SBT issue 440

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SUSSEX BUSINESS TIMES

40TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS WE SPEAK TO PRG MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS

BRIGHTON VENUES UNITE TO LIGHT UP RED IN SUPPORT OF #WEMAKEEVENTS CAMPAIGN

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk SERVING THE SUSSEX BUSINESS COMMUNITY SINCE 1975

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JACK NEEDS

YOU We’re looking for ‘Hero’ businesses from across Sussex to help raise the aspirations of our local next generation. Raise your profile and market your business while helping 1,000’s of young people.

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Dare to

Dream

Delivered by

SBTWelcome Value Added Partners

Welcome to our latest digital edition of Sussex Business Times.

This month with kids returning to school, for many of us we seemed to return to some form of normality (whatever that is these days).

However with the latest government announcement the question everyone is asking is will we avoid another lockdown as we approach the winter months?

The continuous air of uncertainty is still amongst us but we must more than ever continue to pull together and support each other whilst we navigate through the tricky road ahead.

In this month’s cover feature we continue with our celebratory

theme. When I first took over SBT I was adamant I wanted it to

continue to be a great platform to shout about and celebrate the great businesses in the Sussex community. Over the past three

years I have heard some great stories of business journeys and

this one is up there with one of my favourites. I had great pleasure in interviewing Simon Groves, PRG Marketing, as they celebrate a

Sponsors

staggering 40 years in business. Another true family success story and one you’ll enjoy reading I am sure.

As always, the issue is packed full of great content and advice

from our sponsors and contributors and we thank you all for your continued support.

The County Business Clubs community continues to grow with nearly 200 members and we look forward to welcoming more

new members and partners this month. We are also delighted to

announce Consortium – More than Marketing, MHA Carpenter Box and Rivervale as our latest Value-Added Partners.

I hope you all enjoy this issue of SBT, and I would like to wish all of our readers, friends and business associates the very best.

Continue to stay positive and together we will come though this.

Sam Thomas, Managing Director

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 3

Issue 438

06 08 Cover 440

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

11 17 23 31 35 39 45 51 57

All material in this publication is strictly copyright and all rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. The views expressed in Sussex Business Times Magazine do not necessarily represent the view of The Business Group Sussex Ltd. Every care is taken in compiling the contents but the publishers of Sussex Business Times Magazine assume no responsibility for any damage, loss or injury arising from the participation in any offers, competitions or advertisement contained within Sussex Business Times Magazine. All prices featured in Sussex Business Times Magazine are correct at the time of going to press.

Copyright The Business Group Sussex Ltd. 2020 ©

4 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

61 70 71

CBC members round up Member spotlight

News

A round up of the local business stories from across Sussex

SBT Finance

Watson Associates – Winter Economy Plan MHA Carpenter Box – Construction Sector Report

SBT Legal

Jonathan Lea Network - Incorporating a property rental business SO Legal - Buying a property through a limited company

SBT Property

An Interview with Eightfold Property Changing Spaces for a Changing World - archangels ARCHITECTS Mortgage Medics - September 2020 Property Round Up

SBT Sales & Marketing

A Q&A with Creative Pod New Marketing assistant How to get the most out of Networking - Lara Squires, Consortium Marketing

SBT Charity

Rockinghorse Special - Remember Rockinghorse Rockinghorse Golf Day Raises £7k

SBT Cover Feature

Celebrating 40 year anniversary of PRG Marketing Communications

SBT People Management & Recruitment

When you are forced to make redundancies - Serena & Sue HR Dept Recruiting Business HEROES to support Sussex Teenagers through Covid-19 Love Local Jobs Foundation & Jack The Lad

SBT Lifestyle

Moshimo Restaurant Review - Visit Brighton Ridgeview Wine Estate - Corporate Tour and Tasting Review

SBT Motor News

Untrustworthy Tech - Uninsured Driver, what should you do?

Sponsored By Rivervale Leasing

SBT Networking & Events

#WEMAKEEVENTS - Brighton Venues Unite to light up Red | Top 5 Misconceptions we hear about networking - Network My Club | YBrighton Top 5 Virtual Experiences YBrighton - Powered by Yellow Fish

SBT Ask the expert

Three at Three James, Emma & Lisa are back with more great advice

Cube Corner

SBT Cube Consulting monthly round up

CONNECT THROUGH SPORT

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www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 5

MO NT H LY N E WS

County Business Clubs members roundup It has been another great month for Members County Business Roundup clubs as we reach nearly 200 members from all businesses and industries. We continue to share content, have discussions and much more in the community.

We are delighted to announce our New Value Added partnerships with

Consortium – More Than Marketing and Rivervale.

We have our Member Spotlight again this month, with a focus on Daniel Wade, WPA. We were delighted to host some of our VAP’s and sponsors this month at the fantastic Ridgeview Wine Estate for a tour and tasting from the

amazing Mardi Roberts. The sun was shining and it was great to bring some members together.

Our community continues to grow and looks forward to welcoming more of you this month. It is still FREE to join – simply CLICK HERE | register | create your profile and start benefiting from being part of the County Business Clubs community.

200 members

Your Business | Your Community | Your Platform

6 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

CBC M EM BER SP OTLIGHT

Member spotlight...

WPA

Member Spotlight

Tell us about WPA?

those first two years as the hardest times in the business.

WPA are a specialist health insurance provider. We work

with companies to help provide

What has been your greatest or

proudest business achievement to date?

healthcare schemes to recruit, retain and reward staff. I am a healthcare

I was a finalist two years running

partner (franchise owner) with

for the British Franchise association

WPA and look after small-medium

‘Franchisee of the year’ awards. There

businesses on a local level.

are roughly 44,000 franchise owners in the UK and this ranked me in the

We are in a competitive industry with

top 15 two years running which was a

the likes of Bupa, Axa PPP, Vitality

proud moment.

Daniel Wade

and Aviva as our competitors. We are different as we provide local, face-to-

I also work with our head office to

face advice and personally look after

recruit and train franchise owners

the clients for as long as they are with

and seeing these people start a

WPA. Also, WPA are a not-for-profit

business and seeing them grow is also

insurer with a heritage of over 115

massively rewarding.

years so we are very well established whilst remaining at the forefront of the industry with our technology.

What type of clients do you currently

work with and who are you looking to meet?

What has been your biggest business challenge to date?

We mainly deal with business owners and I enjoy working with smaller

Like any new business, I think this was

companies as they value the face-to-

launching the business. Being part of a

face service we provide.

employed people who need to be working to earn money. Companies also buy this for their staff as an employee benefit and its becoming a really popular option amongst employees as their health is their most important asset.

Tell us a fun fact about yourself that people might not know?

I have different coloured eyes!

franchise network was brilliant as I got lots of help and advice from my peers,

Private medical insurance allows people

but the first two years were tough but

to access private medical treatment

hugely rewarding. This is my eleventh

quickly without having to wait on

year this year, but I still look back at

the NHS so this is important for self-

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MO NT H LY N E WS

Jake Phillips

Meet Jake: the ambitious apprentice at Edward Street Quarter Jake Philips, 19, is in the third month of a Civil Engineering NVQ, working at the Edward Street Quarter site in Brighton with O’Keefe Construction.

Born and bred in Hollingdean, Monthly Jake is already News planning a career as a civil engineer despite starting with little knowledge of the profession.

Jake said: “I didn’t know about anything to do with civil engineering when I started but I now have a good understanding and I absolutely love the people here. I’m the youngest and they look after me, although I’m expecting some banter today about getting my photo taken!

“I was good at maths and English at school and I think I’m pretty smart so, although I didn’t know anything about the subject, I thought I’d give it a go.

The first month was tough, there was a lot to take in and learn and I was struggling, but I bought a notebook,

8 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

wrote everything down and it started to sink in. Now I’m in month three and I’m really enjoying it.

“I want to take this as far as I can – into management one day. O’Keefe say they’ll look to take me on when I’m qualified and that’s what I’m aiming for.”

When asked about living in Brighton, Jake has only good things to say: “I’m a big fan of Brighton and Hove Albion and love the new stadium. It’s a good community around here – everyone knows each other. When I’m not on site I’m down the beach with my mates, playing football, out for a meal or a night out or taking a drive to find somewhere new in Sussex.”

The Edward Street Quarter development will bring 110,000 sq ft of Grade A office space to Brighton, as well as 168 new flats. Jake is looking

forward to it, saying: “When I started in June the development was still at ground level - it’s been great to see it go up so fast – I can almost see my house from the top now! There are parts of Brighton struggling with unemployment and the new offices will create new jobs - anything that can help with that is a good thing. The fact that it’s right next door to the job centre should help too.”

Steve Eccles, Project Director at First Base said: “I’m delighted to hear that Jake is enjoying his apprenticeship.

We’ve been working with our contractors McLaren and O’Keefe to bring more trainees and apprenticeships to site – we’ll use Jake’s experience as an example to encourage more trainees to work with us.”

For more information, please visit edwardstreetquarter.com.

MON T H LY N E WS

Emma Marsland promoted to Associate at Plummer Parsons…

The Partners of leading Sussex Chartered Accountants, Plummer Parsons, are pleased and proud to announce the promotion of Emma Marsland to Associate with immediate effect.

“Emma has

Monthly News

been a key

Congratulations

part of our

success for

many years.

Emma Marsland

Loyal and hardworking,

she has recently become a key

Associate

part of the senior management

team, sharing our vision for the

future of the firm”, says Partner, Steve Griffen.

“This promotion is very much deserved. It’s an important

www.plummer-parsons.co.uk

career milestone, and we

recognise the commitment and high performance that she has

made during her career with us.”

between the two. I am looking forward

clients”, concludes Steve Griffen.

Having joined the firm in 2003, Emma

where the next 17 years will take us.”

Eastbourne, Hailsham and Brighton,

2008, becoming a fellow member in 2018.

Based at the Hailsham office, Emma

Accountants provide tax planning and

“Having been at Plummer Parsons

providing a full range of support which

businesses and charities across the

delighted to continue advancing my

corporate clients with annual accounts

auditing, planning and management

want to thank colleagues past and

management accounts with business

monitor and achieve their goals.

qualified as a Chartered Accountant in

to developing my new role and seeing

With over 70 staff across offices in Plummer Parsons Chartered

takes care of a portfolio of clients,

compliance services to individuals,

for over 17 years, I am absolutely

ranges from supporting personal and

UK, as well as providing the essential

career at the firm as an Associate, and

and tax compliance to regular monthly

support that allows businesses to set,

present that have helped me along the

advice and support.

way,” says Emma.

Contact:

“Internal promotions are just one part

Emma Marsland, Associate

myself lucky to work at a firm that

best career development opportunities

Hailsham@p-p.uk

my career development but in my

component in maintaining a highly-

the importance of a crucial balance

range of challenges experienced by

“As a working Mum, I consider

of our drive to ensure we offer the

01323 846622

have supported me not only through

possible for our employees. It’s a key

www.plummer-parsons.co.uk

personal life also. They recognise

skilled team that can address the full

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 9

MO NT H LY N E WS

Fireco celebrates one millionth sale of innovative product Dorgard Monthly News

Door retainer which closes when it hears a fire alarm also helps with germ control.

Innovative business Fireco is celebrating selling its one millionth Dorgard – a product which holds doors open and then automatically closes when it hears a fire alarm – following 25 years of success and recent increased sales due to the pandemic.

The door retainer was designed to replace door wedges, which keep doors open but fail to protect the premises or people inside in case of fire.

Now the invention has found even greater popularity as businesses look to find safe ways to keep doors open so that staff no longer need to touch doorknobs or handles, spreading germs in the process.

Fireco Founder, Neil Purssey originally dreamt up Dorgard 25 years ago after watching a ‘dancing daisy’, which would dance when there was a sound near it. This got him thinking - what other items would be useful if they were sound activated?

Since then Fireco has designed and released another eight products in its range, with more to come, and what was once a small business born in Brighton has expanded to sell its products worldwide.

Chief Executive Officer Michelle Bussey said: “The last 6 months have been challenging for businesses

10 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

across the country, so we feel extremely grateful that we have something so positive to celebrate.

We are proud to say we have supplied our millionth Dorgard unit.

Over the last 25 years, Fireco has worked tirelessly on the development and manufacture of innovative products that help keep premises fire safe and help save lives. When COVID-19 hit our business we reacted quickly and recognized the huge importance of Dorgard not only as a fire safety product but as a product that can assist with a premises germ control strategy.

Since then we have shifted our focus on how we can help and have been pleased to have donated products and services to those in most need. Our team has relished the challenge and we have been privileged in supporting the NHS and other organisations in their fight against COVID-19.

Manufacturing in our new premises in Sussex, we are proud to continue investing in Engineering and Manufacturing in the UK and the local area, together with being an active exporter into Europe and the rest of the world.”

Now the company has taken its offering a step further by, in the space of just three months, designing and launching Germgard, a smart sanitising system.

Germgard uses digital signage to alert users to sanitise their hands before gaining entry. This system can be used stand-alone or can be integrated with access control, automatic doors and electronic door locks, making the use of hand sanitiser a requirement before access is allowed.

To find out more about Fireco and their product range, visit www.fireco.uk

SBT FINANCE

THE WINTER ECONOMY PLAN

BY WATSON ASSOCIATES

MHA CONSTRUCTION SECTOR REPORT

BY ROBERT DOWLING, HEAD OF CONSTRUCTION & REAL ESTATE

SBT FINANCE SPONSORED BY:

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 11

FI NAN C E

The Winter Economy Plan The Chancellor announced yesterday new measures in a Winter Economy Plan that sets out how the government intends to protect jobs and continue to support the economy over the coming months.

The new plan was

Finance

released instead of

the normal Autumn Budget that was

the 23 September.

officially cancelled on

Further support for employment The Chancellor confirmed that as

previously advised the Coronavirus

Job Retention Scheme would finish at the end of October stating that it

was necessary to focus the efforts on

supporting “viable” businesses and jobs.

The launch of the new Job Support

12 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

Scheme was announced as a

replacement. The Scheme will

commence from 1 November and will

run for 6 months. The key information is set out here:

• Support viable jobs

• Employees must work at least a third

of their contracted working hours and employers will continue to pay the

wages for staff for the hours they work.

• For the remaining contracted hours

not worked, the Government and the

employer will pay a third of the shortfall in the employee’s usual pay. The

Government’s contribution is capped

at £697.92 per month. This means

those working only 33% of their usual hours will still receive 77% of their

salary. 55% covered by the employer and 22% by the Government.

• The new Job Support Scheme is

open to all small and medium-sized

businesses, as well as larger firms who must demonstrate they have been

adversely affected. Even small firms that did not need to use the original

furlough scheme can potentially utilise the Job Support Scheme.

• Employers also able to claim the Job Retention Bonus simultaneously

FI NA NCE • The Job Support Scheme is designed to work in tandem with the Jobs

Retention Bonus. The Job Retention Bonus was announced in July

confirming that the government will pay a one-off payment of £1,000 to UK employers for every furloughed

employee who remains continuously employed through to the end of

January 2021. Employers will need to have maintained enrolment for

PAYE online, a UK bank account and ensured that the eligibility criteria have been met.

•B usinesses will not be able to issue

redundancy notices to employees on the Job Support Scheme.

Self-employment income support scheme extension

• Self-employed individuals have also been given additional reassurances

of Government aid between now and 30th April 2021. The Self-Employed

Income Support Scheme (SEISS) will now provide 20% of an individual’s average monthly trading profits in the form of a cash grant. This is

significantly lower than the first and second SEISS grants of 80% and 70% respectively.

•T he third grant will cover November through to January, spanning three

months of average monthly trading profits in one instalment – up to a maximum of £1,875 in total.

• An additional fourth grant, which may be adjusted to respond to changing circumstances, will be available for self-employed individuals to cover

the period from February 2021 to the end of April.

Deferrals and tax cuts

An array of deferrals and tax cuts were also announced to help businesses with cashflow.

Tourism and hospitality sector

•T here is to be an extension to the

temporary 15% VAT cut for the tourism

and hospitality sectors to the end of March next year.

Deferral of VAT payments

•A ll businesses who deferred their VAT bills between March and

the BBLS the option to repay their

loan over a period of up to ten years instead of six. This will reduce their

average monthly repayments on the loan by almost 50%.

• UK businesses will also have the

June this year can utilise the New

option to move temporarily to

the option to spread the VAT liability.

of up to six months (an option which

to take advantage of the scheme,

pause their repayments entirely for

process in early 2021.

use once and only after having made

Payment Scheme, which gives them

interest-only payments for periods

Businesses will need to “opt-in”

they can use up to three times), or to

HMRC will launch the “opt-in”

up to six months (an option they can

• Rather than paying a lump sum in full at the end of March 2021, it

six payments).

• These changes will provide greater

will be possible to make 11 smaller

flexibility to repay these loans over

financial year.

better suits businesses’ individual

interest-free payments in the 2021-22

Deferral of self-assessment tax payments

• Self-assessment taxpayers will be

a longer period and in a way that circumstances.

CBILS loan extension

• The government intends to allow

able to benefit from an additional

CBILS lenders to extend the term

Enhanced Time to Pay arrangement.

additional flexibility for UK-based

July 2020, and those due in January

to repay their loans.

12-month extension from HMRC on an

of a loan up to ten years, providing

As a result payments on account for

SMEs who may otherwise be unable

2021, will now not need to be paid until January 2022.

We hope this information helps and

£30,000 the application for time to pay

continue to keep you updated on key

•W here the total tax due doesn’t exceed will be agreed automatically when the

taxpayer applies using an online form.

Changes to finance schemes

supports you and your business, and we’ll developments over the coming weeks.

Further reading

In addition please see enclosed link for

The government is extending the four

additional information and help:

helped over a million businesses to

1. h ttps://www.gov.uk/government/

temporary loan schemes, which have date, to 30 November 2020 for new

news/coronavirus-covid-19-

as the new deadline for approvals.

employers-and-businesses

applications and 31 December set This includes the Bounce Back

Loan Scheme (BBLS), Coronavirus

Business Interruption Loan Scheme

(CBILS), Coronavirus Large Business

Interruption Loan Scheme (CLBILS) and Future Fund.

guidance-for-employees-

2. h ttps://www.gov.uk/government/

news/chancellor-outlines-wintereconomy-plan

For further information or advice, get in touch with us at www.watsons.co.uk

Pay as you grow

• The government will give all

businesses that borrowed under

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 13

FI NAN C E

MHA Construction Sector Report

The term unprecedented may be overused, but the global response to COVID-19 has been unlike anything we have seen in recent times.

And the impact on the UK construction industry has been no different.

This summer, the

Finance

MHA Construction team interviewed 100 clients from

across the UK to

discover how they’re coping not only with COVID, but other key areas

including funding, recruitment and technology.

The Spring Budget in March 2020, delivered by newly appointed

Chancellor Rishi Sunak, was just the start of government support

for businesses. The strict national

lockdown followed shortly thereafter,

the effects of which we are still feeling

14 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

today and no doubt we will continue to

feel for some time to come. The recently delivered Winter Economy Plan offered

some further support, but whether it will be enough is yet to be seen.

Some construction companies are

reporting their busiest ever periods and yet many have seen huge threats to

their business models, their customers and their very existence. The results of the Report show a stark divide in

today’s construction sector, between those who were able to capitalise

on the opportunities presented and

those who struggled to finance their way through lockdown. Will the

Government’s ambitious infrastructure plans be enough?

Key highlights Strong start to the year

The industry entered 2020 with strong balance sheets, increased turnover

(8.3%) and low debt risk. The largest

businesses saw the greatest increase in revenue from the previous year.

COVID-19 divide

The industry is evenly split between

businesses with a substantial or critical impact due to COVID-19 (54%), and those with little to no impact (46%).

FI NA NCE

Build, build, build

The Government’s plans to ‘build,

build, build’ is encouraging for civil

infrastructure projects. More than half of

respondents said infrastructure spending should be the Government’s top priority for the sector.

Employment support

Furlough is the word of the year

for 2020, with more than 80% of construction businesses taking

advantage of the Coronavirus Job

Retention Scheme, and a further 70% of those retaining all staff.

The future looks green

Nearly two-thirds of respondents

are either planning or considering

implementing green technology in the next 12 months.

What happens next?

Nearly 4 out of 5 respondents said

the single biggest factor holding back growth was economic volatility. With

the wind down of Government support,

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 15

FI NAN C E

and Brexit on the horizon, uncertainty is holding the industry back.

COVID-19

The impact of COVID-19 upon the sector was particularly untimely. Only months

before, the government had announced notice of significant infrastructure

investments. The sector was primed for a sweet spot of both private and public

led contracts to assuage concerns over the potential impact of Brexit.

Respondents to our survey highlighted the split between business which have

fared well through COVID-19, and those which have suffered, with 44% citing

this as ‘minimal’ compared to 49% who see a ‘substantial’ impact.

The short term legacy of COVID-19 is

generating a background of reduced productivity, increased operating costs, intensified contractual

wrangling and deferred contract

payments, all undoubtedly causing greater risk in sector operations

and forcing management to be both diligent and agile in all areas.

16 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

A greater concern however may be

With nearly 60% of respondents

wider chasm of the unknown; namely

12 months and 60% of businesses not

terms and the going concern status of

COVID-19 levels for at least 6 months,

future planning in dealing with a

expecting no revenue growth within

orderbook deferral, future contract

expecting profitability to return to pre-

main contractors.

it’s no surprise that investment decisions

So, we come full circle to government

are being postponed.

promises. It appears critical they

In fact, the single biggest factor holding

confidence within the sector and

with 76% of respondents saying this was

sector’s COVID-19 recovery.

knock on-effect for the sector as other

Looking forward

uncertainty – labour supply, material and

are swiftly delivered, engendering

back growth was economic volatility,

across all regions, to ‘level up’ the

the largest factor. This has a massive

The COVID-19 pandemic has had

factors are tangentially affected by this

supply chain security, and of course the

a significant effect on all economic

financial security of funding lines.

world. With the construction sector

Find out more

economic cycle in general, the

Construction Sector Report. The Report

more insightful.

sector going into the COVID pandemic,

Less than a third of our respondents

current challenges, and anticipates the

significant capital investment in their

Visit www.carpenterbox.com/

with a further 20% unsure.

your copy.

activity in the UK and across the

being a traditional bellwether for the

To find out more, download the full MHA

results of our recent survey are all the

looks at the state of the construction

analyses how the sector is responding to

indicated that there would be any

way forward for the industry.

businesses within the next 12 months,

construction-report to download

SBT LEGAL

INCORPORATING A PROPERTY RENTAL BUSINESS

BY JONATHAN LEA, JONATHAN LEA NETWORK

BUYING PROPERTY THROUGH A LIMITED COMPANY

WATCH THE FULL SEMINAR WITH SO LEGAL

SBT LEGAL SPONSORED BY:

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 17

Incorporating a property rental business Over the last few

Legal

years there have been a litany of changes to the UK tax rules

around the taxation

of residential property ownership

for business purposes. Many of the

changes have been such that those

who previously operated “buy-to-let”

businesses in their personal capacity (as a sole trader or through a partnership) will have considered whether it is

more tax effective to incorporate their personally held businesses into a company structure.

This note looks at the headline tax issues relevant to incorporating a

personally held property rental business.

18 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

Why incorporate?

The restriction on the deductibility of interest for individual buy-to-let

landlords and the imposition of higher

rates of capital gains tax on disposal of residential property (28%) which only apply to direct individual ownership

(i.e. they do not apply to companies)

make the option of owning residential investment properties through a

company more attractive. For further discussion of this see our article.

The advantages of operating through a

• Income can be accumulated in

the company for distribution after

retirement to avoid higher rates of tax.

• If ownership is to be passed or shared between family members, share

capital offers greater flexibility than real property.

• The first £2,000 of dividend income for each recipient is taxable at 0%.

However, before you consider the tax

rules in any detail you should consider first whether you need to be able to

extract net profit from your property

company include:

rental business on a frequent basis.

•R elief is available for all interest paid.

rate of corporation tax is considerably

•C orporation tax is at 17% on income and gains.

You cannot forget that even though the lower, if you need to extract net profit

from the business, where that business

LEGA L

• Any private use of the property will give rise to a benefit-in-kind charge for the director/shareholder.

• All capital growth will occur within the

company, resulting in a double charge to tax on gains when the property is sold and the company dissolved.

• There is a higher compliance burden in terms of filing accounts and annual returns.

• There is no annual exemption on realised capital gains (whereas

individuals benefit from a £12,500 per tax year exempt amount for capital gains purposes)

• If the business comprises several

rental properties and one is sold, the

proceeds can only be extracted by way of income distribution.

• No relief will be available to the new company (following incorporation)

for any losses or unused tax credit

brought forward by the individual from earlier years.

Incorporating an existing directly held residential property business

If you are going to move from owning properties held in your personal

name(s) to holding those properties is operated through a company, you

will encounter a second tax point on extracting those business profits.

The expected way to remove profit from a company is to declare a dividend.

The current rate of tax on a dividend payment received by an individual is

32.5% for higher rate taxpayers. This

means that you can either pay a higher rate income tax bill of 40% to get the

profits from the business direct into your

hands, or you can pay corporation tax at 17% followed by dividend tax at 32.5%

(a total tax cost of 49.5%) to get into the same position.

It is for this reason that the first tax

planning consideration when deciding

how to structure a property rental

in a company then you will need to

the net profit immediately to cover my

a company is a separate legal person

in the company and grow the business?

in a partnership). There will be legal

we find that if a client needs to extract

they are will depend upon whether

costs, then they should be cautioned

mortgage to a lender.

business is often: do I need to extract

transfer the properties. This is because

living expenses or can I leave the profit

to you as an individual (or as individuals

Absent other practical considerations,

costs associated with this; how onerous

profit regularly to cover basic living

the property is subject to a charge or

against using a company structure.

There will also be tax implications,

However, if your property rental

triggered by the fact that as an individual

for investment into further property,

separate legal entity is acquiring it.

property rental business may be a

that there is potentially a capital gains

disadvantages being considered

the company may need to pay stamp

business is focused on preserving profit

you are disposing of property and a

then on first principles, an incorporated

The presence of the disposal means

good option, subject to the following

tax point for you as an individual, and

alongside the advantages listed above:

duty land tax on its acquisition of the

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 19

L EGAL

property. It is irrelevant that there may not have been any actual cash paid,

because there are some tax rules that can operate to deem market value to have been paid.

There is a collection of tax reliefs, referred to very generally as

incorporation reliefs, that can apply

to mitigate these tax costs. The main reliefs are discussed further below.

Capital gains tax on incorporation

The biggest hurdle when incorporating a property business is usually the

inherent capital gains tax liability on any gains that crystallise when a property is transferred. For tax purposes, the

transfer of a property by an individual to a company will be a disposal for capital gains tax purposes and will be deemed

to take place at market value. However, as long as the relevant criteria are met,

there is a relief available on incorporation that enables the gain to be deferred and rolled into the base cost of the shares issued in exchange for the property.

The added advantage is that the base

costs of the property is uplifted tax free to market value on transfer into the

company, thereby reducing any future

capital gains tax on a later disposal of the property by the company.

In order to qualify for the relief, the

properties rented out by the individual

(or by the individual in partnership with others) must constitute a business. An

individual owning a single rental property that undertakes little management

activity is not sufficient to qualify as a business for these purposes (and

so the relief would not be available).

Ideally there should be at least three

properties being regularly rented out that are actively managed, in circumstances where the landlord carries out a

significant number of activities and

generally spends at least 20 hours a week running them.

20 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

If the activity is sufficient to qualify as

a business, incorporation relief permits

the capital gain to be deferred until such time as the shares in the company are sold or the company is wound up. In

order to utilise this relief certain criteria need to be met, namely that all of

the assets of the business, excluding cash, must be transferred and the

consideration paid is by way of the issue of shares in the new company.

SDLT

Unless the business being

incorporated is a partnership, SDLT will be payable by the company on

the market value of the property that is transferred to it on incorporation,

using the market value at the date of

transfer. The SDLT scale charges will

include the supplemental 3% charge.

For SDLT purposes, the transfer of a

property to a company will be deemed

to take place at market value and a tax

charge will arise on that value regardless of whether any actual consideration is

received. This can represent a significant cost, particularly where a number of

properties are transferred. Nevertheless, this cost may be acceptable when

compared with the overall tax savings the corporate vehicle may achieve.

Where the properties are held in a partnership it may be possible to

transfer them without giving rise to

an SDLT charge at all. If the existing

business is a partnership (as evidenced by a partnership agreement and

the submission of partnership tax

returns to HMRC) and all partners

receive shares in the new company in

identical proportions to that which their

partnership share entitled them to, then relief from SDLT should be available.

However, co-owners who seek to

establish a partnership with the intention of claiming relief on subsequent

incorporation may face a challenge from HMRC. There are strict anti-avoidance

provisions to deal with any abuse and

so it is not possible to notionally create a partnership prior to incorporation to avoid the SDLT charge.

It should also be noted that it is not possible to withdraw capital from a

partnership within three years of land

or property being added to it, otherwise there is a clawback of any SDLT relief that was claimed on incorporation.

In the event that the SDLT

“incorporation” relief cannot be claimed, it is still possible that if at least two

dwellings (excluding any with a value of £500,000 or more) are transferred in a

single transaction or linked transactions, the company may elect for multiple dwellings relief, which will entitle it

to calculate the SDLT charge on the

average consideration of each property.

If six or more dwellings are transferred in a single transaction, the non-residential rates of SDLT may apply. However, the non-residential rates of SDLT will not

apply to any of those dwellings that are worth more than £500,000.

The summary above is only a brief

canter through the multitude of issues that need to be carefully considered

when deciding whether to incorporate a directly held property rental

business. Before undertaking any

sort of incorporation it is important to ensure that you have full visibility of

all the tax triggers and issues. Equally so, it is important to understand the non-tax issues, such as those with

bank financing and additional ongoing administrative costs and regulations that accompany running a business

through a separate legal entity. These

are all issues which we can advise you further on.

Buying property through a limited company The process for purchasing property through a corporate vehicle is far more complicated compared to a standard conveyancing transaction, and SO Legal has extensive experience assisting clients in this area.

Buying Property through a Corporate Vehicle Watch on

Click here to watch full seminar It used to be the

Legal

case that only a

small percentage of

investors would buy property through

a limited company – but in the last

few years, the buy-to-let market has transformed.

Depending on your circumstances, it can be more tax-efficient to buy

additional property investments using a limited company. As with any major

investment decision, you should seek

advice from an experienced independent

requirements. Getting in touch with us

to analyse your situation and offer

call for an initial discussion or complete

financial adviser (IFA) who will be able

could not be easier. Simply give us a

specialist guidance.

the enquiry form.

If you are considering buying property

SO Legal Limited:

investments through a limited

company, you may be interested in viewing our online seminar, which

explores some of the legal pros and cons of this approach.

Our team is always on hand to

guide you through all of the legal

Eastbourne 01323 407555 Brighton & Hove 01273 069920 Uckfield 01825 729840 Hastings 01424 709050 Notting Hill 0203 967 7700 www.solegal.co.uk

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 21

Contract issues?

Call us to discuss your options 0800 84 94 101

www.mayowynnebaxter.co.uk 22 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

SBT PROPERTY

INTERVIEW WITH EIGHTFOLD PROPERTY

WE MEET THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE SCENES

CHANGING SPACES FOR A CHANGING WORLD

SBT CATCH UP WITH RICHARD ZINZAN, ARCHANGELS ARCHITECTS

MORTGAGE MEDICS: SEPTEMBER 2020

BY SAM MURPHY - MANAGING DIRECTOR MORTGAGE MEDICS

SBT PROPERTY SPONSORED BY:

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 23

Interview with Eightfold Property Property

1. Tell us about

We’re now able to offer a full range

Property?

residential lettings and will be looking

Eightfold

Eightfold Property is a new face

in the Sussex property market, but

of commercial property services and

to further expand on our offering in the not too distant future.

not really. It’s a combination of the

2. What makes you different from

of Brighton Accommodation Agency,

From the very beginning, our intention

knowledgeable and experienced Max

Company Director, Dan Lyons,

Property. The problem we had early

background, so from the point he

our business was going to deliver,

Agency he wanted to move away

didn’t really describe what we did any

traditional estate agents and grow

as well for this new chapter. We’ve

With Eightfold Property, this was one

and revamped our online offering

We wanted to be a more relaxed,

solving problems, rather than pushing unnecessary formalities. It’s our

expertise that underpins our ability, not our shiny suits!

We have also been very keen to

keep ahead of the times with our

experienced residential lettings team

other estate agents?

with the addition of the incredibly

was not to be like other estate agents.

Pollock as Director of Commercial

came into property from a musical

on was that when we looked at what

purchased Brighton Accommodation

“Brighton Accommodation Agency”

from the stiff formal nature of your

3. What effect as Covid-19 had on

more, so we decided to fully rebrand

a business that really felt different.

Strangely enough, outside the obvious

also moved into new, larger premises

of our key flagstones from inception.

as part of this new development.

friendly sort of agent, that focused on

24 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

online offering, forging the way

with informative social media and

being sure that alongside our more traditional elements of phone and

in person, that we are really at the cutting edge of digital and online property offerings.

the business?

points that have been difficult for

businesses - and ours has been no

different there - lockdown came at an interesting time for us. We had just

P RO PE RTY taken possession of our new office at the end of February and managed to

just have our new flooring laid before the country went into lockdown.

What this meant for us was that as

things started to ease, we were able to adapt from homeworking to be able to

get our desks, phones and PCs installed

for properties with gardens. We’re

shops). But the other side of this will

where they live, as they’ve been

With people worrying about the risk of

it really shows. Great properties are

term future of shared office space will

seeing people think a lot more about

depend on the fallout from Covid-19.

spending a lot more time there and

exposure, it looks to be that the long

just flying out! There is however, a bit

depend on the ongoing rate of infection.

around the uncertainty that still exists,

We think that the likely outcome is going

of pressure on the student market,

but overall things are looking bright.

to be a strange combination of these

to a full team in the office quite quickly.

5. How is the property market at

flexible working, these types of offices

The pandemic overall has made us

commercial?

and set up in the new office and go back

look closely at the way we do things and make adaptations, as with any business that has reopened and I think a lot of the changes will be

here to stay. We have also noticed

the real strength in our team to be so productive throughout all of this and

we think flexible home working will be here to stay!

4. What effect has covid-19 had on the property market?

That is actually a more interesting

question as time goes on. Initially,

there was a lot of fear around rents

being unpaid across the board and the

bottom really falling out of the property market. Of course, a lot of people

are struggling at the moment, but we

have really seen that with co-operation between landlords and tenants, a lot of this can be eased and people are

getting back on track as best they can.

the moment in both residential and

opposing views. It is likely that with more will really start to take off. However,

a lot will need additional thought that

Both markets are generally buoyant.

they may not have before to ensure the

but we think there are some very

possible. Usage may go up and down

We are seeing a shift in priorities,

risks to those using them are as low as

interesting things on the horizon for

with the rate of infection in the area.

As far as residential properties go, we

7. What does the future hold for

only be a good thing for tenants.

Next for us is further expansion. We

There are certainly opportunities

the launch/relaunch has gone, with

so high, so we think it’s an exciting

really hitting the ground running and

forward, a lot will depend on how the

never been busier. Our next step is

Covid-19 and Brexit, but we think it’s

sales department to really round off our

this city in the commercial department. think quality is on the rise, which can

Eightfold Property?

are extremely happy with the way

out there for investors, with interest

our commercial property department

time for the property market. Going

our residential lettings department has

economy fares in general, between

likely going to be adding a residential

a good time for property.

agency offering. With this, we feel the

And it’s not just in Brighton and

really well off each other with several

three areas of the business will work

Hove we’re seeing this, reports are

areas of synergy between them.

across the country at the moment. We

Past that, who knows? The sky really is

companies away from their traditional

together to be able to assist in all areas

working and regional hubs, which may

looking to look to expand geographically,

suggesting that things are interesting

are seeing a push from some London

the limit. Our intention is to bring experts

large office model and towards home

of people’s property journeys. We may be

continue to push the property market.

to take in more of our local area.

activity in the market. It seems that with

6. Do you feel there will be an

If you need an agent to deal with your

a lot of people are spotting gaps in the

more flexible working?

letting to call us on 01273 672 999.

In the commercial market, things have really started taking off. We have seen

huge change across the country in the

economy and that change has sparked the difficulties in the overall economy,

market, or wanting to become their own boss off the back of a redundancy and we’re seeing a lot of interest in people starting up new businesses.

On the residential side of things,

demand has shot right up, particularly

increase in shared office space due to There seem to be two opposing schools

commercial property or residential www.eightfold.agency

of thought here. One the one hand,

yes. There looks to be a move towards shared spaces for those that are

flexibly working from home, but don’t necessarily want to spend all of that

time at home (and avoid sitting in coffee

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 25

Changing spaces for a changing world

The world has changed. Fast… And in ways that we could not have imagined.

This month SBT catch up with Richard Zinzan, archangels ARCHITECTS This year has

Property

given most of us the opportunity - welcome or

not - to reflect on

the way we live and work. The two worlds collided for many when the

UK first went into lockdown in March.

What seemed initially like a temporary measure, with many working from

the kitchen table whilst juggling the demands of home schooling, now

seems to be much more of a way of life.

We have adapted, now it is time for our homes to catch up too.

2020 has brought buoyancy to the

property market. The big pause has

26 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

given people a chance to reflect on

what is important, and for many that

means making moves from bigger cities into more open spaces with access to

the great outdoors and space to work.

Of course, this isn’t something that’s

available, or even appealing to all of us.

Sussex, and in particular, Brighton and

Hove has always had more than its fair

share of homeworkers and freelancers, it is no surprise that in 2020 we have been asked more than ever to help people adapt to their homes to the

changing world. In June of this year, it

was reported by the Guardian that 49% of workers nationally had worked from

home. In 2019 it was just over 5%, the increase is staggering.

This year has brought its own

challenges for us too. There were many weeks when building work

stopped completely. Fortunately, it

started again in early May but there

are ways that we have had to adapt

the way we work with our clients. It

would have been unheard of before for me to carry out consultations solely

using Zoom, Google Maps and estate

agents’ floorplans. Although I do miss getting out and about and human

connection as much as anyone else, this is surprisingly effective but also more acceptable.

Our job as architects is to find

solutions a client might not have been

P RO PE RTY

able to envisage. For example, we

had a client who contacted us for a

substantial extension to her existing

house. She needed space to work from home as well as somewhere for guests and in particular, a disabled friend to

come and stay. Although an extension could have been one solution,

reconfiguring the existing space was just as effective.

We recommended flexible spaces

that could be multi-functional. Clever

furnishing and joinery can make rooms

easily adaptable to working from home and the ever-increasing move we are

seeing to intergenerational living. Another recent Guardian report stated that 46%

of 20-34 year olds still live with parents. I can only imagine this increasing with the economic impact of COVID-19.

archangels ARCHITECTS was founded in 2009 and I have been the sole Director for 3 years now. We are

passionately committed to providing cost effective, creative, low energy

buildings. We work closely with clients to enhance their space and craft

beautiful buildings that are in harmony with the environment. Our aim has

always been to understand the client’s dreams and to meet their individual

requirements throughout the natural

and disappears at the touch of a button!

produce people’s own grand design.

One thing is sure; the links between

world doesn’t have to be costly or

and our mental health, family life and

can do to better integrate your work

it’s impossible to know what the future

building process, so together we can Adapting your home to your evolving

having a safe and versatile living space

invasive. Here are three things that you

productivity are clearer than ever. While

and family life into the space you have:

holds, I feel that the greatest lesson I

•A dditional space isn’t always needed

we think in terms of our priorities - the

– taking away space and repurposing

can also enhance your home – as well as a good tidy up and clear out!

•A dding in a shower room to the

have learned in 2020 so far is that if

things that really matter to us, and work from there, we can’t go too far wrong.

Our projects range from bespoke new-

ground floor makes a reception room

build homes, to extensions of existing

your house more accessible and

Our mission is to deliver cost-effective,

guests (the outlaws!)

improve everyday living.

have one or look at creating one if at

Ready to talk about an idea? Get in

our mental health and having access

dream home.

easy to turn into a bedroom, making

homes, to modest internal alterations.

flexible particularly for those older

creative, low-energy buildings that

•N ever neglect the outside space if you all possible. Wellbeing is important for

touch. Together, we will create your

to some outside space when working

www.aaarchitects.co.uk

from home can be vital.

In my own home I have done away with

info@aaarchitects.co.uk 01273 267 184

naming rooms and I think that this is

something we all consider. I have a room that easily flows between office, spare

room and home gym with clever joinery

and a little bit of technology – it feels very James Bond to have a bed that appears

SUPPORTING SUSSEX NIGHTSOP’S FIGHT AGAINST HOMELESSNESS

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 27

Mortgage Medics: September 2020

As we slide in to Q4 of what must be the strangest year most of us have lived through, unexpectedly I find myself writing about an exceptionally busy, albeit challenging, property and mortgage market.

By Sam Murphy - Managing Director Mortgage Medics Like many

Property

businesses, during lockdown we

saw both enquiry levels and our

ability to transact new business reduce

dramatically, but since Chancellor Rishi

Sunak announced a stamp duty holiday on 8th July we’ve seen enquiry levels soar. Even before this, as lockdown

restrictions eased, we started to receive

calls and emails from renters and existing homeowners alike keen to change their living arrangements. Being cooped up

during lockdown without outside space

was probably the most obvious negative for those affected, but living with or

28 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

indeed without certain other people has also been a driver for change.

As a result, over the last few months

we’ve been helping more people than

ever explore their options to get on the ladder or move home, and whilst the

mortgage market is still very active, there are some extra considerations to keep

in mind. Read on and I’ll summarise the

main themes of the current market – and what’s causing them.

Stamp Duty Holiday

As mentioned above, Rishi Sunak

announced a stamp duty holiday on

8th July, which is set to run until 31st

March 2021. Under the terms of the scheme, the standard rate of stamp duty is waived on the first £500,000

of transactions. For first time buyers

and most home movers this means no stamp duty at all, with the chancellor claiming during the announcement:

“Nearly 9 out of 10 buying a main home this year will pay no stamp duty at all.”

The maximum saving is £15,000,

applicable to properties changing

hands for £500,000 and over, and

the saving is available to all types of buyers. Investors buying to let and existing homeowners looking for a

second home or holiday home can also

P RO PE RTY

to properties for valuations. As

parts of the market. In many cases

greater utilisation of non-physical

underlying cost mortgage funds to

restrictions eased and lenders made

lenders are doing both, despite the

valuation methods, we’ve gradually

lenders being cheaper than ever.

with the majority of lenders now

Challenges, delays and extra scrutiny

We now seem to have levelled

Understandably, many self-employed

mortgages are only released in very

a real hit over the past 6 months. For

willing to support this part of the

whilst for others they’ve returned to

on offer are creeping up, making it

feel confident about the future. The

seen LTVs improve across the board, offering 85% mortgages again.

for the self-employed

at a situation where regular 90%

and business owners will have taken

small quantities by the few lenders

many the future remains uncertain,

market, and on each release the rates

some degree of normality and can

less affordable for buyers.

challenge for lenders is that they have

Despite this, it may surprise you to

lend responsibly, and with company

save up to £15,000, but they’ll still pay

borrow 100% in certain circumstances.

completed annually, it’s difficult to get

of the purchase price.

is willing to put up their own savings

Downsides? Well there were fears

of time, then it may be possible to

for financial information covering the

sellers and estate agents to increase

Government Help to Buy scheme

support a level of income somewhere

recovered and stayed strong in recent

eligible new build properties, with the

be hard to come by. This in turn is

in a busy market, and so whilst the

open market value.

lenders taking weeks to arrive at a

pushing prices up, it’s increasing buyer

The cause of this scarcity is two-fold.

smaller deposits. Speaking of which…

medium-long term implications of the

remortgaging

Scarcity of low-deposit mortgages

drop. If this happens and they’ve been

above there are also opportunities

faced in the last few months is the

homeowners could end up in negative

the market and sellers in all sorts of

available to buyer with deposits of less

borrowers and lenders.

and projects should be amongst the

first time buyers disproportionately.

Secondly, lenders are having to

to borrow 95% LTV (loan-to-value)

with a reduced workforce due to social

our clients and be more on the ball,

competitive terms.

it takes longer to process applications

independent advice from a whole of

As lockdown struck many lenders

short-term solutions to reduce the

us, we’d love to hear from you; just

overnight, primarily because it was

and protect service standard; put their

Sam Murphy

an obligation to assess affordability and

read that it’s actually still possible to

accounts and tax returns only being

If a parent or other suitable supporter

an accurate picture.

or property as security for a period

As such most lenders are now asking

that the potential savings might entice

buy without any deposit at all. The

last few months and if this doesn’t

asking prices. It’s true that prices have

is also still very much active on

near pre-Covid levels, lending can

months, however this is to be expected

minimum deposit still just 5% of the

causing significant delays with some

the additional rate of stamp duty of 3%

potential stamp duty saving may be

lending decision.

Firstly, lenders are nervous that the

If you’re thinking of moving or

coronavirus crisis could see house prices

Whilst there are challenges as outlined

The greatest challenge we’ve

lending carefree at high LTVs then many

with a lot of housing stock coming to

disappearance of mortgage products

equity, with negative implications for both

different situations, meaning bargains

mobility, especially for those with

than 15% - a problem which affects

new listings on Rightmove.

Prior to lockdown it was possible

undertake increased levels of scrutiny

We’ve never had to work harder for

with a healthy number of lenders, on

distancing requirements. This means

so it’s more crucial than ever to take

and lenders only really have two

market broker. If you’d like that to be

restricted lending to 75% LTV

number of applications they receive

pay us a visit at

impossible to send surveyors out

prices up or withdraw from certain

www.mortgage-medics.com.

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 29

PRO PE RT Y

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30 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk Registered company number: 9998436

SBT SALES & MARKETING

Q&A WITH CREATIVE POD

SBT CHAT WITH MARKETING ASSISTANT, BECCA

HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR NETWORKING

BY LARA SQUIRES, CONSORTIUM - MORE THAN MARKETING.

SBT SALES & MARKETING SPONSORED BY:

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 31

PEOPL E MAN AGE M E NT & R EC R U ITM E N T

Q&A with Creative Pod Sales & Marketing

So, Becca, you’ve

would be able to come to my garden

Did you know during your internship

employed by

person. Up until this point I had been

Definitely, I remember saying to my

recently been

Creative Pod as a

Marketing Assistant.

Tell us how this came about?

and say thank you for my work in

working from home as I am classed

as medically vulnerable so have been

isolating, but I meet friends and family

that you’d like to work at Creative Pod? family after the first day of my internship how truly welcoming and friendly the

whole team were. Over the couple of

I contacted CEO, Matt Turner, in

outside, so I was more than happy to

see if he was able to offer me a

early the next week, thanking me for

that, despite the difficult situation

very touched. After some general chit-

What made you approach Creative

pandemic, he offered me a two-week

consider working at Creative Pod on a

Well, that’s a rather long story, and actually

great time working with the company

a bit confused and said something

extra week, which I was very happy

good’, at which point Matt laughed

the internship, Sarah Lyons, Head of

job!’ I very happily accepted, and we

June after I finished university to

see them. When they came around

summer internship. I was fortunate

my help with flowers in hand, I was

many businesses were in due to the

chat Matt and Sarah asked if I would

placement at Creative Pod. I had a and was asked if I could stay an

to do. A few days before I finished

Marketing, asked if herself and Matt

32 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

more permanent basis. I think I looked along the lines of ‘that would be

and said ‘Becca, we’re offering you a went from there.

weeks, I found the work to be very

diverse, which is something I really enjoyed as everyday was different.

Pod for work experience?

starts in 2015. Matt and I met through

Chestnut Tree House, as he is a patron

for the hospice and I’m a long-standing user of the service. At 16 years old I

spoke about my experiences of Chestnut at an event in Ardingly, and unbeknown

to me, Matt was in the audience. A year

SAL ES & MARKE TI NG

Becca

to launch my career; getting a job

becomes increasingly difficult each year for graduates, and Covid-19 made this

ten times worse. I applied for many jobs before my internship with Creative Pod, but when there’s an average of 400

people applying for the same position,

the odds aren’t in your favour. This was

definitely a blessing in disguise though, as so many companies weren’t hiring

given the economic climate, my options were few and far between, and I was

applying for a lot of jobs that I couldn’t really see myself enjoying just out of necessity. So, I am beyond grateful later, at the annual Snowman’s Christmas Ball, I was the Keynote Speaker and was introduced to Matt this time round as I wanted to get into the Journalism and

Marketing industry. I had just completed my first semester at university, and Matt

told me to get in touch once I had finished my degree and he would see if he could help me out with some experience at

Creative Pod. Fast forward three years, and true to his word, Matt offered me a summer internship when I approached him as a newly qualified graduate.

How did Coronavirus affect you finishing your degree?

I had to come home at the end of March with a month’s left of lectures still ahead of us. I studied English Literature and Creative Writing at the University of

Winchester, and luckily the majority of my assignments were coursework, so could

be completed from home, and essential lecturers were carried out via zoom.

The hardest part was having to adapt to

to have been given the opportunity to

work with wonderful colleagues, doing something that I love.

working in a busy family home, but I got

Has it been strange starting a new job

proud of myself when I graduated in June

It definitely has been strange; you

used to it pretty quickly. I was beyond

with First Class Honours. Unfortunately, our graduation has been postponed till May 2021, but I’m very much looking

forward to celebrating with friends when the time is right.

What were your plans for after university?

I had many personal plans for this summer, including travelling, but

obviously these weren’t meant to be.

In terms of my career aspirations,

my time at university confirmed my

ambition to delve into the Marketing and Journalism industry. However, I

was very worried about opportunities

during a pandemic?

kind of get used to the multiple zoom calls a day and working from your

living room, and then you remember that you’ve actually never met your

colleagues in person. I’ve developed

a good routine now, and I’m extremely lucky to have a boss who is very

understanding about my need to work from home whilst it is still necessary for me to shield. I can’t thank Matt

enough for giving me this opportunity, and I hope that I’ll be able to get

together with the team very soon.

Find out more about Creative Pod at www.creativepod.uk.com

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 33

SA L E S & MARK E T I N G

How to get the most out of your networking It’s great to get some top tips and advice from County Business Clubs latest VAP, Lara Squires, Consortium - More Than Marketing.

Sales & Marketing

I love this topic, I speak

4. Work out at what time

probably 3-4 times a

productive

on how to network, year, if not more.

Even the most seasoned networker

can get something out of taking time

to reflect on what they are doing and why! I even learn in my sessions

from the suggestions and interactions with others.

Here are my top 8 tips on how to get the most out of your networking:

1. Remember that networking is not selling.

You are building relationships…This can take on average 12-18 months,

depending on how much effort you put

into it. The more you put into it, the more you will get out of it!

2. Consider if you actually like networking

If not, that’s ok, maybe it isn’t the tool

for you. There are loads of other ways to contribute to the marketing and

business development efforts of your

business, such as writing blogs, getting active on social media, etc.

3. Know who you want to meet

Have a plan of who you want to meet and then find out what events these people go to. Don’t be put off by

thinking there is ‘no one interesting here for me’. You never know who people know…

34 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

of the day you are most I am a morning person

and there is no point in me

trying to be otherwise. You might on occasion see me at evening events – so if

you do, be kind as it is not me at my best!

5. Consider how much

time you can commit to networking

There is no point carving

Lara Squires

out an hour or two to

attend an event if you are

rushing there and leaving early, or if you have no time to prepare or follow up…

6. Prepare before the event

This is key! Have a look at who else is attending, plan where you are going and connect with the attendees on

LinkedIn ahead of the event. Do you

have a pitch? It’s good to prepare a 60 second elevator pitch to spark interest in what you do.

7. At the event

If you don’t know anyone, ask the organiser for introductions to the

all events, virtual or in person, you

are there to network so be interested and interesting – I like to call this

channelling your inner hairdresser. It’s not all business; kids, family, holidays and travel are all up for conversation.

Remember you are building a

relationship – get to know people.

8. ….and Follow up

You have spent your time and money to attend a networking event. Why

would you not follow up? At the very least, connect on LinkedIn.

Contact Lara via the platform or:

people you have identified that you

Email: lara@consortiumbiz.co.uk

a range of people but be kind…Don’t

www.consortiumbiz.co.uk

want to meet. Work the room to meet just abandon others. If you’d like some tricks on how to move on to another

person, just give me a call. Remember,

Call: 01903 530787

SBT CHARITY

REMEMBER ROCKINGHORSE

CHARITY URGES SUPPORTERS; DON’T FORGET TO REMEMBER ROCKINGHORSE

ROCKINGHORSE GOLF DAY

RAISES OVER £7K FOR ROCKINGHORSE CHILDRENS CHARITY

CHOSEN CHARITY PARTNER:

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 35

C HA RI T Y

Charity urges supporters; Don’t forget to Remember Rockinghorse

Rockinghorse Children’s Charity is urging their supporters, old and new, to ‘Remember Rockinghorse’ in their new campaign.

Since March

Charity

Rockinghorse, the

official fundraising arm of the Royal

Alexandra Children’s

Hospital in Brighton, have seen

fundraisers supporting the charity whilst in lockdown across Sussex.

However, just when it felt like there

was some light at the end of the tunnel in terms of being able to organise a

program of fundraising events throughout the county, the new ‘Rule of 6’ has seen the cancellation or re-postponement of the vast majority of events planned for the last few months of 2020.

Due to these postponements

36 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

Rockinghorse are now finding it

increasingly challenging to organize any of their usual money-raising activities which would normally account for a

large proportion of their annual budget.

The ‘Remember Rockinghorse’

campaign aims to remind people to

continue to support the charity, so they

are able to carry on the invaluable work they do for thousands of babies and children across the county. Without

ongoing support, the charity will find it

increasingly difficult to provide the life-

saving equipment and services they are best known for.

Equipment such as paediatric ventilators that helped Theo Gartside survive.

Three-year-old Theo, from Worthing, was born in 2016 but at only 18 months old developed cold-like

symptoms and a high temperature that wouldn’t drop. His mum May explains

more: “Like many young children, Theo developed coughs and sneezes, but

this was different. He became so hot

that he wasn’t breathing properly, and we had to call an ambulance. They

rushed him into the HDU and put him onto one of the ventilators as he was

so congested that he couldn’t breathe on his own.

“That machine was the only thing

that could keep his lungs open and breathing properly as he just didn’t have the strength in his muscles to

CHA RITY

breathe for himself. Without it he would have had to be airlifted to London

or Southampton and might not have pulled through.”

It turned out that Theo was battling three separate infections, all quite

common on their own but difficult to

fight off all together, especially when

you’re so young. After three days on the ventilator and a course of antibiotics, Theo gradually came round, to the

great relief of May and Mike: “There is absolutely no doubt in our minds that

Rockinghorse saves lives. If they hadn’t donated that ventilator, Theo might not still be here with us. You never know when you might be in a position to

need this kind of help and the support that Rockinghorse provides certainly doesn’t go unnoticed.”

So, the charity is urgently asking their supporters to ‘Remember

Rockinghorse’ and help in any way they can. This could be anything

from holding a garage sale, setting up a Facebook fundraiser in place of a birthday party, or taking on a

challenge like stopping drinking or smoking for a month.

If you want to fundraise at your

“We aren’t a big charity; we don’t

rest by having a sponsored silence?

weren’t one of the charities to benefit

Rockinghorse’ day or a sponsored

funding package. Our calendar of

many books your class can read over

moment we have no idea when this

school, why not give your teacher a

get any government support and we

Or you could arrange a ‘Wear Red for

from the recent £750m Government

‘Read for Rockinghorse’ to see how

events has vanished and at the

a set time.

will resume so we are asking the local

And for business owners, there are

of us at this challenging time.

a fitness instructor you could hold an

“Whatever you can do, however small,

Rockinghorse, your company could

We want to continue to help more

Rockinghorse could provide you with a

find themselves in need of life-saving

shop or office.

that’s what we will continue to do with

lots of ways to offer support. If you’re

community throughout Sussex to think

online class with the profits coming to

every single penny makes a difference.

set up their own Just Giving page or

families like Theo’s who may suddenly

branded collection tin to leave in your

support. That’s what we do best. And

Rockinghorse CEO, Ryan Heal, is keen

to encourage people to think about what

your help.”

So, if you have a brilliant idea to

they can do to help:

raise some funds, just ‘Remember

“We are always amazed at the ways

about the campaign and other ways

creativity is boundless! But we also

website at: www.rockinghorse.org.uk

situation that most of us have never and

they can support your ideas, call: 01273

is challenging but it’s exactly at times like

enquiries@rockinghorse.org.uk

Rockinghorse’! You can find out more

people find to raise money for us; their

to raise money on the Rockinghorse

recognize that we are all currently in a

or to speak to the charity about how

will never experience again. Life certainly

330044 or email them at:

this that we need people to remember us.

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 37

C HA RI T Y

Rockinghorse golf day raises over £7k

The Rockinghorse golf day proved a great Charity success with golf lovers from around Sussex helping to raise £7,000 for the children’s charity.

76 keen golfers, making up 19 teams, attended the successful event at the Mid Sussex Golf Club in Ditchling, one of the first events that the charity has been able to hold since March due to the coronavirus restrictions.

Set in the stunning surroundings of the South Downs, the Mid Sussex Golf Club proved to be a wonderful venue for the teams to enjoy 18 holes of golf followed by a delicious lunch, raffle and prizes handed out to the longest drive, nearest the pin, nearest the line, winning player and winning team.

The event was generously supported by sponsors FRP along with co-sponsors County Business Clubs, Face Media Group and prize sponsors Black Dog Hill Vineyard.

Chris from FRP really enjoyed the chance to get out and play golf with friends whilst supporting Rockinghorse: “We were delighted to once again

38 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

sponsor the annual Rockinghorse golf day. It is a pleasure to support such a worthy charity. The day was once again expertly planned and fully booked. All of the participants thoroughly enjoyed the day. We will continue to support this event moving forwards.”

Keith Murray from the winning team, who took part with a team of his colleagues from the vehicle concierge service Ryan Canter Club, really enjoyed the event: “A very enjoyable day on a lovely course, well organised as ever by the Rockinghorse team. We are proud to be have been associated with the charity for many years and looking forward to supporting their great work for many years to come.”

Stella Buckingham, Events Fundraising Manager at Rockinghorse, thanked all the players, sponsors and the Mid Sussex Golf Club for hosting the event and added: “We haven’t been able to hold any events for so long and it’s wonderful to see everyone out enjoying themselves - this will make such a difference to our fundraising.

“Unfortunately, due to the new social distancing guidelines we aren’t able to hold any large events for a while but we

hope to run other outdoor and virtual events and we are keeping our fingers crossed that we can resume our full events calendar early next year.”

Most of us will never have experienced anything like the last six months, and we have all seen the massive impact the pandemic has had on every part of our society but Ryan Heal, Rockinghorse CEO, is positive about how the charity has responded: “It’s been a real challenge for many charities since March and we’re no exception. But as a team we have worked incredibly hard to maintain links with our supporters and develop innovative fundraising ideas.

“And whilst of course we are disappointed not to be able to hold our other planned events over the next few months due to the new restrictions, we won’t let this dampen our resolves to keep working hard, raising funds and supporting children throughout Sussex.”

For more ideas about how to support Rockinghorse, take a look at their website at www.rockinghorse.org.uk where you can find a range of virtual events that you can get involved with to help raise much needed funds for the charity.

SBT

CHA RITY

COVER FEATURE

PRG MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS 40TH ANNIVERSARY WE HEAR FROM THE DIRECTORS BEHIND PRG

SBT COVER FEATURE SPONSORED BY:

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 39

C HA RI T Y

PRG Marketing Communications 40th Anniversary Cover Feature

1. Tell us about

dining room, followed by the garage

Communications –

to an office in town beckoned and

PRG Marketing

how did it start?

PRG was started in

as the team grew. Eventually, a move so did the transition to becoming full

marketing services as PRG’s graphic

and outbound communications are

delivered to the same high standards.

The business has always worked with clients across the length and breadth

1980 by my father, Ray Groves. He

design studio was born.

commuting every day back when

Over the years, the business has

cars, but no phones, iPads or laptops.

needs of our clients and the market.

he started quietly building a small

website development and then digital

gas industry. Eventually, he decided

formed the starting point for any

Publicity, with my mother getting

have, for many years now, operated

2. 40 Years in business is an

we believe this is one of our strongest

take over at the helm? Was it always

was working in London as a journalist, the trains had slam doors and buffet

grown and evolved to meet the

Writing press releases on his notepad,

It was a natural step to move into

client base through his contacts in the

marketing, as increasingly the website

to take the plunge and start up PRG

conversation around marketing. We

involved and running the finances.

as a complete full-service agency and

PRG started life purely as a PR

USPs. Clients can come to us and

the spare bedroom of our home in

of their marketing, using our in-house

agency, with Ray working from

know that we will handle all aspects

Eastbourne. Over time, it took over the

team, ensuring that all of their inward

40 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

of the country, as well as in a variety

of countries across Europe and even

some clients in Oman and Africa. My memory as a child is of Ray having

to jump in his car and head off to see

clients up in Manchester one day, then heading down to the West Country a day or two later. I’m hugely thankful for email and Zoom, that’s for sure!

incredible accolade, when did you the plan for you to take over the family business?

I actually joined PRG in 2000 when I

got back from completing my business

COVER FE ATU RE degree at University. I came back

strapped for cash and returned to

my part time job working in a record shop (remember those?) I’d enjoyed

the marketing aspects of my business degree the most, as well as the

modules on very early website design, so was thinking I’d like to perhaps

pursue this further. I was offered some

‘work experience’ at PRG, which I tried for a few months, found I enjoyed,

then never left! My first client was a

company that made character licenced phone covers, back in the days of the

Nokia 3110. They had the Harry Potter licence, which was hot property back then so I managed to secure them a load of national press exposure.

It had never been the plan to join the business, but I’d grown up around it

as you do when it is a family business.

I worked my way up through the

company, developing my skills and knowledge on all aspects of the

marketing mix. I began driving the website development and digital

marketing sides of the business, as they very quickly became essential parts of what we do.

I took over the business in 2013, just after we moved offices back into

the town centre of Eastbourne. It

was a bit of a whirlwind, due to Ray having to step away from work for

health reasons (he is fine now you’ll

be pleased to know). Since then, I’ve been focused on ensuring that we’ve

kept the values that PRG was built on, but developed our offering to keep pace with the needs of our clients.

3. What values and services have

you continued with and what have you changed?

I’ve tried hard to keep PRG moving forwards and keeping in touch with

what the market and our clients are looking for, whilst maintaining the

core PRG values. We have always

been about

‘family’, which is

hugely important to me. We’re a

second generation Eastbourne-based

family business, but we’re also one big

family. My wife, Jo, recently took over

running the finances of the business

and together we now work very closely on the

strategic direction of the business with the rest of

the management team. This is

something that’s

really important to

me and I truly love

sharing the ups and downs that running a business brings with her.

Over the years, PRG had a strong

track record in magazine publishing.

We produced several trade magazines for various parts of the gas industry, as well as a hugely popular arts

magazine for the Eastbourne arts

and theatre scene, Cultural Quarterly.

Unfortunately, this is something that I finally took the decision to retire a

few years ago, due to the difficulty in

generating advertising revenue as well as it being more Ray’s background than mine. Now I leave it to the professionals like you Sam!

For many years now, we’ve worked

with the LTA (Lawn Tennis Association) to handle the corporate hospitality promotion for the Nature Valley

International Tennis Tournament here in Eastbourne (sadly cancelled this

year like every other sporting event).

This started off as a small sideline for

us, but in the last five years we’ve

really grown it and worked with the

LTA to turn it into a far bigger offering across several hospitality suites.

4. What has been your biggest

business challenge over the years?

Over 40 years and indeed my 20 years in the business, we’ve faced our fair share of challenges. PRG has been

through several recessions, in times where we’ve seen clients both cut

their spend on marketing and others when they’ve known they need to

invest in marketing during a downturn.

I look back at 2018 as being the

biggest challenge I’ve faced since running the business. We faced a

‘perfect storm’ of challenges – some

difficult projects, a few poor decisions, a couple of larger clients dropping off through no fault of our own but that were tough to replace and toughest

of all was when we lost a member of

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 41

C OVE R F E AT URE the PRG family to cancer. Martyn was a wonderful chap and anyone who

knows us will be able to tell you how hard it was for us all.

You learn from adversity though and we are stronger for it. There is the

small matter of a worldwide pandemic and global economic crisis, but I think

everyone is sick of hearing about that one!

5. What has been your biggest

highlight/achievement in business?

Wow, there’s been quite a few over the years and talking to Ray there were so many in the preceding 20 years

that some of our older clients in the construction and building services sector will still remember and talk about now.

For me though, I’m very proud of a lot of things that PRG has accomplished over the years. A few that stand out

though include delivering a big client acquisition campaign across the UK, France, Germany and Poland for

Johnson Controls last year. We’ve worked with various parts of the

company for almost 30 years, but

this is by far the biggest campaign to date and utilising several of the

partner agencies in our network across Europe. We created a specific web

presence, promotional videos in four

languages which were used on social and in some really fantastic video

direct mailers, backed up by some PR

and a strong campaign using LinkedIn. We’ve worked with our friends at the Let’s Do Business Group for

many years now, but a highlight of working with them was when we

jointly promoted and ran the Let’s

Do Business Exhibitions at the Amex Stadium in 2018 and 2019. This

became a real PRG team effort and to

be involved in putting on a large event like this, at such a high profile venue, was really exciting. Sadly, COVID put paid to the Expo for 2020, but who knows what the future holds.

PRG is proud to be an Eastbourne business, so it gave us great pleasure to create and run a

marketing campaign to promote

our town in 2006. The Eastbourne

Change Your View campaign gained national exposure and challenged the stereotype that Eastbourne is

full of blue-rinse pensioners. In my

opinion, nothing has ever quite been

as successful in subsequent years and it is something we are hugely proud of. We’re very passionate about our

town and I’m heavily involved in the Eastbourne Business Improvement District (BID), as well as being a

Parent Governor up at Pashley Down Infant School. Most of the PRG team live in the town, so we love seeing

our work on show – from the theatre

promotional artwork to the branding of Cavendish School, for example.

A final and more personal one

for me, as the second generation

running the business, I spent years meeting people and hearing “ah,

you’re Ray’s son”. Lovely compliment and always a positive, but it takes

time to build your own network and

identity. It was a wonderful moment

for me when, at one of Maxine ReidRobert’s pre-festive drink events,

Ray was introduced to someone who

responded “ah, you’re Simon’s father”.

6. Tell us about some of the clients you have worked with?

One of PRG’s core values is the

long-term relationships that we build

with our clients. We want to grow and develop with our clients, to build on each other’s success. I’ve already

mentioned the work we’ve done with Johnson Controls and the Let’s Do Business Group over many years,

which still continues now. Our clients are spread across a host of different

sectors, although we have particular specialism in building services, construction and logistics.

We have worked with Eastbourne-

based business GoPlasticPallets for

over 12 years now, a relationship we

42 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

COVER FE ATU RE

value immensely and that is based

on continued success and ensuring

that we work closely with the team to

understand their goals and challenges.

I’m really proud to say that we have been successful in winning the PR

account for a leading provider of fire safety and security solutions and

services in the UK. This is a huge

opportunity for us and one that I’m

really excited about, but I can’t say too much more at this stage.

Throughout most of PRG’s 40 years in business, we’ve worked with clients

in the heating and ventilation sector,

from boiler manufacturers like Vaillant and Ideal Commercial, to the trade

associations and sector skills councils in the sector.

Recently, we’ve begun working for a former client again – London-based financial services firm Generation

Financial Services. I place the utmost

7. In a competitive market how do

relationships, even when they cease

Agencies?

importance on maintaining strong client being clients. We’ve just helped them

adjust their brand proposition, launched a new website and are now embarking on an extensive marketing campaign.

Over the years we’ve launched bars and restaurants, run numerous high

profile events, had our clients featured in trade and national press in the UK and in multiple countries across the world, developed and marketed websites

from small brochure sites to large scale

e-commerce and job portals, produced

brand identities that are well recognised on a local and regional level and we

even launched a range of sex toys on This Morning! Throughout the last 40

years, we’ve proved that we are pretty versatile, but it is a testament to the

strength of the PRG team that we have

so many exciting and successful clients to look back on.

you differentiate from other Marketing PR has always been the cornerstone of

what we do and I’ve ensured that we’ve

maintained this as our service offering has

grown. It’s also something that a lot of other full-service agencies don’t tend to offer, or

have to reach for outside help, so we really feel this is a big differentiator for us.

We offer all of our core marketing

services using our in-house team, so we genuinely do offer a completely

integrated service. When servicing a large client, it gives us the flexibility to bring

whoever we need onto a Zoom meeting, for example, to get the brief from the

client and to deliver a swift turnaround.

But there is a high level of accountability

for ensuring the quality of delivery, which our clients value immensely.

As mentioned, we’re part of a network

of similar agencies across Europe, which

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 43

C OVE R F E AT URE some research into which channels

10. To finish, as a family man would

people (and agencies) will send you

the family business and become the

are likely to reach them. Plenty of down one path because it either

worked for them or it’s what they offer, but you need to know if it’s

going to be right for you or if you

need an integrated approach.

9. What does the future hold for PRG? gives our clients a broader reach if

they wish to stretch the promotion into

other territories. Couple that with some

translation support from our client Albion Languages and we have all the tools to help our clients tackle new markets.

PRG’s broad range of clients is by

design, not accident, and it is due in part to our cost-effective pricing structure.

Being based in Eastbourne means that

we can compete favourably with London agencies when it comes to pricing, but that we can equally service our valued local clients.

Lastly, I can’t give enough praise to the

team at PRG. Their professionalism and

levels of creativity really are some of the best and I’m very proud of what they all achieve for us and our clients.

8. Can you give me your top 3 Marketing Tips or advice for our readers?

Without going down to the specifics of a

particular marketing service, I would say: • Know what you are trying to achieve

before you start and understand what

success looks like. Have metrics in place to gauge this (such as Google Analytics).

If you’ve got no idea, then how will you

measure the results or indeed learn what to do differently next time?

• Consistency is key! Make sure your

messaging is consistent throughout all of your communications, and

never assume people know who you are and what you do.

• There are loads of ways to reach your potential customers, so do

44 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

If you’d asked me this at the start of

the year before COVID struck and the world locked down, I’d have rattled off an ambitious plan for growing

the business (we’re still doing that actually), engaging with some big

blue chip clients (we’ve just done that too) and looking to expand the team (we’re just about to do that). We’re

pushing on aggressively but with an air of caution, of course, given we don’t know what is around the corner. But

with 40 years’ experience behind us,

we are ready for whatever challenges come our way.

Sadly, what we won’t be doing is

having a big 40th anniversary party for

all of our team and clients, but you can blame Boris for that one!

you like to see your children continue third generation of owners?

I asked my nine year old son Jenson

only the other day what he wanted to do when he was older he replied “I

want to come and work with you at

your office Daddy”. I then asked my

seven year old daughter Lara the same question and she replied “a doctor”,

or at least that is what she wants to be

today; tomorrow it could be a mermaid and him a professional wrestler.

I’d never had a grand plan to take over the family business and my parents never pushed me towards it. But I

get a huge amount of pleasure out

of running the business with Jo and

seeing the PRG family working so hard

for the company and our clients. I want my kids to be happy and successful in whatever they choose to do with their lives. I’d tell them that running PRG

Marketing Communications can often be hard, challenging and exhausting,

but it can also be incredibly rewarding and, more than anything, a lot of fun! www.prgltd.co.uk

SBT PEOPLE MANAGEMENT & RECRUITMENT

WHEN YOU ARE FORCED TO MAKE REDUNDANCIES

BY SERENA & SUE, HR DEPT

BUSINIESS HEROS NEEDED

TO SUPPORT SUSSEX TEENAGERS THROUGH COVID-19

SBT PEOPLE MANAGEMENT & RECRUITMENT SPONSORED BY:

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 45

C OVE REFMAN E AT URE PEOPL AGE M E NT & R EC R U ITM E N T

Accentuating the positives when you are forced to make redundancies The sudden threat to public health from coronavirus (COVID-19) has brought about global change that most employers have never encountered before.

The economic impact

HR

of coronavirus has meant that many

employers are going to need to consider

essential changes to their business, which will require people management support.

Along with the health and safety

requirements from a COVID-Secure risk

assessment, other changes may include continuation of furlough, recruitment

freezes, changes to job descriptions,

a reduction in working hours, or at last

resort, redundancies. All of these require careful consideration and planning.

If you have considered the alternatives

and feel that redundancies are the only

46 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

option for your business, it is vital to

understand the correct procedure. Not

just because there are legal checkboxes, but because livelihoods and mental health are at stake.

Addressing redundancy guilt

Although the redundancy process is sometimes necessary and entirely

functional, it can provoke an emotional

response. It can bring on feelings similar to that of grief, impacting the mental

health and well-being of both those being made redundant and the managers who have to manage the process.

Those selected for redundancy can suffer feelings of despair, shame and guilt.

These can greatly impact their ability to

successfully seek new employment. All at a time that is already challenging.

Employers have a duty of care to provide support to those being made redundant

and should want to see their people make positive next steps. Mass unemployment is not just a problem for the unemployed but damaging for society too.

The redundancy process can also affect the wider workforce if it is managed

poorly. Survivor syndrome can strike

those who were chosen to remain, as can feelings of anxiety that they too could lose their jobs in the future.

The situation must be handled with

care and positioned in a way that can

P EOP L E MAN AGEM EN T & R ECR UITM E NT

bring employees back to work when the time comes.

After speaking with a wide range of SMEs about the new and very real

challenges they face beyond lockdown, we have devised a bespoke short-term HR package to directly address and resolve common concerns.

If you are considering redundancies in your business but want to make sure your process is fair, legal and

productive, get in touch. In addition to

supporting you through the process, we have a dedicated outplacement service that can provide positive progression for departing employees, and tips to

Serena & Sue

motivate those who stay. encourage a positive outcome for

everyone, as well as meeting the needs of the business.

Redundancies during coronavirus The process of redundancy has not

changed because of coronavirus, but there are some important points to

consider. Especially for employers who are claiming for furloughed employees through the job retention scheme.

The scheme is due to end on 31 October and employer contributions increased from August. Employers planning to

make furloughed staff redundant should factor this date in for consultation and notice periods.

There are also new logistics of carrying

out redundancies whilst employees are

working from home. If the employee has

the right to be accompanied, this should still happen if the consultation is by video conference.

Human connection can be difficult over video, but empathy is essential and

special care should be taken for anyone who is living alone.

Starting a new chapter

The HR Dept is now the UK’s largest

can be difficult to embrace. But given

outsourced HR support. Our clients

it can end up being an open door to new

brands, across all industries.

For some people, unexpected change

network of HR professionals providing

the right guidance and encouragement,

vary, from tiny start-ups to established

and prosperous opportunities.

We pride ourselves on delivering

Many people have gone on to

cost-effective employment law

success after unexpectedly becoming

you free to concentrate on growing

achieve personal growth and great

advice and HR solutions that leave

unemployed. Steve Jobs found

your business.

a company that he co-founded, only

Your local HR Dept Offices:

revolutionise the brand.

Eastbourne, Brighton and Hove

Oprah Winfrey was once told she was

01323 403500

become a billionaire media personality

Chichester, Arun, Worthing, Adur and

himself to be dismissed from Apple, to be reinstated years later to help

“unfit for television news” but went on to

Serena May – serena.may@hrdept.co.uk

and businesswoman.

Horsham

With redundancies being a difficult but

01243 214404

Sue Beeby – susan.beeby@hrdept.co.uk

necessary result of the current crisis,

there is a need for motivational success stories that can help people to realise their full potential.

Our goal is to make sure that SME

employers have everything they need

in place to effectively and compliantly

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 47

Recruiting business HEROES to support Sussex teenagers through COVID-19 The LoveLocalJobs Foundation C.I.C is raising essential funds for its Dare to Dream programme in order to support young people affected by the COVID-19 crisis.

This Sussex-wide

Recruitment

initiative aims to help teenagers whose

self-esteem, mental health and career

opportunities have been impacted by

the pandemic. Lead by More Radio DJ, Jack “The Lad” Hayes, The Foundation is now launching a crucial fundraising

campaign to help give young people in

Sussex the confidence and opportunities they need to reach their true potential.

48 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

Recent research and reports have

shown that the COVID-19 pandemic

has had a devastating impact on the mental health of many children and

teenagers. In particular, young people from disadvantaged backgrounds

have often been the worst hit. The

results of lockdown, social isolation and the associated exam result

controversy have all played their part in eroding the wellbeing of our next generation.

The Foundation wants to tackle this issue without delay. That is why it is

calling for donations and sponshipships from business HEROES across Sussex.

Businesses and individuals can donate anything from £50 upwards to Dare

to Dream, with funds going towards

the creation, delivery and distribution of inspiring content, supported by

meaningful interactions with the world

of work and role models from our local business community.

P EOP L E MAN AGEM EN T & R ECR UITM E NT

Our first HERO business to support the scheme are award-winning creative

marketing agency Oliver & Graimes.

Gavin Graimes, Managing Director said

“Its been a real tough time for everyone in recent months. Having seen first

hand the effects of the recent GCSE

controversy, we wanted to play our part in helping the young people of Sussex and hope many more will support this great programme”.

Not only will the HERO businesses be helping thousands of young people

across Sussex, but they can also raise awareness of their own brands and

enhance their relationship with their own staff in the process. Different

tiers of donations will have additional commercial benefits included, such as being gifted with unlimited job

postings on LoveLocalJobs.com or being featured on the More Radio

Breakfast Show with Jack “The Lad”.

Other benefits will include sponsorship

tie-ins, video appearances and speaking opportunities in schools.

Paul Scrivens, Commercial Director and the man recruiting the HEROES says

“Helping to inspire and raise aspirations

Hayes, previously of Heart Radio.

the heartbeat of LoveLocalJobs.com.

benefit from brand visibility through

for local young people has always been

Contributing business HEROES will

Since the launch of our Foundation we

LLJ and other channels.

and commitment of local employers

A community initiative of

COVID-19 crisis the barriers to success

LoveLocalJobs.com Foundation C.I.C

generations across Sussex.

talent with ethical employers since

We remain steadfast in our

raise their aspirations and become the

vital support needed today, that will

As well as Dare to Dream, fundraising

for tomorrow. In times of need it’s

winning Be the Change and Take the

pull together. For those of you who

has worked with 100 businesses and

support today. Together we can do

3,000 local young people in total.

have been humbled by the generosity and their people. In the wake of the

LoveLocalJobs.com, the

feel insurmountable to our next

has been connecting inspired local

2018. The aim is to help young people

commitment to help enable the

best possible versions of themselves.

help ensure their positive futures

activities have included the award-

important for local communities to

Leap. Over the past 12 months, LLJ

can, please join us and pledge your

30 schools to help change the lives of

amazing things.”

For more information on how to get

LoveLocalJobs.com Foundation

involved, please contact:

funds for Dare to Dream in order

T: 01273 651100

Community Interest Company is raising

E: Foundation@lovelocaljobs.com

to support young people in Sussex

W: LoveLocalJobsFoundation.com

impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.

Fundraising is being supported by More Radio DJ, Jack “The Lad”

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 49

PEOPL E MAN AGE M E NT & R EC R U ITM E N T

JACK NEEDS

YOU We’re looking for ‘Hero’ businesses from across Sussex to help raise the aspirations of our local next generation. Raise your profile and market your business while helping 1,000’s of young people.

Find out more – visit LoveLocalJobsFoundation.com or email Foundation@lovelocaljobs.com

50 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

Dare to

Dream

Delivered by

SBT LIFESTYLE

MOSHIMO, BRIGHTON REVIEW

BY VISITBRIGHTON.COM

RIDGEVIEW TASTING TOUR REVIEW

COURTESY OF COUNTY BUSINESS CLUBS& RIDGEVIEW

RESTAURANT AND HOTEL REVIEWS CREDITED TO OUR SPONSORS VISIT BRIGHTON.

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 51

Moshimo Review

So today was a day of firsts for me, not only have I not eaten out in a restaurant since lockdown began, I have also never eaten out alone, but nothing was going to stop me from exploring Moshimo’s new Shoji experience.

As a huge sushi fan, I

Lifestyle

have missed my maki fix during lockdown (I know this is not

really a hardship in the grand scheme of things) but anyway I was really looking forward to a sushi feast. Moshimo

have always been renowned not only for the freshest sushi but the style

of their iconic premises, with stylish

Japanese style seating they’re based in the perfect central location, ideal

spot for a shopping lunch or an evening out. So, it was no surprise to see that Moshimo have handled the Covid-19

restrictions with the same style as they have always had, rest assured the

new Shoji experience has the same

52 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

Moshimo style whilst making dining a safer experience.

On arrival a member of staff welcomed

me and showed me to my booth, these

booths have been designed by hanging red panels from the ceiling, making a

maze of little cubist seating areas which is in keeping with the rest of the decor.

I loved the fact that you could still see other diners, so the restaurant still

had atmosphere and you can people watch (especially important when

you’re dining solo). One of the added benefits of these panels is you can

practice your chopstick skills without

others being able to see your mishaps,

although the waiter very kindly brought

me cutlery too. All the staff on my visit

were very welcoming without being too much, leaving me to enjoy my sushi

extravaganza in peace. When ordering you can either take dishes from the

conveyor belt, known as kaiten-zushi or rotating Sushi in Japanese or you can

always order from the extensive menu.

After some deliberation I opted for a sushi platter alongside a couple of Kozara – small plates that

complimented the sushi perfectly. The

citrus salmon tataki dish I ordered was

beautiful, slightly seared salmon with a

fresh citrus sauce including a ginger hit that married everything together nicely, this was so delicately balanced whilst

L I FE STYLE

the salmon still shone through as it

should. When the sushi platter arrived, I worried if I had over ordered, but

as everything was so light and fresh, I needn’t have been concerned. The

platter both looked and tasted amazing, with a good range of maki, nigiri and

sashimi, it was at this point that I saw the benefits of eating alone. Reader I

can only describe what followed as a sushi frenzy until I sadly realised the

last maki had gone. Having devoured

the delicacies of Japanese cuisine, all

washed down with a freshly made juice, I fell into a very content sushi stupor.

This was the perfect restaurant to visit

post-lockdown, Moshimo have taken a negative and turned it into something

truly beautiful whilst keeping the same level of service and fantastic food. As for dining alone I think this may be a

regular thing for me, you don’t have to share your pudding that way!

Caroline

Voted both by the Independent and the BBC as one of the top 50 restaurants in the UK, Moshimo has become one of the leading restaurants on the South Coast. Visit www.moshimo.co.uk

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 53

Ridgeview tasting tour review

After months of lockdown it was with great pleasure to be able to invite some of our sponsors and Value-Added Partners (VAP) to the fantastic Ridgeview wine estate for a tour and tasting.

Last month’s cover

Lifestyle

feature saw Ridgeview celebrate 25 years

in business as well

as announce them as our latest VAP. As their slogan suggests ‘Life is for

Celebrating’ so we did just that while

being accompanied by our 11 guests.

We were extremely blessed with the

weather as the sun was shining with

the last remanence of summer. Prior to the tour I joined our fabulous Ask

the Experts, Lisa Seymour and Emma Mills-Sheffield for a virtual business

54 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

discussion on the Three @ Three

(although we hosted at 1:30pm) in the Ridgeview tasting rooms.

We were then all shown to our seats

outside (socially distanced of course) in the beautiful gardens surrounded by the vines.

Our host was the lovely Mardi Roberts,

who after some introductions took us on a

journey through the process of making this award winning English Sparkling wine.

We started touring the vineyard that was

planted in 1995 - the perfect site for vines

essential for sparkling wine production was found in the foothills of the South

Downs and the Ridgeview vineyard was

born. Situated near the picturesque village of Ditchling, they originally selected three clones of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and

Pinot Meunier on three different rootstocks to allow them to explore which was best suited for the land.

The chalk and clay soils of the South Downs have proven to be a fantastic

location for growing these classic varieties.

The cool climate enables the grapes to

retain high levels of natural acidity when

L I FE STYLE

they are fully ripe, which is crucial to

Seeing the grapes just as they are coming

Wine tasting notes

We then moved into the winery which

THE BLOOMSBURY

producing full flavoured sparkling wines. into harvest was a real joy.

is quite the operation. Mardi explained that Ridgeview continue to invest in

the most modern, specialist machinery and proudly craft every element of

their production methods on site, from hand picking all their grapes, gently pressing them to extract maximum

flavour, bottling, riddling, disgorging

and labelling. By combining a modern approach to sparkling winemaking

whilst learning from past traditions, they seek to ensure that every stage of the

winemaking and production process lives up to their meticulous quality standards.

Finally we returned to our seats for the

Our signature blend Bloomsbury is light golden in colour with a fine,

persistent mousse. Citrus fruit aromas with hints of melon and honey.

Chardonnay dominance brings finesse, along with crisp freshness. The

Pinots add depth and character leading to a beautifully balanced finish. Will age gracefully over time as the Chardonnay matures.

Link to video - https://youtu.be/cUkxz3r5nB8

THE CAVENDISH

Our traditional blend Cavendish is a rich golden colour with exceptionally fine bubbles. The nose is expressive with hints of red fruits. The Pinot

dominance brings depth and complexity to the palate with a long-lasting finish, whilst the Chardonnay adds finesse and freshness.

Link to video - https://youtu.be/qw-hRhYpkfg

best bit - the tasting. We had a flight of

THE FITZROVIA ROSE

The Cavendish and the Fitzrovia Rose.

bubbles. Chardonnay brings freshness and finesse, whilst the Pinots add

in the glorious sun tasting the finest

redcurrant nose carries through to a fresh fruit-driven palate.

the signature wines; The Bloomsbury,

Our Fitzrovia Rosé is a delicate salmon colour with an abundance of fine

It was a truly perfect afternoon, sitting

the classic red fruits for which England is so acclaimed. A raspberry and

English Sparkling wine our great county

Link to video - https://youtu.be/r7zJ3lyAPY8

has to offer and with great company.

What’s not to love?

As we launched County Business Clubs during lockdown this was our first event

and it could not have been more perfect.

I would urge any of our members or

readers that are yet to visit Ridgeview to go. It is an absolute must! The vineyard

and gardens are breathtaking, the tour is truly fascinating and the wine, well that speaks for itself. Needless to say there is a reason it is award winning.

I would like to thank all our VAP’s and members that attended and most

importantly Mardi and the Ridgeview team for hosting us... I’ll back soon, very soon...

Creators of World Class Sparkling Wine, crafted with passion and dedication on the South Downs of England. Winners of Winemaker of the Year, International Wine & Spirit Competition 2018. Making history for English wine. www.ridgeview.co.uk

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 55

The Potting Room Sanderson

Gatsby Albany Opulence

Salvia DESIGNERS GUILD

Blue’s Blue PAINT LIBRARY

Fable Linwood

Mister David LITTLE GREENE

GREAT CHOICE, BR ANDS & ALWAYS GREAT SERVICE & ADVICE

Just visit brewers.co.uk to find your local store 56 38 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk FOR FURNITURE & GORGEOUS

ACCESSORIES BREWERSHOME.CO.UK

SBT MOTORING NEWS

UNTRUSTWORTHY TECH

WHAT BRITS REALLY THINK OF INFOTAINMENT

UNINSURED DRIVER: WHAT SHOUDL YOU DO?

BY RIVERVALE LEASING

SBT MOTORING NEWS SPONSORED BY:

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 57

MOTO RI N G N E WS

Untrustworthy tech: what Brits really think of infotainment In-car infotainment: the system on your Motoring dashboard that gives you music, internet, Bluetooth, sat-nav, and lots more when you’re at the wheel.

The infotainment industry is predicted to be worth £22 billion by 2026, up from £16 billion in 2019, according to the latest Global In-Vehicle Infotainment Report.

It’s clear the infotainment market is growing rapidly, from augmented reality (AR) sat-navs to voice control. We’re even set to have connected shopping services, where you can pre-order a drive-thru dinner from your car, or passengers can play virtual reality (VR) games from the back seat.

But how much of this new technology will UK drivers actually use? We surveyed 1,000 Brits to uncover what we really think about infotainment.

6/10 of UK drivers don’t trust infotainment We asked 1,000 Brits if they trust hightech infotainment to help drivers and found that a huge 6/10 revealed that they don’t have confidence in it.

1/3 admit their vehicle’s infotainment has failed But why don’t we trust infotainment?

Could it be because the technology doesn’t work? Our survey found a 1/3 of drivers admit that their infotainment has failed them.

The 2020 Initial Quality Study by JD Power also revealed that a quarter of complaints from new drivers relate to infotainment, with the top problems coming from: • Built-in voice recognition

58 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

• Android Auto/Apple CarPlay connectivity • Touchscreens • Built-in navigation systems • Bluetooth connectivity Drivers say infotainment is an increasing distraction It’s not just failing infotainment which puts drivers off – many say it’s a distraction, too. Road safety charity Brake reported that 49% of drivers find infotainment distracting and 63% agree that it should be restricted while operating the vehicle.

The same report reveals that most drivers acknowledge that there are more in-vehicle distractions now, with 77% admitting that drivers are more distracted than five years ago. But which infotainment feature is most likely to put you off?

1/4 of drivers say AR sat-navs are the most distracting infotainment feature We asked our respondents which advanced infotainment feature is the most distracting. 1/3 of drivers are put off by hands-free games such as mobile quiz apps, while 1/4 say that AR satnavs are the biggest distraction.

Whether we find infotainment distracting or not, it’s clearly here to stay. The rise of semi-autonomous driving means that companies are more likely to develop new infotainment features to interest drivers. The growing smartphone industry has also had an impact, as it creates many opportunities to integrate social and vehicle connectivity.

But how useful are the latest infotainment features to drivers?

Drivers don’t find connected shopping and hands-free games useful

We asked our respondents which high-tech infotainment feature they thought was the most useful.

Our survey shows that Brits prefer improved driving support over shopping and entertainment.

37% said that traffic alerts on their dashboard would be the most useful, followed by AR sat-navs at 19%. While drivers admitted that AR sat-navs can be a nuisance, it seems that many see their potential to be helpful in the long run.

Hands-free games are the least useful (3%), likely because Brits think they’re so distracting. Drivers also don’t seem interested in connected shopping services, where you can order a drivethru coffee or pre-book a car wash without leaving the driver’s seat.

Only 16% of drivers want voicecontrolled dashboards As infotainment develops, the dashboard has changed, too. Voice control systems are now available in many cars, with the likes of ‘Hey Mercedes’, a feature of the MercedesBenz User Experience, and Amazon’s Echo Auto.

But our survey shows that Brits aren’t ready for completely voice-controlled infotainment. Just 16% said they prefer hands-free, voice-controlled dashboards. A huge 38% favour the traditional style with buttons, whereas 46% would choose a touch screen.

Find our favourite in-car technology or get more motoring news and research in the Rivervale Leasing blog.

For further information, please visit www.rivervaleleasing.co.uk/car-leasing

What should you do if you are hit by an uninsured or untraceable driver?

For a while at least, it looked as though uninsured drivers were on the decline.

In the past 5 years, however, car insurance offenders have increased by more than 21 per cent.

It is now estimated that

Motoring

there are over 1 million uninsured drivers on UK roads. In 2018 there were 26,000

recorded injuries involving uninsured or hit and run drivers. To put it in context, that’s one person injured every 20 minutes.

So what are your options if you are

involved in a crash with an uninsured or untraceable driver?

Motor Insurer’s Bureau (MIB)

The Motor Insurer’s Bureau (MIB) was set up in 1946 with the sole purpose

of compensating victims of uninsured and untraceable drivers. If a claimant

has exhausted all other routes to

compensation, the MIB will consider

compensation claims for injuries as well as vehicle and property damage.

The MIB is a not-for-profit organisation.

Under the Road Traffic Act 1988, every

motor insurer is legally required to be a member of the MIB. Insurers must also

contribute to the organisation’s funding - although this cost is really borne by

motorists through their policy premiums.

Contributions to the MIB are estimated to increase car insurance premiums by around £30 per policy.

Eligibility to claim

The MIB accepts claim submissions

from any road user including cyclists and pedestrians. The accident must have

occurred in the UK including the Isle of Man, Channel Islands and Gibraltar.

Before submitting a claim, attempts to

obtain the identity and insurance details of the other road user must first have

been made. You must also have notified both your insurer and the police as they too will attempt to obtain these details.

If you have been hit by an uninsured driver, you will need to meet the

following criteria to be eligible to claim: • If you were injured, your accident

should have been reported to the

police as soon as reasonably possible.

The MIB will ask for a case reference

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 59

MOTO RI N G N E WS If the MIB finds that it was your fault, you would not receive any compensation.

You can appeal if you disagree with the MIB’s decision.

The MIB state that they will endeavour

to reach a decision within 3 months. For lower value claims this period can be as short as six weeks.

The amount of compensation you

receive will depend on the severity of the injury and the extent to which it affects

your life. You can get an idea of the likely award with an online calculator.

What if I was hit by a foreignregistered vehicle?

The MIB will compensate UK citizens number. The claim must be started within 3 years of the accident.

• If claiming as a passenger, you must

not have been aware that the driver of the car you were travelling in was not insured or was drunk.

• If your vehicle was damaged but there

was no injury, you must start a claim as soon as possible after the accident.

How do I submit a claim to the MIB? Starting a claim through the MIB can be done online.

Once the application form has been

submitted, the MIB will seek to establish the facts. They will obtain reports

from the police, witnesses and motor

engineers. They will also contact DVLA

There is no need to use a solicitor when claiming through the MIB.

Chris Salmon of Quittance Legal Services said; “Most applications to the MIB are

from direct claimants. The online forms are dynamic and guide the uninitiated

through every step of the straightforward

Will I need a solicitor?

60 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

withdrawn from the legislation allowing victims of road traffic collisions in EU

countries to make compensation claims in their own country and language.

The MIB will need access to your

they prefer. However, we tend to consider this unnecessary, unless the claimant is a

vulnerable client or is unable to complete the process themselves due to injury.”

“If the MIB rejects the claim, the claimant

can submit an appeal. In this case, it may be worth speaking to a solicitor.”

If the MIB finds that the other driver was

copies of your medical reports.

period ends, the UK will likely be

(CMC) to assist with their MIB claim if

You may be asked to provide photos

will need to consent to the MIB obtaining

within the EU. After the Brexit transition

Conclusion

solicitor or Claims Management Company

What happens next?

If you are also claiming for an injury you

registered vehicle, either in the UK or

application process. Claimants can use a

and your insurer.

and a sketch or diagram of the scene.

involved in an accident with a foreign-

at fault, you will receive compensation.

If they decide that you were partly

responsible for the accident they may decide that there was ‘contributory negligence’ and reduce the compensation accordingly.

medical records to support your claim.

You can consent to the release of these records in the application form. You

should make sure that you get medical attention as soon as possible after

your accident as the records will be necessary to claim.

As with any injury claim, although you

technically have 3 years, it is generally a

good idea to start the process as soon as your health and recovery permits. It will

be easier to make a stronger claim if the details of the accident are fresh in your

memory. Evidence like witness statements are easier to collect if you start sooner.

For further information, please visit

www.rivervaleleasing.co.uk/car-leasing

SBT NETWORKING & EVENTS

BRIGHTON VENUES UNITE TO LIGHT UP RED IN SUPPORT OF #WEMAKEEVENTS CAMPAIGN

YBRIGHTON’S TOP FIVE VIRTUAL EXPERIENCES

BY YBRIGHTON

THE TOP 5 MISCONCEPTIONS WE HEAR ABOUT NETWORKING

BY NETWORK MY CLUB

SBT NETWORKING & EVENTS SPONSORED BY:

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 61

Brighton venues unite to light up red in support of #wemakeevents campaign On Wednesday 30th

Networking & Events

September from 6.30pm-8.30pm

Brighton’s iconic moving pier, the

British Airways i360 Viewing Tower

together with venues along the seafront including the Brighton Centre, Palace

Pier, Warren Outdoors and Concorde2

will be lit up red in solidarity for everyone affected by Covid-19 who work in the events industry.

The #WeMakeEvents campaign is to

62 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

highlight to the Government and the public that this sector needs further

support following the ending of furlough at the beginning of October. The action will begin in New Zealand and travel around the world in local time.

The Brighton activity is spearheaded

by a core group of event professionals all of whom live locally and work on

Brighton’s biggest events such as The Great Escape and Pride which alone contributes £20.5 million to the local

economy with the City hosting 450,000

people over the weekend. The team

comprises founder of Partridge Events Jacqui Partridge and Ian Silcock, Ian Baird founder of EPIC and Whiskey

Bravo Productions and John Wallis from Reveries Events. Jacqui said “there are many people who have fallen through

the cracks and not received any help,

this is about them as well as securing

more help from Government if there is

no start date to get our businesses up and running again.”

A team of events volunteers have come

N ET WOR K I N G & E V E NTS

together to light the buildings

and landmarks along the seafront.

Partridge

continued “we’d like

as many venues to light up red as

possible, with LED lighting it’s easy to achieve and they can register to take

part at www.lightitinred.co.uk This can include bars, restaurants, hotels and

shops that have been affected by the lack of visitor economy this year.

Julia Gallagher, Head of Sales,

Partnership & Marketing at Visit Brighton said “All events at the

Brighton Centre have been cancelled due to restrictions. Meetings,

incentives, conferences, and events are the lifeblood of the City as they

Wednesday by signing up to www. wemakeevents.com to receive

information and ideas in support of

the campaign. Jacqui concluded “it’s

important to get our message to as many people as possible to affect change.” #WeMakeEvents is an international movement to highlight that the live

events sector urgently needs support

from local governments to survive the Covid-19 crisis.

#WeMakeEvents is the champion

for all the individuals working

in the events industry, creating

awareness and understanding of their concerns and issues. As part of this,

#WeMakeEvents raises money to give immediate support for our industry

charities who in turn will be able to

help and support individuals in need.

fill hotel rooms during the off-peak

How people can get involved:

which sustains our workforce, 16% of

1. S ign up to be involved on

season, creating economic benefit

whom are engaged in jobs supported by the visitor economy. It is crucial

that the industry is supported to a full return as soon as it is safe to do so.”

Locals can also get involved from

the comfort of their own homes next

30th September for the Global

Activation from 8-11pm: www. wemakeevents.com more

information will follow on how people can do this at home.

2. Join the Facebook pages ‘We Make

Events Brighton Seafront 30th

September’ and ‘We Make Events

Campaign’ and invite peers. Share what you miss about not having

events, share pictures of your favourite events and what they mean to you use #WeMakeEvents #RedAlert #Lightitinred on social posts.

3. Follow @WeMakeEventsOfficial on Instagram and Twitter.

4. V enues and businesses, can

download the #WeMakeEvents

logo, print it out and place it in the business to highlight the cause. a. T ake a picture and post on

personal social media channels

using #WeMakeEvents #RedAlert

#Lightitinred and on the Facebook page ‘We Make Events Campaign’

5. F acebookers can add the ‘We Make Events’ logo to their profile picture.

6. M ake a donation or buy some

We Make Events merchandise.

80% of profit goes to industry charities to support those

suffering financial hardship. Go to: www.wemakeevents.com

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 63

T H I N K TAN K

Think Tank

YBrighton’s top five virtual experiences Networking & Events

Virtually in Brighton Feeling the virtual fatigue of one too

many quizzes and

sick of ‘coffee catch-ups’?

With the new restrictions in place

getting back to our physical office

environments for the foreseeable is off

the table so we think it’s about time you get the team together to inject some fun into Q4 and if you can’t come to

Brighton, we’ll bring our vibrant city to you. It’s never been more important to prioritise bringing your team together but in new and exciting ways! Those

who need re-integrating into the team

post furlough and those who have held the fort down for the last five months have had very different pandemic

experiences so let’s get everyone

together to reconnect and have some FUN Brighton style.

•G et your spook on with a Halloween

cocktail making class from an iconic Brighton venue!

For the YBrighton team Halloween is

In the comfort of your own

in the office…) and get creative! Pair this

Julia Chernogorova on a baking

master class from iconic Brighton

a passionate baker with a love of

Think Brighton Gin, pumpkin spiced

incorporates into her baking style.

puree filled pipettes and plenty of

this virtual cook along hassle-free and

fancy-dress draw (yes, we do have one

home join Sussex Bake Off Star

with a spooky themed cocktail making

masterclass! ‘Star Baker’ Julia is

mixologists and you’re onto a winner.

her Russian heritage which she

cream liquor and black vodka, raspberry

We’ve thought of everything to make

creepy props – all led by your personal

fun packed. Equipment and ingredient

mixologists in group sizes anywhere

Our Sussex gurus have been busy

virtual experiences our corner of the

delivered to your door – trick or treat?

five epic experiences to bring your team

Max group of 500 & approx. 45 minutes

country has to offer. Check out our top together safely for a ruddy great time!

64 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

baking with a LEGEND

the perfect excuse to delve into our

from 5 to 500! You’ll have everything

working on some of the most exciting

• Level up your online celebrations by

you need for the evening’s celebrations

– 1 hour long

lists are provided to each participant for the day’s bake, all they need to

worry about is baking up a storm and avoiding any soggy bottoms.

Max group of 100 & approx. 90 minutes long

T H I N K TA N K

really want to be the teacher’s pet -

head out foraging beforehand to find

some unique pieces to include in your arrangement! Your colleagues won’t

thank you, but you’ll be oh so smug!

Max group of 15 & approx. 2.5 hours long

• Bingo just got fabulous Looking for a crowd pleaser? Elevate a game of bingo to a whole new

glam level with a Drag Queen host!

•B ring some much-needed colour into your home with iconic

Brighton-born artist Lois O’Hara We don’t know about you but when we think about Brighton, colour always

Join Brighton’s iconic Miss Disney

for a bespoke bingo experience live

streamed into your living room. Get the whole office together to work either

in teams or individually to be in with a

• Laughter strengthens your immune system!

chance of winning fabulous Brighton

We’re all in need of a giggle right now,

for participants to enjoy during the

stand-up comic performing from the

goodies or even order treats to arrive

so sit back and watch your very own

festivities!

famous Komedia Comedy Club in the

swirling across our pavements to

Max group of 15 & approx. 1hour long

favourite drinks in and you’re sure to

are iconic and always brighten up

• Get back to nature while

comes to mind. We’re obsessed with local artist Lois O’Hara’s work which

has popped up all over the city, from shop windows, her colourful designs our walks to the office! We wanted

to create an interactive experience which gives you the opportunity to create your very own Lois O’Haraesque painting in your front room.

We’ll provide a bespoke toolkit with

everything you’ll need to paint along with Lois as well as a Brighton Gin based cocktail or two to keep you

hydrated! You’ll have the chance to

talk to Lois all about her work and how Brighton inspires her whilst enjoying a goodie bag of Brighton treats.

Max group of 15 & approx. 1 hour long

supporting the best plant shop our city has to offer!

North Laines of Brighton. Get your be in stitches for the entire show.

Max group of 100 & approx. 1 hour long

Get back to nature and help reduce

.............................................................

hands-on activity. Create the dried

YBrighton? powered by Yellow Fish.

Brighton plant gurus you’ll use a

Email: hello@ybrighton.co.uk

stress and calm your team with this wreath of your dreams. Led by local

Telephone: 01273 223504

wreath ring, moss and dried flowers/

Visit: www.ybrighton.co.uk

foliage, and other botanical materials

to design an incredible indoor wreath to celebrate the changing seasons.

We’ve got everything covered, all the

gorgeous elements of this activity will be delivered to your door but if you

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 65

N ETWORK I N G & E V E N TS

The top 5 misconceptions we hear about networking We’ll be honest… Cue the violin… It’s not uncommon for people to decline invites to our online meetups. We’ve learnt to deal with this. The really frustrating thing is when we find out why they don’t want to attend.

Now, we’re sure

Networking & Events

you’ve been out for dinner in the past.

Perhaps a country pub – and been

bitterly disappointed by the luke-

warm gravy your roast is swimming

in or the screaming kids on the table next to you. Or the lack of attention

from the waiting staff, followed by a

hefty service charge on the bill (“2/10, would not recommend to a friend”.)

Did this stop you from going out to eat ever again? Of course it didn’t!

Networking is the same. You may

have had an unsatisfactory experience before, but we promise you, this

doesn’t mean you hate all networking

(in the same way as you don’t hate all

66 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

pubs). You just didn’t attend the right event for you.

Some of the objections we’ve heard have even been based on another

event they attended OR what they’ve heard other people say about

networking in general. We’re not all the same!

Here are the top 5 misconceptions we hear about networking:

1.“I’m honestly just too busy” If you’re going to see results from your

networking, you need to make time for it.

event? We’re not so sure. Particularly

for something that’s going to help form new relationships, generate referrals and new business opportunities.

Our advice, book your events in your

diary at the beginning of each month.

Whether that’s online or in person events. Plan around them. For in

person events, book a meeting before or after. The beauty of online events means less time travelling.

In the case of our membership, it is

company-wide, meaning anyone can attend. So if you really can’t make it, simply delegate it to a colleague.

We all lead busy lives. So, the idea of

2.“Everyone just wants to sell to me”

understand. A monthly or bi-weekly

Granted, this is ANNOYING when it

committing time to a weekly event we

N ET WOR K I N G & E V E NTS

Our membership model means we attract businesses with a budget.

Those with the mentality of investing in their networking. If you’re finding

the attendees aren’t at the level you want, you’re probably picking the wrong events.

Which leads nicely into my last misconception…

5.“I’m not going to pay for

networking events/membership

when there are free ones out there” We’re not in a race to the bottom

when it comes to price. We know our happens. Certainly one of our petpeeves about networking events.

Don’t you just hate it when you clock someone throwing business cards

around like fairy dust, or when you notice THAT person that is shoving a sales

brochure into everyone’s hands and the earliest opportunity. Ew, just stop!

Fear not. We encourage people to leave the sales spiel at the door. In each pre-

event email, we include our top-tips on how to network, and how we expect attendees to conduct themselves.

We won’t put anyone on the naughty step or kick them out. But we will

take the time to educate people on

the most effective ways to network.

To make sure they aren’t ruining their

own chances of building relationships, and everyone else’s experience.

3.“I don’t need to network, I have enough clients already”

Ah, this is a classic! If this is true then that’s brilliant. But who wouldn’t want to grow their business? You never

know what’s round the corner – as has been spectacularly highlighted this year. It’s always good to keep your

name and service in front of people.

Don’t forget networking isn’t solely

about getting new clients too. It’s not a sales activity. You may be looking for opportunities for collaboration.

People you could help connect your clients to. Keeping in contact with

current referral partners. Research

tasks or even getting sponsorship for

that charity sky-dive you’re doing (you little dare devil!).

4.“It’s only ‘one-man bands and sales reps’ that go networking”

Firstly, depending on the events you pick, this may well be the case. But we’ll save that for my next point.

Secondly, if you have the right

mindset to networking, you’d be

open to having a conversation with

everyone in the room regardless of the business size or industry. You never know who they know and how they could help.

With this being a stigma attached to

business networking, we focus on inviting decision makers. This is what is going to

make those conversations at events help

achieve your objectives to networking (as mentioned in the previous point).

value and what you get in return for your investment. Ultimately when it

comes to networking (and anything in life really), you get what you pay for.

Our commitment to you as a member

is to help you achieve your networking objectives. To deliver valuable events and provide the support needed to help your business. Yes, this is our full time “proper” job. We’re not a

company that does coffee mornings as a bit of a side-hustle.

We’re more than just a networking

event. The strength of our membership dictates the strength of our business.

This is why we’re dedicated to breaking down these stigmas

associated with networking. To make it something you want to do, rather than feel like you have to.

So we feel your pain, we know your

concerns, we’ve heard them. Come

and give it a go. We invite you to try

out an event or two before joining. Or if you’re feeling really proactive, join us and let’s get you started on your

journey as part of the Network My Club family. Find our upcoming meetups in October on the page opposite! www.networkmyclub.co.uk

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 67

N ETWORK I N G & E V E N TS

ONLINE NETWORKING EVENTS IN OCTOBER REGIONAL ONLINE MEETUPS For businesses looking to network in the below regions

London & Surrey | Thursday 1st Hampshire & Dorset | Friday 2nd East & West Sussex | Thursday 15th Berkshire & Thames Valley | Friday 16th

CLUB-WIDE ONLINE MEETUP For businesses looking to network in the South East & London

South East & London | Thursday 8th South East & London | Thursday 22nd All meetups take place 10am-11.30am GET 25% OFF ANY ONLINE MEETUP IN SEPTEMBER BY USING 'NMCSBT2020' AT CHECKOUT. VISIT WWW.NETWORKMYCLUB.CO.UK TO BOOK. 68 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

SBT ASK THE EXPERT

THREE AT THREE

WITH EMMA, JAMES & LISA

CUBE CORNER: SEPTMEBER 20

BY PAUL ROGERS

GOLF DAY A SMASH HIT FOR CHILDREN’S CHARITY

BY TOBY GRAVES & TPG EVENTS

SBT ASK THE EXPERT SPONSORED BY:

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 69

AS K T H E E X PE RT

Emma Mills-Sheffield Mindsetup Ltd T: 07775 947 818 E: emma@mindsetup.co.uk

James Dempster, Managing Director Cobb Digital T: 01273 208 913 E: James@cobbdigital.com

Ask the expert

Lisa Seymour, Managing Director Made By Spoken T: 01273 964044 E: lisa@madebyspoken.co.uk

Who’s playing the office hokey cokey?

Whilst we’ve been meeting up Ask the fortnightly online expert with a whole host of business owners during our Three at Three discussions, we’ve increasingly seen a return to the office. That said with new government guidance of ‘work from home only if you can’ coming into play, who is in, out and shaking it all about? Here are some of our recent discussions which we hope give you some ideas.

Do you even need a bricks and mortar office Some are seeing this as an expensive and unnecessary commodity. Instead of leasing a large space, some companies are opting for co-working. Also there are options to have a smaller space just to be used for staff for meetings and larger workshops or creative sessions.

Business as usual desk work can carry on from anywhere else.

Some sectors or industries are more office focused

70 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

Due to the nature of their work and the necessity to be physically present as a team, some sectors have more of a need than others. If you’ve got construction site visits and approval or sign off processes which are time sensitive, it can be difficult to be fully remote. Creative industries are being innovative with virtual collaboration tools but nothing beats sharing ideas in the same place. Add in large media files which need to be moved around regularly and you’ll feel the frustrations of working via a VPN. Who should be in and who should be out There are also concerns over wellbeing and staff welfare – specifically those junior staff who are perhaps in shared houses so are working in their bedrooms. The need to get these employees back to some semblance of an office environment is pivotal for the leaders in these practices. Perhaps these staff have priority over others in a tiered priority system. Prioritise those who have to be in the office

versus those who would like to be in the office.

Is there a perfect approach?

Are you mixing both remote working and office working or fully staying at home? A number of businesses are somewhere in the middle and offering a rotating staff policy in the office so that each person gets the opportunity to mix up their remote and office working. And this seems to be working. Creating small working bubbles of staff who can meet up together is also helpful. Many people are missing this interaction, the watercooler moments and sitting down with someone face to face to discuss issues.

Keeping it local The benefits of not commuting to London all the time are huge. Aside from the family balance and wellbeing aspects, the benefit to our local shops and businesses is positive too. Can we reap the benefits of being local in Sussex after this is all over? We hope so.

CUBE CO RN E R

Cube Corner - September 20 Welcome to the

Cube Corner

September edition of Cube Corner

and thank you to

everyone who has

made time this month to get together for a meeting, it really is appreciated.

Brighton has I think, a really unique

group of businesses who are willing to

collaborate and help each other, never more so than in the recent months.

August saw the re-start of the Firmballs golf league up at The Dyke Golf club.

Sam’s usual promise of fine weather came

The seafront theme continued by meeting

to cancel one due to fog, although play

Esplanade in Hove. Elliott is Head of

sunshine brilliant and the golf not so..

the catering operation at West Ham

There were a number of Cube Clients

really interesting to hear in detail of the

Golf Day. Congrats to Toby for putting

and Events business at the venues and

I have attended since the start of

restrictions in the near future.

catch up with some friendly faces,

I was also lucky enough to be invited

is the face-to-face meets with people.

Wine Estate - it was lovely afternoon.

Thanks to Meyado Protect, Lisa

15 years ago when they were first

and to Ellie; thanks for the goodie bags.

operation they have running now is

Darby and Malcolm Jacobs for taking

a trip up to Ditchling. Thanks to Mardi

were very welcome.

Sam Thomas for the invitation.

Eastbourne seafront was a venue for

couldn’t resist a quick visit to The Bull,

White to meet with a potential client.

Worrall and have a chat.

partner at Rix and Kay - I look forward to

I have had a busy month at Rivervale

to an abrupt end as he unfortunately had

with Elliott Moore at Rockwall on Western

resumed the following week with the

Ops for Delaware North, overseeing and Arsenal Football Clubs. It was

present for The Rockinghorse Charity

challenges surrounding the Hospitality

on the event, it was the first Golf Day

hopefully there will be an easing of the

lockdown and it was really good to something I think all of us have missed

to a tour and tasting at the Ridgeview I first went up to Ridgeview around

Ollerton for sponsoring the 15th Hole

establishing themselves and the

Also thanks to City Utilities, Steve

really impressive, it is definitely worth

the 13th, the energy bars and drinks

Roberts and for hosting us and to

a meeting with Bruce Hayter and Amy Congratulations to Amy on becoming a catching up again soon.

Obviously while in Ditchling we

great to bump into owner Dominic

where they have just taken a Maxus

Van franchise which is an all electric van. There are a range of vans on

display which we will be showcasing to local businesses as soon as the

current restrictions allow. The team are really impressed with them, although

it is a little unnerving driving a vehicle without an engine noise.

I also had a test drive in Rivervale C.O.O Vince Pemberton’s new Mercedes EQC, the all electric SUV. There will be a

review on Rivervale’s Blog soon but it is a really impressive car.

I am sure these will be very popular for company owner drivers with the banding currently as zero company

car tax. There has been a growth in

enquiries for the electric models as the

technology continues to move forward.

Rivervale have recently installed smart electric points at Rivervale House as the fleet moves across to electric.

The chargers have a smart system to allow the company to monitor each

individual car power consumption and charge back to the user accordingly.

I hope you all have a great month.

www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk 71

N ETWORK I N G & E V E N TS

Toby Graves

Golf day a smash hit for children’s charity

A golf day held in aid of Rockinghorse, has raised thousands of pounds for the children’s charity.

Toby Graves, the 24-year-old Charity professional golfer and managing director of TPG Sports Events, organised the golf day in support of Rockinghorse Children’s’ Charity and to aid him in his professional golfing career.

Best known as the official fundraising arm of the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital in Brighton, Rockinghorse raises money for sick and disadvantaged children across Sussex.

The TPG Sports Events Golf Day in aid of Rockinghorse Children’s’ Charity was held at The Dyke Golf Club on Thursday 27th August and was attended by 112 avid golfers. Under current government regulations, staggered starts and strict social distancing measures were put in place but did not hinder the success of the day. The event ran smoothly, and the rain held off until the end. Thanks to fundraising throughout the day, the event raised thousands of pounds, helping to fund ongoing projects and services

72 www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk

that Rockinghorse are supporting during these critical times.

Barnets / JMS Connections took home the crown of winning team and received a £75 voucher for The Dyke Pro shop and a £75 voucher towards Par 3 Golf Breaks Holiday Travel.

Organiser, Toby Graves, expressed his delight following the success of the charity golf day. He said, “Firstly I would like to thank everyone for attending the day in support of myself and Rockinghorse children’s charity.

“Without your support we cannot raise much-needed funds for Rockinghorse and all they do in the community and at the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital.”

“Thank you to all the sponsors on the day and to The Dyke for letting us have the course for the whole day. Well done to everyone who took part and congratulations to winners Barnets / JMS Connections!

“Here at TPG Sports Events, we are planning on running bigger and better events in 2021, so watch this space.

With events planned in Brighton, Eastbourne, Worthing and Crawley ranging from Charity Events to Networking Golf Leagues alongside our new online community platform.”

Stella Buckingham is the events fundraising manager at Rockinghorse and thanked Toby for his support. She says, “We are so grateful for all that Toby does for Rockinghorse. The day was a roaring success and the funds raised just go to show how his hard work and determination to help does pay off. Again, a huge thank you Toby for choosing to support our charity” To find out more about the charity, visit www.rockinghorse.org.uk.

To find out more about TPG Sports Events, visit www.tpgsportsevents.com or email toby@tpgsportsevents.com

A growth engine for sussex businesses Your local business community

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Our limited time offer Premium Individual Membership ✔ Access to all regional publications online ✔ Access to gated content not available in free or Community Individual membership ✔ Membership to whole site online ✔ Paper copy for your region delivered to your door ✔ Access to the market place ✔ Member only discounts on goods and services ✔ Access to competitions with great prizes ✔ Community platform access ✔ Access to our market place ✔ Premium Membership discounts on events and in the marketplace ✔ Premium Membership only events ✔ Access to the members news feed to mention exciting developments in your company

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ALL individual memberships are now FREE for a limited time - JOIN TODAY www.sussexbusinessgroup.co.uk www.countybusinessclubs.co.uk

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