken off the road and promoted into management positions.

Also key to our growth is making sure that, when we start a new division, we attract new staff with the extensive knowledge required to allow us to be successful.

to be a logical extension to not just this business but also our liquid waste business.

In such a specialist sector, how does CountyClean Group field for new business? Government/council contracts and/or large developers, for example.

We are very lucky to have a loyal customer base and referrals are a key part of new business for us.

However, we do have an excellent account management team in place that canvasses for new business via networking and good old-fashioned cold calling. They also account manage the existing base, ensuring that, as our clients’ needs change, we are there to assist in any way possible.

Also, due to the accreditations we have in place, such as Safe Contractor, Achilles and FORS Gold, we can tender and successfully win contracts with large contractors and local authorities alike.

Mike, give us an indication of the scale of the operation at CountyClean Group today.

What’s next for CountyClean Group?

What started as CountyClean Environmental Services Ltd is now the CountyClean Group. I have plans to grow the company extensively over the next five years and we are doing this by significant investment, expanding our portfolio of services whilst maintaining the level of commitment and service that our clients have come to expect from us.

From a start of two staff with one We have recently launched our tanker and a modest turnover in our groundworks and civil engineering first year, we are now a multi-million division, which is already proving quite pound turnover business, rapidly popular and is growing in demand. approaching 40 staff over two locations We have just and a growing purchased a fleet fleet of almost 20 “Attracting the of state of the art commercial vehicles. road sweepers We are now a right staff is key, as and, again, this major provider in there is nowhere to department is London and the South East, and hide in a small business already starting attract new our ability to offer and a lot of the time you to business, as well as a fast and reactive, existing customers complete waste are asked to perform wishing to use this management tasks that are outside alongside other solution, with an of your normal job services. unparalleled level of Our waste service, is second to description” recycling depot is none. scheduled to be open by the 1st of July this year, to not Managing such a rapidly growing only take our waste but also commercial business is no mean feat for anyone, wastes from other companies in our how have you maintained the industry. growth whilst continuing to offer Our main aim is to become a significant solid customer service? player in the environmental support As mentioned before, attracting the right services sector, not only in London and staff is key, as there is nowhere to hide the South-East but also nationwide. in a small business and a lot of the time

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 35

With Fitness in Mind Following a warning from the CIPD that UK workplace productivity has been at a standstill for the past few years, SBT takes a closer look at the importance of maintaining staff cognitive fitness Recent research gathered by employee engagement and Health consumer Insights experts, Qualtrics, revealed that UK workers thought that over 36% of their time spent at work was unproductive. The CIPD, the professional body for HR and people development, has also voiced its concerns over this trend, warning that UK productivity has been at a standstill for the past few years, with output per hour worked still nearly 2% lower than it was at the start of the recession in 2008. According to the OECD, the slowdown in productivity over the past decade has led to concerns about the long-term economic outlook. Its figures show that despite the UK economy having grown since 2012, productivity has fallen by around

36 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

1.15%. For British business owners and managers these figures are worrying.

In light of recent rises in the national living wage and other government cuts effecting many businesses, it is important now more than ever, for staff to be as productive as they can be within working hours.

David Lynes, Director of IQTimecard, says: “Productivity has always been a key word for managers and business owners wanting to ensure that their companies are as efficient as possible, especially in this challenging corporate climate. The recent results revealed in the survey by Qualitrics are sure to be concerning for managers across the UK. There has been a lot of analysis and discussion on the causes of this ‘productivity puzzle’ and, crucially, why some organisations and individuals perform much better than others. So

what can business people do to improve the productivity and performance of their employees and ultimately their entire organisation?

A number of major new studies have been launched, focussing on individual workers’ thinking processes; how these could be developed, and ways in which these enhancements could be translated into improved organisational performance. The research is being spearheaded by workplace change management consultancy Advanced Workplace Associates (AWA), which for some years has been supporting the professional development of ‘workplace’ leaders through its Workplace Performance Innovation Network (Workplace PIN).

“The ‘PIN’ provides a number of groups to support leaders in their aspiration to deliver an advanced workplace,” says

Workplace Productivity

The research revealed eight things which can and do impact cognitive performance: 1. Caffeine and Glucose Drinks These beverages significantly impact alertness and focus when people become mentally tired.

2. Hydration Not drinking enough impacts the brain as well as the body – memory, decision-making and attention are all impacted by dehydration.

3. Eating/Not Eating Breakfast The brain needs fuel – particularly after a night’s sleep when fluids, nutrients and sugars have been depleted. Malnutrition impacts many brain functions, including information processing and memory.

Andrew Mawson, one of the Founding Directors of AWA and Director of AWA’s Cognitive Research programme. “One such group is the Workplace PIN Research Group whose primary goal is to unearth the best unbiased science in the interface between people, place, organisation and technology and to translate the science into tools and a language that allow leaders to use it to make a difference.”

The most recent of these studies is on cognitive fitness, a research project which is looking at ways to improve the cognitive performance of each individual employee and the overall benefit of the entire business. The aim is to show organisations how they can create the social and physical conditions to get people’s brains fitter so that individuals operate at their best.

To achieve this, AWA has partnered with The Centre for Evidence Based Management in Holland to conduct a research study looking into the factors that impact the workings of the brain.

Andrew comments: “This research is about creating the right conditions for people’s cognitive performance to be at its very best and this work will have the greatest impact in knowledge-based organisations.”

He adds: “If everyone within an

organisation worked at their very best, then the impact on an organisation’s productivity and bottom line would be enormous.”

But what do we mean by cognitive fitness? Andrew explains that the effectiveness of our brains makes a real difference to the performance and contribution we bring to our organisations every day - and in today’s mainly knowledge based economy, where people need to ‘think for a living’, the effectiveness of the way our brains function matters most. Cognition is a scientific term for the working of the brain. ‘Cognitive fitness’ is all about getting your brain into the best shape possible to enable you to be at your personal best, mentally, every day.

Andrew explains: “Our primary research question was ‘what is known from the scientific literature about the factors that impact cognitive performance (i.e. concentration, memory, accuracy, problem solving, decision making), such as nutrition, hydration, air quality, sleep, physical fitness, posture, working position, physical environment/workplace design, ownership of space, and workplace culture?”

The research team searched through key academic databases and selected

4. The Environment: Lighting, Temperature and Scent Being uncomfortable distracts people from work – it’s that simple. Being able to find the right conditions increases the chances of best performance.

5. Being Stimulated Demanding and varied activities have a positive impact on the brain’s performance. Mindfulness can help with focus and concentration.

6. Sleep This is necessary for all brain functions. Insufficient sleep affects concentration, decision-making and relationships.

7. Activity and Exercise Acute exercise and having an active lifestyle are promoted for physical health but also positively impact all brain functions.

8. Distractions and Interruptions The workplace is full of distractions – noise, speech and being interrupted impact concentration and focus to a significant degree.

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 37

ov cus i a

Workplace Productivity

studies that not only addressed the research question but did so in a scientifically valid, ethical and efficient way.

Although some of these factors may be influenced by individuals choices, others are directly influenced by the way an employer runs the workplace; how they manage employees and their workflow; how they lead people; and if or how they educate them about their tasks.

So armed with this information, what can business leaders be doing now to help address the productivity gap?

Upon gathering these findings, AWA is running trials to see if they can discern a positive difference in performance in the workplace. “We need to try and start getting a scientific movement in the direction of productivity,” suggests Andrew.

And it would seem that at least one local business in Sussex agrees.

Cathy Hayward, MD of Brightonbased Magenta Associates, a PR, communications and content agency for the built environment sector, says: “As a creative and consultative organisation, it’s important that everyone here at Magenta performs to the best of their ability. We’re lucky to work with an array of exciting clients in the the FM, property and workplace sectors so it’s imperative that the team are able to constantly think of new ideas in order to meet and exceed expectations. The skill, ability and experience sitting within a workforce isn’t always enough. In addition to attracting and maintaining the best talent, organisations must also provide a work environment that aids employees in their day-to-day roles in order to tap into their potential.”

This vital insight from AWA has resulted in a number of new initiatives within Magenta Associates, and here are just a few small ways in which your, or any other company can also improve workplace productivity: Nutritional and Accessible Snacks Every week at Magenta there is now a delivery of fresh fruit and bread, and the cupboards and fridge are always stocked with spreads, jams, cereal and milk; to encourage staff to help themselves to a nutritionally rich breakfast every morning.

The team are also switching from tap to filtered water and the office has recently invested in a brand new coffee machine.

Having more nutritional foods on offer in the workplace will encourage people to

38 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

“Physical and mental health are inextricably linked, not just in the workplace but in every day life” eat healthier rather than going out to get the easiest and cheapest thing they find – which is often unhealthy. Having water easily accessible is also vital as this acts as fuel for the brain; dehydration has a dangerous impact on the brain and can, in the short term cause a lack of concentration or alertness.

Physical Exercise This is now part and parcel of daily life at Magenta. Not only are the staff signing up to charitable fitness challenges left, right and centre, but they also have to climb up a flight of stairs in the morning and every lunchtime. Needless to say, physical and mental health

are inextricably linked, not just in the workplace but in every day life; keeping your body active also keeps your brain on top form.

Healthy Work Environment The workspace itself should also reflect the factors that affect cognitive performance. Magenta now hosts a variety of spaces that allow the team to work in a setting of their choosing, so they’re able to avoid distractions when concentrative work is underway.

Flexible Working Magenta also offers flexible working, which means the individuals as part of the organisation can decide when, how and where they work on their tasks. The staff believe this element of freedom stimulates their minds and keeps them engaged and active. This isn’t the ideal solution for all workplaces, but this is a trend that’s more and more coming to the fore of working life. Employees crave a good work/life balance, and this is one of the best ways of tackling an imbalance between work and personal life.

Should We Stay or Should We Go? Anyone Really Know?

GreatDoes taste of success with R&D Tax Relief for brewers of craft beers

Are Small Business owners in the UK in a stronger position in or out of the EU? Voices on both sides of the EU It’sReferendum not just technology and their manufacturing companies tend to market cause to us in apply fairly bold and strident terms,Entrepreneurial that can for R&D Tax Relief. clearly determined to convince us that brewers can now claim back thousands of pounds their argument is the winning one, but against costs connected with research and development does anyone fully understand, stay industry which projects.

Brewing is a competitive or go, what the repercussions for our constantly has to address the public’s thirst for new Small Businesses might be and how avours and products. In an environment like this, applications for Research & Development opportunities to research raw ingredients and try out new Tax Relief might be affected? production methods and taste are almost Well, without wishing to offendcombinations the inexhaustible.

Danes, to paraphrase one of their more famous marketing slogans: Probably not.

The Hackney Brewery is another good example of a business that could examine recouping costs for R&D. Brewers Tristram Stuart and Jon Swain spent time developing Toast Ale. They source left over fresh bread from artisan bakeries, then slice, toast and mash it, adding the breadcrumbs to malted barley, a mixture of hops, yeast and water. Prots from the sale of the ale, which is stocked in a number of different outlets in the UK, go to Feedback, an environmental organisation that campaigns to end food waste.

Simon Bulteel, from Cooden Tax Consulting, is an R&D Inventive brewers can contact Simon at Cooden Tax What the Outlook R&D Tax tax reliefisspecialist.

Hefor recently discussed how this tax Consulting for R&D Tax Relief advice landscape Relief? goodwith reputation globally(www.coodentaxconsulting.co.uk). for undertaking and losers in the new relief can be applied to brewers of variousasizes Heeconomic works directly with might be. In truth, right now: it’s impossible A lot of the cash currently made available new research and delivering innovative Craft Beer World. The Charles Wells Brewery in Bedford businesses, as well as via Accountants, Solicitors and to say. through Research & Development Tax ideas for industry and business. are a wonderful example of precisely the sort of project Patent Attorneys. Simon will ascertain if you are eligible Relief payments, for Consequently, were we to leave the that could qualify for R&D Tax Relief. for thisfish speci relief undertake the claim canand help! innovation

by UK Master EU Brewer and find ourselves a smaller in a c taxWe Chris Read spent “…a lotbusinesses, of time researching brewing process for you.

He is currently claim for a What is clear is processing that Cooden aTax Consulting bigger global pond, there is good reason archives, looking for traditional malt and hop recipes and hop processor that also manufactures hop products for is here and will remain available, (Sussex comes from to believe that the UK Government, of hasn’t yet launched its campaign for working out how best to evolve them for modern tastes”. the brewing industry.

Cooden Consulting has the EU pot. whatever political persuasion, would want independence) guide you to a better £3k So if we stay, continue to fund R & Dsuccessfully Tax Relief to the He then went on to the development work to with his raw helped businesses to with claims between understanding of what costs you might be we are pretty best of its ability, as they have historically ingredients and “arrived at a blend of Galaxy, Simcoe and £300k. able to recoup.

In so doing, we’ll help UK certain it will demonstrated since 2000. and Goldings Hops, alongside various lighter malts, to businesses continue to prosper. continue in its That of course sets afloat a raft of Which business owner wouldn’t raise a glass to that? create a traditionally bitter and hoppy IPA with a soft, current form. questions about where the money would modern, tropical avour.” www.coodentaxconsulting.co.uk The UK itself has come from and who the potential winners

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Charter House

email us on: info@coodentaxconsulting.co.uk

www.coodentaxconsulting.co.uk www.sussexbusinesstimes.co.uk

43 St Leonards Road

Bexhill on Sea

East Sussex TN40 1JA

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Picking the A-Team

With a fresh batch of university students soon to be looking for gainful employment, we look at the growing relationship between new graduates and SMEs

For many years now graduate Graduates schemes with the big businesses have been seen as the holy grail among new graduates, with the likes of PwC, Deloitte and Google often found topping the lists of graduates’ most desirable employers. It’s easy to see why, what with the promise of big salaries, proven development and support paths, and healthy career prospects.

However, increasing graduate numbers over the past decade (around 1.7 million undergraduates finished university in 2015) has led to these places becoming hugely over-subscribed, with only 14% of applicants being accepted.

As a consequence of the level of competition for the most desirable places now being so high, a study carried out by market researcher High Fliers found that the large recruiters expect that a third of this year’s full-time graduate positions will

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be filled by graduates who have already worked within their organisations through internships and work placements.

More than 90% of the UK’s leading graduate employers are offering paid work experience programmes during the 2015–2016 academic year. There are concerns, however about the accessibility of both paid and unpaid placements to all students, with only a handful of employers having developed internship programmes aimed at engaging underrepresented candidates. Ultimately though, due to the experience and CV boosting qualities that work placements can provide, competition for these placements is often just as intense as is it for the graduate schemes themselves.

Another avenue which students have explored in more recent times in a bid to boost their employability has been to get more involved in extra-curricular activities during their time at university.

Employers have increasingly been looking for the extra experience and personal

development that these activities can build in an effort to differentiate between the glut of similarly qualified job seekers.

Yet again this is not without its issues, as a report by charitable policy association, The Bridge Group points out that - yet again - students can face an uneven playing field due to the largely differing varieties and availability of opportunities at particular institutions.

So, with demand for the ‘golden ticket’ positions outstripping supply, students are increasingly looking towards the nation’s SMEs for gainful employment. Up until recently, there were major concerns about an apparent under-representation of graduates within UK SMEs; so much so that the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills commissioned a report looking into it. The key findings highlighted that the main causes for this were largely down to misconceptions on both sides. The report suggested that the majority of SMEs had not fully recognised graduates as ‘a natural

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Social Media

source of recruitment’, while on the part of graduates there was a general lack of interest stemming from perceptions relating to levels of pay, career progression and working conditions within SMEs. This is not to say that there weren’t any graduates to be found within any of the UK’s smaller operations in the past.

With SMEs accounting for 99.9% of private sector business in the UK, there will inevitably have already been many graduates featuring among their payrolls.

However, in the past where graduates were recruited to SMEs, they would rarely have been in graduate-specific roles and the recruitment often occurred in an incidental way and/or through informal networks and recruitment methods.

Research conducted for the report found that this method of recruitment often led to poor identification and utilisation of a graduate’s skills and attributes certainly a missed opportunity given the acknowledged skills gaps within SMEs.

Nevertheless, with increased in SMEs actually exceed graduates’ awareness and interest on both sides, expectations - particularly with regards many more SMEs are now offering to levels of freedom, flexibility and input their own graduate schemes and many into the business. A graduate’s roles graduates are setting and responsibilities their sights beyond in a smaller business “The majority the potentially more are likely to be more of SMEs had not lucrative yet elusive numerous and varied, fully recognised options. There are still and there’s likely to be graduates as ‘a many SMEs that do not plenty of opportunity natural source of have their own graduate to demonstrate and schemes of course exercise a wider range recruitment’ while but graduates would of differing skills. on the part of write them off at their closely with graduates there was Working own peril, as they often other departments and a general lack present a number of alongside more senior of interest” distinct benefits. figures in the company For a start, working allows for a greater for a smaller company will simply understanding of the business and be more desirable for some, after all how it works. As a result, recognition graduate schemes, large companies and progress within an SME will almost and the corporate world are not for certainly be a much swifter affair. everyone. Alongside this, a number of Yet another positive for many is studies have suggested that the potential the friendlier and more open culture benefits and opportunities of working often found within smaller businesses,

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 41

Graduates

side too, with SMEs increasingly turning and as there are fewer employees, to specialist recruitment agencies such as working relationships with colleagues GRB to help them source graduate talent tend to develop much quicker and are for their business. Dan adds: “Smaller often stronger. Unlike the majority of recruiters use GRB services as they are recruitment for graduate schemes which fast growing and need seriously talented takes place at a particular time each graduates to drive the year, roles in SMEs can company forward. be found year round “Today’s graduates These graduates because they recruit are looking for job are often lured by as and when a position becomes available. The satisfaction at inspiring larger recruiters with bigger marketing recruitment process and progressive budgets and more tends to be much workplaces, with established branding, shorter too. initiatives such as so they struggle to The last real barrier flexible working being get noticed in an that still exists is the seen as ‘business as extremely crowded fact that positions with SMEs are usually much normal’ and something marketplace.”

With so many less well advertised, to be expected rather apparent benefits to largely due to costs and than a perk” both new graduates the lack of a dedicated and UK SMEs, one HR department. Dan has to wonder just why the relationship Hawes, Co-Founder and Marketing has struggled to develop until now. A Director of the Graduate Recruitment few culprits could be the distinct rise in Bureau, based in Brighton remains competition between young job-seekers optimistic however: “Although they are and/or the noticeable saturation within more hidden, SME recruiters are certainly the job market - both inextricably linked becoming an increasingly popular choice of course. But, with years of education among ambitious graduates.”

Also, there is the interest from the other behind them, including uncountable

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hours of time spent studying, effort and also a huge amount of money pumped throughout those years, graduates are not just looking for a typically successful career. They are looking for a satisfying career. A poll of just over 1,000 students conducted by Ernst & Young last year found that only 11% of students regarded the size of the wage as the most important factor in a job or when choosing a future employer. Whereas having a job with a good work-life balance was ranked highly alongside the people and culture (21%), as well as how respected the company is overall (14%).

Julie Stanbridge, Head of Student Recruitment at Ernst & Young, said: “Today’s graduates are looking for job satisfaction at inspiring and progressive workplaces, with initiatives such as flexible working being seen as ‘business as normal’ and something to be expected rather than a perk.”

Looking at the evidence, SMEs are certainly where graduates will be able to find this much-desired work-life balance and job satisfaction. With more and more graduates prioritising the company reputation, people, culture and flexibility over salary sizes, this may well be the year for SME recruitment success.

Portsmouth Students Honoured for Wind Farm Work A team of business students from the University of Advertorial Portsmouth has won a competition based on an ‘Apprentice’ style challenge.

The students worked with a local boat company, Nauti Powerboats and Yachts Ltd, to recommend proposals for maritime support systems serving offshore wind farms.

Nauti Powerboats owner, Paul Duffield said: “The team excelled themselves by demonstrating eagerness to take on an area that was difficult and unfamiliar to them. They produced first-class research and presentations, and the project is leading to massive savings for our clients and to additional productivity in the offshore wind industry. We also will be saving thousands of tonnes of CO2 emissions from the support vessels and increasing green energy production from the turbines.”

Lecturer, Peter Wainwright, organiser of the Business Enterprise Projects, welcomed guests to the prize-giving by saying: “This year we have seen

270 students working in 50 teams as consultants with local organisations in the private, public and third sectors.

It has been great to see the students developing practical business skills in the work environment.”

The University of Portsmouth holds the coveted Silver Award in the Small Business Charter, in recognition of its skill,

commitment and promise in helping small and medium sized enterprises to grow, and in providing students with employability skills and business start-up support. If you wish to discuss the possibility of your company working with students on a Business Enterprise Project, please email us at bsro@port.ac.uk

You’re a professional – so prove it Project Manager

HR Practitioner

Whether you are responsible for projects, HR, marketing, corporate governance or have ambitions for a top-level executive role, we offer flexible and professionally recognised postgraduate business courses for busy working people.

You’ve nothing to lose and everything to gain, so come along to our next open evening – for details please visit www.showyoumeanbusiness.com.

Sales Manager

Strategist

We’ve got our credentials – have you got yours?

www.sussexbusinesstimes.co.uk 43

T: +44 (0)23 9284 2991 E: pbs-studentrecruitment@port.ac.uk W: www.port.ac.uk/pbscourses

Bexhill College - Adult Learning

Learning a New Skill

The Bexhill College Adult Learning Centre provides the ideal opportunity for adults to learn a new skill and gain a qualification either to enhance their career or just for enjoyment - there’s something for everyone

Many adults enjoy attending a class in their spare time. Some Educate want to learn a new skill, whilst others would like to gain a qualification to help them further their career. Daytime and evening part-time courses at the Bexhill Adult Learning Centre based at Bexhill College offer the opportunity to do both.

The Centre offers professional qualifications such as certificates and diplomas in Health and Social Care, Counselling, Early Years and GCSEs. There is also a wide range of recreational courses which range from painting to cooking, languages to IT. New courses run each year and there should be something to interest everyone starting in 2016 or 2017.

All adults are encouraged to achieve qualifications to at least level 3 if they haven’t done so already. For adults between 19 and 23, where they are attempting a level 1, 2 or 3 course for the first time, there are no course fees subject to the course being Government funded. There are some fee remissions available for adults over 24 and this may be the opportunity you need to improve your qualifications and future employment prospects.

If you just want to learn or develop new skills for fun, our recreational courses offer the opportunity to do this and make new friends. Most courses are held at the main college site and Izzard Theatre complex at Penland Road. Students can use all the modern facilities available with plenty of free onsite parking. Some are based in the centre of Bexhill at the Adult Learning Centre, Jameson Mews, (Jameson Road, near Bexhill Station) along with many courses for learners with

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learning difficulties and disabilities.

The Bexhill Adult Learning Centre is planning an event as part of Adult Learners’ Week (25 June - 1 July 2016) to celebrate and promote opportunities as well as showcase the new parttime prospectus. More details will be available on www.bexhillcollege. ac.uk and all part-time courses and application details are available on the website.

For further information please contact the Adult Education Administrator on 01424 215746 ext 208 or email adultlearning@bexhillcollege.ac.uk.

Year 10 Taster Days July 2016 Anyone in Year 10 can now register for a Taster Day this July and spend an invaluable and exciting day sampling some of the many courses we have to offer.

Bexhill College offers a varied and

rewarding experience. This includes the widest choice of Advanced Level (A Level) courses and subjects in Hastings and Rother as well as over 60 vocational courses. Our Year 10 Taster Days enable prospective students to experience four different courses taught by our subject specialists. The vast majority of courses we run are available, with courses as diverse as science and psychology to archaeology, music, childcare and languages.

The day not only gives an insight to life at Bexhill College but helps with the overall decision on which courses to take after school. It’s also an opportunity to meet staff and see the modern facilities all on one campus.

Download the Taster Day prospectus online and register which courses to ‘taste’ at www.bexhillcollege.ac.uk.

Taster Days

Energise yourself at Bexhill College

School

Date

Claverham Community College

Wednesday 6th July 2016

Robertsbridge Community College

Wednesday 6th July 2016

Battle Abbey School

Thursday 7th July 2016

Bishop Bell School

Thursday 7th July 2016

Claremont School

Thursday 7th July 2016

Frewen College

Thursday 7th July 2016

Ratton School

Thursday 7th July 2016

Saxon Mount School

Thursday 7th July 2016

St Richards Catholic College

Thursday 7th July 2016

Bexhill High Academy

Friday 8th July 2016

Hailsham Community College

Friday 8th July 2016

Hastings Academy

Friday 8th July 2016

Helenswood Academy

Friday 8th July 2016

New Horizons School

Friday 8th July 2016

William Parker Academy

Friday 8th July 2016

Cavendish School

Monday 11th July 2016

Ringmer Community College

Monday 11th July 2016

Rye College

Monday 11th July 2016

St Leonards Academy

Monday 11th July 2016

The Causeway School

Monday 11th July 2016

Willingdon Community School

Monday 11th July 2016

For Year 10 Students July 2016

Come and sample some of the many courses we have to offer. Download a taster day prospectus and register online.

www.bexhillcollege.ac.uk

New

Part-Time Adult Prospectus Out June 2016 Including over 50 daytime and evening recreational and qualification courses www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 45 bexhillcollege.ac.uk/part-time

Made In Sussex

From Star Student to Big Business

The range of A Levels, vocational courses and apprenticeships available at Sussex Downs College effectively prepares students for the world of work. Here, Sussex Business Times looks at College Alumni who are making waves in their industry

With campuses in Eastbourne, Lewes and Newhaven, Education Sussex Downs College has the local area covered. Young adults (aged 16-19) and adult learners choose the College for its choice of courses that support their way of learning with one end goal: to succeed in business.

Sussex Downs College Alumni are becoming big names in business. Here we take a look at just a few.

Katie Jones, 28, from, Lindfield, is a Clothes Designer working with Selfridges and the Centre for Sustainable Fashion as part of their Bright New Things campaign.

Katie studied Textiles and Art & Design at Sussex Downs College’s Lewes campus before graduating from Central Saint Martin’s University of Art with an MA in Knitwear. She now crafts imaginative and sustainable luxury knitwear from her studio in Stratford, East London.

Katie says: “My sustainable practices started when I was a student. I had to

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be thrifty, so I used end-of-roll fabrics and unravelled charity shop jumpers for wool. Gradually, this mind set became my brand ethos.”

Katie’s label takes a waste-not approach to design by sourcing surplus materials from British and Italian design houses, proving that sustainable doesn’t have to be plain or unimaginative.

Katie explained: “Attending Sussex Downs College was the turning point in my education where I learnt that it was possible to pursue a career doing something that I loved.”

James DiBiase, Applied Art & Design Coordinator at SDC, said: “Katie is one of many students who have flourished in the creative industry following their time at Sussex Downs College. Her

achievements are a real inspiration to all students who study creative subjects with us.”

Fashion Designer, Alie Mackintosh, 24, from, Uckfield, studied Art & Design and Economics A Levels at the Lewes campus and now runs the online fashion business, Boom Boom Boutique. Alie can now count one of the most photographed women in the world, Kim Kardashian, as one of her clients. This year, Alie won an order from the US reality star/ entrepreneur, with the design available in the Kardashian sisters’ USA stores: Dash.

Testing the water of Alie’s designs, Kim had 83 million hits on Instagram wearing one of the young designer’s skirts.

It’s not just students in the fashion world who are making it big, although

Sussex Downs College

Alie Mackintosh

Maciej Grochowski

“More often than not, these placements lead to full-time positions for the students. This proves to be an attractive option for students in securing work after College” they may be the most talked about thanks to social media. Sussex Downs College students studying A Levels are given plenty of opportunities thanks to the teaching staff, who have worked in their chosen field and have contacts with industry professionals, including Accounting, Journalism and Medicine.

For the Millennial Generation, (defined as people born between 1982 and 2000), it is no surprise that the growth of the Internet and the power of social media has influenced the way in which they conduct and generate business. Sussex Downs College Alumni, Steve Haslip, 31, is now Design Director for the Carbone Smolan Agency in New York City, creating brand strategies and systems for businesses to evolve.

Danny Readman, 19, from Eastbourne, is now a Trainee Accountant with one of the largest financial firms in the world, KPMG. Over 150,000 applications are submitted to KPMG each year, and with only 150 places available; it is extremely competitive. Danny is the fourth student in four years to be offered a place

Danny Readman

with KPMG: testament to the quality of teaching and training provided by Sussex Downs College. Similarly, Maciej Grochowski, 19, from Eastbourne, is now a Trainee Accountant with Ernst & Young, one of the ‘big four’ audit firms in the world. Other Alumni making it globally include Kalera Nichols-Agard, 26, from Lewes, who has secured an internship with UBS AG Investment Bank in New York City.

Making Apprenticeships Work For You Apprenticeships remain popular at the College in all subject areas, with the Employer Engagement team working with local and national businesses to place students within the workplace.

More often than not, these placements lead to full-time positions for the students on completion of the course. This proves

Steve Haslip

to be an attractive option for students in securing work after College, and for the companies in creating ‘home-grown’ talent. This past year, the College has had successful placements within the Hospitality, Accounting, Construction and the Motor Vehicle industry.

To access the talent bank at Sussex Downs College and have an apprentice matched to your business, contact the Employer Engagement Team on 030 300 39474 or email employertraining@ sussexdowns.ac.uk If you studied at Sussex Downs College, let us know what you’re up to in the world of business by joining our Alumni programme at www. sussexdowns.ac.uk/alumni

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YOUR NEXT APPRENTICE IS YOUR CURRENT EMPLOYEE BUSINESS’ BEST KEPT SECRET...

NOWADAYS BUSINESSES ACROSS THE UK RECOGNISE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF APPRENTICESHIPS AND WORK BASED LEARNING PROGRAMMES, WITH OVER 130,000 BUSINESSES OFFERING APPRENTICESHIP PLACES*. APPRENTICESHIPS PLAY A VITAL PART IN INCREASING PRODUCTIVITY, IMPROVING BUSINESS PERFORMANCE AND ENSURING A COMMITTED AND COMPETENT WORKFORCE.

HAVING AN APPRENTICE DOESN’T HAVE TO MEAN HIRING A NEW MEMBER OF STAFF The good news is that work based learning and apprenticeship frameworks are not just confined to new members of staff. Existing employees of any age or level of experience have access to these programmes too and can benefit

77%

from the opportunity to develop their careers and gain nationally recognised qualifications.

Businesses can use this training approach to improve productivity, boost staff morale and improve employee retention.

SELECTING THE RIGHT TRAINING PROVIDER Choosing the right training provider is crucial to getting great results. Chichester College, rated

as ‘outstanding’ for its work based learning provision by Ofsted in April 2014, provides a high quality work based learning programme for businesses at potentially zero cost to your training budget.

Encouraging businesses to take part in work based learning; Chichester College is at the forefront of apprenticeship delivery offering over 30 different frameworks.

Work based learning programmes today reflect the diversity and demands of different industry sectors. Apprenticeships are no longer confined to traditional trades alone. This is demonstrated in the rise of those undertaking: accountancy, IT and business administration programmes.

Added to this is the development of digital and social marketing programmes, with new

OF EMPLOYERS BELIEVE APPRENTICESHIPS MAKE THEM MORE COMPETITIVE

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80%

OF COMPANIES WHO INVEST IN APPRENTICES HAVE REPORTED A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN EMPLOYEE RETENTION

apprenticeship frameworks added to Chichester College’s curriculum in April 2015. Responding to a need identified by the public sector, the college launched a town planning apprenticeship last September 2015.

Businesses can also access other courses, including those in team leading, management, customer service and project management.

All of these demonstrate the flexibility of Chichester College to develop and deliver apprenticeships matched to the demands of todays business environment.

89%

92%

OF EMPLOYERS BELIEVE THAT APPRENTICESHIPS LEAD TO A MORE MOTIVATED WORKFORCE

A further benefit of work based learning is that a large number of these courses can be offered in the workplace with no need for employees to leave the office.

It also means their learning can be immediately applied to your business, making your staff more effective and productive from day one. Sectors that can benefit from this flexible mode of delivery include: business administration, customer service, team leading and management, health and

social care, childcare and those in digital and social marketing. *All data compiled by the National Apprenticeship Service

FIND OUT MORE chichester.ac.uk/ nextapprentice

CONTACT US business@chichester.ac.uk 01243 812948

OF APPRENTICE EMPLOYERS SAY THEY MAKE THEIR BUSINESSES MORE PRODUCTIVE www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 49

Lunch Review:

The Sundial Features Editor, James Marchant takes a French-inspired gourmet lunch break at The Sundial in Herstmonceux

I arrived at The Sundial for lunch early on a sunny Tuesday Review afternoon. The restaurant is housed in a pretty building which turns out to be larger than I first thought. It’s set back, and down from the road; I must have driven past a fair few times over the years without fully realising it was there. The building itself dates back to at least 1893, exuding a warm air of rusticity, but has only been open to the public since 1941.

Upon my arrival, I was greeted by Mary and Vincent, Front of House and Head Chef respectively who have been owners since 2000. I was seated in the lounge area and presented with a small selection of canapés as I pondered my menu choice. There are two ‘standard’ menus – fine dining and à la carte, as well as a Sunday Roast menu and additional seasonal menus. I opted for the fine dining menu and set about reading through each of the delicious sounding choices.

As a French restaurant, I was looking forward to perusing the wine menu as you may well imagine, there was a selection of rather fine wine on offer. I

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went for one of the by-the-glass choices, a Brouilly, instead of attempting a whole bottle to myself, which was a thoroughly enjoyable, deep red wine.

I was soon shown to my table in the main restaurant, where I was taken aback by the wonderful views from the windows, expanding over the fields from

The Sundial

Herstmonceux Address: Gardner Street, Herstmonceux, East Sussex, BN27 4LA Telephone: 01323 832217 Web: www.sundialrestaurant.co.uk the back of the restaurant. This is one of the gifts of living in or visiting this part of East Sussex. Once sat down, I noted that my chair was particularly comfortable which makes a welcome change to some places that I’ve visited in the past. This is not a place of on trend modern decor; the interior was unassuming and simple.

Tried and Tested in Sussex

Some may consider it a little dated but in fairness that isn’t really what this place is about. The setting, gentle background music and spacious yet cosy restaurant combine to create a fantastically relaxing atmosphere.

Once I’d had a chance to take it all in, I was presented with an amuse-bouche of asparagus panna cotta, salmon mousse, shrimp, baby asparagus spears and leek shoots. This was a cracking start! The different flavours and textures were a delight; it’s fair to say that my level of anticipation for what was to come had just risen.

Shortly after, my duck breast salad starter arrived. There’s no denying that this was a very tasty dish too, with the sweetness of the fig chutney balancing nicely with the vinaigrette, and the pear helping create a fresh, sweet lightness.

I was also struck by how generously sized the dish was for a starter, and there was plenty of the duck breast to enjoy.

Another short while later, my roast quail main arrived. What a delight! There were a few ingredients present on the plate, but they all combined to create a wonderfully tasty, and colourful meal.

The orange and Grand Marnier sauce that accompanied it lent a pleasant, sweet, citrus note, and the purple mashed potato was another highlight aside from adding a nice hit of colour to the dish, it had great flavour and texture.

Some may find this a little gimmicky, though I would say, why not use purple potatoes? It makes a nice change from the norm after all.

With my undeniable fondness of cheese, I thought I should try some of the French cheese selection as an additional course (when in a French restaurant and all that). There was a selection of around sixteen cheeses to choose from, but I tried the Epoisses, as that was a clear favourite. I was a little disappointed that the cheeses appeared to be relatively fresh out of the chiller so had not had enough of a chance to warm up properly. I had arrived right at the very beginning of service and do eat fairly quickly, however, so this can be forgiven.

By this time I was getting rather full thanks to the generous portions but it would have been remiss of me not to try one of the desserts. I opted for the ‘trio of desserts’, comprised of Toblerone mousse cake, passion fruit panna cotta, and pineapple and coconut ice cream.

This was another good choice, the highlight for me being the mousse cake, which was lovely and light. I did find the sauce atop the panna cotta perhaps a tad overbearing but that’s really just knitpicking.

I think it’s obvious by this point that I enjoyed the food, evident from each of the empty plates that were cleared from my table, and I was left mightily impressed. Throughout my lunch, Mary was warm, attentive and helpful. If you’re looking for a high level of service then you will not be disappointed at the Sundial; it’s clear that Mary and Vincent are both highly experienced and accomplished at what they do.

While there may well be places that have a more on trend looking finish to their interior (which of course would not be as original as what’s there now), there are very few other places in East Sussex

“I enjoyed the food, evident from each of the empty plates that were cleared from my table, and I was left mightily impressed” where you can find a dining experience such as this. Not that this is really what it’s about but I must say that £28 for a three-course, fine dining experience such as this represents pretty phenomenal value too. I wholeheartedly recommend The Sundial and urge you to try it, either with family, friends or to impress a client.

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The Alliance of Chambers in East Sussex

ACES represents 4,000 members across the County and you are automatically a member of ACES if you are a member of one of the Chambers listed overleaf. This entitles you to share your news stories in these SBT Business pages without charge - just contact your local chamber

Laptop Station – IT Rescue 7 Days a Week

Created by Brenden West and Liam Cooper, Laptop Station started in Brighton, out of a shop they both once worked at. When that business faltered in 2008, with unemployment looming for them and their teammates, they took up the mantle and set out to become Brighton’s One Stop Laptop Shop, forming their first company.

After growing success in Brighton, Brenden and Liam opened their third store in the Eastbourne Enterprise Centre in October 2011. Their second store in Eastbourne at the time, this was a small unit inside the Centre.

They quickly outgrew their surroundings and, realising the potential the Enterprise Centre offered, sold their Brighton store after three years of trading and closed their second Eastbourne Shop. This enabled the young entrepreneurs to double their Enterprise store in size just one year after opening.

One year on in 2013, just two years after opening, the opportunity arose

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to move to the front of the Enterprise Centre, a risky but potentially lucrative proposition. With an increasing demand for repairs to mobile phones and tablets, they took the chance and relocated, which enabled them to triple their repair room and increase the amount of work they could undertake.

A stunning refurbishment was undertaken last year with the help of Identity; beautiful solid oak work tops showing off the latest Windows PCs while rustic Zinc tops offer a juxtaposition to the clean, curved models offered by Apple. A stunning display unit was custom built to offer a comprehensive range of Smart phone and Tablet cases, as well as traditional Mice and Keyboards.

Now four years on, their largest and most ambitious expansion is complete.

Having relocated their repair room, Laptop Station now has the largest selection of Windows and Apple PCs in Eastbourne Town Centre. The addition of an exterior entrance has enabled

them to extend their opening times and open seven days a week.

They have added a comprehensive selection of Tablet PCs, added a full list of Inks as well as incorporated a stunning red banquette seating area as well as expanding their Apple offering to include new and refurbished models. “We’ve created a truly stunning showroom Start-Up Workshop unmatched by any of our competitors,” said Brenden West with pride.

Demand for their services continues to grow with over 1155 repairs having already been completed so far this year.

Demand for new and refurbished laptops has increased with overall sales up 76% for August and September compared to last year.

2015 saw Laptop Station hire two full time members of staff and an apprentice, with the increasing demand meaning their team of six will continue to expand this year.

They have also begun a major redesign of their website which – when complete – will enable them to sell online as well

Chamber News

as offer a Nationwide Repair Service. They also serve a number of local schools who use their repair service and have found this much cheaper than their old insurance claim route.

Laptop Station strives to stay on top of the latest technological advances, which has been key to each of their expansions, supplying the latest offerings to Eastbourne while continuing to expand their repair service to make it the best Eastbourne has to offer.

“My iPhone internet locked up while I was stuck on the A27 so I rang the Laptop Station and they guided me through unlocking it over the phone! It was a speedy and convenient solution to my problem” said Christina Ewbank of Eastbourne unltd Chamber of Commerce.

See www.laptopstation.co.uk for more information, call them on 01323 646488 or visit them 7 days a week at the front of The Enterprise Centre next to the Railway Station in Eastbourne.

Banking on Success with Sussex PR firm A local bank with a global punch has appointed Cobb PR to look after its profile in Sussex.

The 16-strong PR and digital marketing company will be working closely with the Hove and Haywards Heath branches of Handelsbanken to promote its growing popularity in the south east.

Handelsbanken has seen strong growth in the county and now has six branches across East and West Sussex.

All 38 staff members have been recruited locally and have helped make Handelsbanken the top-rated bank for customer satisfaction and loyalty in Britain*.

Simon Nicholson, Manager of the Hove branch, said: “We have a great story to tell and I have asked Cobb PR to help us spread the word.

“Handelsbanken is growing at a good pace and we are winning new customers and businesses on a daily basis,” he continued. “People see us as a breath of fresh air and like the fact that decisions are made at a local level and that staff have no targets to meet. This allows us to give the best advice possible and develop great relationships.”

David Barden, Manager of the Haywards Heath branch, said: “Cobb

PR has a good name and connections across Sussex and this fits in well with our own brand. The Handelsbanken reputation is paramount … we grow through recommendations and referrals.”

Tim Cobb, Managing Director of Cobb PR, said “Handelsbanken uses a modern banking model built on traditional values.

No chasing targets, no products to plug. I am proud to be working alongside them.”

Handelsbanken is one of the world’s strongest banks, having the best credit rating in the world, but prides itself

on local relationships based on local knowledge and understanding.

Established in Sweden in 1871, its primary focus is on providing world class customer service and a total of 95% of all decisions are made at branch level, including lending.

Handelsbanken uses a modern banking model built on traditional values. For more information visit www.handelsbanken.co.uk/hove *Customer satisfaction survey from EPSI rating, October 2015.

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Advert Nov_Layout 1 14/10/2014 12:38 Page 2

Chamber News

in East Sussex

Big Changes at the Lansdowne TR Fastenings - Best Profits for 10 Years Hotel OnCompany) Eastbourne Seafront (A Trifast

F

ounded in a small rented office at the top of Uckfield High Street in 1973, Mike Timms and Mike Roberts established their business after becoming disenchanted working for a large industrial group in Birmingham that restricted their creativity and individualism.

They focused on sourcing and selling industrial fastenings to light assembly industries in the South East at a time when ex stock deliveries could take as long as three weeks from the larger industry market leaders. Their core values were “look professional, be professional, provide outstanding service, sell on value rather than the cheapest price, maintain dynamic cash management and motivate and take care of your staff”.

However, the DotCom crash in 2001 devastated sales and profits in just a few short months, and the two Midlands factories had to be closed as the focus was intensified into Asia.

A change of senior management in 2007 and the 2008 recession resulted in the near collapse of the Company, with 2008 revenues down to £84m with substantial losses, and in March 2009 the two previous retired CEOs (Malcolm Diamond and Jim Barker) were invited back by the shareholders to rescue the business.

By 2010 profitability started to recover, as did the share price.

In 2011 a major automotive bolt manufacturer was acquired in Malaysia, and in May 2014 a leading domestic appliance

ACES Battle Chamber of Commerce www.battlechamber.org.uk Bexhill Chamber of Commerce 01424 842892 www.bexhillchamber.co.uk Crowborough Chamber of Commerce www.crowboroughchamber.co.uk Eastbourne UnLtd Chamber of Commerce 01323 641144 www.eastbournechamber.co.uk East Sussex County Council 01273 481570 www.eastsussex.gov.uk Federation of Small Businesses 01424 754686 and Regional Office 01323 482018 www.fsb.org.uk/eastsussex Hailsham Chamber of Commerce 01323 310531 www.hailshamchamberofcommerce.co.uk

Hastings Chamber of Commerce 01424 205500 www.hastingschamber.co.uk Heathfield Chamber of Commerce 01435 865858 www.heathfieldchamber.co.uk The Institute of Directors 020 7766 8866 www.iod.com Lewes Chamber of Commerce

Malcolm Diamond MBE and Jim Barker In 1978, manufacturing of specialist fasteners was started in Uckfield, with subsequent factories established in Northampton and Telford in the 80’s.

screw business in Italy was brought into the Group.

TR’s major customer sectors include Automotive, Domestic Appliances, Electronics and Distributors – all of which are enjoying organic growth.

In the late 80’s, IBM selected TR as their most eligible component supplier to be trained in zero defect/on time deliveries to a new In June 2014, TR announced the best sales, assembly facility that relied on “Just In Time” profits and share price for a decade, now deliveries straight to their production line. with 1,150for stafflunch spreadeach acrossday 17 countries.

Since Catherine Clifford tookled over restaurant serving Successful compliance to TRthe being a Trifast Plc is based in Uckfield and along with supplier with IBM, which then running ofsingle this source elegant Eastbourne 1, 2TR’s orsales, 3 course lunches and a new distribution and manufacturing attracted other major telecoms hotel, Themanufacturers Lansdownetohas started menuemploys has been thisAs the over launched 150 staff on site.

TR. The massive 1990’s surge barfacilities largest local employer, thesourced Company sector carried it to a full LSE month in the electronics a comprehensive refurbishment serving Sussex maintains close links with both the Uckfield listing as a PLC in 1994 named Trifast. programme to modernise while still produce.

Chamber of Commerce a founder member By 2000, salesas turnover peaked at £120m of thealso Alliance of Chambers East Sussex retaining its identity a vintage hotel “We serve Vintage inTeas on sales, and by 2001 three component and the local Community College. offering excellent personal service. the(ACES) second Sunday of the month factories had been established in Singapore, The College is the main annual provider of ‘A’ They haveMalaysia completed 30 bedrooms so andLevel cancandidates run Vintage themed events. and Taiwan, with sales and for TR’s 2 year NVQ Business distribution facilities in Southern Ireland, Studies Apprenticeship far and refurbished all their conference Homemade cakes arescheme. served on Norway, Sweden, USA, Holland, Hungary and and banqueting rooms. Now dainty crockery in a themed Despite global uncertainty therelounge is clearly China, plus eight around the UK. amongst TR management redecorating the outside of the hotel, witha feeling a stunning seaview” said and The Company had become global by staff that there are grounds for cautious they have following more projects in the pipeline.

Jamieson, describing the authentic, based multinational its former UK optimism for the future continuing growth key customers to lower cost economies of their business as sales yearserve. ended Since joining the hotel as General home-made food theyfornow March 2015 are forecast to reach overseas – mainly Asia and Central/ Manager, Eastern Jamieson Berriman has £150 million.

Europe.

brought years of experience at the very highest quality hotels like the Eastbourne Grand Hotel next door.

“We have opened our Devonshire

For further information call 01323 725174 or visit www.bw-lansdownehotel.co.uk

www.acesalliance.org

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07917 382316 www.leweschamber.org.uk Locate East Sussex 0844 4159255 www.locateeastsussex.org.uk Newhaven Chamber of Commerce 0800 107 0709 www.newhavenchamber.co.uk Peacehaven Chamber of Commerce 01273 586222 www.peacehavenchamber.co.uk Seaford Chamber of Commerce 0800 881 5331 www.seafordchamber.co.uk South East Local Enterprise Partnership 01245 431469 www.southeastlep.com Uckfield Chamber of Commerce 01825 722607 www.uckfieldchamber.co.uk Wealden District Council 01323 443322 www.wealden.gov.uk

Connect to the Care Market with Connect to Support The West Sussex Connect to Support website helps anyone Advertorial who needs some support to remain independent to shop for support services and products, find local activities and groups and look up information and advice. From its inception two years ago the site has grown to receive over 2,500 online visitors every month. Connect to Support is offering FREE listings and stores to new businesses and community groups. With over 200 community groups, and nearly 200 stores selling a combined total of over 3000 local products and services, what customers want most is more choice.

Visit www.westsussexconnecttosupport. org and click the ‘Information for providers and community groups’ button. From there you can ‘Establish your online presence’ and register within five minutes. Want a hand getting your shop established? No problem. PCG Solutions who operate the site, have a dedicated help desk you can call on 0333 600 6330.

Features of an online store include: • Your own homepage - linking to catalogues in which to market your products and services.

• Your own URL to drive customers directly to your store.

• Integration with your own website, financial or case management system.

• Use of Connect to Support’s branding within your own marketing literature.

• A full support infrastructure, with dedicated Account Manager and helpline.

• Any branches you may have in different geographical locations can be mirrored online, with different store branches created from a master catalogue of products and services.

• Pricing can be tailored to individual customers (allowing for agreed negotiated prices away from the public marketplace).

• You can choose from a range of

Laura Power from PCG Solutions presents the iPad to Martin Stean on behalf of the Hollyrood Centre in Lindfield

Register FREE today to be part of one of the largest growing care and information websites in the county

payment options, both online and offline, using cheques, cash, credit or debit cards or PayPal. • Automated and paperless ordering, receipting and invoicing results in a significant reduction in invoice queries, administrative time and costs.

By registering your organisation you will also benefit from a host of marketing around Connect to Support (such as social media, bus backs and print advertising) and access digital resources you can use to showcase your affiliation with Connect to Support and West Sussex County Council. By agreeing to the Connect to Support code of conduct you will be signalling your commitment to ethical trading to potential new customers across the county.

Peter Catchpole, West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for Later Life, said: “West Sussex Connect to Support offers much-needed information when you need to support a friend or relative, buy vital equipment or research local community groups

and services. We hope more groups will continue to follow suit and register.”

What’s more is Community groups could now win an iPad if they register on the West Sussex Connect to Support website.

All community groups need to do to be in with a chance of winning is register before the draw on Friday 26 August 2016.

One group has already benefitted from completing their listing, with the winner of the previous draw announced last month.

Martin Stean was awarded the first iPad (provided by Connect to Support) on behalf of the Hollyrood Centre in Lindfield, a residential and day centre that supports people with autism.

Hollyrood is part of Autism Spectrum Partners within The Disabilities Trust, providing up to 40 beds for autistic people. One of four such centres running across West Sussex, 60-70% of their visitors find it extremely difficult to cope with the over sensory stimulation associated with modern life, so find these calming centres invaluable.

In less than five minutes you could join them, showcasing your organisation’s services to the residents of West Sussex.

Contact us on 0333 6006330 www.sussexbusinesstimes.co.uk www.westsussexconnecttosupport.org/

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Motoring

Test Drive

Mini Clubman Cooper D

SBT’s Motoring Correspondent Simon Skinner takes to the wheel of the latest Clubman: in association with Vines of Gatwick BMW So the team at Vines have kindly pulled up at Life Luxury Media Group Towers with a shinynew MINI Clubman.

This particular model is the Diesel Cooper and it’s been a car that I’ve been keen to drive for some time.

By all accounts, if you’re going to try a new MINI, the Cooper D is a good shout as it’s spacious (they’re not so mini now), really comfortable and extremely reasonably priced when compared to similar hatches and other smaller cars that are currently on the market.

I say that because I believe that this is a car that proposes a real alternative to ‘regular’ hatchbacks and is the biggest MINI ever built! The Clubman Cooper D sits in the lower-to-mid range of the current MINI line up, with the next step taking you to the Cooper

S, which is clearly a sportier version.

Upwards from there, you’ll see the SD and ALL4 (4 wheel drive) versions.

Mine though, for the week at least, is the greenest of the set, offering up an alleged near 70mpg and B-rated for Co2 emissions – which is nice.

Green credentials aside though, and they are a serious reason for considering this particular model, you wouldn’t think for a minute that you’re not in a sportier version, or indeed a car with a bigger engine.

The 2 litre engine in the Clubman Cooper D produces 150bhp giving you a 0-62mph in 8.6 seconds, but if I’m honest, being this low to the ground, you really feel like it takes half that time. It really moves, and with the option of stepping into sports mode, or go-kart mode as is the term which springs up on the display, the whole car changes its personality and you get the feeling that it wants to play.

So play we did! A week of driving

“The Clubman Cooper D delivered me to the venue with a HUGE smile on my face and with my heartbeat raised a good few BPM” this car was just about as much fun as I’ve had in any car for a very long time. Some readers of Sussex Business Times will know the marsh road that runs from Herstmonceux, across the A259 at Pevensey, past the Star at Normans Bay and onto Bexhill. Well, it has to be said that this must be one of the finest routes in Sussex for those who enjoy pursuits of the four-wheeled variety. Blasting the entire way in the appropriately

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Motoring

named go-kart mode on a beautifully sunny afternoon for a meeting at the equally beautiful De La Warr Pavilion, the Clubman Cooper D delivered me to the venue with a HUGE smile on my face and with my heartbeat raised a good few BPM. The handling of the car is simply breathtaking, with a wheel in each corner, (a term borrowed from my father-in-law) a pounding engine and possibly the tightest gearbox known to the human race.

Sometimes when review cars are collected it’s easy to hand over the keys and to not look back. With the MINI however, the feeling was more akin to that of saying goodbye to a newly made friend at the end of a childhood holiday. You know that you’re likely to have fun with them again one day, but it won’t happen for a while.

Thankfully, its replacement was the Range Rover Vogue SE, which we’ll cover in the next issue.

Getting back to the hatchback debate, I decided to test the space in the back of the car for good

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Motoring

measure. It’s a little known fact that on occasion, I am known to play the drum kit and I am the owner of a gem of a Ludwig kit from 1978 that looks and sounds like only a Ludwig kit from 1978 can. It just so happened that, during my week with the MINI, I had reason to transport said Ludwig kit from 1978 to a music venue for an evening of 90s dance classics. After (auto) opening the double/barn doors and flattening the rear seats, the whole thing sat in the back with room to spare!

There’s oodles of room in there and it’s really quite deceptive for what appears to be a small car at first glance with 4.25m total length. The rear space making up a considerable percentage of that.

I have to be honest, this car has taken me by complete surprise. I’ve always looked at MINIs as being a bit of a joke; a lot like the (newer) VW Beetles, and certainly quite a feminine choice. This, coupled with a host of horror stories about the

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earlier models that were produced after the ‘new look’ was announced by BMW way back when, was enough to turn me off completely. How wrong I have been though; this is a serious motor car for people who LOVE driving. Really practical, spacious, comfortable, quick and well built.

Maybe I should call Volkswagen to see if I can try the Beetle?

Thank you for the loan, Vines BMW of Gatwick, it’s been a great week and I’m already looking forward to next time.

• Model: MINI Cooper D Clubman • Price: From £22,245 • Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl diesel • Power: 148bhp • Transmission: Six-speed manual, front-wheel drive • 0-62mph/top speed: 8.6s/132mph • Economy/CO2: 68.9mpg/ 109g/km

SBTMotoring News Goodwood Festival of Speed 2016: Full Throttle The Endless Pursuit of Power Taking place between the 23rd – 26th June this year, The 2016 Goodwood Festival of Speed’s theme is ‘Full Throttle, The Endless Pursuit of Power’, celebrating the most epic machinery ever to grace the race tracks of the world.

Staged every summer since 1993, the Goodwood Festival of Speed is the world’s largest automotive garden party; set against the spectacular backdrop of Goodwood House in West Sussex and is largely known as the (unofficial) UK Motor Show.

Over 600 cars and motorcycles spanning the phenomenal history of motoring and motor sport take part

with some of the most legendary figures from the sport as well as international celebrities regularly attending.

Highlights of the 2015 event included the Moving Motor Show presented by the AA in association with The Telegraph, Forest Rally Stage, Michelin Supercar Paddock, Michelin Supercar Run, F1 paddock presented by Sky Sports F1, Drivers’ Club presented by TAG Heuer, GAS Arena powered by

Seven 2016 Formula 1 Teams Confirmed for Goodwood Festival of Speed Grand Prix machines from seven current Formula 1 teams will grace the hillclimb at the Championship to West Sussex. Leading from the front will be reigning double World Champions Mercedes-Benz and Britain’s Lewis Hamilton. Joining them will be Ferrari, Force India, McLaren, Red Bull, Renault and Williams. The Festival of Speed is the only event, other than the British Grand Prix, where British fans can see so many F1 cars in action in one place, with an unrivalled level of access to the cars and the drivers. Already confirmed to appear at this year’s Festival are Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg, who also took victory in last year’s Le Mans

24 Hours with Porsche, and 2009 World Champion Jenson Button. While no longer an active F1 driver, Sky Sports F1 commentator Martin Brundle will be taking Button’s championshipwinning Brawn BGP 001, not seen running since 2009, up the hill.

Honda’s Brace Of Full-Throttle Firsts at Festival Of Speed 2016 Honda are set to wow visitors to this year’s Festival of Speed with two very different displays of power, both never seen before at Goodwood.

Prior to its very first global customer handovers the latest incarnation of Honda’s NSX supercar will take to the hill with its blistering track performance demonstrated by McLarenHonda Formula One driver

Jenson Button and a select number of Honda drivers. In the Forest Rally Stage, the all-new CRF1000L Africa Twin will demonstrate its off-road credentials and will become the first motorcycle ever to grace the Goodwood Forest Rally Stage. The Honda machine will be ridden by fourtime motocross world champion, Dave Thorpe.

TomTom Bandit, Cartier Style et Luxe Concours d’Elegance, Aviation Exhibition and Bonhams Auction.

Since its pioneering days, motorsport’s insatiable thirst for increased speed has been underscored by a parallel quest for power. This year’s Festival will feature the racing machines that, more than any others, have pushed the power envelope, and the intrepid pilots who tamed them.

European Debut for Mazda MX-5 RF

The latest, stunning incarnation of the iconic Mazda MX-5 will make its European bow at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed (June 23-26).

Unveiled to the world at the New York Motor Show in March, the MX-5 RF (Retractable Fastback) features an electrically-folding hardtop roof which opens at the touch of a button in 12 seconds. The RF features Mazda’s striking KODO: Soul of Motion design, incorporating newlypenned elements of bodywork which give the car a different side and rear profile to the standard MX-5. Visitors to Goodwood’s Moving Motor Show will be the first to see the MX-5 RF on static display on Mazda’s main stand. Members of the public will have the opportunity to drive the MX-5 soft-top up the famous 1.16mile hillclimb course and see the one millionth MX-5 on display. With its 50:50 weight distribution and rearwheel drive, the RF is being touted as one of the best-handling cars in the world. The MX-5 has a rich heritage as a true driver’s car – the newest MX-5 model was one of the stars of last year’s Festival of Speed and the millionth example was built on April 22 this year, 27 years after the first MX-5 rolled off the production line.

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 59

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SBT

ASK THE

SBT Ask the Experts is sponsored by

EXPERTS

WE ASK THE EXPERTS TO GIVE YOU THE ANSWERS YOU NEED

EXPERT

By Glen Foster, National and Sussex Sales Manager, Xero aren’t trained in bookkeeping, so it’s common for businesses to outsource this everyday work. But how do you go about finding the right one for your business while you’re concentrating on getting your business off the ground?

1. Think about whether you want a consultant or a firm Bookkeepers often work independently, so they may have several clients at a time. You might choose to hire an independent consultant or a bookkeeping firm, but there’s no right or wrong approach – it depends on the size and needs of your business.

Finding the right bookkeeper for your small business Starting a small business means you have to deal with numbers, which can be a daunting prospect. Although it’s possible to do this yourself, most entrepreneurs

EXPERT

Work shoes: does heel height matter?

The debate around dressing for work hit the headlines in May, with shoes – particularly high heels – taking centre stage.

info@checkaprofessional.com 62 www.sussexbusinesstimes.co.uk

2. Location, location, location – decide if it’s important With online accounting software you can share access to your accounts data remotely, but you may still want to meet your bookkeeper in person from

time to time. Decide how important this is to you, and adjust your search accordingly.

3. Make use of your social networks Use online social networks, especially LinkedIn, to find bookkeeping professionals. It’s great if they’ve been recommended by your friends or acquaintances and talk to local chambers of commerce and business advisors too.

4. Look for experience Bookkeeping doesn’t have the same restrictions as accountancy, but certification is available. It’s also worth checking if they are part of a professional governing body like a bookkeepers’ association. Look for experience and a substantial number of past clients – preferably ones in the same field of business as you.

Samantha Wilding, Style & Grace PricewaterhouseCoopers came under fire for sending a temporary receptionist home for not wearing shoes with the required ‘two to four inch heel’. The debate rumbled on in the press and on social media, culminating with Julia Roberts leading a ‘barefoot rebellion’ at the Cannes Film Festival (Cannes has refused entry to women not wearing heels in previous years).

It’s not an issue of ‘fashion’, rather of gender equality. Why should women be told to follow such anarchic rules? And I don’t mean that men should be made to wear ties, as I read in one newspaper. Ties don’t have the same physical impact on people; high heels can cause a myriad of back and foot problems. The receptionist in question was wearing

shoes that were perfectly adequate for an office environment. Women can of course be smart and formal wearing flat shoes.

The key to office footwear is finding the ‘ideal heel height’ for you whilst still remaining professional. This is determined by her height, her balance, and most importantly, whether she can walk in them.

Just remember: your shoes should be appropriate for your role, office culture and working environment; your shoes should be cleaned, polished and re-heeled regularly; and your shoes should enhance your professional look, rather than overpower it.

samantha@styleandgrace.eu www.styleandgrace.eu 07833 084864

0808 901 9042

SBT

ASK THE

SBT Ask the Experts is sponsored by

EXPERTS

WE ASK THE EXPERTS TO GIVE YOU THE ANSWERS YOU NEED

EXPERT

Ragnar Barnsby, Director at Fitsystems a. Never reuse the same password on multiple systems. A password management solution allows staff to use very secure and unique passwords on each system. b. Make sure you have a formal IT security policy in place for your staff, so they know what is expected from them.

You may be able to get a policy from your IT provider.

As a Virtual Chief Information Officer to SMEs, I often get asked by Directors how they can improve their online security.

Here are the top two answers to the three most common questions directors always ask: How can staff training help improve our online security?

You can significantly reduce risk of security breaches with some basic training messages.

EXPERT

It is over a year since the ‘new’ VAT place of supply rules for B2C supplies of digital services came into force, whereby the place of supply is determined by the location of the customer.

Hailed as a measure to create a ‘level playing field’, what has been the reality?

In truth, it is a case that SME businesses are muddling through! It is an administrative burden to establish where

info@checkaprofessional.com

How can I improve security with Computer Infrastructure?

A lack of knowledge and/or process from your IT provider can leave you in a very vulnerable position. a. Encrypt your devices. This includes both computers and mobile devices.

Ensure your IT provider is able to push this out centrally to ensure all devices are encrypted. b. Automatically schedule regular backups of critical data. Ensure you

consult with your IT provider to create a local read only archive. This will reduce your backup cost significantly and allow you to run regular online backups to protect your business.

How can I improve security with Emails?

Emails are critical for productivity, but are also one of the main points hackers will attack your business. a. Use a centralised spam filter. You can stop threats before they reach your network, significantly reducing risk and also increasing the productivity of staff. b. Encrypt sensitive data in attachments.

There are several free tools available for this.

There are many more ways to cost effectively improve security and performance.

For more details and the complete list see our blog: goo.gl/GojXaB

Alison Sampson, Senior VAT Advisor, Knill James Chartered Accountants consumers belong – it is not obvious from an email address and requires further clarification.

Then there is the VAT rate. Standard rates of VAT throughout the EU range from 19% to 27% (most are 20% or more), so this presents problems for pricing. On a £20 product, there is over £1 extra VAT to be accounted for on a supply to a consumer based in Hungary, compared to one based in Cyprus. This impacts on the profit margin. There has been little feedback from HMRC about MOSS compliance for UK businesses but it certainly is an added complication. MOSS return periods do not always mirror VAT Return periods, and I know of businesses that have occasionally needed to declare a few pence for each MOSS return. Although many businesses do not make MOSS

supplies, there are probably lots of businesses that are doing so but not making MOSS declarations. Those that make only minimal MOSS supplies will be incurring far more cost in trying to comply with their MOSS obligations than the amount of VAT at stake. An additional consideration is that a supplier of B2C MOSS supplies is required to raise and issue VAT invoices in accordance with the requirements of each member state where B2C customers are located. If B2C supplies of digital services are not likely to be very frequent or of limited value, a supplier may prefer to ensure that supplies are channelled through an agent or online market place, to ensure that supplies are B2B. Finally, don’t forget that B2C supplies of digital services to consumers in nonEU countries may trigger a need for VAT/ GST accounting too!

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Networking in Sussex

SBT

Society

Chestnut Tree House Business Networking at Cissbury House Hotel Over 80 people attended the Horsham business networking breakfast hosted by Chestnut Tree House, the children’s hospice for Sussex, on Thursday 5 May 2016.

Attendees from a large range of local businesses met to learn about the work of the hospice in the community. Guests included representatives from British Airways, Gatwick Airport and Thales.

The event was supported by Cissbury House Hotel, who provided a delicious full English cooked breakfast.

After introductions from the hospice’s Patron, Ambrose Harcourt, guests were welcomed by CEO, Hugh Lowson, and heard a moving account of the care provided by the hospice to local children and families from Linda Perry, Director of Children’s Services.

Matt Turner, local business entrepreneur, Director of Creative Pod and ambassador for Chestnut Tree House, then gave a motivational, enthusiastic and amusing speech about how working with the charity has had a very positive impact for his company and his staff.

He also offered to support other businesses with ideas on how they too could benefit from working in partnership with Chestnut Tree House.

Photography by Graham Franks ©

The lids come off for a super breakfast at Cissbury House Hotel

The High Sherriff of West Sussex Mark Spofforth with Chestnut Tree House’s Juliette Macpherson and Patron Ambrose Harcourt

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The Chestnut Tree House team at Cissbury House Hotel

Chestnut Tree House Terrina Barnes with the group from Gatwick

Chestnut Tree House Trustee Derwyn Jones

Chestnut Tree House Linda Perry with The High Sherriff of West Sussex Mark Spofforth and Chief Exec. Chestnut Tree House Hugh Lowson

Ana Christie Chief Exec. Sussex Chamber of Commerce with Alan Novis from Sussex Promotions

Alan Trace of Extech Ltd and Peter Collins of Hartley Fowler Accountants

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Made In Sussex

Made In Sussex:

Veasey & Sons Fishmongers Veasey & Sons is a fishmongers in Forest Row. After being open for 6 years, they have won numerous awards for their produce and are now looking to expand: a real Sussex success story Veasey & Sons, run

by Chris and his Brand son-in-law, Dan in Forest Row, East Focus Sussex this year has celebrated their 5th award in the 6 years of being open. The business began in 2010 when father-in-law, Chris realised that East Sussex presented a good opportunity to sell good quality, fresh fish. The demand was there, so after selling at markets in East Grinstead, he made his way to Forest Row with Dan to open a local fishmongers.

Veasey & Sons sells fresh fish caught weekly from the coast of Eastbourne, where their boat is docked. They catch a range of fish, but also buy fish directly from vendors in Newhaven, and sometimes Cornwall or Scotland.

Dan Howes, Shop Manager explained: “We just have the one boat and have numerous areas that we go to for fishing. We sell whatever we pick up, and that can vary throughout the seasons. At the moment we have a lot of lobsters, for example. We don’t trawl our fish and, with a small boat like ours, this makes our fishing very environmentally friendly. We also really like to encourage our customers to try new fish, helping the sustainability of the ecosystem.”

After receiving more than 350 entries from across the country, the 12 category winners and the 9 regional winners of the Farm Shop & Deli Awards 2016 were revealed at a ceremony in Birmingham on Monday 18 April 2016.

Veasey & Sons picked up the award for Fishmonger of the Year as well as winning the South East Regional award.

The awards were judged by a team of experts from the world of speciality retail, fine food and food media, including Jon May, Managing Director Fabulous Food & Drink, Giles Henschel,

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“Soon, we are looking at opening up a cooking school, so that people can learn how to fillet and cook their own fish at home” Co Founder & CEO Olives Et Al and Ross Gilfillan, Editor Speciality Food magazine.

On their win, Dan commented: “We were so shocked and elated to win the award for Fishmonger of the Year. There were so many other brilliant fishmongers in the category, and there are a huge amount of amazing, high quality fishmongers across the region too. So, to be placed above all of them is an honour – I’m not quite over it yet!”

Dan told SBT about their plans for the future: “We have just started to sell a bit more than just fish. For example, we now sell our own fish stock, fish cakes and soups, and also smoke our own fish.” He added: “Soon, we are looking at opening up a cooking school, so that people can learn how to fillet and cook their own fish at home. We are really big on educating people about our produce; it makes people feel more at ease with trying new things if they know more about it, and there is so much to learn.

I am still learning more and more every day myself.”

Veasey & Sons Fishmongers 17 Hartfield Road Forest Row East Sussex RH18 5DN Tel: 01342 822906

sussex downs college

Our alumni are making waves in the business world.

From accountants to designers, we’re working on the next generation to work for you.

Find out more about hiring apprentices through Sussex Downs College by calling the Employer Engagement Team on 030 300 39474 Did you study at Sussex Downs College?

Join our alumni programme by visiting: www.sussexdowns.ac.uk/alumni

Kalera Agard Marketing Intern, RBS Bank, New York City

JOSH BABARINDE

greg williams Level 3 Plumbing Apprentice.

Now partner in his own plumbing business

Alice Rosser Office Manager at Fortis Law in Brighton

A level Politics, Law, Sociology and AS level Economics Now studying for a BSc in Government at LSE

w w w . s u s s e x d o w n s . a c . www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk u k

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WELCOME TO OUR WORLD

Breitling reinvents the connected watch firmly geared towards performance. Every inch an instrument of the future, the Exospace B55 multifunction electronic chronograph pushes the boundaries of comfort, ergonomics and efficiency. The titanium case of this compendium of innovations houses an exclusive SuperQuartzTM caliber chronometercertified by the COSC and featuring a range of original functions tailormade for pilots and men of action. Welcome to the world of precision, feats and high-tech sophistication. Welcome to the vanguard of instruments for professionals.

11-13 Cornfield Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex BN21 3NA Telephone 01323 725452

68 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk