The Peterborough Hub March 2020

Peterborough’s newest business magazine – about business for business owners

THE HUB

March 2020

Peterborough

Education, education, education... and why everything else is just ‘putting lipstick on a pig’

Secret Millionaire Mike Greene calls on businesses to tackle Peterborough’s biggest problem www.thepeterboroughhub.co.uk

Hollyoak Landscapes Ltd COMMERCIAL GROUNDS MAINTENANCE CONTRACTORS ‰Š‚‹ Œ Ž‘’ „‘“‹’ ““ “ ˆ †���

We provide a cost-effective solution to keep your external grounds looking their best, whether you need regular, year round maintenance or one off works.

Various schedules to suit your site’s needs.

ď Ź ď Ź ď Ź ď Ź

ď Ź ď Ź

ď Ź

ď Ź

For all enquiries please contact Andrew (8am-5.30pm Mon-Fri)

 �����  ­�€�€ ‚ƒ„ �€­­� …�…†€�

‡ ˆ ˆ

NPTC qualified operatives.

CRB & DBS checked.

Registered waste carriers CBDU281940

www.hollyoaklandscapes.co.uk

March 2020

www.thepeterboroughhub.co.uk

Welcome to The Peterborough Hub

Editor’s intro

3

Wow! I am so excited and proud to be sharing the first edition of The Peterborough Hub with you.

Once you start flicking through its pages, I am sure you’ll agree that it is absolutely jam-packed with loads of informative, entertaining, inspiring and educational content.

I certainly hope that you find something that is relevant to you as you go about building and growing your business in Peterborough, as that is the reason Sarah and I have teamed up.

Since we started talking about the idea last year, there have been those who have questioned the sanity of publishing a magazine at a time when many believe print has had its day.

We have pushed ahead with our plans for The Peterborough Hub because we wholeheartedly disagree that print is dead.

My own background is in local newspapers and although things have changed considerably over the 25-plus years since I started out as a junior reporter, I know from experience that people are still keen to pick up something tangible and read about something that is important and relevant to them.

right now opening its pages to have a look how the first edition turned out.

That’s 4,999 people who will see your advert or read your editorial or advertorial and it’s possible that a few of them will become your next customers.

And that’s why we are doing this.

We want The Peterborough Hub to be a platform that brings together businesses across the city and fosters a sense of business community and collaboration that helps everyone to succeed.

Sarah’s background is in leading B2B magazine advertising sales teams, and she too believes print advertising is still an effective marketing channel for businesses of all sizes.

We want to champion all of those businesses and business owners to help them grow and find new customers and make more money – after all, that’s what business is all about.

How many of you reach 5,000 people with your social media posts? A few, maybe, but that kind of organic reach can be hard to come by.

In exchange, we want your support too, to make issue two even bigger and better than the first.

On the other hand, we are sending The Peterborough Hub through the post, to directly land on the desks, of 4,000 decision makers in businesses across Peterborough.

I want to hear from you if you have an inspirational story to tell about your business, or have some specialised knowledge or skill to share that will help others.

We’ll be putting it into the hands of another 1,000 people through networking events and business centres.

Who knows, you could be the cover star for our next edition in May.

That’s 4,999 other people just like you, who are SALES DIRECTOR Sarah Crown sarah.crown@thepeterboroughhub.co.uk 01733 573366 | 07907 083710 ACCOUNT MANAGER Lisa Rowlett lisa.rowlett@thepeterboroughhub.co.uk 01733 573366

In the meantime, enjoy the onset of Spring and I hope all of your ventures continue to blossom.

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Tracey Sweetland tracey.sweetland@thepeterboroughhub.co.uk 01775 888004 | 07595 036454

COVER STORY

PAGE 8

l Secret Millionaire Mike Greene talks education in Peterborough and why businesses should care.

PAGE 12 PEOPLE & SKILLS l Disruptive Entrepreneur Rob Moore’s top tips on taking your business to the next level.

PROPERTY & WORKPLACE PAGE 23 l Leasing or buying property, co-working and how to create a clutter-free working environment.

FLEET & VEHICLE

PAGE 34

l Advice on how to drive down the rising costs of keeping your business on the road.

PRINTED BY

DISCLAIMER: The reader acknowledges that the opinions expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of The Peterborough Hub team. All content and photos supplied by con-

tributors are published in good faith and on the understanding they are free from copyright or other restrictions. The Peterborough Hub accepts no liability for any loss or damage resulting from errors or non-publication of any advertising. We reserve the right to refuse publication of any advertisement or other content without explanation. To the maximum extent of the law, The Peterborough Hub accepts no liability for any loss or damage (either direct or indirect) suffered as a result of any advertisement, article or any content within the magazine.

4

March 2020

www.thepeterboroughhub.co.uk

News

Origin8 is new Allia caterer Allia Future Business Centre Peterborough has welcomed Origin8 as its new catering partner, to run the café on the top floor of the centre, based in London Road.

Allia chose Origin8 as its new catering partner due to its outstanding reputation and shared values around recycling and the environment.

Menus will be changed seasonally and fresh produce is locally sourced. In addition to running the café, Origin8 will cater for the thriving conference and meeting room facilities at the centre, with everything from lunches for small meetings, to large events for up to 220.

Paul Smith, Centre Manager at Allia Future Business Centre Peterborough, said “We’re delighted to partner with Origin8 to provide catering for our centre in Peterborough.

“The café serves as an important space for the many tenants at the bustling and busy centre to grab a coffee, some lunch and have a meeting or take a break from their offices.”

Grab a paddle for fundraising Dragon Boat Festival Businesses are urged to get ready to grab a paddle and take to the water – entries are officially open for the Peterborough Dragon Boat Festival 2020 on Saturday, June 13, at Peterborough Rowing Club.

The festival will once again raise funds for Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice, which is the only specialist palliative care inpatient unit in Peterborough. The hospice provides expert care and support for people living with life-limiting conditions, as well as supporting their families.

Last year’s festival saw 48 teams race each other in authentic Chinese dragon boats and raised £35,000 for charity Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice.

Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice has to fundraise £2.4 million this year to continue providing its vital support to people across the region, which makes events like the Peterborough Dragon Boat Festival even more important.

Organisers Gable Events are hoping the 2020 festival, which will be the 22nd held in Peterborough and sponsored this year by Whirlpool UK, will be the biggest and best to date.

Teams will compete over the 200 metre course in 30ft dragon boats, each with an ornately carved dragon’s head and its own drummer at the front beating out time.

As well as the races, which are expected to be watched by several thousand spectators, there will be plenty of bankside entertainment and stalls for all the family to enjoy.

There is a great incentive for teams to raise as much sponsorship as possible – the top fundraisers will be awarded the charity trophy and receive a special escape room experience at Escape Peterborough.

For more information and to sign up, email thorpe. fundraising@sueryder.org, call 01733 225999 or visit www.sueryder.org/peterborough-dragon-boatfestival-2020 For more information about Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice, visit www.sueryder.org/thorpehall

Lynch Wood refurbishment gets underway A multi-million-pound refurbishment programme has started at Lynch Wood Park.

Carefully planned to protect the newly awarded Grade II listed status of the twentieth-century building, the resulting refurbishment will provide an additional 14,000 sq ft of new office space. Minor exterior upgrades will feature sympathetic alterations to the facade of the building and a brand-new terrace for office workers to dine in.

Internal alterations will also feature an upgrade of the main entrance, reception and existing site restaurant, and the installation of a brand-

new fitness suite for workers to use.

All of the building upgrades and all-round improvements have been designed to provide a more tenant-focused offering.

Set in picturesque surroundings and boasting a striking interior, Lynch Wood Park is located at the heart of Peterborough Business Park, three miles west of Peterborough city centre.

The site currently totals 350,000 sq ft and is set within 11.74 hectares. Lynch Wood Park currently houses approximately 2,000 employees and is home to a range of businesses, from multinational companies to local start-ups.

March 2020

www.thepeterboroughhub.co.uk

5

News

Serenity Loves salon owner Jo Bevilacqua.

Suicide prompts salon owner to take a stand over celebrity gossip Serenity Loves salon owner Jo Bevilacqua has taken the decision to ban celebrity gossip magazines from the salon following the recent tragic suicide of TV celebrity Caroline Flack.

The hair and beauty salon based In Oundle Road, Peterborough, was one of the first salons in the country to take the decision to ditch the publications.

They have made the change because they do not want to support magazines whose main focus is to tell stories, true or untrue, about people’s private lives.

It is hoped the decision will help to ensure customers leave the salon after their appointment feeling as good as they look.

Jo Bevilacqua, who owns the salon, said: “As someone who has not read newspapers or gossip magazines personally for years I have decided, along with my management team, that we will not be purchasing them for the salon either.

“We do not want to support the magazines where they are photoshopping one person’s

body to look better whilst picking out every single ‘fault’ of another’s.”

Jo recently took part in a guest interview on Channel 5’s Jeremy Vine show where she debated whether it was patronising to expect people to read only educational material.

Jo’s response: “It’s not just about educational stuff. The salon’s main client avatar is busy mums and their time is precious, so the team want to make sure that every minute spent in the salon is a happy one.

“When you are not feeling great about yourself and you come into a salon to make you feel better, what you don’t want to see is magazines fueled with negativity and pulling celebrities down, as that’s not healthy.

“Bringing more positivity into the salon can’t be a bad thing.”

The salon has replaced the gossip magazines with more positive material which includes the happy newspaper, adult colouring books and inspirirational and self-development books.

Serenity Loves has also joined up with The MamaKind Club to give away mindfulness

journals for children.

Jo added: “We do not want to support the magazines where women are pitted against each other and portray the message that there is only room at the top for one to succeed.

“A wise woman once said, ‘you are either part of the problem, or part of the solution’ and by getting rid of gossip magazines we are hoping to be a small part of the solution to a kinder world.”

6

News Med tech company Coloplast has officially opened its new £9million distribution centre in Peterborough.

The new 135,000 square foot centre at the Peterborough Gateway – named by staff as the ‘COG’ (Coloplast Operations at the Gateway) – will handle all of the company’s distribution activities for the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

www.thepeterboroughhub.co.uk

March 2020

New £9m distribution centre helps put city on the map

By reducing supply chain complexity, it will mean faster delivery of its products to patients and will increase the capacity to meet sameday orders, which are essential for customers with intimate healthcare needs.

The distribution centre is also the new home of a special stoma bag cutting facility, which enables Coloplast to ensure that patients receive personalised and individually sized stoma bags.

To provide this additional service, the company has ten specialist laser machines on site, of which there are only 50 in the world.

Last year, the UK cutting room team managed to cut over 1 million bags in just one month.

Coloplast’s General Manager Annemarie van Neck said: “After several years of development, our new integrated warehouse and distribution centre is finally open for business.

“We will now be able to supply our trade customers directly, rather than rely on previous supply routes where there were risks of delays.

“We also have increased capacity to hold more stock which benefits the NHS, healthcare professionals who prescribe our products, the patients using them and contractors dispensing them. I would like to thank all staff who have worked hard to make today a reality.”

Director for UK Distribution Richard Gutsell said: “I am pleased that the countless hours of planning and execution undertaken to ensure that we deliver the COG on time and within budget have been a success.

Coloplast director for UK distribution Richard Gutsell giving local MP Paul Bristow a tour of the new operations hub.

“It is a testament to the hard work of the whole Coloplast team that we are here today to see the COG officially opened.”

Over the last year, there were over 30 new roles created in Coloplast across the business, including 16 new starters at Coloplast’s previous warehouse facility, The Links, near Orton Southgate. Ten staff successfully completed their apprenticeships in 2019, and a further ten will start the scheme in 2020.

Recently elected Peterborough MP Paul Bristow was present at the warehouse opening, commenting: “This is great news, not just for the NHS and Coloplast’s staff, but for the whole of Peterborough.

“This is exactly the kind of big investment

that will help to level up all parts of our country.”

Tom Hennessy, chief executive of the city’s economic development company for the city, Opportunity Peterborough, added, “Coloplast is one of Peterborough’s most well respected employers and it’s great to see careers, not just jobs, being created for residents.

“The company has a 40-year legacy here and this investment really evidences the strength of Peterborough’s offer for international businesses.

“Opportunity Peterborough will continue to support Coloplast’s growth in Peterborough as it delivers life changing products and services to customers across the UK.”

Sign up to help disadvantaged city children discover a love for reading Businesses could help improve literacy among city schoolchildren by taking part in the National Literacy Trust’s popular Where’s Wally? fun run.

Participants can take part in a 5k or 10k race as they don the iconic red and white Wally stripes and jog, run or walk around the beautiful Nene Park, Ferry Meadows.

Currently less than half of disadvantaged children in Peterborough finish primary school with the reading skills expected for their age.

Businesses are encouraged to enter as a team and the team with the most members will win 250 new books for a local school of their choice.

This will be the first time the event has been held in Peterborough.

The event takes place on Sunday, May 3.

Registration opens at 9.30am with the race starting at 10.30am.

Proceeds will support teachers, parents and volunteers as they help children develop a lifelong love of reading.

To register, go to www.literacytrust.org/ events/whereswallypeterborough/

Seen to be Green with

Working with businesses in Peterborough and across East Anglia for a greener future

Call 01223 322799 or email: sales@ellgia.co.uk VISIT

ellgia.co.uk FOR MORE INFORMATION

8

In Focus

Peterborough is languishing at the bottom of the country’s education league tables.

It’s a worrying situation for parents, teachers, city leaders and everyone who has a stake in the education of the city’s young people.

But according to one of the city’s leading entrepreneurs, Peterborough businesses cannot afford to ignore the crisis either.

Mike Greene talks to The Peterborough Hub about why education should be at the top of the business agenda.

www.thepeterboroughhub.co.uk

March 2020

BUSINESSES MUST PUT EDUCATION TOP OF THE AGENDA

For all of his wealth – and the fame which followed his involvement in the hit Channel 4 series The Secret Millionaire – Mike Greene certainly has a colourful turn of phrase and the ability and willingness to tell it how it is.

Putting lipstick on a pig is the least colourful of the metaphors he uses to describe efforts to improve Peterborough without addressing what he sees as the issue which lays at the very heart of the city’s problems - its failing education system.

The other involves covering excrement with a delicious brown confectionary. Not a phrase suitable perhaps for the first edition of a new business magazine, but one that conveys a very clear message.

What Mike means is that no matter what you do to “dress it up”, nothing is going to actually make Peterborough better until the problem of education is addressed.

However, despite the inherent suggestion that Peterborough deserves its reputation as one of the worst places in the country to live, Mike obviously loves the city.

As he says, he could choose to live and run his businesses from anywhere in the world, but he chooses Peterborough because it is where he has lived since the age of 11 and he has a ingrained fondness for the place.

He said: “I have spoken at every school in the city, I have mentored many businesses and I have supported more than 100 charities here because I love this city, but that doesn’t

change the fact that we are 152 out of 152 local authorities in terms of primary education and ninth from bottom in secondary education.

“If education is the primary lens through which people view Peterborough, they will not consider moving here.

“To me that’s a problem, but if you speak to many of the councillors or MP, who are obviously looking to be re-elected, they will always tells you that results are better than the year before.

“And of course, there’s the most obvious aspect which is that the students of today will be the workforce of tomorrow and it’s important for businesses that they have access to educated and motivated employees.

“That may be the case but we are still bottom and we need to face the facts.

“And I think that this is an issue that businesses should be very concerned about for a number of reasons.

“For example, if you lived outside Peterborough and were looking to relocate here what is the first thing many people would look at?

“The schools. They are often the most important thing people consider when they are looking to move to a new area.

“So education is a real issue for businesses and I think if Peterborough was a business we would have sacked the head of education a long time ago.”

Mike firmly believes that the problem with education stems from the eagerness of those in a position to change things to stick their heads in the sand and refuse to admit there is a problem.

Only by looking at the facts as they truly are, rather than with rose tinted glasses, will things

March 2020

www.thepeterboroughhub.co.uk

start to get better, in his opinion.

He said: “ What we need is for people to admit education is broken before we can fix it – otherwise it’s just putting lipstick on a pig.

“Rather than just being offended by those who criticise Peterborough and say it’s crap, we need to take it on the chin and look at what needs to happen to bring about change.

“We can’t sweep it under the carpet.

“We need to be solution-orientated and look at the big picture – the good, the bad

9

and the ugly – and take it from there and do what needs to be done to make things better.

“We are on a journey. This isn’t going to happen overnight.

“We are perhaps ten years from fixing it, but we have to look at the true facts of where we are now to make a start on putting it right.

“Businesses have a role to play in calling on city leaders and making their voices heard to ensure they have access to an educated and motivated workforce in years to come.”

Why failure is crucial to success...

“If you don’t ever fail, you won’t succeed.”

It’s a key message that Mike shared in his book Failure Breeds Success, and which he feels is an important lesson for everyone to learn from an early age.

“You need to fall flat on your arse in the playground and pick yourself up and dust yourself off.

“The trouble is we live in a society where people see the National Lottery and X-Factor and think you can become a success or a millionaire overnight.

“They often don’t appreciate the

‘

Education is hugely important.

I get really passionate about it because I have seen what a good education can do.

hours of training top athletes put in, or the years that pop stars spend singing in pubs.

“In reality, success takes a long time and the truth is that when you first start anything you are likely to be crap at it, so you effectively fail your way to success.

“In that sense, kids generally are growing up with the false impression that failure is a bad thing, rather than failure just be a step on the journey.

“The old cliche is true, that the only place success comes before work is in the dictionary – and it’s often a hard message to hear, but it’s an important one.”

The rise and rise of the Secret Millionaire Mike Greene moved back to Bretton with his mum as an 11-year-old and attended Bretton Woods School.

Although his mum had left the city when she first married, Mike is the fifth generation of his family to live in Peterborough.

go incognito to give away tens of thousands of pounds.

In 2012 Mike sold his research consultancy firm and invested in the popular music app Shazam, before it was sold to tech giant Apple.

In 2019, he stood in the by-election to become By his early 20s he had set up his first business MP for Peterborough representing the Brexit and although it failed, he went on to set up Party. another and build a successful career as a retail Following the short attempt to enter politics entrepreneur. in the hope of putting Peterborough first in He is a former trustee of Peterborough Westminster, he now focuses on business, Cathedral and in 2011 appeared on Channel 4’s charity, mentoring and his personal life, with The Secret Millionaire, which sees millionaires hobbies including mountaineering and sailing.

Recognition Express

ADVERTORIAL

Promotional products outperform digital marketing channels - FACT! With research showing that 89 percent of people remember the company’s name for up to two years after receiving a promotional product, branded product specialist Recognition Express Peterborough recommends businesses in today’s digital world should not ignore the more traditional, tried, tested and successful marketing methods.

It can be easy to think that a regular tweet or an eye-catching Facebook advert is all that’s needed to keep customers engaged and loyal.

But a more traditional promotional giveaway not only has longevity, it can be a far more effective and a lower cost strategy to get your business noticed.

Research shows that 80 percent of us have at least one promotional product on our desk that we could lay our hands on right now - many of which have been there for well over a year.

Promotional products and branded clothing have a lasting impact, far more than a digital advert at the top of your Twitter feed one minute and gone within seconds.

Choosing items with an everyday use is a great tactic for ensuring maximum return on investment.

‘

Bring us a marketing challenge and we’ll come up with an innovative, cost effective solution

’

Pens have consistently been in our top ten selling products for good reason – they are low cost and we all need one.

Branded ice scrapers are always well received in the winter, and reusable water bottles and coffee cups are hugely popular as we become ever more environmentally conscious.

Situated in the heart of Peterborough, director Stephen Loasby and his team are experts in helping businesses choose the right promotional item for the right purpose.

Bring us a marketing challenge and we’ll come up with an innovative, cost effective solution.

We’re equipped with the latest digital technology to produce roller banners and other large format printed items alongside a full range of web and print services as well as access to all the promotional items and branded clothing items you could ever need! We also offer a same day service on selected products!

The team at Recognition Express, from left - Hayley, Stephen and Matt, are ready to help you.

Call Hayley or Matt at Recognition Express Peterborough now on 01733 796820 or email sales@re-peterborough.co.uk to find out how you can stand out from your competitors and leave a lasting impression with your customers.

March 2020

www.thepeterboroughhub.co.uk

11

Full STEAM ahead for The HackSpace Businesses across Peterborough are being urged to get involved and support a new initiative which aims to make Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) available to everyone.

The HackSpace may only have opened a couple of weeks ago, but already it is planting the seeds of a community where people can learn new skills and share their expertise in a wide range of creative activities.

What can you expect to find at The HackSpace l 3D printers l Manual milling machines and lathes for metal and woodwork

For those who haven’t yet heard about it – and you can be forgiven as the official launch isn’t until mid-April – the idea is that The HackSpace will be a community workshop and co-working environment providing access to specialist tooling and machinery, collaborative workshops and network facilities with the aim of increasing opportunities and investment in STEAM industries and activities in the city.

It will provide facilities that are often too specialised and inaccessible to those outside of industry.

But that kind of facility does not come cheap and until membership numbers rise The HackSpace is reliant on sponsorship to survive.

Which is why the management team is hoping the city’s business community will get behind them.

One of the biggest challenges the team currently faces is the conversion of three

l Professional laser cutters l Hand and power tools l Electronics workstations – soldering irons,

testing equipment and components l Workbenches equipped with vices and clamping equipment l Virtual and physical programming environments l Sewing machines and textiles

shipping containers into one large workshop for wood and metalwork.

vulnerable people as well people experiencing financial hardship.

This is an expensive project which they are looking for financial support to complete, but there are also other vital ways businesses can support The HackSpace, not least by lending their skills and expertise.

“We are trying to build something incredible for Peterborough, we can’t do that without you.

They intend to provide professional-led workshops to enable as many people as possible to gain valuable STEAM skills which will stand them in good stead in today’s jobs market.

Tyler Clark, director of The HackSpace, said: “The HackSpace is not just a workshop, a co-working environment or a MakerSpace, it is a community hub.

“We want to build a community of people all united in STEAM, creating awesome projects for fun and function.

“We provide more than just the tools and equipment. We engage with various local groups that offer support to marginalised and

“Without you guys, bringing your skills, your ambition and enthusiasm, without your knowledge and expertise, The HackSpace is just home to a bunch of really cool and expensive tools.

“We want it to be a community, helping to build strong bonds and connections and bringing people together to help each other and provide support to those that need it.

“We want it to be a space that allows people to work and play in a satisfying, safe and friendly environment.”

The HackSpace is located at Unit B Peartree Business Centre, Enterprise Way, Bretton, Peterborough, PE3 8YQ info@thehackspace.co.uk www.thehackspace.co.uk

Business Advice

12

www.thepeterboroughhub.co.uk

March 2020

Work smarter and master your emotion to take your business to the next level The author of eight books and one of the UK’s top non-fiction writers, Rob Moore has made his mark by building a brand as The Disruptive Entrepreneur.

As well as being an author, he has also built the UK’s largest property training company, broken three public speaking records as an international keynote speaker and co-owns or manages 850 tenants in his property portfolio and Progressive Lets agency.

That’s not all - he’s also one of the UK’s top influencers.

Not bad for a boy from Peterborough who fought back from being £50,000 in debt at the age of 25 to become a millionaire aged just 30.

From offices based on Cygnet Park, Hampton, Rob now helps other business owners leverage their own passions and skills to make their businesses a success.

Here he shares his top ten ways to break through your business-related income ceilings.

1. leads

Create multiple streams of

If you have one lead source, just like, if you have one supplier or one client, you risk disruption. You risk them going bust.

If you have multiple streams of leads, you have multiple streams of income. The more leads you have, the more clients you have, and the more income you have.

2.

Focus on marketing

Marketing is the single most important function of any business. If you don’t focus on marketing at least half of your time, you’re not going to grow your leads. You’re not growing your clients. You’re not going to grow your revenue. You’re not going to grow your reach, you’re not going to grow your impact.

Many people who are coaches, consultants, trainers, product and service providers, their problem isn’t their product. Their problem isn’t their skill or their experience, or their ability to sell.

Their problem is volume of leads.

Not enough people focus enough on marketing. They focus on everything else, product, service, admin, systems, software, HR, recruitment.

And I always say to those people who say it’s not going very well, that they are not converting or that they are not selling very well, what if you have 100 times as many leads, what would happen?

No marketing, no leads, no revenue. It’s like a shop. You might have good stock.

You might have good salesperson. You might have good software. But if you can’t get anyone in the shop, you don’t have a business. And getting people in the shop is marketing.

Now, as long as they’re not selling zero out of 10, because they might then sell zero out of 100, usually their problem is volume of leads.

You need to leverage everything you can to get those leads, such as social media, Facebook ads, Amazon ads, Spotify ads, Google ads, CPA listening tools, joint-ventures, collaborations, Instagram organic, Instagram paid ads, LinkedIn paid ads. You could test YouTube, YouTube paid ads. You name it. There are loads of different exhibitions, shows, being a public speaker, ads on your podcast, ads on your YouTube Channel.

There are so many ways to generate leads and income.

These are all important, but not as important as marketing.

3.

Hire more revenue generating staff.

That might be sales people, marketing people. That might be affiliates and ambassadors. But the more revenue generating staff you have, the more revenue you have.

I have a rule that between 2.5 and 5 times a salary should be what a revenue generating person in your team brings in.

So, if you’re paying 50 grand, they should be bringing in 125 to 250 grand. If you’re paying them 20 grand, they should be

March 2020

ns

Find out more about Rob, including information about all his books and his podcasts, at his website www.robmoore. com You can also learn more about the Rob Moore Foundation, which supports young and underprivileged people on their entrepeneurial journey.

Or, follow him on Facebook, where he regularly shares his unique brand of business advice and motivation. bringing in 50 to 100 grand Of course, you could pay up to one quarter in basic salary, and the rest could be commission.

I’ve got staff that are under £20,000 salary, but earn six figures actual income when you take all their commissions into account.

4.

Find a mentor

Get a mentor who’s broken through the ceiling you’re hitting in your business, and figure out how they did it, what lessons they’ve got, what mistakes they’ve made, what made the biggest difference, what could you leverage that they’ve done. As they blaze the trail, could you follow the trail that they’ve blazed?

I believe in learning from mistakes of others, not yourself. And I believe in getting leverage by vicarious experience. Because you don’t have experience you don’t have yet. But you can nick 10 years’ experience off someone who’s had it, if you pay them, if you get mentored by them, if you listen to them, if you wine and dine them. They can give you some of their insight, wisdom and experience.

5.

Work smarter, not harder

I refer to in my earlier point. You sometimes think, I’ve got to work harder. I’ve got to hustle. I’ve got to grind. The harder I work, the better it will be. But sometimes, the harder you work, the worst it is, because you burn out. Your communication or your management of your emotions gets diminished. You make mistakes. There are breakages and bottle necks. You’re a bottle neck to your business growth.

But people think the harder you work, the more successful you’ll get.

Yeah, you need to work hard enough, but Robin Sharp has said to me, five good hours of work a day, nice deep dive, intense, focused, good quality work, and that’s all you need to do and all you should do.

I’m just saying that sometimes harder work just pushes results away, pushes people away,

www.thepeterboroughhub.co.uk pushes partnerships away. You burn out.

You stress out. You’re playing snakes and ladders. You have to have a few days off.

You go back to the beginning. You lose your momentum. There’s a lack of consistency.

It’s about working smarter, to leverage before you manage. So, manage before you do. Leverage, then manage, then do. Think rather than hustle. Plan rather than just grind away. Figure out a problem and take time to talk to people and to discuss stuff on social media. Slow down a bit.

Now, sometimes, you have to work hard, and sometimes, you have to work smart.

6.

Admin support

You need admin support. If you’re working harder in income generating tasks, good on you. But you will also be doing your admin. Admin gets in the way of revenue.

Admin is required, but it doesn’t mean it’s required by you. So, get a VA, get a PA, get that admin outsourced so you can keep focusing on income generating tasks.

Hire salespeople and they can do income generating tasks and then you can manage them as your income generating tasks. So, there’s double leverage there.

I believe your first four hires should be PA, ops, marketing and sales. Sales if you’re not generating any money.Marketing if you’re not getting any leads. PA or VA if your admin is all over the place, and ops if there’s staff or systems or processes to manage. But they’re your first four hires.

So many companies, they’ve got 10 or 20 staff, and they haven’t got many, if any, of those staff. I know one company with 35 staff, no one in marketing. Crazy!

7.

Leverage

Leverage social media platforms.

Leverage staff. Leverage systems. Leverage software. Leverage mentors. Leverage other people’s experience. Leverage my social media profile by hitting me up 500 stars so you can get shout-outs to my 140,000 followers.

Leverage the information, books and audiobooks, podcasts, courses and masterminds and mentorship.

Social media is great leverage, because it’s free.

You can reach hundreds or even hundreds of millions of people across all platforms. It might take time but you could build millions of followers.

Are you using Facebook Groups? I think that’s one of the best leverages. Are you using LinkedIn? Because they give you the best reach. Are you focusing again on YouTube? Do you have a podcast? Are you doing Facebook Lives? These all give you great leverage.

13

8.

Collaborations and jointventures

If you can collaborate with someone who’s got an existing brand or who’s got an existing customer base, or can generate leads, or has got skills you haven’t, then one plus one equals three squared, instead of one plus one equals two. i’ve done many joint-ventures and collaborations. I did one recently with Jay Alderton who’s very well known in the fitness space. We’re both well known in our own space so he leveraged me and I leveraged him. I obviously do podcast interviews, which is great leverage. And they often post out to their social media. I have affiliates and ambassadors and people who resell my books. I have speaker and trainer partnerships. You get exponential growth in partnerships.

9.

Create a great product

Create a great product or a new product or some kind of innovation or disruption or trend. So, could you do something different? Could you sell to your existing customers a new product, a different product? Could you launch something new?

Could you change a product you launch and repackage it and make it better and sexier?

Could you create a crowdsourced version two, more improved product or service?

I’m really keen on launching a LinkedIn course. I’m really keen on launching a book writing course. I’m going to launch a Millionaires Mastermind in the future. So, I’ve got all these there and ready, when I maybe need to take my company to the next level or breakthrough the 25 or the 30 million-pound barrier, for example. So, could you do that. I’m guessing, you could?

10.

Mastering your emotions

So, managing your emotions and mastering your emotions is huge in business.

And I believe the better you master your emotions, you just go to the next level, the next level and the next level.

So, not reacting to people, not reacting like a child, not acting like a chimp, not taking rejection badly, not lashing out, not having a go at people, not bitching, not complaining, not defending, not justifying, not controlling other people, not being entitled, not getting down, not beating yourself up, getting back up, not letting your confidence be hit.

These are all things that you do to master your emotions. And that usually involves having a word with yourself, breathing it out, allowing yourself to feel it, going through it without writing anything on Facebook or saying anything to anyone.

I’ve definitely worked a lot on mastering my emotions over the years and I’ve come a long way, baby as Fatboy Slim says.

Getting Started

14

www.thepeterboroughhub.co.uk

March 2020

Little Bird Hair Design 07927227888 littlebirdhairdesign@outlook.com

‘

Why waste your life being unhappy?

Do your research, have a plan, set a goal with a time limit.

’

When her 84-year-old parents cut the ribbon to officially open her new salon, it signalled more than just the start of a new venture for Jill Hendry.

To Jill, the new Little Bird Hair Design salon at Peterborough Workspace signified the culmination of an ambition she had held since she was 12.

On the weekend of her 50th birthday, she was finally able to silence the memory of being ridiculed by her maths teacher in school.

Jill said: “To say it was emotional is a huge understatement...there were lots of happy tears.

“I had always had in the back of mind what my maths teacher said but this time nothing was going to stop me.

“So, to have finally realised my dream means the world to me.”

Jill recalls that as a bright student she was expected to choose an office or bank to carry out her work experience, but instead chose a salon so she could learn more about being a hairdresser.

But she was forced to rethink her career path after her choice of work experience was mocked by her maths teacher, who asked in front of her classmates, ‘what did you learn Jill, how to sweep up?”

Jill said: “I felt so embarrassed and after that thought I should choose a ‘better’ career.”

No such thing as ‘over the hill’ for hairdresser Jill Jill Hendry gave up her dream of becoming a hairdresser after being ridiculed by a teacher.

Now, at the age of 50, she’s proving that age is just a number by realising her ambition and opening a new salon.

So Jill gave up on hairdressing and started her working life in a purchase ledger office of a large department store and later in the payroll office of a large factory.

This involved Jill going to college and supporting herself by working 30 hours a week in a bar while she completed a hairdressing apprenticeship.

It wasn’t until a “terrible” divorce in 2013 left Jill looking for a new focus that her thoughts once more turned to her dream of becoming a hairdresser.

She said: “I had to take quite a drop in pay, but it was well worth it to reach my goal.

She said: “Over the years I’d often thought about hairdressing but then I’d tell myself that it was too late and I missed the boat on that.

“But then suddenly, I realised that here I was in a world where education was available to anyone and age was no longer an issue, so I set out to finally follow my dream.”

“Now my philosophy is definitely if you don’t like your job, find a new one.

“Why waste your life being unhappy? Do your research, have a plan, set a goal with a time limit.

‘Mine was to have my own salon by my 50th birthday and it felt so good on my birthday weekend to finally realise my ultimate goal.”

Allia Future Business Centre Peterborough

A business centre with added

POSITIVE IMPACT Whether you’re looking for a fully serviced private office, a flexible space to co-work, a virtual office business address to help you make the right impression or inspiring event and meeting room space for up to 220 people, we’ve got you covered.

We support businesses of all shapes and sizes so they can grow and create opportunities for the local community.

Fancy a tour? Drop us an email or give us a call, you’ll be very welcome.

Allia Future Business Centre London Road, Peterborough PE2 8AN 01733 666600 I hello@fbcpeterborough.co.uk www.futurebusinesscentre.co.uk

16

Awards

www.thepeterboroughhub.co.uk

March 2020

Time is running out to enter 2020 awards Time is fast running out for the chance to pick up a 2020 Peterborough Small Business Award.

So, what do you need to know to be in with a chance of winning?

The awards are run by the Peterborough Small Business Company and are now in their fourth year.

The aim of the awards is to highlight and reward the best small businesses in the Peterborough area.

From new businesses to tradesmen, hairdressers and more – the awards set out to find the true winners from all sectors and sizes of business.

More than 700 businesses have entered since the awards began in 2016, and last year’s awards evening attracted more than 300 attendees.

Categories for the awards include service, retail, beauty, hairdressing, pub and restaurant, trade, creative and network marketing, and there are also awards for new business of the year, inspi-

rational leader, employee of the year, businesswoman and businessman of the year.

The biggest prize of the night is the Small Business of the Year prize, which goes to the highest scoring business over the entire competition.

The only criteria for entering the awards are that your business must have under 30 employees and be based within 20 miles of the centre of Peterborough.

Only businesses under 18 months old will be considered for the new business category.

Winners are announced at a glittering event to be held in October.

However, entries close at the end of March ahead of the process to choose the winners, which includes a public vote which opens at the beginning of August and makes up 25 percent of the final score, and finalist interviews in September.

You can find a full list and description of the categories on the website, where you also submit your entries.

Go to www.thesmallbusinessco.co.uk/psba

New Store Opening 28th March 2020

€€

 �����  � ­  €‚ �

www.thepeterboroughhub.co.uk

March 2020

Recruitment

Are you ready for a new recruit?

Whether you are a new or established business, taking the big step of employing a new member of staff can be fraught with difficulties.

Hayley Mitchell, director of Bowella Recruit, talks us through some of the things you need to consider.

Hayley Mitchell 07759649247 hayley@bowellarecruit.co.uk www.bowellarecruit.co.uk

Starting your own business can be exciting, daunting and difficult at times.

In the first 18 months many new business owners will find it highly likely that they will work long hours and must do the bulk of the workload themselves with no support until you are ready to take on your first employee.

Taking on a new employee in an established business is a big step but when it’s a growing business in the early stages, it’s a huge step.

You will be committing to paying their wage for the foreseeable future and one of the biggest worries for many small business owners is what happens if you do this too early?

If you do employ too early you could experience cash flow issues, so its about being financially stable enough to deal with the extra outgoing costs.

Always speak to your accountant if you are unsure as you are liable to pay pensions, NI and various other costs on top of the salary.

Employing your first member of staff is your opportunity to delegate control of specific functions within the business – assuming you are happy to let go of these functions.

Here are some things to consider:

The role It is important to define the new employee’s role and what they will be doing at the start You can also look at how this role may develop in the future. Try writing a list of tasks you feel are suitable for someone in this role. If this amounts to more than 20-25 hours per week then you’re ready to recruit.

Procedures/Processes How will you hire? Is there a timescale you need to work to?

Create a guideline of the hiring process and essential criteria that you are looking for. This will help you keep structure and organisation behind the process whilst also ensuring you are fair and open when recruiting.

Budgets/Finances How much can you afford to pay someone including benefits/pension etc?

A new employee should be bringing money into the business or freeing up your time to bring money in. You need to consider your role once the new employee has started and that you will have the funds available to meet their wage. It should be easy to establish their wage as you can look at similar roles available on the market

Advertise/Engagement How will you attract candidates to apply for your role?

There are several ways you can do this with little/minimal costs such as social media platforms, your company website, local shops boards and word of mouth.

Recruitment agencies can always help but if you are looking to keep costs low then try the above first before engaging with local recruiters.

Interview Processes Once you’ve started to receive some applications, you’ll need to start deciding which ones are worth seeing. You will need to ensure they can “walk the walk” and may consider a skills test to gauge their competence. Give them a task to do complete in the interview that they would do on the day to day job and see how well they complete it. This is an effective way of testing their skills and not just their ability to answer a question well.

Hiring Processes Prepare the contract before you make your offer. Ensure you know what salary you are offering, the benefits, the hours of work and offered holiday entitlement.

Having an official document helps your new employee to feel part of the team; it also ensures that everyone knows the legal standing of the employment.

It is essential any employee is taken on for a probationary period. This gives them, as well as you, the opportunity to end the contract without any issue. It can be that you simply don’t work well together, or they need a different type of work as they are not suited to the role on offer.

17

Unique Aerial Visuals

ADVERTORIAL

Your business, as seen from above...

Over the last decade, there has been a surge of advances in the field of camera, location and communications technology.

This continuing progression of small electronic device capability can be attributed to the constant demand for the newest smart phones.

geo-referenced photographic maps that are accurate to scale and contain many times more detail than satellite imagery – Just in case you were planning a site expansion any time soon.

Piggybacking off these technological strides are small unmanned aerial vehicles – more commonly referred to as drones.

While your mobile phone is probably a critical tool in your business toolkit, has your business made similar use of drone technology?

A picture can paint a thousand words, so if your business involves land, buildings, vehicles or hosting events you could be missing out if you’ve not got an eye in the sky to capture your story.

In the hands of a professional remote pilot, highly sophisticated drones could be helping you to both save and make money.

It’s important to ensure any drone flight is safe and professional drone operators will have exacting risk assessments as well as special permissions from the Civil Aviation Authority to operate.

Drones can be used for a variety of purposes, from the obvious aerial photography and film capture – perhaps of your business premises or fleet of vehicles – to detailed roof inspections

and site surveys.

Drones can also create eye-catching imagery for your marketing campaigns or be saving you thousands in scaffold costs, while conducting inspections far more safely than traditional methods.

Drones can even produce highly detailed and

Photography & film for tv & film social media websites marketing Aerial imagery for site surveys roof & structure inspections mapping 3D modelling www.uniqueaerialvisuals.co.uk lee@uniqueaerialvisuals.co.uk 01933 213040 Follow us on

For more information about using drones for your business photography needs, contact Unique Aerial Visuals Chief Remote Pilot Lee Wilson on 01933 213040 or email lee@uniqueaerialvisuals.co.uk. www.uniqueaerialvisuals.co.uk

March 2020

www.thepeterboroughhub.co.uk

Mental health and stress related illnesses are associated with a lot of the top causes of disability and disease in society today.

Promoting and protecting the mental wellbeing of the workforce is important for people’s physical health, social wellbeing and productivity.

Flagship Training’s Peter Rushmer explains what you need to know about mental health in the workplace.

It is vital that mental health and physical health and safety are treated as equally important.

There are laws that require employers to carry out risk assessments to ensure the safety of employees, but did you know that these same regulations have a requirement to assess the risk of stress-related ill health?

The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require employers to assess the risk of stress-related ill health arising from work activities, as with any other hazard.

It’s important to note that not all stress is bad. Stress can actually motivate people to perform under pressure. Stress in various situations can actually be a lifesaver. In response to danger, your body prepares itself to face threat or escape safely.

In these situations, your pulse rate increases, you breathe faster, your muscles become tense, your brain uses more oxygen and you become more alert—all functions aimed at survival.

However, extended, continual, stress over a longer period of time can cause not only mental ill health, but physical ill health.

Different people may feel stress in different ways. For example, some people experience different digestive symptoms, such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), while others may suffer from anger, irritability, headaches and trouble sleeping.

People under chronic (ongoing) stress are likely to be affected more often by viral infections like the flu.

People

19

Mental health must be top of agenda for caring companies Ongoing stress may be the most difficult type of stress to notice in yourself to begin with. Because the stress will be more constant than in other cases of acute or traumatic stress, the body gets no clear signal to return to normal functioning.

Over time, continued strain on your body from routine stress may contribute to serious health problems, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and other illnesses, as well as mental disorders like depression or anxiety.

According to the World Health Organisation, 1 in 4 people will suffer from a mental health issue at least once in their lifetime. In organisations where the promotion of mental wellbeing isn’t as prominent as others, staff members may feel like they can’t talk to their senior colleagues about the issues they’re facing. This is a culture issue at the organisation level that needs to be addressed.

The first step is for management to commit to promoting the mental wellbeing within the organisation. Then staff can be sent on a training course to become qualified through Mental Health in the Workplace training.

Even before the training course, the organisation can make key changes such as announcing the commitment to mental wellbeing throughout the organisation and briefing managers on the changes to help them have an open door policy when it comes to talking about any mental health problems that their employees might have.

The organisation may also consider offering a talking therapy service to their employees so that they can discuss any topics in confidence.

Flagship Training UK Limited offer a range of First Aid & Mental Health in the Workplace courses.

Visit the website at flagshiptraininguk.com, email info@ flagshiptraininguk.com or call 01733 396169.

Inspiration & Advice

Coaching in your business: Are you missing a trick?

Research your audience and know the numbers to start a business 1. Research...

According to The Institute of Coaching, 80 percent of individuals who experience coaching report increased self-confidence, and more than 70 percent benefit from improved work performance, working relationships and enhanced communication skills.

As a leader, developing a coaching culture in your business can help you get the best from your people, build high performing teams and grow the success of your business.

I work with businesses across a range of industries and sectors and the number who think they have a great “coaching culture” or that their leaders exhibit a strong “coaching style” is staggering. The reality is very few understand what REAL coaching is and the value it brings.

1. REAL coaching isn’t about advising, teaching, guiding or leading.

2. It’s not about telling people what to do in a ‘nice way’.

3. REAL coaching is about encouraging ownership and accountability in individuals and teams so that they feel empowered and have the chance to make a difference.

4. REAL coaching reduces the need for ‘management’ and increases opportunities for a leader to truly lead.

Coaching forms a key part of the ‘Game Changer’ cards – designed by local businesses Inspire Ignite & Mosaic People. They’re easy to use, packed full of useful tips and ideas and designed to help you and your team get thinking, get talking and succeed. You can get hold of your cards at our Game Changer Amazon store.

You can also sign up to one of our FREE breakfast Game Changer Leadership & Business Training events at Ferry Meadows, Peterborough: 1st May 2020: Great Feedback and Meaningful Conversations for Leaders 22nd September 2020: Recruit with Success – More Engaging than an Interview!

4th December 2020: Building a High Performance Team

Are you running your business or is your business running you?

Research your idea and see if it is profitable. If it isn’t then it is not viable as a business.

Research your target audience. What is your unique selling preposition, what can you offer that others aren’t?

2. Create a business plan...

Now, you might think I have gone mad as you are probably saying to you yourself that sales and profit are one and the same thing.

This will help you bring together the ideas, research, feedback from your surveys from customers or clients trialling your samples, products or services.

Hopefully by the end of this article I would have help you change your mind.

3. Be clear on your why? What is your purpose?

Firstly the definition of sales is putting money into the business and profit is what is left after expenses.

Why are you starting your business? Is it for investment? Is it for your family? Is it because it gives you flexibility to work around your family and lifestyle? You need to have a goal that scares you. If you have an end goal in mind, it will help you get clarity and focus into what is it you want out of the business?

To explain this further let’s look at two case studies.

First veganoius, a vegan-based coffee shop.

One day, I got chatting to the owner about their expenses and I was able to help him look at the processes they use and the costs of suppliers.

Thanks to the savings we identified he now has more money available to spend on the business and is able to spend more time with his family as he was able to afford someone to run the shop.

Then there is Coffee R Us, another coffee shop who rejected our offer of help. The owner is struggling to keep costs down and is spending a lot of time working on the business so that he has no time left for his family.

4. Be realistic...

You need to keep your feet firmly on the ground when forecasting the amount of cash or funding needed to manage your start-up.

Initially work on a shoestring budget.

Make a simple plan. Use resources on the internet to help you list all your incoming, outgoings as if you were running your house.

5. Get out there...

The cost of running a business has only really increased by 1% year on year, yet increasingly I see businesses’ expenses rise by more than that.

Starting a business is a roller coaster journey and to stay positive and motivated, you need to join various networking groups.

Business is about having a better work life balance, so you should make sure you review your costs at least once a quarter - or hire a expert to do it for you.

Your network is your net worth so make time to go to events, learn from business professionals, find solutions to your obstacles, talk to people in your local community as they will help you save time, money and fast track your business journey.

Generally, the good ones will do this for free, saving you even more time. Because, as they say, time is the most valuable commodity.

SHAUN BECK

SCOTT WARREN

shaun@ inspireignite.net

Saving Advice Hub

www. inspireignite.net

www. savingadvicehub. co.uk

JYOTI RAJDEV Mentor to business owners through her Jotty’s Workshop. www. jottysworkshop. co.uk

KITCHENS & BEDROOMS

FREE PLAN & DESIGN SERVICE

E

........ ..

I G H Q UA L

25

ARANTE

. HI

CABINET GU

TY

Supplying kitchens, bedrooms, studies, office furniture, cut to size panels and worktops.

With our own local manufacturing facility we are able to create bespoke designs to meet your needs.

Contact us today on 01733 295565 or visit www.pkbtrade.co.uk

The Peterborough Hub is a bi-monthly business magazine distributed to 5,000 decision makers in businesses based in the PE1 to PE7 postcode areas.

March | May | July | September | November 2020

TELL US A STORY . . .

SHARE YOUR EXPERTISE . . .

Do you want to inspire, educate, entertain or inform other business owners?

If you have a story or article to share which fits the bill, get in touch and you could feature in our next edition

BUSINESS DIRECTORY

ADVERTISE WITH US . . .

We know businesses come in all shapes and sizes. That’s why – whether your business is big or small and whatever the size of your budget we have an advertising package which will get your business noticed.

Add your business to our rapidly expanding directory and be seen by a growing audience of people interested in what you sell

ONLY £99pa

Be seen by more than 5,000 business owners across Peterborough and beyond

ADVERTISING & BUSINESS DIRECTORY

EDITORIAL

Sarah Crown

Sales Director sarah.crown@thepeterboroughhub.co.uk 01733 573366 | 07907 083710

Lisa Rowlett

Account manager lisa.rowlett@thepeterboroughhub.co.uk 01733 573366

Tracey Sweetland

Editorial Director tracey.sweetland@thepeterboroughhub.co.uk 01775 888004 | 07595 036454

www.thepeterboroughhub.co.uk

www.thepeterboroughhub.co.uk

March 2020

Workspace

23

There’s been much news coverage about the tailspin that large companies like WeWork and Central Working have been finding themselves in recently.

Both offer flexible office space with open-plan co-working, but after years of huge growth are now facing trouble, with WeWork having to lay off 2,000 staff before Christmas and Central Working going into administration.

Does this really point to a downward turn for demand in this style of flexible working? Or maybe it is actually property companies overstretching themselves.

Despite what you have read, the number of co-working spaces continues to grow worldwide, increasing by a fifth in 2018 – with almost 2.2 million people expected to be working in over 22,000 co-working spaces by the end of last year.

Community matters So, what makes co-working so successful?

There are the obvious reasons such as flexibility, productivity and reduced costs compared to taking on a permanent office, but it turns out that the social aspects are considered most important when choosing a co-working space.

‘

Having a base really focuses you to make the most of your working time.

Christopher Smith Vibrant Colour

’

According to Deskmag’s global coworking survey, hot-deskers in Europe view interaction as the most important reason for this style of working.

A lot of co-working spaces are arranged in open-plan areas or offices, where people can either just rock up with a laptop on a flexible arrangement or secure a dedicated desk for several days a week.

The future remains bright for co-working spaces Recent news coverage of problems at some of the country’s biggest flexible office space providers has set the industry into a tailspin.

So, what is the future looking like for co-working spaces? According to Peterborough’s Allia Future Business Centre, there’s still a huge demand for this style of flexible working. the time alone hard, and just to co-work for a day or two a week can break up this isolation.

Additionally, over 70% of co-workers around the world have collaborated with someone they work alongside – so it can also introduce new business opportunities through networking.

A place for growth Lots of entrepreneurs and start-ups choose to co-work when their companies are in their early stages; the flexibility and reduced cost can be advantageous when you’re trying to get cash flow and customers up and running.

Christopher Smith, director of print and promotional merchandise company Vibrant Colour, hot-desked at Allia Future Business Centre in Peterborough for a number of years.

Either way, they tend to be friendly spaces and users appreciate having other people around with whom they can build friendships.

He said: “The thing no-one tells you about making the switch from full time to selfemployment is how much your day-to-day routine changes.

Solo workers in home offices can find

“I missed the human interaction working from

home. Dipping in to co-working space at the Future Business Centre had a huge number of advantages for me and my business growth. It provided a network of like-minded others to, at the very least, say hello to – always underestimated!

“It offered a professional appearance to my business, with receptionists who knew who I was, who could direct visitors to meeting rooms, and a great café space for more informal conversations.

“Having a ‘base’ also really focuses you to make the most of your time working.”

Allia Future Business Centre offers private offices, co-working and virtual office addresses, conference and meeting rooms for external events.

London Road, Peterborough PE2 8AN 01733 666600 hello@fbcpeterborough.co.uk www.futurebusinesscentre.co.uk

24

Networking

March 2020

www.thepeterboroughhub.co.uk

Discover benefits of Chamber membership Championing the local skills agenda and Peterborough’s reputation for excellence in the environmental sector, the Peterborough Chamber of Commerce committee brings together representatives from some of the city’s key businesses and institutions.

Once a month businesses from across the city are invited to attend informal networking evenings at a venue across Peterborough, offering a unique opportunity to discuss the issues affecting the local economy with like-minded business people and grow your network of contacts.

Peterborough Chamber is part of Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce who have been at the forefront of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough’s economic growth

for over 100 years.

Through a range of membership benefits and networking opportunities they offer first-class business support to over 3,500 business contacts, including more than 150 events a year and links to more than 200 export markets.

Whether you are looking to grow your business, raise your profile in the local business community, network with other local businesses, trade internationally, raise your skill level or save money on HR & Legal support, being a member of the Cambridgeshire Chambers of Commerce can help you achieve your businesses objectives.

To find out more, go to www. cambridgeshirechamber.co.uk

DOES YOUR OFFICE LOOK LIKE THIS? BUT YOU DREAM OF IT LOOKING LIKE THIS?

Transforming any cluttered space in your house wardrobe, study, garage, play areas decluttering room makeovers pre-sale house staging downsizing remote coaching packages

...and any jobs that require decluttering and styling Concetta Laquintana | THE HOME COACH conchithehomecoach@gmail.com www.conchithehomecoach.co.uk 07922 454487 | @conchithehomecoach

March 2020

www.thepeterboroughhub.co.uk

Workspace

Declutter your desk to feel, look and work better

Is your workspace letting you down?

It could be time to revitalise where you work and adopt simple new habits.

Keeping your workspace neat and organised is not just a matter of aesthetics.

Not only your clothes, but your workspace speaks about you.

Decluttering Top Tips

A chaotic space portrays lack of control, inefficiency and procrastination.

An organised space not only reverses the above negative impressions, but you will gain self-confidence and come across as more professional.

It’s well known how the environment you live and work in affects your wellbeing, health and productivity and a tidy desk, clean workshop or organised study can make a substantial impact to your business and your life.

Your boss or customers will infer you can take on challenges or high workload, because your workspace suggests efficiency.

4 Reasons To DeClutter And Organise Your Workspace

If your workspace is cluttered, dust and grime will build very quickly around you and before you know fleas (possibly rats!) may infest your space, especially if you eat at your desk.

Maximize time and task productivity You might think that piles of paper, mail, flyers, stationery, food leftovers on your desk are inevitable, and everybody considers them “normal”. But they shouldn’t be the norm!

Scientists have proven that clutter sends our brain subconscious signals that our work isn’t done, and excessive stimulae make us work overtime on unnecessary things.

Also, it’s more difficult to find things.

By sorting your desk and devising an effective system you will be focused on the task at hand, completing it more quickly and possibly better, leading to an increase in your overall productivity.

Improve impression First impression is vital to gain trust with your potential customers or obtaining a promotion.

Boost your health

Your immune system could weaken in the long run, new allergies may creep up and you will get ill more often.

Hygiene is paramount when you spend many hours in your workspace.

By allocating a “home” to every object you use it will only take matter of seconds to put them away when not needed. Imagine starting every day with a clean and clear space.

Your body energy will be at its best.

1. Give yourself time to declutter and organise, don’t do it in a lunch break, but allocate a weekend or a day off.

2. Decluttering must be followed by effective organisation. Each item you use needs to have a logical and practical “home”, so you can transform the new system into a new habit.

3. Label everything! You will be surprised how easy is to forget where things are.

4. Hire a professional declutterer if you don’t have time or feel overwhelmed by decluttering.

Spark creativity Clutter inhibits creativity. your mind gets bogged down in a vicious circle, it’s harder to think laterally and find creative solutions.

A famous writer recently stated that when she embarks on writing a new book, she clears her desk drawers, sorts her papers and stationery.

This generates a sense of accomplishment and sparks your creativity.

Concetta Laquintana Interior Designer and Declutterer conchithehomecoach@gmail.com www.conchithehomecoach.co.uk 07922 454487

25

26

Workspace

www.thepeterboroughhub.co.uk

March 2020

Hidden gem helps businesses to start, adapt and grow James said: “Having the majority of our units occupied by new tenants and seeing them grow and move out on a regular basis proves that the efforts of the Peterborough Development Corporation and the City Council, amongst others, to establish Workspace House are still being appreciated three decades later and there is no sign of this changing.

If you’ve not heard of or visited Peterborough Workspace Ltd in Woodston, you’re not alone.

Despite providing a valuable service to the Peterborough business community for almost 30 years and helping more than 400 business start-ups, entrepreneurs and small businesses during that time, it is still one of the city’s best kept secrets.

“Also, we’re pleased that some tenants remain longer than others, they provide a sense of stability and frequently offer advice and knowledge gained over many years. They act as unofficial ambassadors for Workspace and many new, inexperienced entrepreneurs have benefited from their wisdom.”

However, this is changing as more and more people discover Peterborough’s original business hub and everything it has to offer.

Located on Maxwell Road, Workspace House opened its doors on the April 1, 1991, providing 52 low-cost, affordable, flexible serviced workspaces and offices.

Now in its 30th year, Workspace has continually adapted to keep up with the demands of new businesses, such as VOIP phones and Gigabit internet.

However, possibly its main attraction is its ability to provide businesses with a fully serviced unit, office or workspace without a long-term contract, hefty deposit or many other barriers new businesses face when it comes to securing premises.

It’s fair to say that the appeal of Workspace House is not the façade or location, but what and who is on the inside.

The environment is industrial by design but inside there is a welcoming and unique atmsophere that makes it an ideal home for any business.

As well as a supportive team on hand to offer help and advice, there is a very diverse mix of businesses housed in Workspace’s units, including Amy’s Boutique, virtual assistant Busy Bee Admin, Mister Vinyl graphics and signage online glassware retailer Garage Bar, electrical contractor EML Ltd, craft retailer CoolKatz Craft, print merchandising Vibrant Colour Ltd and design consultant Alchemy Design Consultants Ltd. Each business has transformed the space and

has put their own stamp on it.

Whilst there are some tenants that have been in place for many years the actual goal is to allow businesses to start, adapt, grow and ultimately leave Workspace House to become part of their alumni of successful businesses.

In the three years since James O’Rawe, the current director, took over, there have been more than 50 businesses move in.

James works with the tenants offering an opendoor policy where they can seek his opinion and access his extensive network of contacts to help them move on and up.

As a result of this proactive James O’Rawe. support and desire to see the through-flow of new, dynamic businesses accelerate; the average length of occupancy during his tenure has dropped from more than seven and a half years to four years.

James sees this shortening of occupancy as a positive sign that the ethos and goals of the founders are still being met,

As well as serviced units Peterborough Workspace also provides meeting spaces, virtual offices and a video booth. It also hosts networking events, guest speakers and visiting experts to support tenants and the Peterborough business community. peterboroughworkspace.co.uk, or email James O’Rawe – james@ peterboroughworkspace.co.uk.

www.thepeterboroughhub.co.uk

March 2020

Property

27

not always easy to get hold of this information, so build up a database and know where to look for the information.

2.

Planning. Make sure that you are fully conversant with the planning of your chosen property. Understand the different Use Class Orders and fully appreciate the timings and processes to apply for change of use or planning consents.

3.

Commercial property deal secrets the pros don’t want you to know 1.

There’s a lot to think about when dealing with commercial property.

In very simple terms there are broadly two types of commercial property negotiations: the purchase of a freehold or taking on a leasehold.

Whichever route you choose to go down, these five tips are applicable.

Plan and Prepare. Know your market, whether you are doing a deal in retail, industrial, warehousing, offices or development land. It is imperative to have an understanding of recent deals done and the verified recent comparable evidence.

The details around this will give you the ammunition to negotiate really great deals. It’s

Heads of Terms. These are the agreed principals which all parties wish to have reflected in any deal. Make sure you get them in writing and check them carefully to avoid any disagreements or nasty surprises later down the line.

4.

Be consistent. By being honest and straightforward you will get a really great reputation and people will want to deal with you.

A couple of words of warning – try NOT to get emotionally involved and DON’T give away all your cards.

5.

Appoint an Expert. You should not underestimate the value of appointing someone on your side, whether it be a building surveyor to prepare a survey of the condition of the property, a planner to deal with the planning issues or professional negotiators (chartered surveyors) to get the best deal. Don’t fall into the trap of “not knowing what you don’t know!”

• Find Commercial Property • Negotiate the Best Deal • Lease Renewals/Rent Reviews • Save Time and Money • On the side of the Business Owner /Investor /Tenant/Purchaser Talkspace Group, Unit 8 Casterton Road Business Park, Great North Road, Stamford, PE9 4EJ Stamford: 01780 243104 Peterborough: 01733 513104 Cambridge: 01223 792007 Talkspace Group

Talkspace Group

Jonathan Hand MRICS Managing Director Tel: 01780 430860 Mobile: 07552 684007 Jonathan@talkspacegroup.co.uk @talkspacegroup

Linda Fogarty-Smith MRICS Director Tel: 01780 430865 Mobile: 07557 917365 linda@talkspacegroup.co.uk

www.talkspacegroup.co.uk | info@talkspacegroup.co.uk

@talkspacegroup

28

Charity

www.thepeterboroughhub.co.uk

March 2020

Businesses can benefit from aspects of taking on an Asperger’s individual After witnessing the struggle many families faced in accessing the services they needed for their loved ones with Asperger’s syndrome, Elaine Nicholson founded her own charity - Action for Asperger’s – which now 4,500 clients nationwide.

As April is Autism Awareness month, Elaine hopes to raise awareness of what businesses need to know about employing someone with autism or Asperger’s syndrome.

April 2nd is world autism day; in fact the entire month of April denotes world autism awareness month.

and rigid, ritualistic, repetitive, and routine behaviours.

Asperger’s syndrome is a variant of autism, and people who have this syndrome are usually considered to be at the higher end of the autism spectrum.

The above might, at first glance, appear relatively insignificant, yet according to the National Autistic Society only 15 percent of people with Asperger’s syndrome can manage full time employment.

People with Asperger’s syndrome display difficulties in social communication and interaction, adverse sensory sensitivities,

One of the reasons may possibly be that autism/Asperger’s syndrome are unseen conditions.

Neurologically typical (NT) counterparts in the workplace and beyond often fail to make any reasonable adjustments for individuals with the condition, and instead see them as pugnacious, intransigent, self-centred and unfriendly.

Benefits

Possible issues

• Loyalty to the company; Asperger’s individuals, if treated well within work, are usually extremely loyal.

• The autistic individual might appear cold and aloof to co-workers, although this is not deliberate.

Stigma soon sets in, with inevitable workplace bullying following shortly behind.

• Truthful; Asperger’s individuals struggle to tell lies, though that is not to say they can’t.

• While perfectionism is usually seen as a good thing, an individual with Asperger’s may take this to the extreme and for neurotypical counterparts this may lead to delight or frustration or both.

However, there is an alarming lack of public awareness of neurodiverse states. Indeed, neurodiversity is one of the last bastions of discrimination towards human beings in my mind and my dearest wish is that this issue be addressed and remedied in my lifetime.

• Detailed thinkers that make excellent researchers.

• Individuals that do not engage in office gossip instead preferring to be distinct and apart.

• Asperger’s individuals are “creatures of habit” and follow company rule books precisely. They read the small print and assimilate it.

•Intelligent; Asperger’s individuals usually have a vast knowledge base.

• There may be sensory issues that the employer must assist, such as putting screens around desks, low level lighting, and ear defenders to protect against any sensory ill-effects. This cannot be helped; the Asperger’s individual often wishes they did not suffer adverse sensory effects as they do.

• The Asperger’s individual might not get the office jokes and banter, and may speak their mind when they shouldn’t.

The outcomes are usually unfavourable.

I set up the charity Action for Asperger’s in 2008 from my home sofa in Oundle.

There were a number of reasons for its creation.

I had attended a large autism conference locally shortly after my second child was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome.

As a mum I was sore; I was hurting.

I observed at this conference various pleas for help from parents addressed to major decision makers over Special Education

March 2020

29

www.thepeterboroughhub.co.uk Needs (SEN) in the area.

Their pleas were met with hollow rhetoric and in my frustration I rose from my seat and implored with the speakers, “can you see this?” and in rescuer mode I announced that I was a counsellor and a parent of neurodiverse children, and that I could help.

A queue of concerned parents formed, all wanting to speak with me.

There was no going back from that point on. I was, however, blacklisted by the organisers for daring to speak my mind.

Alongside my noble gesture there was trepidation upon realising that autism/ Asperger’s was dominant in my family – and – to use a hackneyed phrase of yore, hinc illae lacrimae – hence those tears, Asperger’s was at the root of my familial dificulties.

Action for Asperger’s aims are to counsel neurodiverse lives and their loved ones.

Catering for ages three to 100, the charity currently has 4,500 clients worldwide, thanks to Skype technology, and has branches in Scotland, Wales Corby and Wollaston, Northamptonshire. A fifth of that figure come from Peterborough and surrounding areas and Northamptonshire.

The charity also offers assessments/clinical diagnosis for autism and can offer autism awareness days to various organisations, with presentations that are tailored to a particular audience.

The charity is funded by client donations for the service(s) they receive, with occasional monies coming from trusts/funerals/other community fundraising.

Photo courtesy of Business Times

Despite the clear success of the charity’s operations, sustainability is a key issue and so we are seeking longer term funding to enable continuance of the services we provide.

Fundraising is key to any charity’s continued success.

I advise people who want to help charities to research them beforehand, not only via their main websites, but also by referring to the Charities Commission’s main website https:// www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ charity-commission for this gives a truly accurate picture of charities policies and accounts.

It is common for the smaller charity to be forgotten by ardent fundraisers in favour of the more buoyant, more longstanding, larger charities, whose needs are usually already well met.

If you can help Action for Asperger’s with raising funds, or would like to access a service, we would love to hear from you.

01536266681 info@actionforaspergers.org

ď Ź ď Ź SAVE AN AVERAGE OF ÂŁ600 ON YOUR BUSINESS BILLS - NO CATCH!

 Â? Â? Â?  Â? Â? Â

ď Ź ď Ź ď Ź ď Ź

ď Ź ď Ź

ď Ź

It’s often said there is no such thing as free but that’s simply not true.

Our service provides a FREE review of your bills to identify where you can save cash.

If we can’t save you money, we don’t get paid.

If we do, the new suppliers pay us, it costs you nothing and you benefit from 100% of the savings.

WIN, WIN!

www.savingadvicehub.co.uk

@savingadvicehub

WILLS ADVICE DROP-IN MORNINGS OPEN MONDAYS 9AM-1PM VISIT OUR HERITAGE WILL WRITERS OFFICE in HLC Business Centre, 5 The Quay, St Ives, PE27 5AR

Alternatively call us today, on 01480 465855 to arrange a free home visit to discuss any of the following:

Will Writing

Power of Attorney(LPA)

Property Protection Trusts

www.heritagewills.co.uk

Trusts

Funeral Plans

Probate Services

Document Storage

Property Title Changes

This firm complies with the IPW Code of Practice

March 2020

www.thepeterboroughhub.co.uk

Cashflow is often cited as one of the biggest problems faced by small businesses, with late payments often spelling disaster.

Jonathan Nugent, managing director of construction industry experts Arbicon explains how simple legislation changes could help with late payments for SMEs in construction.

Financial

Legislation needed to support the little guy

Currently there are no effective legal rights in place to help small businesses (SMEs) with late payments.

A Compulsory Interest Rate and Debt Recovery Cost Rights are a solution. certain circumstances.

The problem with contracts for SMEs in the construction industry is the imbalance of contract power.

It is often the case that larger firms impose onerous terms on smaller firms, which ought to be outlawed.

I believe SME power can be gained with the help of effective legislation.

Currently, legislation that is already in place to compensate for late payment (the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998) does not go far enough.

It provides a remedy of eight per cent interest over the base rate plus debt recovery costs - but only in

Top 10 most unusual business expense claims Quite often, we have a giggle in the office at the things that some clients try to put through their business. Here’s some of our favourites.

I believe we should delete that and make the same remedy mandatory. This would automatically make onerous contract clauses void.

Include the legislation to apply to party adjudication costs and trumping all other legislation and you have a solution.

In simple terms, if the larger bullying firm pays late you get at least eight per cent interest above base rate plus your debt collector, lawyer and/ or adjudication costs irrespective of what the contract says.

The government does not then need to do anything else and the focus on paying on time will improve.

For further information on late payments or to find out how Arbicon could help with your payment dispute, please visit www.arbicon.co.uk or call us on 01733 233737.

Here at LeeP Accountants, we try to ensure that all our clients are “tax optimised” by recognising every eligible business expense.

Polly Lee, LeeP Accountants 01733 699033

To make a successful claim, the expense needs to be “wholly & necessary” for the business.

www. leepfinancial.com

If you are unsure of whether your costs qualify as business costs, give your accountant a call.

££ Botox, their reason for claiming this

££ Luxury watches for staff at the

as a business expense was because their looks were important for their work.

business, but the business had no employees.

££ Personal Trainer Sessions, this person

££ Armani jeans, for a painter and

decorator, but they tried to argue them as protective clothing.

believed they were at a high risk for a heart attack and claimed these sessions were a business-related expense because they thought their job needed them to keep fit to keep employing people.

££ Veneers, this claim was made

££ A Swimming pool, the reason for this

££ Dog food, they tried to say it was

claim was because the person said they needed to relax after a busy day at work.

because they said they would have no clients without a full set of teeth. their office pet to allow it as a business expense, however it was dismissed.

££ Betting slips. ££ First class holidays. ££ Family planning costs, they claimed that having children would prevent the business from running as effectively.

31

32

Insurance

March 2020

www.thepeterboroughhub.co.uk

Advertising Feature

What’s the worst that could happen... and is your business covered if it does?

Sean Dixon, Account Executive of Thompson & Richardson Insurance Brokers, explores the crippling impact that underinsurance can have on a business and why it happens.

Sean Dixon Cert CII To avoid getting caught out, get in touch with Thompson & Richardson Insurance Brokers to find out how we can help your business stay connected.

Monument House, Southgate, Sleaford, Lincolnshire, NG34 7RL 01529 303936 www.tandr.co.uk

Working in the insurance industry, we experience countless incidents in which we have reviewed a client’s existing policy only to find they are significantly underinsured in certain areas; whether knowingly or not.

Running your business requires balance. You need to make difficult decisions, compromising in some areas and hedging your bets on others. Yet, one thing you cannot compromise on is your insurance.

Finding your ‘Sum Insured’ The sum insured of your business is the maximum amount your insurer will pay out should you need to rebuild your business from the ground up.

Many of our clients initially match this sum to the market value of their business property but in many instances, these two figures are very different when you account for the cost of labour, materials, planning consent and many other factors.

If you fail to get this figure right from the outset, you could be required to pay excess costs from your own pocket.

The importance of regular reviews If your business makes major changes, such as overhauling your equipment and technology, you could find that your current policy is no longer sufficient to cover the new overall content value.

That’s why it is important to conduct regular reviews of your business insurance. Your policy should also account for stock fluctuations. Ensure that you

assess every insurable aspect of your business as without the right support from the outset it can be easy to miss something.

Even if everything’s accounted for, you should be aware of any terms, conditions and exclusions that could affect you.

Returning to business as usual Should your business premises require a full rebuild, managing the day-to-day running of things can be a huge expense in itself.

Even with temporary measures in place, it can be a long time until your business is able to operate as it did before the incident.

To cover this, most businesses include Business Interruption cover as part of their policy, which is valid for a fixed period; this is called an indemnity period.

There are many different factors which influence the indemnity period a business needs, taking into account areas like planning permission, rebuilding stock levels, hiring new staff and more.

Even if it takes 12 months for you to rebuild your business premises, it could take much longer to fully recover.

Unfortunately, many businesses underestimate the amount of time they will need, meaning that should the worst happen, you will either end up paying for any shortfall or worse, your policy may be rendered void.

Finding the right protection To avoid getting caught out, get in touch with Thompson & Richardson to find out how Lincolnshire’s top insurance broker can help your business stay protected.

ABAX VEHICLE TRACKING. ALLOWING YOU TO GET MORE OUT OF YOUR FLEET.

Easy to install and fully compliant with HMRC and GDPR requirements.

Our benefits include: MILEAGE TRACKING – compliant with HMRC, you can use ABAX to monitor and claim for mileage.

REAL-TIME TRACKING – get complete control of your fleet through real-time tracking and give your drivers assignments based on their location.

FLEET TRACKING – improve efficiency with your fleet by helping to choose the most efficient routes.

LIFETIME WARRANTY – our hardware is robust, water resistant and compliant with IP67. If anything does break we can replace them free of charge.

TRACK OUTSIDE THE UK – if your fleet do travel outside the UK our solution can work no matter where your drivers are.

ADVANCED DRIVING BEHAVIOUR – helping you check how your vehicles are being driven, which can improve brand reputation, fuel and servicing costs.

FIND OUT MORE BY VISITING

www.abax.com/uk or call 01733 698 888

34

Fleet & Vehicle

www.thepeterboroughhub.co.uk

Driving down the rising costs of keeping your business on the road Vehicles are possibly your business’s second biggest expense after staff costs, so it’s worth looking at all the ways you may be able to keep your fleet costs, such as insurance, fuel and maintenance, as low as possible.

Managing your vehicle and fuel costs From a commercial perspective, vehicles are the second largest cost to a business, with wages being the biggest monthly outlay.

However, while both of these costs are high, they are also the biggest asset for any business and something that many businesses wouldn’t be able to operate without.

With this in mind, it is a concern for businesses that fuel and insurance costs are on the rise.

Rise in fuel costs Between the start and end of January 2020 the average price of diesel in the East Midlands increased from 130.97 to 131.88, with unleaded increasing from 126.40 to 127.40.

While this increase in the price per litre of fuel is low, it does show that costs are continuing to rise.

At the end of 2018, fuel costs had risen by 3.8 percent which was not in line with inflation.

This increase in costs will no doubt put a strain on all businesses as it impacts their operating costs, which will have to at some point be passed on to the customer.

However, there are ways in which these fuel costs can be reduced, such as making sure that your employees who have access to a company vehicle aren’t unnecessarily revving the engine, leave the vehicle idling and making sure that the tyres are inflated correctly.

Not only will the above help to reduce costs on fuel but it will also promote improved driving behaviour which can lead to reduced servicing costs as well.

Increasing insurance premiums As well as fuel, insurance is another cost that continues to rise.

This ultimately has led to higher labour costs which is then passed on to the insurer, which is why insurance costs are on the increase.

While it’s not as easy to reduce the cost of your insurance as it is with fuel, there are some things you can look into such as making sure your drivers are trained correctly to mitigate the risk of accident, review where your vehicles are kept overnight and look into a telematics solution as some insurers will offer discount for this.

What have others done to reduce vehicle costs?

The adoption of a telematics solution is one way in which the majority of these costs can be reduced further.

An RAC study found that 68 percent of businesses in the UK are saving money on their fuels bills as well as a 55 percent fall in wear and tear and a 48 percent reduction in downtime for their vehicles.

All of this combined can help to reduce the overall running costs of vehicles in your fleet.

The reduced wear and tear on vehicles will typically come from improved driving habits within your fleet of vehicles, however to ensure that this is happening it will be worth investing in a solution that will be able to monitor this correctly, otherwise you won’t know if you’re getting the desired outcome.

Data analytics giants Consumer Intelligence have warned van drivers and companies who operate Light Commercial Vehicles that insurance premiums will rise in 2020 and 2021.

So, here a few things to remember to manage your vehicle costs:

To give more context to this, between 2016 and 2017 the price of commercial van insurance increased by 14.1 percent.

l Ensure your tyres are inflated correctly

The main reason for this increase in insurance costs is partly due to the increase in technology that newer vans and other vehicles have in them.

As a result, this has led to garages needing to spend more time fixing a vehicle if it has been involved in an accident and upskilling their own employees.

l Don’t have your drivers rev the engine unnecessarily l Look at how much your drivers are idling l Review where your vehicles are kept l Ensure your employees are getting the right training l Invest in a telematics solution to monitor your drivers behaviour.

March 2020

March 2020

www.thepeterboroughhub.co.uk

35

‘

Reduced wear and tear on vehicles will typically come from improved driving habits

’

If you would like to know how Abax can help to deliver efficiencies and give you more control over your business, visit www.abax.com/uk, or call 01733 698888.

Leaders in Health and Safety Training

CALL TODAY FOR A FREE QUOTE

IOSH Managing Safely 4-day Nationally approved H&S course Thurs & Fri 23 & 24 April, Wed & Thurs 29 & 30 April Price £475.00/person. Includes: IOSH certification, assessment fees, after course H&S support, tea/coffee and lunch.

IOSH Managing Safely Refresher 1-day Nationally approved H&S course Friday 8 May 2020 Price £180.00/person. Includes: IOSH certification, assessment fees, after course H&S support, tea/coffee and lunch.

Mental Health First Aid (Level 2) Thursday 30 April and Thursday 7 May, 2020.

Price £80.00/person. Includes: Accredited level 2 certification, assessment fees, tea/coffee.

All courses are Nationally recognised, Ofqual accredited and certificated as recommended by the HSE. Attend as an individual or part of a team.

All courses to be held at our training venue in Peterborough, from 9-5pm.

We can also come to your place of work and train staff onsite for ALL courses we deliver, at a date and time that suits you.

We also offer Fire & Health Safety risk assessments consultancy services.

www.clariantraining.com | claire@clariantraining.com 01733 204343 | 07703174288 Accredited training for a wide range of industries

www.thepeterboroughhub.co.uk

March 2020

37

Fleet & Vehicle

Is leasing a car your best business option?

Finance Lease Finance Leasing enables flexibility and tax advantages to companies that use one or more vehicles but don’t have the capital to pay for them up front.

Business Contract Hire

As well as not having to find the capital to buy a new car, leasing a vehicle for your business also has a number of other benefits which can save you money while allowing you to drive a newer or higher-end car.

And there are a number of different leasing options available, so there’s is almost certainly one which fits your business’s needs.

Enjoy driving the latest new vehicle. Benefits include a small initial deposit, fixed monthly payments, tax efficient and easy administration.

value normally associated with owning a new vehicle outright with no more having to haggle for the best purchase price and no more problems with selling your vehicle.

Nearly New Leasing Works well for those not ready to commit to a traditional 3/4 year lease. It’s also a great way to keep costs down as the large drop in value has already taken place and therefore does not need funding..

Maintenance packages can also be added to the contract and encompass the service, maintenance and repairs, including includes tyres.

Personal Contract Hire

ICR Leasing

PCH is a car lease that allows you to drive a new vehicle over an agreed period oftime and mileage.

Call 01908 467478 offers@lcrleasing.co.uk www.icrleasing.co.uk

PCH gives you cost-effective access to new vehicles and none of those large drops in

www.icrleasing.co.uk Cars and light commercial vehicles from all manufacturers

Denbigh House, Denbigh Road, Bletchley, Milton Keynes, MK1 1DF

Some of the first available to the public from

ICR... Where leasing is easy

 ��

ICR Leasing is regulated by the FCA and therefore we do require a business’s financials in order to set up a credit line and prove the all important factors...affordability and sustainability.

 �

Â? Â?

� � �  ­

01908 467478 offers@icrleasing.co.uk

Runner-Up in the UK VA Awards Best Newcomer 2020 category

‘Storytelling is the most powerful way to put ideas into the world’

Do you need to relieve yourself of the stress caused by overwhelming workload?

Your Productive PA can support you in achieving business success by freeing you from the time-consuming, anxiety-inducing, non-business growth tasks - enabling you to focus on the core operations of your business.

Maybe you need support with:  Achieving better work-life balance  Increasing your productivity  Growing your business  Giving you more time  Reducing overwhelm and anxiety

If you would like to know more about how we can give you more time, call Becky now.

07500 557823 | becky@yourproductivepa.co.uk www.yourproductivepa.co.uk

Red Shoes MEDIA & MARKETING

-Robert McKee-

EVERY BUSINESS HAS A STORY TO TELL (...and so does every business owner)

Let us sniff out and share yours

PRESS RELEASE

only

£50

Created by a professional journalist with over 20 years of experience

We also offer:  WEBSITE DESIGN  GRAPHIC DESIGN  SOCIAL MEDIA  BRANDING  CONTENT & BLOGGING  PR

Red Shoes MEDIA & MARKETING

www.redshoesmarketing.co.uk connect@redshoesmarketing.co.uk | 07595 036454

CAMBS | LINCS | NORTHANTS | BEDS | NORFOLK

CONSTRUCTION AND INDUSTRIAL SECTOR RECRUITMENT SPECIALISTS

Recruiting NOW!

TEMP AND PERMANENT POSITIONS available

 National coverage  More than 20 years’ experience within our specialist sectors CONTACT US TODAY

01733 806 892

Laser & Framing

07825 334591

54 Broadway, Peterborough, Cambs PE1 1SB

Corporate Gifts  Low minimum orders (starting from 5 units)  Quick turnaround  Based in Peterborough

www.artsylaser.co.uk paul@artsylaser.co.uk

@artsylaser

Recruitment services

Don’t take risks with your business... ask a professional.

Deborah Mouslon MIRP certRP

01480 595290 Supporting the Peterborough community, zesting up your workforce

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS, & MAKING NEW ONES.

The Leading Networking Group in Stamford

Bowella Recruit is an independent recruitment consultancy supporting businesses across Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex with the recruitment needs of Office Support, Legal & HR professionals.

Get in touch to day to see how we can support your needs.

07759 649 247 info@bowellarecruit.co.uk www.bowellarecruit.co.uk

FLY A BOEING 737

Corporate and Group events

Jet Sim School

Our realistic fixed base Boeing 737 flight simulator is conveniently located in our new purpose built facility in Woodston, Peterborough. ď Ź Bespoke itinerary ď Ź Conference rooms ď Ź 8 seater passenger cabin ď Ź Catering options ď Ź Unique prizes

www.jetsimschool.co.uk | 01733 602015 | flight@jetsimschool.co.uk

• 1/3 brand new attendees each month • 1/3 ad hoc attending when it suits • 1/3 members or regular attendees • Build & develop relationships

COLLABORATE, DON’T LOCK OUT.

Monthly lunchtime flexible business networking

• No limit to your services • Promote offers, events and discounts • Sell on the day • Work in partnership with others

First Thursday of the month 12.30 pm ‘til 2 pm

Flexible attendance - Pay as you attend

www.talknetworking.co.uk

01780 693 123 info@talknetworking.co.uk

Jotty’s Workshop is proud to welcome International speaker

Dr Kirit Pankhania Kirit regularly lectures at Ivy League institution inc Harvard, Yale, INSEAD & London Business School and has been voted #1 Inspirational Speaker in the world 3 years consecutively.

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to hear and learn from a speaker of global renown.

Wednesday 1 April

ADVERTISE HERE

Call us on 01733 573366 | 07907 083710

10am to 1pm

Allia Business Centre, London Road, Peterborough PE2 8AN

Tickets ÂŁ20.

Light refreshments included. https://ticketlab.co.uk/event/id/4488/Jottys-Workshop

EMERGENCY CALL OUTS COMPETITIVE PRICES FRIENDLY SERVICE

COMMERCIAL AND DOMESTIC SECURITY SERVICES LOCAL, FRIENDLY ELECTRONIC SECURITY PROTECTION EXPERTS With over 15 years in the security industry we are fully accredited and have been trained to the highest standards.

We have worked in all sectors including domestic, commercial, industrial, education, retail, government and right through to royalty.

INTRUDER ALARMS AUTOMATED ACCESS ACCESS CONTROL CCTV SYSTEMS

We will happily take over existing systems as well as installing new ones.

Get in touch with KYS Security Ltd today

FIRE ALARMS Follow us on social media

BESPOKE SOLUTIONS

KYS Security Ltd, Stamford

www.kyssecurity.com 01780 408 223 | office@kyssecurity.com