Talk business April2015

W W W . T A L K B U S I N E S S M A G A Z I N E . C O . U K

April 2015 £4.50

GO YOUR MONE WAY Discover how women’s lingerie tycoon and founder of Ultimo, Michelle Mone, fought against sexism, a bitter divorce and rabid press to achieve success

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF DESIGN Top tips for understanding the thought processes of consumers

A Daimler Brand

The New Vito.

Raise Your Game

www.newvito.co.uk

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LIFESTYLE 93 We love... Top tech 94 Hotspots: York

inside

Locations for business stays, meets, and eats

97 No rain, no gain

48 STRATEGY

9 Editor’s letter 10 Contributors 13 News & events

43 Corporate culture vulture

This season’s best raincoats

99 On the road: Volvo V60 plug-in hybrid Oliver Hammond’s car review

100 Leave the office behind Holiday Hypermarket

Rich With explains how to establish a solid brand structure

45 Showing the way to grow How SME’s can benefit from the new-look Business Growth Service

48 Get off to a flyer in Singapore Why you should consider doing business in the ‘lion city’

56 Riding the crest of the wave Stay innovative as you grow

16 SUCCESS

59 Subscibe to thrive Why subscibers are better than customers

61

Say what you see Powwownow discuss utilising video conferencing

16 Go your Mone way Ultimo founder, Michelle Mone OBE reveals the secrets to her success hidden in her new book

24 Lessons learned Maxine Stead reveals her seven business lessons in hindsight

27 Sticking it to the big boys Kabo Hockey founder, Matt Banks

29 Book reviews

Funding expert, Julian Smith

33 Don’t let clients write you off How to negotiate payment terms

36 Do they add up?

Choosing the right accountant

MARKETING

Converting website visitors into paying customers

106 Tech review The Gadget Show’s Ortis Deley

109 Casting your net on the net Should you be advertising for vacancies online?

112 Make the right call

Riverbank IT

117 I’ve got an app for that

Kim Davis looks at election campaign marketing strategies

FRANCHISE

65 So simple, so social Is database marketing relevant?

72 Mind games The psychology behind brand design

119 Franchise news 122 You must be kidding Dynamis’ Nicky Tatley explores franchises catering for children

75 If at first you don’t succeed What is remarketing, and how can you use it to win customers?

77 At a moment’s notice VP of Shutterstock, Gerd Mittmann talks image selection

ADVICE 127 Sales Doctor Your questions answered

129 Unjumbling the jargon Cutting through insurance jargon

131 Legally speaking

Talk Money’s Adam Aiken discusses paying above min wage

PEOPLE

41 A day in the life 79 Sheep shape

Leadership expert Deborah Benson

56

105 Getting them on the hook

63 Vote of confidence

39 Paying the price

Horton Estate Agents

Dragon’s Den’s Piers Linney looks at the future of office-based working

Choosing the right phone system

68 All about the database

31 Is dilution the enemy of the founder?

103 On the horizon

115 Beware of the ex

A beginners’ guide to Facebook

FINANCE

TECHNOLOGY

81 Put them to the test Using probation periods effectively

82 Back to business

Wright Hassell tackles medical problems from a legal perspective

133 The Cambridge phenomenon 137 Backdoor shenanigans What constitutes bribery?

138 Directory

Get ready for the Business Show 2015

86 Secret diary of an entrepreneur The Genuine Gemstone Company’s Steve Bennett

89 Turn that frown upside down Handling disgruntled employees

91 Fail to prepare, prepare to fail Lee McQueen

OPINION 141 Question of the month: Would you hire someone from The Apprentice?

142 Trash talk Readers discuss the business phrases that annoy them most

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LUKE GARNER EDITOR Luke Garner luke.garner@talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk

DESIGN Louise Salisbury artwork@talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk

WEB DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Mitchell Finlay mitchell.finlay@astongreenlake.com

SALES & MARKETING MANAGER Scott Hartley scott.hartley@talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk

SALES ACCOUNT MANAGERS Chris Sheath chris.sheath@talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk Callam Hall callam.hall@talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk

MANAGING DIRECTOR Stuart McCreery

Circulation/subscriptions: UK £40, EUROPE £60, REST OF WORLD £95 Circulation enquiries: Aston Greenlake Publishing Ltd T: 0203 617 4681 Talk Business is published 12 times a year

by Aston Greenlake Publishing Limited William Robinson Buildings, 3 Woodfield Terrace, Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex, CM24 8AJ © Copyright 2015. All rights reserved.

No part of Talk Business may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written consent of the editor.

Talk Business will make every effort to return picture material, but it is sent at owner’s risk.

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The opinions expressed by guests in this magazine are not necessarily the views held by Talk Business magazine, its publishers and its owners.

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T

hey say that the course of true love never runs smooth, but I think it can be argued that it is not only the path of affection that finds itself on a less than straight track. The road of life itself is often filled with speed-bumps and potholes, and our cover star this month is testament to the fact that the fickle nature of fate deals cards from the same pack to everyone, whether you’re rich and famous or poor and unknown. Scottish-born Michelle Mone grew up in relative poverty in the notorious east-end of Glasgow, dropped out of school at age 15 to look after her terminally ill father, and yet, through her sheer will and determination (not to mention a lot of business savvy), she climbed to the top of the ladder with the founding of luxury lingerie brand, Ultimo. But the smooth road of success saw an eventual twist in the track. She had to battle through a bitter divorce that almost saw her company, the one that she’d proudly built up for over a decade, torn apart.

Again though, she picked herself up, dusted herself off, and got right back on track.

It’s a story that will be familiar to many SME owners, particularly from the early days of starting-up, when every step forward seems to be accompanied by two steps back, but it just goes to show that if you’re made of the right stuff (and with a little help) it is possible to succeed and defy the statistics. Discover Michelle’s inspirational tale on page 16.

As I’m sure you’re all aware (and possible sick of hearing about already), the General Election is creeping ever closer, with campaigns now in full swing. This month we take a look at the marketing side of the action, specifically how the leaders make themselves ‘likeable’ to the voting public, and examine what you can learn from the way their marketing departments do business. Kim Davis, founder of Sarsaparilla marketing, tackles the talk on page 63.

Finally, with over 15 million visitors arriving each year, Singapore is fast becoming the go-to destination for SMEs looking to expand into Asia. The compact country is often seen as an ‘Asia-lite’ to foreign businesses, thanks to the predominately English-speaking population, modern technology and a mix of cultures from across the continent.

So, I took a trip to Singapore to explore what delights it holds for the budding UK SME looking to spread its wings across the globe. Visit page 48 to discover the inside story.

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the experts

PIERS LINNEY

JULIAN SMITH

KIMBERLY DAVIS

Piers is a technology and communications entrepreneur, with a professional background in the City as a qualified solicitor at SJ Berwin, and an investment banker at Credit Suisse, where he specialised in mergers and acquisitions.

Piers left investment banking in 2000 to start an internet business, and has been involved in a wide range of technology, media, and telecommunications ventures as a founder, investor, adviser, and director since.

In 2014, Piers was recognised in the Powerlist as one of the top 100 most influential black Britons. He is a member of the Cabinet Office’s SME panel, and is one of the investors on the popular BBC2 television programme, Dragons’ Den.

Julian is founder of The Funding Expert, offering workshops, consultations, and public speaking on finance.

He has been advising companies for more than 18 years on how to position themselves for investors, raising business finance, mergers, and acquisitions.

Julian has worked with many of the leading companies in the UK, including those in the FTSE 100 and FTSE 250 indices.

Kimberly is a highly accomplished marketing expert, author, business mentor, and speaker.

She is founder of Sarsaparilla Marketing - the name comes from Kimberley’s fascination with the 1940’s; the music, the Hollywood glamour, the swinging dance moves, and the optimism. It helps established businesses, SMEs, start-ups, business owners, and employees, and has a very different approach to marketing.

Strong opinions and a determination to restore credibility to an unregulated industry have earned Kimberly a reputation as “the antimarketing marketer”.

PIERS LOOKS AT THE FUTURE OF OFFICE WORKING ON PAGE

103

10 April 2015

JULIAN TELLS US WHAT TO WATCH OUT FOR WHEN FUNDRAISING ON PAGE

31

READ KIMBERLY’S ARTICLE ON ELECTION CAMPAIGNS ON PAGE

63

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news Half of couples would be better off financially with shared parental leave

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alf of UK couples claim that they would be better off financially if they shared their parental leave following the birth of their child according to new research by national law firm, Irwin Mitchell.

The survey of 2,000 working couples comes just before new laws allow parents to share leave, and also reveals that two thirds of men would be happy to be a stay-at-home dad.

Shared parental leave rules allow those whose children are expected to be born or adopted from April 5 2015 will be able to share up to 50 weeks

Businesses need to be wary of discrimination claims, as a survey suggests Government has significantly underestimated the popularity of new workplace rules

of parental leave between mum and dad during the first year after a baby is born/child is adopted. Previously, the majority of dads had two weeks paternity leave, while mums could have up to 12 months maternity leave and nine months paid maternity leave.

So far there’s been uncertainty about the popularity of the new laws.

Each year 285,000 working couples are expected to be eligible, however the Government predicts that just 5,700 couples will take advantage in the first year.

Glenn Hayes, an employment

partner at national law firm, Irwin Mitchell, said: “These figures may take businesses by surprise, and it’s vital that they deal effectively with what is an extremely complex piece of legislation.

“Many businesses have been slow to prepare themselves for this important change, and in doing so, have left themselves exposed to the risk of mishandling requests, and inviting claims for discrimination.”

Contact: www.irwinmitchell.com

Leading SMEs come together to share invaluable and inspiring advice order to grow your idea. This guide is a wonderful example of small business owners coming together to support each other, and I hope it of Gousto, Amy Cheadle, co-founder provides insights that will help fellow of The Northern Dough, and Karen entrepreneurs realise their goals and Lynch, CEO of Belu Water, revealing dreams in 2015, and beyond.” handy hints, which they believe are The Business is GREAT campaign is pivotal to business success. run by the Department for Business, Shaun Pulfrey, founder and CEO Innovation and Skills (BIS) and UK of Tangle Teezer, who wrote the Trade & Investment (UKTI). It aims to foreword for the guide, said it was celebrate and inspire small businesses essential for businesses to learn from and provides relevant advice and others who had succeeded in growing information for small and mediumtheir own companies. sized enterprises looking to grow, hire, “As an entrepreneur, you’re not export, lead, and access finance. a singular person. You need the support of a team, working together Contact: and pulling in the same direction, in www.greatbusiness.gov.uk

New guide from the Business is GREAT campaign aims to help SMEs grow further

T

hirty-four standout UK small businesses have been chosen to feature in a new guide launched by the Business is GREAT campaign. In it, small businesses and top entrepreneurs share their most valuable pieces of business advice, hints, and tips to show UK businesses how to grow and expand.

‘The GREAT way to grow: Small businesses share their advice’ guide includes personal testimonials from a number of familiar faces from the small business world. The guide features Timo Schmidt, co-founder

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Emotion is the key to customer engagement, say CEOs But more than half don’t factor this in when building a business case for ROI

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ew research by Rant & Rave and Henley Business School has revealed that, while the UK’s top CEOs believe that emotion is key to engaging with their customers, more than half (58%) don’t factor this in when building a business case for ROI. It was revealed that one in ten do not consider themselves to be doing enough with their customer

experience strategy, admitting they simply collect their feedback without analysing it or using it to benefit other parts of the business.

Dennis Fois, CEO of Rant & Rave says: “These results show that, while CEOs see engaging with their customers on an emotional level as hugely important, they just aren’t taking advantage of this knowledge, or putting a tangible plan into action.

It is companies who really make the next step to get to know their customers, and connect with them, that are rewarded with loyalty and extra spend. CEOs who are unwise to this fact are doing a dis-service to themselves, their employees, their bottom line, and their customers.”

Contact: www.rantandrave.com

DATES FOR THE DIARY Business Junction Networking Events 5 March TwoRuba, 5 More London Place, Tooley Street, SE1 2BY 12 March Drift Bar, 110 Bishopsgate, Heron Tower, Bishopsgate, EC2N 4AY 18 March The Sign of the Don, The Courtyard, 20 St. Swithins Lane EC4N 8AD 25 March Dutch Hall, 7 Austin Friars, London, EC2N 2HA www.businessjunction.co.uk

14 April 2015

Sterling Integrity 25 March - Solihull The Village Hotel, Solihull 2 July - Gloucester Kingsholm Rugby Stadium www.sterlingintegrity.co.uk The Small Business Debate 2 March The Great Hall, ICAEW, London www.enterprisenation.com/thedebate The London Bridal Show 8 - 10 March Olympia National, London www.thelondonbridalshow.co.uk

British & International Franchise Exhibition 13 - 14 March Olympia National, London www.franchiseinfo.co.uk The Newcastle Business Exhibition 2015 19 March Hilton Hotel, Newcastle-upon-Tyne www.ncbizexhibition.com Internet Retailing Expo 25 - 26 March NEC, Birmingham www.internetretailingexpo.com Growing Asian Businesses 30 March Manchester Metropolitan University Business School, Manchester www.eventbrite.co.uk

TAX PROTECTION

LEGAL PROTECTION

LEGAL ADVICE

FSB CARE

INSURANCE HELPLINE

Photographer: Dan Kennedy

Sometimes they smell blood, and don’t seem to care who they hurt along the way.

I’ve sat there at times and thought “Why me? What have I done to deserve this treatment?”

16 April 2015

GO YOUR MONE WAY She’s fought sexism, battled through a bitter divorce that almost tore her company apart, and survived a rabid hounding by the tabloids. Now, Michelle Mone OBE, has released her biography, and reveals the secrets to her success for Talk Business readers

talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk 17

SUCCESS

W

Photographer: Dan Kennedy

e’ve all had itches, aches, pains, and irritations caused by ill-fitting clothing, but few of us have ever done anything more than throw that item away (or usually forgetting about the irritation until we don that clothing again, and spend yet another evening pinching and pulling at various straps and labels in an irritable dÊjà vu nightmare). However, for Ultimo founder, Michelle Mone OBE, a thorn in her side turned out to be the catalyst for starting a multi-million pound lingerie empire. Attending a dinner dance nearly two decades ago, Michelle was having a bit of a wardrobe malfunction, struggling to stay comfortable in an ill-fitting bra, and eventually she just had enough. She decided that there needed to be an option for ample-chested women across the UK (and eventually the world), so she set about designing and creating a range of luxurious underwear to help women feel comfortable, supported, and sexy in their own skin.

A whirlwind 17 years later, Michelle has just released her biography - Michelle Mone: My fight to the top - and she says the title was very important to her in detailing her experiences. “I left school at just 15 years old, with no qualifications to speak of. I’ve had to really fight to get where I am today, to make it to the top,� explained the former model. “It’s taught me to be streetwise, and all of the heartache I experienced growing up made me determined to fight. My book is called that for a reason. I’ve battled against poverty in east Glasgow, my father’s illness, which left him confined to a wheelchair (looking after him was the reason she quit school at such an early age), divorce, and I’ve

18 April 2015

come out the other side. “One of the keys though, is that I haven’t sat there and moaned about all of the issues, I’ve just got on with things.�

Despite facing such hardships from an early age, Michelle isn’t bitter, and actually believes it has helped to make her the strong, confident woman she is today, instilling in her a healthy fear of failure. “I wake up every morning with a fear of failure, which I think is a really good feeling, as it makes me want to work harder to make sure that doesn’t happen. People ask me “when did you first realised you’d made it?� and I always say I don’t think I’ve made it yet. I’m always looking to innovate, start businesses, and do more. I couldn’t imagine just lying on a beach somewhere doing nothing,� she explained.

That drive does have its downsides though, and it can manifest itself in ways that have sometimes negative consequences. “I’m definitely a perfectionist, as I’m sure many of the people that achieve success are. I was always taught that you work hard, play hard,and try to give something back each day. But I think sometimes I’m such a perfectionist that it can make me difficult to be around.

I like to have everything very organised and under control.�

Almost 20 years on from those early days, Michelle is amazed at how far the company has come, having started out with the same thought processes many start-up owners express - namely just to make a living and have the freedom of working for herself. Little did she know what path she had taken with her first steps along all those years ago.

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SUCCESS

“I can’t believe it’ll be 20 years next year since I founded Ultimo! Time has gone so fast,� exclaimed the shocked Glaswegian, “initially, I thought Ultimo would be just a small local company, never that it’d be as much as it is now. It’s amazing how you just keep moving on, and moving on, and then find yourself so far from where you started.�

Perhaps the culmination of her efforts was being awarded with an OBE for her contribution to business by Queen Elizabeth II in 2010.

The honour was one of the proudest of her life, but came as a total shock to the mother of three. “I grew up in a poor part of Glasgow and, as such, was struck off as a failure before I even started, so the OBE was great, a real proud moment, and I hope it stands as a message to deprived people that anything is possible. The OBE came as a real surprise though. At first I thought it was a total wind up!� she laughed. “It just goes to show that you don’t have to be born with a silver spoon in your mouth, that you don’t have to get a university degree, you can still make it.�

As she has previously referred to, it hasn’t been an easy ride for Michelle.

This is partly due to the sexist attitudes she has encountered at times as a woman in business. Being taken seriously, especially when talking about such a sexually-orientated industry, hasn’t always been easy. “Being a woman in business has made it challenging at times, but I’ve tried my best to never let it hold me back. You have to be strong, and you have to get out there and do things for yourself, because nobody is going to do it all for you. You need a lot of drive and confidence to succeed, but sometimes women aren’t given that privilege. That’s why I’m a mentor to over 100 women.

You have to give them the confidence that others won’t,� enthused Michelle. “When you give women the confidence, and help them to plan and challenge, they can succeed. That’s what women need more of. The Government is trying to help, but there is always more help required.�

Along the way it isn’t only being female that has caused issues for the Scot. As a

20 April 2015

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famous face embroiled in a bitter divorce a few years ago, she was the target of ruthless hounding by the tabloid press, eager to dig up a juicy story, no matter what the consequences. “I’ve always tried to be honest with the press,� says Michelle, “but sometimes they are very demanding, and cross the line. They smell blood, and don’t seem to care who they hurt along the way. I’ve sat there at times and thought, “Why me? Why are you doing this to me? What have I done to deserve this treatment?� At times it can be a very nasty experience, and it is something (dealing with the press) that can be very difficult for any business man or woman.�

While she never could have anticipated the effect an uncomfortable bra would have on her life, it certainly has been a rewarding journey for Michelle, and perhaps the best is yet to come. Recently, she relinquished 80% of Ultimo in a sale, so she’s now focussed on other projects, but ultimately, she’s just enjoying living life. “I’m travelling a lot and touring the world, seeing new places. It also allows me the time and freedom to mentor others, and help them on their journeys, which is very rewarding. It is something I love doing,� she smiled. “The future is definitely positive, and I think 2015 could even be my best year yet.�

Michelle’s story of her journey to success is out now, titled “Michelle Mone: My ďŹ ght to the topâ€?, priced at ÂŁ18.99, and published by Blink publishing.

Contact: www.michellemone.com

COMMUNICATIONS GUIDE As technology improves, the use of online and offline channels to communicate with target customers is becoming an ever more increasing consumer demand.

Neopost and The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) have combined their extensive industry knowledge to create a guide for creating Multi-Channel Communication Campaigns.

HOW TO

1

To find out how to get more from your database go to: www.dma.org.uk/guide/data-guide

‘ONE PIECE OF DATA CAN CHANGE THE WAY YOU SEE OR COMMUNICATE WITH A CUSTOMER’

ASSESS what customer data should be collected based on your business goals

DATA RULES! •

Inaccurate data costs businesses and fundamentally impacts on their performance

•

The average organisation loses 12% of its income because of bad contact data, through wasted marketing spend and resources as well as lost productivity

•

But the hidden costs may be even greater – 28% of those who have had problems delivering email because of bad data say that customer service has suffered as a result, while 21% experienced reputational damage

of businesses dependent on databases have reported that they believe some aspect of the data they hold is:

94%

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COLLECTION

RULES

3

DATABASE

of companies that

in-house? in-house

3 to ensure each record is complete

last year

*Over £940,000

*

*Over £940,000

SOURCE: Experian - Global Data Quality Research (2012)

If email becomes your customers’ preferred means of communication – do you have an accurate email address for ALL contacts? Does your database enable you to maintain this?

WOW

HOW TO

contacting customers with offers and links The are a number of email to websites. There a service providers and also packages that

58%

can be purchased to implement campaigns in-house. in-hous

MORE LIKELY TO CLICK A LINK IF THEY RECEIVED SOMETHING IN THE POST

REFER TO MAIL WHEN SEARCHING FOR A PRODUCT OR SERVICE ONLINE

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DIRECT MAIL CAMPAIGNS PROD UCT ION

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GUIDE TO CREATING EFFECTIVE

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WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH EMAIL? 1. INCREASE SALES CONVERSIONS Prospects may require up to nine ‘touches’ before making a buying decision.

83% more when shopping

Keeping in touch on a regular basis can generate repeat sales and improve customer loyalty.

3. UP-SELL AND CROSS-SELL YOUR PRODUCTS Email provides a great opportunity for you to help customers order “one more” product while they’re in the mood to buy.

4. GAIN FEEDBACK FROM YOUR VISITORS Email in particular provides your customers with a unique opportunity to give honest feedback.

90% of consumers subscribe to emails from ttrusted brands

5. DRIVE WEB USERS TO OFFLINE PURCHASES Email marketing is often a catalyst for web users to purchase offline. More than half of users in one survey had made a purchase offline after receiving an email promotion.

Receiving response – email enables responders to get to you quickly.

Ensure you are set up to receive response and capture important information.

DATA

Neopost and the DMA produced the ‘Practical Guide to Creating Effective Direct Mail Campaigns’ - go to www.neopost.co.uk/dmaguide to download your free copy.

G NNIN PLA

TO GET YOUR FREE GUIDE TO CREATING EFFECTIVE MULTI-CHANNEL COMMUNICATIONS SIMPLY VISIT: www.neopost.co.uk/MCCTB CALL US ON: 0800 731 1334 VISIT OUR FACEBOOK PAGE: www.facebook.com/neopost OR CONTACT US AT: www.twitter.com/neopost_uk

ATIVE CRE

79%

KEEP MAIL OF PEOPLE REFERENCE FOR FUTURE

GET TAR

SOURCE: DMA - Why Direct Mail Still Matters (2013)

2/3

SOURCE: DMA - Direct Mail Drives Digital Response (2011)

67%

OF CONSUMERS REACT TO DIRECT MAIL IMMEDIATELY

• Examples of successful campaigns

2. GENERATE REPEAT SALES Consumers who receive email spend

RDS

hello!

EM@IL L There has been an obvious growth in email traffic over the last 10 years.

It can be a very cost-effective method of

DIRECT MAIL TRIGGERS AN ONLINE RESPONSE

PEOPLE TAKE DIRECT MAIL SERIOUSLY

• The best combinations of different channels to utilise successfully

to amend your data collection regime to support business requirements

HOW TO

DIRECT MAIL

Generating a response

• How adopting a Multi-Channel strategy can result in increased efficiency and cost savings

BE PREPARED

Visit the DMA website to find out to construct a successful email campaign l-guide www.dma.org.uk/guide/email-guide

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O

• What a Multi-Channel Communications campaign actually is!

SOURCE: Experian - Data quality, The Key to Unlocking Cross Channel Returns (2013)

To find out how to get the best from direct mail go to: www.neopost.co.uk/dmaguide

It is most effective at: O Providing information

WHAT’S IN THE GUIDE?

4

RULES

STRIVE

per year

Direct mail remains a vital component in any communication programme and is welcomed by customers.

SMART WAYS TO MANAGE MULTI-CHANNEL COMMUNICATIONS

MAINTENANCE

£1 MILLION

People continue to value direct mail and printed communications from brands, finding that it plays a seamless role within their connected worlds, offers some qualities not found in other comms and is an essential part of the overall brand experience.

SMS

DATA

PROFITS INCREASE

Direct mail has long played a key role in communication with customers. This could be for marketing or transactional mail such as invoices, statements, etc. There is a perception that mail has fallen out of favour and has been superseded by the ostensibly cheaper alternative of email, however recent research by the DMA dispels that theory.

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Investment in improving data accuracy has the power to more than compensate.

Worldwide, the average increase in profits was almost

in better data quality saw their

where you can obtain data

DATA SOURCE: Experian - Global Data Quality Research (2013)

Accurate customer data is critical to the successful implementation of a Multi-Channel Communication programme. It is also a must have for all businesses. The Experian Global Data Report 2014 found the following:

2 IDENTIFY within the business

PR O D U CTI ON

MULTI-CHANNEL

WOW

DATA

DOWNLOAD OUR FREE

BUD GET GET TAR

WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS

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CONNECT

HOW TO REALLY CONNECT WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS

SMART IDEAS FOR SUCCESSFUL COMMUNICATION

SOURCE: DMA - Email Tracking Report (2013)

Neopost Limited, Neopost House, South Street, Romford, Essex RM1 2AR.

SPONSORED ARTICLE

Q.U.E.S.T. 5 Ways To Ensure Content Converts Customers

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s social networks grow, companies compete, and customers have more choice, the need to utilise content to grow your own social capital has never been greater.

The QUEST method of marketing is a unique idea that has been developed by ContentNetwork. All businesses are aware they need content, but not everyone knows what will work best, what their audience expects and how often they need it.

The 5–point QUEST checklist is there to guide businesses along the correct path, and to ensure all content is: • Qualitative • Unique • Engaging • Shareable • Trusted.

Qualitative Just as a marketer’s qualitative research allows you to ‘get inside’ your customer’s head and understand their motivations for purchasing, qualitative content enables you to persuade them to make the decision to buy.

With well–written, interesting storytelling you can avoid contributing to the mountains of soul less content already out there. The more competition there is for your business, the more crucial storytelling becomes.

A blog is an excellent tool for this as you can offer in–depth explanations, regularly update readers, and demonstrate industry leadership.

Let customers know why you created a particular product, tell them the story behind it, and allow them to

emotionally invest in your company.

By doing so, you can easily connect with them and influence them to buy your merchandise.

Unique Using fresh data is essential for your content to be relevant. Low quality, duplicated sites are targeted by Google and prevented from being ranked highly.

Changing words from an already published article will indeed produce a unique article – but not unique value, which is entirely different.

Search engines build algorithms and rankings on the fact that your website is providing value that is nowhere else on the Internet. Make your content do what no other sources do, and you’ll be succeeding.

Engaging With brand competition fierce and attention spans short, it’s more important than ever to grab and retain your customers’ loyalty.

Once your content is interesting and unique, you’re halfway there. Original, quality websites are the pinnacle of marketing success. The hardest task is to make sure your content resonates with your audience.

As well as publishing your own content, you should share from others. A good formula to work from, courtesy of Social Media Marketing World, is to make sure your shares consist of 50% curated content, 30% your original work, and 20% promotional material.

Shareable Writing about current events and trends is a first–rate way to ensure

your content is shared, alongside creating debates.

It’s also important to consider where you share your content to ensure you get the best engagement rate. With over 1 billion members, Facebook is the biggest social network in the world. Take the time to read, comment and participate in customers’ conversations, and people will likely do the same in return.

Trusted Doing research and gathering authoritative information from a reliable source is the best way to become a trusted professional in your field.

With the focus constantly shifting towards powerful content, it’s important to use specialised knowledge to help create authority. A solid understanding of your target market is imperative to gain trust, as without it you can’t possibly provide the content they’re expecting.

With expert content marketing you can increase your business’ exposure, increase web traffic, generate leads, develop fans and even grow partnerships within your industry.

To compete today requires a clear and coherent content marketing strategy.

Creating such a strategy means deciding which content will best combine what you want to say with what audiences want to consume.

With ContentNetwork’s help, that’s exactly what you’ll do.

www.contentquality.co.uk

Charlie McGhee, Content Network.

Charlie works for Content Network, a cloud-based platform that connects clients with a trusted network of over 500 specialist writers able to create custom content in just about any language. To find out more about how they could help kick start your company’s content marketing visit – www. contentquality. co.uk

SUCCESS

Stick to your principles and focus on the core business. Don’t be tempted WR RƫHU HYHU\ SRVVLEOH VHUYLFH DV WKLV FDQ ZHDNHQ \RXU RƫHULQJ

Lessons learned Maxine Stead, founder and owner of Alexandra House Spa, looks at the seven things she’s learned since starting her business, with the benefit of hindsight

M

axine Stead launched her Yorkshire-based holistic health and wellbeing spa, Alexandra House, in 2007. Despite having no prior experience in the spa sector, having pursued a successful career in clinical research, Maxine has built a spa that is one of the best-known retreats for emotional and physical wellbeing, in Yorkshire and beyond. Here she shares her top seven tips about what she has learned on her journey:

24 April 2015

TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS WHEN EMPLOYING STAFF If someone doesn’t feel right, then I trust that feeling and don’t ignore it just because there may be other, more logical reasons in favour of a candidate. Experience has taught me that generally, my initial feelings are correct.

As well as trusting my instincts, I have avoided making many wrong hires by ensuring that I employ people who share the ethos of the spa, and who are committed to meeting, and delivering the values of the business. Staff who are committed to maintaining, and growing the business’s

reputation, who are keen to develop their own professional and personal skills, and are committed to holistic health and wellbeing, fit into the team the best, and help to grow and develop the business. Choosing the right employees has been a key part of our success.

YOU CAN’T PLEASE EVERYONE Some people have different expectations, and want a different environment to the one you have on offer.

All you can do is provide an excellent service and a business that you believe in, while

SUCCESS

It’s not easy to say no to clients who may want an extra GLVFRXQW RU VRPHWKLQJ IRU QRWKLQJ EXW \RXU EXVLQHVV ZLOO VXƍHU if you say yes to everything they ask for

accepting that that some clients will be looking for something else. As long as the majority of people love what you are offering, it’s ok that a small minority won’t.

LOOK AFTER THE CUSTOMERS THAT LOVE YOUR BUSINESS It’s easy to become blasÊ and forget the importance of excellent customer care, but it’s critically important. People will only continue using your business if they feel that they’re receiving a high quality product, and it’s important to maintain the standards and continually assess your products. We put a lot of effort into making every single person feel valued and individual, from the minute they step into the spa. We also strive to maintain the best standards of treatment, so that we remain the best in our field in the area, and provide regular training for our staff, both in new treatments and refreshing their existing skills.

It’s also extremely valuable to listen to your clients - it can be difficult to hear negative feedback but learn to listen to it in a constructive way, and it will really make a difference to your business if you implement valid ideas.

STICK TO YOUR PRINCIPLES AND FOCUS ON THE CORE BUSINESS Don’t be tempted to offer every possible service as this can weaken your offering. For example, it has been

suggested on several occasions that we should offer beauty treatments as a way of increasing customer numbers and revenue, but I always knew that I wanted the focus of the business to be on how people feel on the inside, rather than how they look on the outside. My perseverance on focussing on holistic therapies only has ultimately paid off, as clients know that when they leave our spa, they will not only feel refreshed physically, but also emotionally.

LEARN TO SAY NO It’s not easy to say no to clients who may want an extra discount, or something for nothing, but your business will suffer if you say yes to everything they ask for. Be confident and consistent in your pricing structure and offering - if you can find a niche in the market and something that is different from your competitors, then you will attract customers. The niche that we found was to provide people an escape from their busy lives; a beautiful peaceful space that counteracts everyday lives. We provide a friendly, personal service that you do not always get in a larger spa, and this has been a major success for our business.

STICK TO YOUR BELIEFS Even though I knew nothing about running a business, or the spa industry, and although

everyone advised me against it, and the banks wouldn’t fund it, I knew it was the right thing to do, and I followed my heart.

Seven years on, my business is flourishing and it’s the best decision I ever made. Don’t listen to people who like to limit you - if you believe in something, go for it. By the same token, stay authentic, and do not to try to be someone or something else. I had a clear vision of what I wanted my business to be. By following this vision, my customers and my staff all know the brand values, and are all clear about the level and quality of service that is expected, and will be delivered.

It’s easy to be distracted and veer off the main vision, but it’s important to adhere to your brand values and beliefs.

RUNNING A BUSINESS IS NEVER DULL Although there are a lot of frustrations when it comes to dealing with institutional and Government rules and expenses, being a business owner is very rewarding. It’s a constantly changing environment, so you have to keep up to date with competitors, economic pressures, and changes, but this keeps the job interesting. Take advantage of the support that is available through business networks locally - this has been hugely beneficial for me in terms of peer support and collaborations.

Contact: www.alexandrahouse.org.uk

talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk 25

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Sticking it to the big boys

F

rustrated with what the market had to offer the amateur player in the UK, Matt Banks set out to create a range of hockey sticks and equipment that were both quality and affordable.

And so Kabo Hockey was born. He takes us behind the scenes to give us an insight into his company.

WHAT IS KABO HOCKEY AND WHAT DO YOU AIM TO ACHIEVE? We’re a direct-to-consumer challenger sports brand, currently focussed on hockey equipment.

We aim to sell quality designinspired equipment at affordable prices. I wanted to build a brand that can operate within multiple sports, that would benefit from a challenger brand trying to disrupt its comfortable market.

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START YOUR BUSINESS? I’ve always had a very keen interest in sports, and have played competitive hockey for years. The price of hockey equipment has risen to such an extent over the last few years, that I believe it has had a counterproductive effect on levels of participation. Instead of complaining over a post-match pint with my team mates, I decided to do something about it!

WHAT HAS BEEN THE SECRET TO YOUR SUCCESS, AND HOW IMPORTANT ARE YOUR AMBASSADORS TO YOUR BUSINESS MODEL? So far, we’ve been well received by the hockey community because people understand our company ethos, and have also felt the pain when purchasing new equipment due to rising costs. Our ambassadors are crucial to the brand because, unlike selling in a store, we don’t have a physical place to try the sticks, so our ambassadors become a mobile shop for us.

Also, our ambassadors are not all elite players, as we want to be used by the weekend warrior just as much as the Premier League player.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO MANUFACTURE IN PAKISTAN, AND WHAT CHALLENGES DID THIS CREATE? Pakistan is the hub for a lot of sports equipment manufacturing.

I visited the country in June last year, and it was a real eyeopener. The biggest challenge is the sometimes-fragile nature of the country - so far I’ve had issues like stock delays due to gas shortages, and political unrest!

This month we chat with the sporty Matt Banks, who turned his passion for hockey into a successful fledgling business

WHAT’S THE MOST FRUSTRATING PART OF YOUR ROLE? Getting around to everything I want to do next! I never stop thinking about ideas, and ideally I would have 30 staff working constantly on projects, but the reality is that we have a small but committed and growing team, so sometimes things need to be put on the back burner.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR KABO HOCKEY AND MATT BANKS? We’ll keep spreading the word and ethos around our brand, and informing players that they don’t always need to spend the top price to get a quality product.

As for me, I have loads of other business ideas that I would like to work on but, again, I need to park a few and wait until the time is right!

Instead of complaining over a postmatch pint with my team mates, I decided to do something about it!

Contact: www.kabohockey.co.uk

talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk 27

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BOOK reviews

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Design To Grow: How Coca Cola Learned To Combine Scale & Agility (And How You Can Too)

by David Butler and Linda Tischler Our verdict:

About the authors: David Butler is responsible for Coca-Cola’s start-up Accelerator Program. Under his leadership, Coca-Cola has received numerous design awards. David is also a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council.

Linda Tischler is an award-winning editor at Fast Company magazine. She helped launch the internet’s largest design site FastCoDesign.com.

Risk: All That Matters

by Clive Steeper and Sue Stockdale Our verdict:

About the authors: Clive Steeper is a former high-ranking business executive who has lectured on risk across Europe. As a racing driver and former motorsport team manager, he is experienced at managing risk from both a business and sporting perspective.

Sue Stockdale MBA was the first British woman to ski to the magnetic North Pole.

She has lectured on risk at business schools including Said, Cranfield and Henley.

We say: Risk is all around us, and it impacts us in many different ways. Typically, people assess risk based on their perception of the

We say: Coca Cola’s vice president of innovation and entrepreneurship reveals the megabrand’s revolutionary approach to business through design in this enveloping offering.

In today’s world, established businesses are in danger of not being able to adapt quickly enough, while nimble start-ups fail due to their inability to scale. Tomorrow’s business winners will be those who know how to combine the two.

In Design to Grow, they give an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at the company’s designled strategy for growth, providing tips and advice to help you to grow your business too.

Design to Grow is published by Penguin Books, priced at £14.99, and is available as a hardback, paperback, ebook and audio CD.

number of options they have, the outcomes they value, and what they believe will happen. But in today’s media-led world, the availability and credibility of information can strongly influence how individuals and organisations make decisions.

Risk: All That Matters explores the nature of risk from a variety of perspectives, including the psychology behind news stories, which spread fear, and how these can be put into context, and how risk impacts on business, society, and global trends in the future. It is an interesting insight into how subtle phrases and actions can shape the way a person - or even a group - can be influenced in their way of thinking.

Risk: All That Matters is published by John Murray Learning, is priced at £8.99, and is available as a paperback.

talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk 29

FINANCE

Is dilution the enemy of the founder?

Finance expert, Julian Smith looks at what to watch out for when fundraising for SMEs

A

s any founder who has been through multiple fundraising rounds knows, dilution is a highly sensitive topic. Each time a company issues fresh equity, the trade-off between valuation and new money needs to be tackled. A founder’s economic interest and level of control are linked to the proportion of equity retained, as fundraisings erode founder equity.

First of all, it is worth defining a few key terms that relate to this topic: PRE-MONEY VALUATION: value of the existing business, excluding the value of any new money raised.

FULLY DILUTED: refers to ownership of the equity, taking into account any options or convertible securities, which may be outstanding.

DILUTION: the reduction in existing shareholders’ ownership, resulting from a new issue of shares; a function of the pre-money valuation, and the amount of new money being raised.

PREFERENCE OR PREFERRED SHARES: a different class of shares, which have enhanced rights to provide additional protections as well as upside exposure, often required by venture capital investors.

An ideal scenario, from a founder’s perspective would see the pre-money valuation of a company grow at each fundraising stage, with the result that the overall value of their ownership in the business grows, even as the percentage ownerships decreases.

But there are likely to be tensions between existing and new investors at each funding round, and a couple of different pinch points where tensions crop up. The first is with the angel investment community, where I’ve heard concerns about the valuations being struck by companies at the seed stage on crowdfunding

platforms. The argument is that there’s a less rigorous valuation exercise for companies raising money from the crowd. The founder suffers less dilution than would be the case in an angel-funded round, but could be storing a problem for subsequent funding rounds, particularly if the business needs to have a valuation adjustment at the next round (known as a ‘down round’).

The second pinch point is between angel-led rounds and the first VC-led, or institutional round, often called the ‘Series A’ round. While a number of prominent angel investors are happy co-habiting with VC investors, some are wary, having had valuation terms dictated to them by the VC. As with most negotiations, the dynamic reflects the balance of supply and demand. A handful of unicorn investment serial fundraisers, like Uber, can largely dictate terms, on which new investors come on board, but in most situations, price is determined by the incoming (or marginal) investor.

Existing investors, who don’t have the capital to follow their money, are most exposed, and this can lead to irrational behaviour.

Founders can take some comfort from the fact that VCs will want them to be appropriately incentivised.

Having said that, companies should try to keep more investors than they need in the process, until the deal is agreed in headline terms, to keep some tension in the process, and acknowledge the scarcity and importance of the founder’s equity.

Companies should keep more investors than they need in the process until the deal is agreed in headline terms, to keep some tension in the process

Contact: www.thefundingexpert.co.uk

talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk 31

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FINANCE

Martin Campbell, MD at SaaS ďŹ rm, Ormsby Street, offers his tips for keeping on top of ďŹ nances, amid demands for increasingly long payment terms

W

e’ve all been there - months where we struggle to make ends meet, as clients drag their feet on payments. In fact, according to research from Sage, nearly two thirds (60%) of British businesses have had to wait for 60 days or more for payment, while almost half (47%) have experienced waits of 90 days or more. As a result, cash flow suffers, and small suppliers often need to fork out money to finance our own unpaid debts.

But what happens when your biggest accounts start to use their size and influence to negotiate increasingly long payment terms? With drinks giants, Diageo, owner of Guinness, and AB InBev, brewer of Budwiser and Stella Artois, along with Mars, Mondolez, and Greencore being only the latest examples in a long line of high profile companies to extend their payment terms to up to 120 days, should SME owners simply resign themselves to months of lingering invoices?

There’s no denying that working with large, household names has its benefits, not to mention their capacity to purchase or shift a high volume of product, so small businesses rarely challenge these demands.

However, this does put an incredible amount of pressure on finances, so what can SMEs do to maintain their cash flow, and protect their businesses from folding under the weight of it all?

Here are three questions you should ask yourself:

Don’t let clients write you off

1

DO YOUR CUSTOMERS HAVE THE MONEY TO PAY YOU? The recession has taught us many things, but nothing more so than ‘size doesn’t matter’.

Several iconic brands have shut their doors over the past few years, including Woolworths and Comet, not to mention the many that have dipped in and out of administration, so just because your client is wellknown doesn’t mean they’re not facing their own demons behind closed doors.

As such, it’s worth examining why exactly they are pushing

Research reveals that the average small business ZULWHV RĆŤ D ZKRSSLQJ e ZRUWK RI EDG GHEW HYHU\ \HDU Ć‹ WKDWĆŽV e ELOOLRQ ZRUWK RI LQYRLFHV DFURVV WKH QDWLRQ JRQH LQ D SXĆŤ RI VPRNH

talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk 33

FINANCE

for longer payment terms. Are they just trying to become more efficient and effective, or is your partner’s business faltering?

Credit scores and payment indicators are often a good place to start when monitoring invoices, and the likelihood of them being paid. For example, in October 2014, our own credit rating system, Credit HQ, noted that the level of risk in trading with City Link had significantly increased, warning users of the service that there could be stormy seas ahead.

Those who took action and put contingency plans in place were then better prepared than their competitors, when the courier firm went into administration over the busy Christmas holidays.

It’s unlikely that established companies will fold without any prior warning - City Link had been making considerable losses for many years - but with the information becoming increasingly free to access, at least in a basic form, it’s surely worth a check.

2

HAVE YOU ACCOUNTED FOR POTENTIAL DELAYS? Whether you’re a tiny start-up or a multinational corporation, the majority of businesses swear by cash flow forecasts to help them keep track of their finances, and stay afloat. But when things don’t work out the way you planned, this can often leave small businesses considerably out of pocket.

The problem is that many SMEs are too trusting, and over-optimistic, assuming, for example, that their customers will pay them on time - when in reality, that just isn’t the

34 April 2015

case. Delving into Credit HQ, we see that while Diageo and AB InBev regularly insist on lengthy credit terms, their payment performance varies considerably - or put more bluntly, when they actually pay you might be quite different from what you expect.

SMEs are at the mercy of cash flow - not only because it affects your company’s survival, but also because it enables you to grow faster when invested effectively so it’s important to take this information into account and build up an accurate picture of when you’re likely to actually get paid as you develop your timelines. After all, if you have a client with a 30-day payment term, who pays on time versus a client who routinely flouts a 14-day term, this may well affect where you decide to focus your business.

3

DO YOU STAND YOUR GROUND WHEN IT COMES TO OVERDUE DEBT? Research from the Credit Management Research Centre recently found that the average small business writes off a whopping £14,000 of bad debt every year - that’s £2 billion worth of invoices across the nation gone in a puff of smoke.

While it may seem like a daunting prospect to start getting tough with customers, it’s worth remembering that you are entitled to charge interest on overdue invoices – this can either be at a rate of your choice, included in your payment terms, or it could be at the statutory rate of interest, which is the

Bank of England base rate plus 8%.

Don’t back down when large companies are unable - or unwilling - to stick to their own agreed contract terms - sometimes a formal charge for interest or a letter chasing debt is a good way of unblocking their system, not to mention letting your customer know that you run your business well.

Now that the issue of lengthy payment terms is on the political radar, we would hope that small businesses see gradual improvements in conditions - indeed, the Government has pledged to introduce new legislation this year to name and shame large firms demanding unreasonable contracts, in a bid to make the payment process more transparent.

But it takes time for culture to evolve - and likely even more time to expose those that pay late regardless of long or short terms.

So don’t simply sit back and accept the terms larger organisations are dictating, because while they may see many tomorrows with unstable finances, you will not.

Contact: www.ormsbystreet.com

The Government has pledged to introduce new legislation this year to name and shame large ƬUPV GHPDQGLQJ unreasonable contracts, in a bid to make the payment process more transparent

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36 April 2015

FINANCE

Do they add up?

Having an accountant can save a lot of hassle and potential problems, but how do you choose the right one? Adam Harper, director of professional development at AAT, provides some tips

F

or some SMEs, you might consider appointing an accountant as possibly one of the least glamourous jobs to do when setting up shop.

However, choosing the right accountant is just as crucial for the success of your business as finding the right market to sell your product or service to.

This is now even more the case, as pleading ignorance of tax compliance will no longer let you off the hook with HMRC. Most small businesses are not aware of what exactly they should look for when seeking an accountant, so here are some tips to help guide you:

man’s pleasure is another’s poison.

Use recommendations to help you identify potential accountants, but also use common sense and your must-have list to whittle down the list of candidates.

QUALIFICATIONS It’s important to choose a professional whose qualifications confirm their credibility, compliance, expertise, and professionalism. Don’t take the risk of using someone who is cheaper, but who doesn’t have a professional qualification, as you could end up paying for it later.

them with - and should cover all administrative costs.

BACK-UP Make sure that if, for whatever reason, your accountant is not available, there is someone else who can pick up the pieces. This is particularly important on big projects that require specialist knowledge. Having a safety net like this in place could save you a lot of headaches.

PERSONALITIES Pick someone who you can actually work with. When you

Pleading ignorance of tax compliance will no CREATE A LIST OF YOUR ORQJHU OHW \RX Rƫ WKH KRRN ZLWK +05& ‘MUST-HAVES’ Are you a newly founded SME? Do you work in a specific sector that requires specialist knowledge?

Then perhaps an accountant who specialises in these areas is best. It’s easier to go looking for something when you know exactly what you are looking for.

GET RECOMMENDATIONS If you can, ask in your network for any accountants that are known to do good work. Be wary though of using this alone to determine who to hire, as one

FEES How much you pay depends on what exactly you need them to do.

If you’re intent on keeping costs to a bare minimum, then you can pay on a project basis, and do simple book-keeping in house, keeping an orderly record of your expenses. If you have a bigger operation, then it might be worth paying a monthly charge. Fees for this should be fixed - unless, of course, there is a major change in the work you task

are knee deep in a tax return, it helps to do it with someone who you trust, and do not fervently dislike. Having a good working relationship with your accountant will also pay dividends when you might need them to put in bit of extra work on a certain project, but do not have the additional budget to pay for it.

Contact: www.aat.org.uk

talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk 37

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FINANCE

Paying the price?

Relying on paying the minimum wage might not be the best longterm option for your business, says Talk Money’s Adam Aiken

The minimum wage is just that - the bare minimum you’re allowed to pay. Are you really going to engender loyalty or attract the best if you pay as little as possible?

T

he minimum wage is likely to go up later this year, giving employers another piece of red tape to factor into their plans.

The recent recommendation from the Low Pay Commission came at about the same time the Government named and shamed another 70 businesses for failing to meet their statutory requirements - a warning to bosses that they face being fined and publicly embarrassed if they don’t pay staff properly.

The debate about the rights and wrongs of the minimum wage finished a long time ago.

Although many on the right objected to it being introduced in the first place, it’s now here to stay.

Indeed, the CBI - a body which often comes out fighting against policies it thinks are bad for business welcomed the latest recommendations.

The Low Pay Commission has recommended that the adult rate should go up by 3%, from £6.50 to £6.70 an hour, and there will be increases for 1617, and 18 to 20-yearolds, and for apprentices.

Being instructed what you have to pay your staff can rub employers up the wrong way. Some in the business community were put out when David Cameron said recently that employers should ‘give Britain a pay rise’.

Speaking to the British Chambers of Commerce, the Prime Minister said: “Economic success can’t just be shown in the GDP figures or on the balance

sheets of British businesses, but in people’s pay packets and bank accounts and lifestyles.”

Perhaps it was a bit rich for a man who has spent the past five years hammering the public sector - i.e. people who effectively work for him - to start lecturing private businesses on what they should do with their staff. But there’s a wider question to be addressed here - shouldn’t you be paying a little bit more than the minimum wage in the first place?

We’ve been through some tough times in recent years, and the recovery we’re ‘enjoying’ at the moment is by no means universal, but are you going to attract the best people if you are paying them the least possible?

The minimum wage is just that - the bare minimum you’re allowed to pay. At best, it means you are going to be level-pegging with other employers as far as remuneration is concerned.

You might offer job satisfaction to your employees, but are you really going to engender loyalty or attract the best people if you pay them as little as you possibly can?

Many staff are still feeling the pinch. The Low Pay Commission’s latest recommendation proposes the biggest rise in the minimum wage in real terms since 2007, but once inflation is taken into account, it’s still worth less than in 2007, in terms of spending power.

And in purely practical terms, paying your employees more than the lowest possible amount means you don’t have to get in a panic when the Government increases the minimum wage - you’ve already got a cushion in place.

MONEY www.talk-money.co.uk

talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk 39

SPONSORED ARTICLE

One office, one country to over 100 offices in 9 countries

T

he Interface Financial Group (IFG) is set to expand again with extensive expansion plans for the UK and Ireland.

IFG started operations 42 years ago in a small town in Connecticut, USA and after about a year of operations in the United States IFG relocated to Canada in the greater Toronto area. They operated there for about twenty years before they grew into a franchise organization.

The Interface Financial Group had over the first two decades of their life serviced a very specific market place with a very specific financial service. IFG grew up as an invoice discounter assisting businesses in accelerating their cash flow. In itself there is nothing unusual in that service. It has been accepted and widely used in major financial centres for many many years.

The IFG twist to the service was their unique approach to the market and their simplistic approach to how they worked with their clients. In its established form invoice discounting usually takes the entire book of receivables that a company has and they are pledged to the discounter in return for a revolving line of credit against those invoices. It is an ongoing arrangement whereby the client, the user of the service contracts with the discounter to discount all of their receivables for a period of a year or more.

The service that has developed in the major money markets of the world has also evolved into a ‘high end’ service in as much as traditional invoice discounters will not look at business below a fairly high threshold.

Interface founder Mr. John Sheehy saw the opportunity to

break into a market that was almost totally un-serviced with a similar service offering. He brought invoice discounting to the small business world. He did away with the concept of having to have a certain level of business to qualify and equally importantly he did away with the need for a contract pledging 100% of a clients’ business over a long time frame.

What he created for small business owners was a ‘use it as you need it’ service. He offered his clients an opportunity to accelerate their cash flow and hence their growth by turning a single invoice into instant cash or a batch of invoices, with basically no restrictions.

If we fast forward some 40+ years we find that Interface is still doing the same thing in the same SME marketplace. With the banking sector ‘holding back’ the SME sector continues to be the hardest hit when it comes to finding a credit facility from their bank.

While Interface is still providing an ‘in demand’ service to their small and medium sized clients that are in an expanding mode some things have changed.

The most radical has been the delivery method employed

by Interface. IFG started with their roots firmly in a one office environment. While they were able to market their service on a national basis it was evident that their local market invariably produced the greatest volume of business with the best quality.

No one likes to see marketing efforts not being fully satisfied and to some extent that was starting to happen at IFG. The solution was to create a delivery method that would service more than just one location, but without the

creation of a substantial overhead cost. Franchising was the chosen expansion option as it gave IFG the opportunity to grow in a rapid but controlled environment. Having established that the IFG system would ‘franchise’ John Sheehy and his team went about the task of crafting an invoice discounting franchise-the first of its kind in any financial market area.

Now established as a market leader in 9 countries, including a bases in London and Dublin, Interface is set for more rapid growth as the economy takes off and the SME sector requires almost instant financing for their growth.

For more information visit: www.interfacefinancial.co.uk, call 0116 242 4157 or email ifg@interfacefinancial.com

FINANCE

All our clients get bespoke marketing materials, which is a ORW RI H[WUD HĆŤRUW DQG SODQQLQJ EXW LW DOO SD\V RĆŤ LQ WKH HQG

A day in the life 6:30AM Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Monday morning and the day starts quite early. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m up by 6.30 and catch up with the news while Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m having breakfast.

7:30AM Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m at my desk and I set out the tasks for the day, check my diary, make sure Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m up to date with all of my emails and go over all the enquiries, offers, and viewings that took place over the weekend. We had two open houses on Saturday, so thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plenty to follow up today.

potential client to carry out a market appraisal. The meeting goes well and theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve instructed us to market the property. The next appointment in the diary is to visit another property we have coming on the market, to gather the information and photos needed for marketing.

1PM Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got a flat coming up in an auction soon, and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m meeting an investor to show him the property. I end up showing him a house around the corner too.

8AM

3PM

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got an early Skype call with the sales manager. We discuss offers in negotiation, viewings, and set out the targets for the week ahead. The call lasts around half an hour and I then catch up with the sales progression team, to see how all of our current sales are doing. All is well and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve hit a new record amount of deals going through.

On the way back, my mobile is going off regularly, but I manage to tie up a deal on a house weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve only been marketing for a couple of weeks - both buyer and seller are delighted. Once Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m back at my desk, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more phone calls and emails to return.

9AM Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m in the car to go and meet a

4:30PM I have just been given approval on a marketing brochure from a new client, so we are ready to start marketing in the morning.

Start-up loan recipient Adam Horton, owner of Horton Estate Agents, lets us delve into a day in his busy business life in the property market

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve also started work on the marketing strategy for the property I visited early today.

All our clients get bespoke marketing materials, which is a lot of extra effort and planning, but it all pays off in the end.

5:30PM The last appointment of the day is an open evening for a house weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had a lot of interest in, so weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got a one-and-a-half hour slot of viewings taking place.

7PM Time to lock up at the open evening and head out for dinner. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m already looking forward to what tomorrow will bring.

In proďŹ le Name: Adam Horton Business: Horton Estate Agents Loan amount: ÂŁ7,000 Website: www.hortonestateagents.co.uk

talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk 41

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STRATEGY

Establishing a good solid brand culture is not just about keeping your staff happy - it can impact your bottom line too, says Rich With

Corporate culture vulture

F

or many of us entrepreneurs who would never willingly go back to working at a corporate institution, the idea of having a corporate culture in your business is about as welcome as a bratwurst at a UKIP breakfast.

The traditional view of corporate culture undoubtedly still exists, (think the hell-on-earth of a TGI Fridays induction course, or the faux Wolf of Wall Street, after-hours hookers, and dwarf tossing of your average recruitment agency), but for us forward thinking SMEs and entrepreneurs, it isn’t so resolutely depressing.

It’s more than gelling your team together in a positive working environment. The brand culture of your business should positively reflect the ideas and wishes of your company.

There are simple and free ways of making your culture apparent. For us, it’s the tone of voice of our tweets, the lack of tie wearing, and the average conversation revolving around Game of Thrones rather than profit and loss accounts. And from the way I write this column, you should get a vague idea of the corporate culture of my company.

It does take effort though. It takes constant communication between the staff - motivating, encouraging, and actually talking to one another to find out what they like and what they don’t. That’s not to say we

implement everything they want it’s a balanced discussion to form a working environment that is beneficial for everyone. It’s about establishing things that make your clients and your employees feel valued and worthy.

So why are we instilling a definite brand culture? Quite simply, it makes us a better company. Recently we realised a member of staff wasn’t performing to their usual standard. It transpired they didn’t feel challenged enough, so we’ve now made it part of the ethos that all of our staff have to work on creatively challenging projects - pushing themselves and discovering new hacks to make their work life better. We had to relinquish control and trust them to do what they thought was best.

Fortunately, it paid off and the result was the output and attitude of that particular member of staff not only increased, but exceeded what we were hoping for. The simple change we made not only improved their attitude, but actually transferred to the bottom line.

Yes it’s obvious that a motivated workforce is going to mean increased output, but it’s interesting because the motivation hasn’t been increased by money or bonuses - but by making them happier.

This is having a knock-on effect and a significant impact on my role. Where before, I’d spend much of my day designing, I now feel confident enough

that I can relinquish some of the projects for other people to wrangle.

This has allowed me to land our three biggest ever clients in one month and that’s the sort of thing that makes brands grow.

Contact: www.justgrow.co

The traditional view of corporate culture undoubtedly still exists, (think the hell-onearth of a TGI Fridays induction course, or the faux Wolf of Wall Street, after-hours hookers and dwarf tossing of your average recruitment agency) talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk 43

STRATEGY

Businesses supported

by GrowthAccelerator are growing four times faster than the average small and mediumsized business

Showing the way to grow We examine the Business Growth Service, and how it can help your SME along the path to success

I

n December last year the Government launched the Business Growth Service, which brings together existing sources of support, including GrowthAccelerator, the Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS), Intellectual Property Audits, and Design Mentoring.

Combining the expertise from these existing services means it is now quicker and easier than ever before for businesses to access the right support at the right time to fulfil their growth potential. The positive impact these services are having for businesses speaks for itself. To date: • Businesses supported by GrowthAccelerator are growing four times faster than the average small and medium-sized business from April 2013 - April 2014.

• MAS helped thousands of English manufacturing SMEs generate nearly £620m of extra turnover between Jan 2013 and April 2014.

• 3,677 businesses have been helped by design mentors through the

Designing Demand scheme - 99% agreed that their brand image had improved as a result. The new service offers businesses dedicated Business Growth Managers, to help them identify the best possible combination of Governmentbacked support. Each business will be supported with a bespoke package, according to its needs.

One business that has benefited from using the Business Growth Service’s range of support is Sesame Access. Alison Lyons is the managing director of the company, a familyowned business, which builds and installs bespoke wheelchair lifts and access solutions.

“GrowthAccelerator has helped us make some big changes. We’ve increased brand awareness through media coverage and via a video that went viral and reached over a million people on social media. On our Growth Coach’s suggestion, we also tightened up on intellectual property protection and used the MAS Lean Training to help us implement

‘right first time’ manufacturing.

Through UK Trade & Investment’s (UKTI) Passport to Export service, we’re working directly with the British Embassy in Paris, our first export target. The trade team’s organisational support, and the surrounding publicity, have been massive, and are due to be replicated in New York as UKTI is helping us fund a toe-dipping exercise there too.”

If you’re an ambitious leader of a business with fewer than 250 employees, and you believe your company has the capability and capacity to achieve growth, here’s a snapshot of just some of the types of support that will be available to you by working with the Business Growth Service: ACCESSING FINANCE There are many types and sources of finance available, from bank loans to equity investment. You will be helped to identify exactly what type of finance is right for you, and how best to secure it.

talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk 45

STRATEGY

DEVELOPING NEW IDEAS Developing and marketing new products and services does not need to be complicated. Helping to plan for your business’ growth, including research and development, design, and protecting your intellectual property, will give you a competitive advantage.

LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT SKILLS This is aimed at building the skills and capabilities of managers. Bespoke training will fill skills gaps in different sized management teams. This will help to keep you focused on what matters most.

The Business Growth Service helped us increase brand awareness through media coverage, and via a video that went viral and reached a million people on social media

MANUFACTURING Manufacturing experts with specialist, sector specific, knowledge will help you develop new business and product strategies, streamline your processes, and help you grow your supply chain.

EXPORTING Whether you are looking to export for the first time, or breaking into new markets, specialist advisers will develop the right plan for you, irrespective of the country, industry sector, or stage your business is at.

BUILDING NETWORKS You will have access to a wider network of businesses, that are just like you. Here you will have the opportunity to expand your networks and learn from others as you continue your growth journey.

Find out more about the breadth of support you can get from working with the Business Growth Service at www.greatbusiness.gov.uk/ businessgrowthservice and follow the latest news on Twitter @BGS_Tweets.

Contact: www.greatbusiness.gov.uk

WHO CAN ACCESS HELP? Companies based in England, with fewer than 250 employees and a turnover below £40 million

46 April 2015

VITAL STATS WHAT IS THE BUSINESS GROWTH SERVICE? A Government-backed service offering support to businesses with the potential to improve and grow

HOW HAS IT FARED? 18,000 businesses engaged Four times faster growth than the average SME 97% of users would recommend the service Helped businesses to raise £100 million in external finance 90% of businesses said it helped them bring new products to market

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS? Support and advice to help you grow A complete diagnostic with a Business Growth Manager to identify your business’s barriers to growth A dedicated Business Growth Manager Help with access to funding/grants etc.

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STRATEGY

Get off to a ďŹ&#x201A;yer in Singapore With over 15 million visitors arriving into the country for business or pleasure each year it is no surprise that Singapore is rapidly becoming the place to be seen and to do business in Asia. Editor, Luke Garner, explores what Singapore has to offer the prospective business

48 April 2015

STRATEGY

talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk 49

STRATEGY

D

escribed by locals as ‘heaven on earth’ due to the fact you can get whatever you want - be that food, tech or shopping whenever you want, and with its lush, warm climate, the ‘Lion City’ provides ample opportunity for any UK-based SME to take its first tentative steps in the warm waters of the Asian marketplace.

The county itself is an island, approximately 16 miles long from north to south, and just 31 miles from east to west, which can be navigated in less than 45 minutes. With Changi airport - which serves 54 million passengers each year from 300 destinations - just 20 minutes’ drive from the centre of downtown, and excellent underground train links, it’s a doddle to get anywhere in this sprawling hub.

50 April 2015

So what exactly does it have to offer the prospective business? Here editor, Luke Garner journeys to the country and breaks down the delights of Singapore, to give you a taste of what you can indulge in while in one of the gems of the Far East.

MEETINGS, EVENTS, AND CONFERENCES Singapore has five main event and conference centres, each one offering a slightly different take on the MICE

genre, depending on what your business is looking for. Whether you’re looking for an all-out conference venue or a more private meeting place, it has everything you could wish for within its compact borders.

THE SUNTEC SINGAPORE CONVENTION & EXHIBITION CENTRE www.suntecsingapore.com Located on the famous Raffles Boulevard, The Suntec Centre is nothing short of a

STRATEGY

technological marvel. A fully integrated convention city, you’re initially greeted by the world’s largest customisable video screen, consisting of 660, 55” screens at 4k ultra quality.

This diverse screen can be split in a myriad of ways to show video, advertisement, or even live streaming of events taking place within the centre - great for promoting your exhibitions and conferences. There’s also 24,000m2 of exhibition space and 15,000m2 of flexible meeting space to utilise, across six floors.

The conference centre itself caters for all sizes of event, making use of state-of-the-art rooms, which have walls that can be moved and re-arranged to change the size to fit the purpose. Fully air-conditioned too, perhaps one of the simplest, but most ingenious pleasures of the venue, are the information screens dotted around the centre. Fully touchscreen and interactive, guests can select the event they wish to attend, and then be given a dottedline map to follow, which provides them with the easiest route to that particular room, meaning no need for lost guests or endless queries at the information desk.

facilities will cater for events using outside caterers, or even bulkbought produce with a team of in-house chefs who simply re-heat and serve the food, The Suntec has its very own kitchens and awardwinning chefs. The chefs take great pleasure in displaying their creativity and ingenuity, creating bespoke meals from scratch, including sumptuous dishes and desserts, displayed with the class and care that you’d expect of a Michelin-starred eatery - quite a feat when you’re doing so for up to 10,000 visitors at a time!

Much like many venues in the country, The Suntec isn’t a single-offering type of venue, as there’s plenty to see and do for those looking to make the most of a multi-day event. It offers direct Surrounded by (and in some access to 5,200 hotel rooms, 1,000 cases, connected to) some of retail outlets, 300 restaurants, the best hotels Singapore has to six museums and a world-class offer - including the five-star Pan Pacific Hotel - The Suntec hides a performing arts centre, meaning secret that many UK event centres that work and play need not be two separate entities. can only dream of. While most

MARINA BAY SANDS www.marinabaysands.com Perhaps the most well known icon of Singapore, particularly from a tourist’s point of view, the Marina Bay Sands is famous for its Sands SkyPark (which is shaped like a cruise ship and perched atop the hotel’s three towers, 57 floors up), complete with infinity pool that seemingly drops away into the Singaporean horizon, and offers 360-degree views across the peninsula. But the Marina Bay Sands is no one-trick pony, it is so much more than a pool (albeit an amazing one, from which a bikini-clad Katy Perry held a press conference). Many people have stayed at the venue and never set foot outside the premises, such is the array of entertainment and facilities on offer.

For the business minded, there’s the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, which has 1.3 million square feet of flexible convention and exhibition space.

talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk 51

STRATEGY

It can host 45,000 delegates, 2,000 exhibition booths, and 250 meeting rooms. It features southeast Asia’s biggest ballroom, which accommodates 6,600 people for a banquet, and up to 11,000 for an auditorium-style lecture, and can host anything from exhibitions to awards ceremonies. They’ve even hosted concerts, including a show for The Rolling Stones.

A big concern for many businesses is the carbon footprint of their activities, and this is where the Marina Bay Sands comes into its own. As an environmentally responsible venue, Marina Bay Sands provides meeting organisers with options to achieve their green meeting goals. Several sustainable practices under Sands ECO360° include the Green Meeting Concierge, dedicated service personnel who will help clients craft sustainable meetings using the Sands ECO360° Meetings Planning Tool; a Sands ECO360° Event Impact Statement provides a post-event sustainability report that captures an event’s sustainability highlights, and provides a comprehensive summary of energy and water consumption at a glance; waste management with recycling bins, and sustainably disposing of leftover food and materials; and much more.

Outside of conferences and events, there’s hundreds of retail outlets in the Marina Bay Sands Shopping Centre (including Louis Vuitton’s flagship store), covering 800,000 square feet.

With high class outlets, such as Alexander McQueen, Gucci, and Cartier, for those with some serious cash to flash, it is a veritable heaven of the best in fine fashion. And for those feeling lucky, there is a casino.

FOOD AND DRINK As different cultures have migrated to Singapore over the years, the culinary offerings have become a melting pot of flavours from across the continent. As such, it is a onestop delight for any foodie fan, and there are plenty of places to take any prospective clients to experience the array that the country has to offer. From local specialities to the finest Chinese and European delights, there’s something for everyone.

CHINATOWN FOOD STREET Experience the hustle and bustle of life in Chinatown, and take in the smorgasbord of succulent smells at some of the best - and cleanest - street food stalls on the planet. The local speciality, lemon chicken rice, is one not to be missed and you can enjoy it

among the throngs of red banners, lanterns, and colourful decorations, for a truly authentic experience.

LEVEL 33 www.level33.com.sg With breath-taking views across the bay, enjoy classic pub grub with a luxury twist, witness the sights of Singapore, and take in the famous Marina Bay Sands light show from the comfort of your table - located 33 floors up in the financial centre. Best of all, there’s home-brewed beer and ale produced on-site, which sees people travel from across the country to slurp the sumptuous suds.

TIPPLING CLUB www.tipplingclub.com World-renowned chef, Ryan Clift’s brand of modern gastronomy is fun, playful, and fresh. It imbues the dining experience with a sense of excitement and a touch of theatre. The Tippling Club is known for its experimental, ultraprogressive cuisine and cocktails, and was ranked 36th on the list of Asia’s 50 best restaurants in 2015.

You can even sit at the kitchen bar and watch the chefs craft their artful creations - the perfect place to impress an important business client.

talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk 53

STRATEGY

YA KUN KAYA TOAST yakun.com No trip to Singapore would be complete without sampling a typical Singaporean breakfast of kaya toast. Made of kaya, a coconut jam made with eggs, sugar, and pandan, spread on toast, it is served with a side of half-boiled eggs (perfect for dunking your toast), and washed down with a strong coffee that locals call ‘kopi’.

ACCOMMODATION MARINA BAY SANDS www.marinabaysands.com The highlight of this hotel is the SkyPark, which sits 200 metres up in the air, and provides not only 360-degree views of downtown Singapore, but also boasts one of the best restaurants in Singapore - Ku De Ta. There are 2,561 luxuriously furnished bedrooms, a casino, theatre, and hundreds of shops and food outlets.

PAN PACIFIC HOTEL www.panpacific.com/singapore Whether for business or leisure, a stay at the Pan Pacific Singapore Hotel is your assurance of world-class service and five-star luxury accommodation. The hotel overlooks the iconic Marina Bay, and has been consistently voted the World’s Leading Business Hotel by World Travel Award.

FULLERTON HOTEL www.fullertonhotel.com Transformed from The Fullerton Building - a magnificent neoclassical landmark, built in 1928 - The Fullerton Hotel Singapore is an iconic 400-room heritage hotel.

It was once home to the nation’s General Post Office, The Exchange, and the prestigious Singapore Club - all of which played a pivotal role in the history of Singapore.

54 April 2015

ENTERTAINMENT SINGAPORE FLYER www.singaporeflyer.com Get a bird’s eye view of Singapore on the world’s largest observation wheel. Standing 165m tall, you’ll receive stunning views across the bay, of the Formula One circuit, and much more. You can even hold events for up to 28 people in each pod or host an elegant dinner with a loved one.

SENTOSA ISLAND www.sentosa.com/sg/en/ Letting your hair down couldn’t be easier at Sentosa Island. With Universal Studios, an aquarium, casino, waterpark, and more, there’s something for every thrill seeker, and it makes a great getaway from life in the fast lane of business.

CLARKE QUAY www.clarkequay.com.sg/en/ For those who like to burn the midnight oil, Clarke Quay is the place to hang out. With numerous bars and nightclubs to while the hours away in, you can experience the party lifestyle in the heart of the marina - though be warned that alcohol in Singapore can be a very costly expense!

SINGAPORE BOTANIC GARDENS www.sbg.org.sg Perhaps one of the most beautiful and awe-inspiring sights in the country, the Botanic Gardens, which features the orchid gardens, has 3,000 species of tropical plant, and is

great fun for all of the family.

Founded in 1859, there are even event facilities for hire, should you wish to hold a function within the stunning scenery.

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STRATEGY

Riding the crest of the wave Explore five top tips from Deborah Davis, non-executive director of Intelligent Environments, to help you stay innovative as your business grows

was a record year for start-ups, with the set up of half a million new businesses, according to Start-up Britain. As the UK economy rapidly recovers, growth and expansion is likely to be a focus for many of these small firms this year.

So, how can small firms stay fast, agile, and innovative as they move from the start-up phase?

It can be a difficult transition. At the beginning, small firms use their agility and fast decision-making to drive creativity. But, as they grow into established players, bureaucracy risks hindering innovation.

However, this can be solved with the right culture and working environment.

As a previous senior executive at PayPal, I witnessed the firm’s desire to keep innovating as it grew by promoting collaboration. Though challenging for a company of 15,000 staff, a sense of speed, simplicity, and a continued focus on the customer helped it bring improvements to its online and mobile products, and launch new products to market in months instead of years.

This is one of the reasons why it still holds such a prominent position in the payments industry.

2014

56 April 2015

Now, as non-executive director of Intelligent Environments, an agile fintech firm, I’ve seen how Britain’s small tech upstarts are using techniques like hackathons to stay creative as they scale.

But what else should growing firms do to stay innovative? Here are my five top tips: 1 IDENTIFY THE ORIGINS OF INNOVATION The most logical starting point is establishing what made the firm innovative in the first place, and ensuring these conditions are nurtured. Quite often, the origins of innovation are easy to spot if you go back far enough. For example, small companies are generally close to their customers. They use this intimacy to innovate, and solve real problems.

Customer-led innovation comes naturally to them.

Moreover, decision-making is usually dependent on only a couple of people, enabling quick response to feedback and new ideas.

Finally, the excitement of outsmarting established players, with limited resources energises the team, pushing

them forward to even greater ideas.

Once innovation roots of this nature are identified, firms can build a strategy around them, in order to sustain the magic.

2 ELIMINATE POLITICS Bureaucracy (and as a consequence, risk aversion, and a lack of pace) can often be a barrier to innovation, so avoiding it is crucial.

At PayPal, when former-president, David Marcus took over the reins, one of his first actions was to colocate development teams, so they spent time working with each other rather than attending formal meetings. The rationale for this being that scheduled meetings limit collaboration. Instead, he removed the office partitions and set up open collaboration areas. This, according to Marcus, meant co-workers were always working and communicating with each other, giving the business a continued start-up energy and feel.

3 CREATE MINI BUSINESSES Another way to inject start-up energy into a growing firm is to create small teams that act as ‘mini businesses’.

STRATEGY

Core values are at the very heart of a company’s innovation culture. Tap into the LQWULQVLF PRWLYDWLRQ RI VWDƫ E\ DOLJQLQJ WKHLU EHOLHIV ZLWK WKRVH RI WKH RUJDQLVDWLRQ The music streaming service, Spotify, does this very well by dividing up its firm into small business units, which it calls ‘squads’. Each one is run like a start-up in its own right.

Each squad takes a different Spotify feature, for example playlists, and develops its own minimum viable product, then regularly releases updates. Each squad has its own workspace, with a flat management structure. A squad member then leads on making connections with other squads.

This way of working has helped the service keep one step ahead of competitors, delivering frequent updates to an already disruptive technology.

4 REFOCUS ON FOUNDING VALUES Core values are at the very heart of a company’s innovation culture.

Share your dreams for the company openly, and tap into the intrinsic motivation of your staff, by aligning their beliefs and motivations with those of the organisation. Provide a common set of objectives, and a shared vision of what the future holds, and this will empower your staff and unlock their innovation potential.

Recognise and reward behaviours of employees who embody the values. This will reinforce the culture

of an organisation and encourage further innovation.

5 STIMULATE CREATIVITY It’s often helpful to provide some space for ideas to be developed and implemented. Hackathons, Dragons’ Den-style contests, or providing staff with allocated time for side projects, are all effective ways of stimulating creativity.

At Intelligent Environments, we run regular innovation labs. These are brainstorming sessions where our developers, testers, and designers are given free rein to develop new concepts. Some of our best products have been developed during these sessions. For example, we created the world’s first smartwatch banking app for the Pebble smartwatch during an innovation lab.

THE AGILE CORPORATE Maintaining the excitement and agility from the start-up stage can be challenging. However, by taking simple, yet effective steps to implement the right conditions within the business, many of Britain’s rapidly growing SMEs can ensure they keep innovation levels high in 2015. The age of the ‘agile corporate’ might be upon us.

Contact: www.intelligentenvironments.com

talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk 57

STRATEGY

You know those customers who are always looking for a deal, and who will switch for a small price advantage? Lock them into a subscription and they’ll stop shopping around

Subscribe to thrive John Warrillow, author of The Automatic Customer: Creating a Subscription Business In Any Industry, provides six reasons why subscribers are better than customers

C

ustomers are great, but subscribers are even better. Here’s six reasons why you should consider the subscription model for your business:

1

SUBSCRIBERS DRIVE UP THE VALUE OF YOUR COMPANY Acquirers regularly pay two or three times more for a business with a recurring revenue model, when compared to a similar business in the same industry using a traditional business model.

2

SUBSCRIPTIONS INCREASE THE LIFETIME VALUE OF YOUR CUSTOMERS In the old days, you bought Microsoft Office software from a high street store for £200, and installed the program off a set of CDs. These days, you subscribe to Office 365 for £79 per year. If they keep you as a

subscriber for a decade, Microsoft has turned a £79 sale into an £800 sale.

3

SUBSCRIPTIONS SMOOTH OUT DEMAND Many businesses are feast or famine.

Florists make a truckload leading up to February 14th, and not much any other time of the year. Subscriptionbased H. Bloom, by contrast, sells a subscription for fresh cut flowers to spas and hotels, who buy flowers in an even pattern throughout the year.

4

SUBSCRIPTIONS CUT THE COST OF CUSTOMER MARKET RESEARCH Subscription company operators don’t need to undertake six-figure research studies to see what their customers like. As a subscription company, you have a direct relationship with your customers, and can simply ask them what’s on their mind. When Walmart wanted to understand how our snacking habits had evolved, they created a £4 ($7 US dollars) per month subscription business called Goodies. co, and sent their subscribers a box full of snacks each month. The deal was, if you rated the products, you earned points toward a free box the next month. Why give away free stuff? Because Walmart didn’t care much about the £4; they wanted the market research to help inform their buying decisions at the store.

5

SUBSCRIPTIONS LOCK IN YOUR MOST PROMISCUOUS CUSTOMERS You know those customers who are always looking for a deal, and who will switch for a small price advantage? Lock them into a subscription and they’ll stop shopping around. If you have a 100-pound dog that eats two hearty bowls of kibble per day, you’re always on the hunt for a deal on dog food. That is, until you subscribe to Stratford-based PetShopBowl.com where they send you a bag of dog food every month, thus turning off the part of your brain that’s always hunting for a deal.

6

SUBSCRIPTIONS TRIGGER CUSTOMERS TO BUY A BROADER SELECTION OF YOUR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES Amazon loves the subscription business model, in part because of the change it triggers in their customers’ behavior. Once someone subscribes to a service like Amazon Prime, they start to buy more to ‘get their money’s worth’. So much so that Morningstar has estimated that the average Prime customer spends more than double the average of Amazon’s non-Prime customer.

In summary, customers are great, but subscribers are sublime.

Contact: www.valuebuildersystem.com

talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk 59

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STRATEGY

Say what you see

Most video conferencing services have features such DV ĆŹOH SUHVHQWDWLRQ FDSDELOLWLHV EXW WKH\ VKRXOG EH XSORDGHG EHIRUH WKH PHHWLQJ SDUWLFLSDQWV GRQĆ&#x17D;W ZDQW WR EH LPSDWLHQWO\ ZDLWLQJ IRU \RX WR GLJ RXW ĆŹOHV

Chris Martin, CTO of Powwownow, reveals the unwritten rules of video conferencing

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egardless of whether is great for adding more visuals to youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve hosted or your conference call, but it should participated in a video be uploaded before the meeting conference call or not, there- participants donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to be are unwritten rules that impatiently waiting for you to dig people often fail to inform you of. out files to present.

To most, it seems so straightItâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also important to be aware of forward; you connect to video and your room URL before the meeting your meetings are underway. What commences, to avoid being the person they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t tell you is that there are that everyone is waiting on. certain expectations that often arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t 2 STICK TO THE AGENDA communicated, but assumed.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easy to end up in a conversation If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not conscious of these unwritten rules, then youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been kept unrelated to the meetingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s purpose, so creating an agenda is a useful way in the dark and will be unaware of to prevent this. A practical way to do the simple yet fundamental rules of video conferencing. At Powwownow this is to send the agenda with the we think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time that someone passes calendar invite. This provides an easily accessible list for all participants to the message on, so here are some refer to before, and during the meeting, useful tips: helping to keep conversation on topic.

1 COME PREPARED 3 ENGAGE WITH THOSE ON If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re hosting, enter your room before your participants. This is a short THE CALL but valuable investment of your time, Whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s audio, video or web because gaining an understanding for conferencing, the point of any call is how your conferencing service works to collaborate. Video conferencing is beneficial because it allows calls to be can become the decisive factor in more personal and engaging. Therefore avoiding preventable complications. itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to stay focused and Most video conferencing services maintain eye contact where possible. have features such as screen share, An easy mistake that hosts often file storage, and file presentation make is talking as if they were in capabilities. Utilising these features

a webcast or lecture. To keep participants engaged, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to ask questions and encourage input, as participants will automatically pay more attention when theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re required to respond.

For participants, many assume that this is their opportunity to sit back and relax, but this isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the case at all. Due to the nature of a video conference, the host and participants can both see how their ideas are being received, as well as identify whether youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re paying attention or not.

4 THE MUTE BUTTON IS THERE TO BE USED If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re under the assumption that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bad etiquette to put yourself on mute, then youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been misinformed.

Often people think that putting themselves on mute shows a lack of interest but, instead, it actually allows speakers to be heard without interruption. For those whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve experienced the frustration of background noise before, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be able to tell you that trying to pinpoint the source of background noise can be painfully time consuming.

Contact: www.powwownow.co.uk

talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk 61

MARKETING

Vote of confidence With election campaigns in full swing, what must the parties do to market themselves for success, and what can you learn from them? Kimberly Davis, founder of Sarsaparilla Marketing, finds out

Those smear campaigns don’t help, they hurt

W

ith the election coming up, each party will be working hard on their marketing strategies to ensure they’re shown in the best possible light.

It’s votes that count, and the only way to win is to get people to like you, but let’s face it politicians usually aren’t the most likeable people in the world.

In many ways, they’ve a much more difficult challenge than most business owners. However, at the end of the day, they have the same four main goals: 1 Keep the loyalty and respect of those who support them.

2 Convert the undecided prospects to their side.

3 Control any potential damage created by events, and competitors.

4 Motivate supporters to care enough to actually vote on the day.

But they need to do it all in the public eye. So it’s no surprise that their marketing team is vital.

So what can we learn from political marketing and how can we apply it to our businesses?

Here’s my top three tips:

DON’T TALK SMACK It’s a proven fact that when you speak badly about someone else, your audience places all of those characteristics you’re describing, right back onto you. So those smear campaigns don’t help, they hurt. Make sure you focus on the positive; what can you do differently? What can you offer that no one else can? What kind of benefits can you provide that they can’t find anywhere else? Focus on the positives and let your competitors shoot themselves in the foot.

MANAGE BAD PRESS The more popular and successful you become, the more susceptible you’ll be to bad press. Often it won’t even be true. Facts get twisted, and some media companies will print whatever they like if it’s going to sell papers.

If you challenge it, all you’ll get is a tiny apology on a page that no one will see. The best thing to do is smile and state your side calmly. In many cases you can just ignore it. The more you try to

fight it, the guiltier you look. The good news is that people forget things very quickly. What feels horrible and the end of the world for you is nothing more than a passing thought for everyone else.

So just find a positive spin, smile, and move on to something better.

LIKEABILITY People buy from people they know, like and trust. They like having something in common with the people they work with and support. When Bill Clinton played saxophone on The Arsinio Hall Show, he clinched the presidency. He made himself one of the people; touchable, relatable.

He knew that people wanted someone who wasn’t high and mighty. The UK is looking for the same thing. People tend to dislike Oxbridge graduates born with a silver spoon in their mouth.

Inject some relatability into any of these candidates and it’d greatly increase their chances of winning.

Contact: www.sarsaparillamarketing.com

talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk 63

SPONSORED ARTICLE

TIPS FROM THE EXPERTS ON USING CONTENT TO DELIVER RESULTS

H

ow people consume media, and thus how they engage with your business is changing.

Content is becoming ever more important in the battle of the brands.

“62% of 18 - 32 year olds prefer to check their smartphone if they have any ‘downtime’ rather than just sit and think. 37% even check their smartphone if there’s a short lull in conversation with friends.”* These habitual moments give you a new space to reach audiences but every second counts. What’s more 70% of people view businesses more positively after watching brand videos, but with 300 hours of video uploaded to YouTube every minute how can you beat your competitors?

How can you cut through?

It comes down to sharing content that people genuinely want to engage with. With 20 years’ experience, Jon Mowat, MD of Hurricane, a video production and content marketing agency, has created campaigns for brands of all sizes including Canon, Sony, BMW and Peugeot.

Today he shares his tips on how SMEs can create great content to beat the competition.

Hit the target To achieve a high ROI, you need to focus on one clear aim. Brands often cram too much into one single video, but you get more value from creating focused content that engrosses your target audience completely. With content, saying less really is saying more.

Your campaign needs to follow SMART objectives. What do you want to achieve? Is it to increase sales leads, explain a new product or raise brand awareness? Once proper goals are set you can set up metrics to demonstrate the campaign’s effectiveness.

The right content You then need to choose the right content type at the various stages of the sales funnel.

Whether that’s a high level brand film to attract a wide audience, or more detailed product videos, explainers, or testimonials.

There is a notable shift to a publishing model (one I know well from 10 years at the BBC). Adverts push overt sales messages, whilst publishers entertain. The latter approach helps to build trust and with that comes advocacy and loyalty.

Emotion vs logic The best content creates a feeling.

It’s exciting, funny, memorable and shareable. These feelings rely on emotions. Why will viewers engage with what you do? A successful campaign stems from finding the motivator for your target market and then using video to connect with it, whether that’s improved career prospects or increased status.

It’s crucial to master the delicate balance of emotions and facts. Great content engages emotionally then handles the facts precisely before again returning to an emotional message to drive your call to action.

Getting it out there It’s not enough to create compelling content, you need to track where your audience are working and playing online in order to target them effectively.

Seed your video content through social media, blogger outreach, digital PR and ads.

Interested in a free consultation?

Hurricane is offering a free consultation for Talk Business readers, so get in touch for advice on how content can help meet your objectives: Call: 01179 240773 Email: info@hurricanemedia.co.uk

* (Dr Simon Hampton, Psychology Lecturer, University of East Anglia)

ABOUT HURRICANE Hurricane is an awardwinning video production and marketing agency founded in 2005 by MD, Jon Mowat, documentarymaker for the BBC, and former Endemol producer, Creative Director, John Lanyon.

With in-house video marketing expertise, Hurricane can help you meet your business objectives by creating results-driven, focused campaigns. Our clients are at the heart of all we do. That’s why over 90% of customers return to us within a year. hurricanemedia.co.uk

MARKETING

So simple, so social Any social media for the sake of it, without direction or aim, ends up being pointless noise. An irritating, distracting, time waster

Y

ou’re busy; people to manage, income streams to watch, clients to keep happy, new business to secure. And yet at the same time, you keep on reading about how you need to spend time you don’t have on Facebook - the very thing you wish your employees would stop filling up the day with when they should be working. The platform almost every big corporate actually blocks. Are they mad? Possibly.

Any social media for the sake of it, without direction or aim, ends up being pointless noise. An irritating, distracting, time waster. Antisocial, more like. But as someone who has tried their share of marketing ideas, angles, or just plain gimmicks (and you probably have too) over the years, I know only too well that can be true of any marketing campaign. You thought that sponsored hot air balloon with your logo fifteen metres wide was going to increase sales tenfold turns out, the salesman was full of hot air. The same is true of a poorly-used Facebook for business page: hot air for days.

So why use it? Why bother with any social media? Will it translate into sales you can measure? To understand better how Facebook might be useful to your business, and what angle to take, let’s take a step back.

Each month, social media expert Richard Chapman, founder of Richard Chapman Studios, takes a look at a different social media platform, and examines how you can get the best out of it for your business. This month he tackles Facebook

WHERE DID FACEBOOK COME FROM? This is a well-storied tale you may well be familiar with. If not, it might be an idea to watch the 2010 film, The Social Network, which, while somewhat contentious with the characters depicted, explains how ‘The Facebook’ was born on the campus of Harvard in 2004. The concept of sharing your life online via news, pictures, and messages began in the college dorm room of Mark Zuckerberg and his roommates. It was initially a student-only site, with the aim being to put ‘the entire college experience online’.

Instantly infectious, after great success, it expanded throughout the US Ivy League universities, and on to high school students.

Then, the breakthrough: on September 26, 2006, the simplermonikered ‘Facebook’ was opened up to anyone over the age of 13, anywhere in the world. In 2015, it seems almost quaint to imagine (or indeed remember) the internet before Facebook. Up to that point, other websites, like the British ‘Friends

Reunited’ project had proven intriguing, but they were a way of looking back and, as the name suggests, reconnecting. Facebook is about looking around you and sharing what you are doing now, in real time, with the people you are friends with today.

WHAT SORT OF BUSINESS IS IT USEFUL FOR? From my perspective this could be an article all in itself. For me, a more apt question would be ‘How can I make Facebook useful?’ as theoretically it could help every kind of business. As someone who sees an important correlation between any kind of marketing

talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk 65

MARKETING

and business or lead generation, I feel strongly this is as much to do with strategy as relevance. However, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s clear that some businesses are more suited to Facebook than others.

One good sector for which there are clear benefits of using social media are local servicebased businesses, where personal relationships in the community are important. For instance: â&#x20AC;˘ A newly-opened cafĂŠ with handmade sandwiches and fast Wi-Fi, attractive to the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;work from homeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; (WFH) laptop professional â&#x20AC;˘ A local florist, vulnerable to the seasonal ebb and flow of business, talking about unusual new products, a particular fresh

produce at a grocer, beautiful food at a cafĂŠ or restaurant, a successful makeover at a hairdressers, or a stunning bouquet of flowers with a story about â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;making someoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Mum so happy on their birthdayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no doubt this approach, used consistently, spreads the word about your business - plus everyone has a relative they have to send flowers to once in a while.

It really works.

2 USE YOUR PERSONNEL AS PART OF AN ONGOING STORY In real life (as opposed to sitting at a computer screen) a friendly, charismatic person in the context

,I RQH RI \RXU VWDĆŤ PHPEHUV LV SDUWLFXODUO\ HQJDJLQJ RU IXQQ\ ZK\ QRW OHW WKHP EHFRPH WKH IDFH RU YRLFH RI \RXU EXVLQHVV" personal style of arrangement, as well as sales and special offers â&#x20AC;˘ A farming co-operative, which sells fresh fruit and vegetables direct from the supplier, and delivers to local homes, even in out-of-town areas.

A COUPLE OF GOOD IDEAS TO TRANSLATE HOT AIR INTO HOT REVENUE 1 GET SNAP-HAPPY The examples cited above are all fairly â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;photogenicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; businesses. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s well documented that the feature people react to most on Facebook is lovely photographs, perhaps of family members, or beautiful things from someoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s travels. With a little imagination, any business can take advantage of the benefit of a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;picture telling one thousand wordsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;.

Invest in a decent camera and create images, such as high quality fresh

66 April 2015

of a retail environment, or knocking on your door making a delivery, is always favourably memorable to their customers.

This same theory works like a charm on Facebook, where a catchy turn of phrase and sparkle of wit translates into stronger relationships between that business and their customers.

Thus your business becomes something people look forward to hearing about, not irritated by. If you or one of your staff is particularly engaging or funny, why not let them become the face, or voice of your business? Then they can tell a story of a soft-sell buildup to key events and promotions, which will undoubtedly increase knowledge of these, and could well increase revenue.

Contact: www.richardpchapman.com

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68 April 2015

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MARKETING

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MARKETING

Freelance writer Jonny Rowntree takes a look at why database marketing is still relevant in 2015

N

aysayers will eagerly tell you that direct marketing is dead, but of course, that is just not true.

Smaller businesses and startups canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t afford to spend their marketing budget on things that donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t guarantee a measurable result. Branding exercises, such as creating viral posts on social media and running high profile TV spots, are a luxury that almost all SMEs canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t afford, not least because their impact is notoriously difficult to measure.

The impact of direct marketing, on the other hand, is not. With the chance to hit targeted customers with a clear call to action, direct marketing is capable of boosting sales, generating leads, and recapturing the attention of existing customers. But thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not to say itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easy.

THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT DIRECT MARKETING A survey of three million people, conducted by Return Path in 2013, found that the average consumer receives more than ten pieces of email marketing every single day.

That number is likely to be even higher this year. Unless your message is clear, concise, and contains a tangible benefit, it will get lost in the noise.

Fortunately, direct marketing is one of the most testable methods out there.

Incorporating unique links and landing pages makes measuring the effectiveness of campaigns easy. Just make sure you act on those results when youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re planning your next campaign!

You should also test your marketing messages with sample groups. Canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t afford a focus group? You could always think about running them past some of your most loyal customers, perhaps in exchange for a freebie. While youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re at it, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget to ask them what attracted them to you in the first place. More likely than not, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be able to use that information in your campaigns.

THE DATABASE IS THE KEY Aside from the message itself, the database youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re using is by far the most important part of any direct marketing campaign.

Using an out of date database thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s full of duplicates, typos, and users who have already requested to be removed from the list will never turn out well.

You should also ensure that the database is relevant to your product. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re unlikely to get far with a database of

most sectors, an open rate in the range of 20% to 30% and a click-through rate of between 6% and 10% can be reasonably expected, and counted as a success. Econsultancy estimates that emailing a database of 100,000 might result in somewhere between 26 and 149 sales.

When youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re working out your budget for buying a database, use whatever data you can to figure your break-even point (i.e. how many sales you need to cover what you will spend acquiring the database in the first instance).

This will help you spend more wisely, and means that any additional sales are a nice bonus on top of the initial outlay.

It may be tempting to use whatever database you can get your hands on, but verifying that those on the list have agreed to receive unsolicited/ third party communications is an absolute must. Neglecting

The average consumer receives more than ten pieces of email marketing every single day. Unless your message is clear, concise and contains a WDQJLEOH EHQHĆŹW LW ZLOO JHW ORVW LQ WKH QRLVH entry-level marketing executives if your product requires the approval of a CEO or CMO, no matter how cheap the database is!

Anyway, until youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve defined what a lead is worth to you, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s very difficult to say what â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;cheapâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is. If a database costs ÂŁ3,000, but only brings in 10 paying customers with a lifetime value of ÂŁ200, the campaign hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been successful. True, you can blast the database again, but the law of diminishing returns suggests that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll wring all of the value out of it after a few messages.

Even with a good database, you should be cautious not to overestimate the response your campaign will receive - in

to do this will, at best, frame your business negatively in the minds of recipients and/or get you blacklisted as a spammer, but, at worst, it could result in costly legal action being taken against you. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not glamorous, but you should always make sure that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re acting in compliance with the Data Protection Act. The next time someone tells you that direct marketing is dead, ask them which proven, targeted, testable, and scalable methods theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re using in its place. Odds are they wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have an answer for you.

Contact: www.twitter.com/shoutjonny

talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk 69

SPONSORED ARTICLE

SEO – The Foundations of Your Success?

Digital marketing experts FirstFound explain why SEO should form the foundation of any solid marketing plan

O

nline marketing isn’t easy. It takes time, skill and experience. You need to identify the best tactics for your business to use, and find experts who can use these tactics to deliver results.

FirstFound has been helping UK businesses to market themselves online for over fifteen years, and we’ve seen everything the online marketing field can throw at your business. So we know which tactics work.

In our experience, Search Engine Optimisation provides you with a cost-effective marketing strategy that aims to increase your business’ visibility and traffic by ensuring higher rankings on the search engines for popular search terms.

93% of all internet traffic comes from search engines (as reported

by Forrester), and nearly every single product sold online is as a result of Google, Bing or Yahoo search. These numbers speak for themselves.

Your business simply can’t afford to miss out on this amount of potential custom.

Formulating a Successful SEO Campaign In order to benefit from SEO you need to form a solid plan.

There are as many opinions about how to plan an SEO campaign as there are optimisation companies. Some work. Many don’t. Ours, based on 15 years of industry experience, is

one of the plans that does work.

It starts with research and analysis. All marketing campaigns start by researching your business’ positioning, your competitors and the clients you wish to attract.

SEO requires a full analysis of your website too.

By discovering exactly what we have to work with, we can come up with a plan tailored to your business.

The next stage is optimisation.

Your website needs to be brought into line with the search engine’s guidelines, showing users and search crawlers alike exactly what they want to see. Content and code need to be optimised to ensure they perform well, load quickly, and are relevant to users’ search queries.

Once the initial work is done, you can’t rest on your laurels.

Your search engine position must be regularly checked and various ranking factors adjusted.

SEO requires regular upkeep and fine tuning to deliver results.

This tried and tested plan has formed a solid foundation for thousands of successful businesses. But it’s not the be all and end all.

You need to build on your SEO foundations.

Building on SEO Success SEO is only one weapon in the online marketing arsenal. Once your SEO foundations are in place, it’s time to build on them with complementary services:

Web Design: Switching to more “search engine friendly” site formats such as WordPress or Magento ecommerce can help to improve your rankings, as well as streamlining the user experience.

Paid Search: While SEO brings in a broad audience, a paid search campaign will help you to attract customers using targeted or seasonal search terms.

Social Marketing: Popularity on Facebook and Twitter can influence your search engine rankings, but a social media campaign’s main strength is the ability to target the millions of UK consumers that use social media sites.

In order for any business to succeed you need a marketing strategy designed to attract the right audience. Whether SEO is all you’re investing in, or you’re drawing on further complementary services, without a solid foundation built by an experienced SEO or digital provider, your marketing plan will find it hard to grow.

Make sure that your business can grow. Work with an online marketing agency you can trust.

Contact FirstFound http://www.firstfound.co.uk 0161 909 3400

Bespoke CRM solutions tailored for your business Perfect for finance brokers for mortgage, life insurance, home insurance, pensions and more…

Key Benefits All the benefits you’d expect, like safe and secure cloud hosting, extensive MI, enhanced operational control and so much more.

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We work directly with your internal key stakeholders to add value with troubleshooting and streamlining your business processes.

Think of us as one of the team.

We’ll help create the right skill-based workflows to ensure your staff complete the right tasks, saving time and money with process automation.

Our solution includes a highly configurable reporting engine allowing you to customise MI reports to find any information you like, including at-a-glance dashboards to help visualise and pinpoint trends.

Find out more Call us on 0330 335 5330 or visit www.lunarcrm.co.uk

MARKETING

72 April 2015

MARKETING

Researchers have found that people make up their minds about people or products within 90 seconds – and up to 90% of this assessment is based on the use of colour alone

D

esign significantly impacts how a company’s products and services are perceived.

Yet a surprising number of businesses fail to consider what they are communicating to customers and other key stakeholders with the look and feel of their brand.

While it can’t force someone to buy a product or visit a

Canadian researchers have found that people make up their minds about people or products within 90 seconds - and up to 90% of this assessment is based on the use of colour alone.

As the amount of time we have to capture an individual’s attention decreases, our reliance on a brand’s identity, and ability to transmit information, increases.

Mind games Andrew Parker, managing director of Parker Design, looks at the psychology behind brand design

website, good design has the power to make brands more memorable, encourage emotional associations, and subtly influence behaviour both online and in the real world.

Sending the right message to the right audience is key. For example, it would be difficult to launch a luxury brand with an amateurish-looking logo, cheap product packaging, and no web presence. Failure to exude sufficient affluence and exclusivity would likely cause confusion, or encourage customers to question the quality of the company’s products or services.

The average person is exposed to thousands of marketing messages every day.

Thus, good design, and the psychology behind it, can play a key role in helping a brand engage with its target audience and convey the right message.

Examples of strategic design are all around us.

When McDonald’s decided to roll out healthier menu options in European markets, and project a more environmentallyfriendly image, it shifted the colour palette in new restaurants from red and yellow to greens, whites, and neutrals.

In the minds of customers, this helped associate the brand with natural products, healthier food choices, and a more community-focused image.

Though colour, font, shape, and imagery are the building blocks of a brand’s

identity, it’s how these elements are combined that allows a designer to convey the appropriate message.

Assumptions, such as ‘red is exciting’ or ‘gold is luxurious’ are commonplace, and there’s no shortage of research linking colour and visual style to specific emotions or consumer behaviour.

However, knowing how to execute a design in a way that is appropriate for a brand’s industry, audience, and personal history is a skill that it takes professional designers years to master. The use of red may help a company highlight key information online, or appear edgy in one context, or cause it to look dated, out of touch, and unoriginal in another.

Additionally, colour and imagery can have significant cultural connotations, or shift over time. Though pink is considered a somewhat feminine colour, it was associated with boys in the 1800s - and is currently enjoying renewed popularity in male fashion circles as the ultimate sign of confidence (i.e. are you man enough to wear pink?).

Ultimately, the intricacies of brand messaging are conveyed by a wide variety of factors. Strengthening your brand through good design is more than just good business practice - it’s the key to communicating effectively with your target market.

Contact: www.parker-design.co.uk

talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk 73

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The Sterling Integrity Business Show is a fantastic opportunity at various locations throughout The Midlands, The South West, and South Wales.

Next Shows…

2 July 2015 GLOUCESTER SHOW Kingsholm Rugby Stadium 24 September 2015 BRISTOL SHOW Future Inns Bristol

Please contact Neil on 01452 222676 or go to www.sterlingintegrity.co.uk

5 November 2015 CHELTENHAM SHOW Cheltenham Racecourse

MARKETING

If at first you don’t succeed

R

emarketing. It sounds complicated, but it’s really quite easy to understand.

The essence of remarketing is already captured in the word itself; it’s an online technique that is used to ‘remarket’ to the people you tried to market or sell to before, but did not succeed.

You’ll probably have even experienced remarketing yourself. It would have happened when shopping online, but where you didn’t complete the sales process all the way through to the checkout, and you didn’t make a purchase. You may have then decided to browse a few other shops or websites, but were being followed by advertisements from the website you just visited a moment ago. The adverts trying to get you back to the original website, are what we call ‘remarketing’. This is them trying to convert you into a paying customer after they failed the first time around.

SO HOW CAN I USE IT FOR MY SMALL BUSINESS? There are various ways of remarketing. The one that’s best for you very much depends on the kind of business you’re running.

You should always be aware

of your competitors’ digital marketing efforts, to get maximum return on your own campaigns.

You can choose whether to target your lost customers via Google, blogs, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and loads of other online platforms.

One word of advice - good remarketing often requires some help from outside agencies. This is to get the designs done for your remarketing campaign, but more importantly, because you really need to understand the analytics of online shopping behaviour.

You also need an agency that understands how cookies work on websites, and what the rules and regulations are.

After all, you’re capturing your visitors online data. This means you need to understand the regulatory limits that may be in place.

If you’re running a small business that sells products online, remarketing is probably worthwhile investing in.

Google has a great case study about Loews Hotels. Loews increased revenue by 60% and had a 57% uplift in bookings, and there are countless other examples out there that show remarketing does work.

Getting a remarketing campaign set up is fairly easy, but you do need technical

What is remarketing and how can you use it for your small business?

Bleddyn Pijpers, co-founder and account director at Hire Media Network, finds out know-how as you need to make a few minor changes to your website’s code. So make sure you spend some time with your web developer or an online marketing agency to get maximum results.

The adverts following you, trying to get you back to the original website, are what we call ‘remarketing’. This is them trying to convert you into a paying customer after they IDLOHG WKH ƬUVW WLPH DURXQG More on remarketing can also be found on Think with Google2.

There’s loads more to remarketing, including video marketing, dynamic remarketing, and lots of other cool stuff. But hopefully this article has given you some insight into what remarketing is and how you can use remarketing for your small business.

Contact: www.hiremedia.uk

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BUSINESS JUNCTION, LONDON’S PREMIER BUSINESS NETWORK, INVITES YOU TO A FREE NETWORKING EVENT Business Junction is offering all Talk Business readers a complimentary invitation to one of Business Junction is offering all Talk Business readers a complimentary invitation to one of our our 4 April networking events in London which are all listed below (and on our website).

5 August networking events in London which are all listed below (and on our website).

9 April 2015 12.30-2.30pm

Networking lunch in Liverpool Street Nearest tube: Liverpool Street Babble City, 45 Old Broad Street, London, EC2N 1HU Networking lunch at the Grange Hotel at Tower Hill More information and booking: http://businessjunction.co.uk/events/networking-lunch-in-liverpool-street

15 April 2015 Thurs 8th Aug 8.00-10am

Networking breakfast in Monument Networking lunch at the Roof Gardens & Babylon Restaurant at High St. Kensington The Walrus and the Carpenter, 45 Monument Street, London, EC3R 8BU Nearest tube: Monument 99 High Street Kensington, W8 5SA Nearest tube: High Street Kensington More information and booking: http://businessjunction.co.uk/events/networking-breakfast-at-monument-1

Thurs 1st Aug

45 Prescot Street, E1 8GP

Wed 14th Aug 22 April 2015 12.30-2.30pm

Thurs 22nd Aug

Networking lunch at Freemasons Hall at Covent Garden

Networking in Knightsbridge 60lunch Great Queen Street, WC2B 5AZ Nearest tube: Holborn Tattersalls Tavern, Knightsbridge Green, London, SW1X 7QA Nearest tube: Knightsbridge Networking lunch at The Happenstance at St. Paul’s More information and booking: http://businessjunction.co.uk/events/networking-lunch-in-knightsbridge-2

1A Ludgate Hill, EC4M 7AA 30 April 2015 Thurs 29th Aug 12.30-2.30pm

Nearest tube: Tower Hill

Nearest tube: St Paul’s

Networking lunch in Barbican Networking Dirty Founders Hall, 1 Cloth Fair,lunch London,atEC1A 7JQDicks at Liverpool StreetNearest tube: Barbican 202 Bishopsgate, EC2M 4NR Nearest tube: Liverpool Street More information and booking: http://businessjunction.co.uk/events/networking-lunch-in-barbican

Please email Fiona@businessjunction.co.uk with the event you would like to attend and quoting the reference: Talkbusiness2/13 Now Nowininitsits12 12year yearand andwith withover over450 450member membercompanies, companies,Business BusinessJunction JunctionisisLondon’s London’sleading leadingindependent independent business a monthly businessnetwork. network.We Werun run80+ 80+pan-London pan-Londonnetworking networkingevents eventseach eachyear yearincluding includinga aweekly weeklylunch, lunch, a monthly Philippe Brugnon Champagne breakfast 6 evening events, at different quality central London venues.

Champagne Taittinger breakfast and 6and evening events, all atall different high high quality central London venues.

www.businessjunction.co.uk 020 3667 6776

MARKETING

At a moment’s notice Gerd Mittmann, vicepresident, international at Shutterstock, looks at how you can choose an eye-catching image to help your message stand out on social media

I

mages play an important role on the ever changing newsfeeds of social channels. With more than two billion people on social media, timelines are clogged with celebrity scandals, trending topics, and daily banter among friends and colleagues.

So it is no wonder that it’s increasingly difficult for SMEs to stand out. Just how do you get your target audience to stop scrolling?

As shared in Shutterstock’s 2015 Creative Trends report, Twitter data

revealed posts with images are 35% more likely to be shared than text posts. To effectively capture your audience’s attention, you must choose strong, versatile images that provoke the eye to stay a moment longer.

CHOOSE SIMPLE, BOLD IMAGES Simple images with contrasting backgrounds stand out the most.

Choose one with a single subject dominating the frame. Images with a lot of clutter do not display well, particularly at the cropped sizes you see on most social feeds. The goal is for your image and message to be immediately comprehensible, even with a momentary glance.

SELECT IMAGES THAT WORK ACROSS MANY FORMATS With social platform layouts constantly being redesigned, it’s important to remain aware of current image

Images with lots of clutter don’t display well, particularly at the cropped sizes you see on most social feeds.

The goal is for your image and message to be immediately comprehensible, even at just a glance

specifications and ratios. Landscape images that work for Twitter do not always work for the square crop associated with Instagram.

Remember that your consumers view their feeds from computers, smarphones, and tablets. Pick an image that is simple and colourful enough to stand out even at a small size.

If you choose one that works across various platforms initially, it will save you time in the long run.

CHOOSE IMAGES THAT SUPPORT YOUR STORY If you tell your followers that you’re having a sale for your online clothing boutique, you would not post a photo of food, would you? Choosing the right image can be the most important factor in good storytelling. Don’t select images just because they look good. Your image must support the message you want to convey.

When searching for the right image, use keywords that resonate with your copy, and complement your call to action, then focus on the image’s placement and colour.

A strong call-to-action drives traffic to your website to learn more about your announcement or offering.

TEST, TEST, AND KEEP TESTING Continually test your text, images, and calls-to-action. Try similar messages with different images. What images are gaining the most newsfeed traffic?

Do these images all have similar subjects, colours, or backgrounds?

Just because social media is a place for creativity doesn’t mean data doesn’t play an important role in the success of your campaigns. Use this data to your advantage.

As technology continues to advance, simple layouts can be updated and altered with little notice. Regardless of the speed, one thing remains the same: find an image compelling enough to the eye that your audience can’t resist taking a second look.

Contact: www.shutterstock.com

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nimal herds follow their leaders willingly because they rely on them to lead them to good outcomes (e.g. greener pastures), with strong dyadic (one-to-one) relationships uniting the herd towards common goals. So, here is a question: do your staff follow you willingly? Do you make suggestions and they jump into action, or do you issue dogmatic instructions and constantly have to chase people to get things done?

Furthermore, does it matter?

I would argue - and frequently do that it matters profoundly.

Some leaders rely on coercion.

It can be powerful, but we all know what it feels like to be under that sort of pressure. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like a wolf leaning over your shoulder, waiting for your slightest error to allow them to take you out. You keep your head down, do what is demanded of you, and never raise your head above the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;company parapetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to voice concerns or suggest better ideas.

Sheep shape Leadership expert, Dr Deborah Benson delves into what it takes to turn your staff into willing followers

Some employees follow their leader simply because they have mortgages to pay, and need the paycheck. Turning up at the allotted time, they work their seven or so hours, and trundle back home.

Such unwilling followers tend to under-perform through fear, lack of motivation or, worse still, out of malicious intent. These are not the high performing contributors an SME really needs.

How much better would it be to have active, willing followers participating to the best of their ability, following with their hearts and minds? It requires respect, trust, and credibility - and it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hurt if they actually like you too. In smaller organisations, the chances are that you will frequently have your sleeves rolled up working alongside your team, unlike a distant corporate boss, and so those dyadic relationships really matter. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about the kind of person you are, your integrity, decency, and authenticity.

It is reflected in how you treat

people, how you communicate, and is enhanced by good empathy and emotional intelligence. Followers need to trust your judgement and share your vision, but they need to know that you care about them and their future development, and not just that of your business.

Willing followers want to believe in you as their inspirational leader, respecting your judgement, and believing you will also â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;treat them rightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; along the way. Entrepreneurs in particular need willing followers who will be equally passionate about new ideas, who actively contribute, will be engaged, and dare to challenge you when you suggest a new technology, service, or product.

The newer the idea you are rolling out, the more trust matters. As you lead your team into the unknown, you want them to willingly share that entrepreneurial vision, and willingly share the load too.

Contact: www.leadersforleadership.co.uk

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SPONSORED ARTICLE

The trials of selling into the United States

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In the rush to expand in a booming global retail environment, merchants can overlook essential areas of cross-border business that are unfamiliar. New opportunities bring new complexities, such as the challenge of sales tax compliance in the United States.

Sales Tax is a different prospect entirely from VAT. With over 12,000 US taxing jurisdictions - each empowered to alter rates and rules – and 100,000+ rules and boundary changes annually, many companies require outside expertise to manage what initially seems like a straightforward process.

Top 8 sales tax considerations for your US business plan: 1. Keep up-to-date with state tax requirements 2. Establish watertight record-keeping processes 3. Understand your Nexus requirements 4. Use Geolocation over Zip Codes 5. Set out your Returns Filing and Remittance Schedule 6. Collect and store all exemption certificates 7. Identify if the ‘Streamlined Sales & Use Tax Agreement’ is right for you 8. Plan for sales tax holidays Don’t make sales tax an afterthought like those below. Take the initiative and develop a sales tax strategy that streamlines, reduces risk and works: The Confused One

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The Shrugger

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Overwhelmed by complexity and unsure how to solve the pain.

The Delayer

The Excel Wizard

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MONTH

Assumes sales tax is a no-brainer with no real cause for concern.

Understands compliance is vital to business but doesn’t want to think about it today.

Believes sales tax changes can be tracked by calling revenue departments, subscribing to email alerts and building tax tables.

Avoid these pitfalls by speaking to the experts. Avalara believes in making transactional tax compliance simple and automatic, helping determine taxability, identify applicable rates, accurately calculate taxes, prepare and file returns, remit taxes, maintain tax records and manage exemption certificates.

The company is a leading cloud-based tax and compliance automation technology provider, supporting tens of thousands of businesses in more than 100 countries worldwide.

Download Avalara’s whitepaper for more information on coping with US Sales Tax: http://avlr.co/1H8VTW0

PEOPLE

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lthough not legally required, probationary periods can be an important tool to allow employers to assess the suitability of new staff, particularly as recent research found that a staggering one in five employees fail their probation period.

A probationary period is usually put in place when a new employee starts their job, allowing the employer time to see how the employee settles in, and if they truly are the right person for the job - after all, only

period, it is a good idea to conduct regular meetings with the employee, as these can be used to flag up any areas that need improvement, and discuss how things are going.

If you have decided someone has failed their probationary period, it is best to formally explain to them why, and then follow this up in writing. On this, remember that employees will also need to have their notice period paid up.

You should be aware though that, while it is fair to decide an employee has failed their probationary period on the

Put them to the test so much can be ascertained from a CV and interview. During this time, the employer has the right to end the employment, usually with a week’s notice.

Probationary periods initially last between three to six months, depending on the company and the job role. The employee may also be entitled to the company’s full set of benefits, and their notice period will be extended once the probationary period has been successfully completed.

It is very important that the details of their probationary period are set out in the employee’s Contract of Employment too. In particular, the contract should clearly outline the length of the probationary period, and the criteria they will be accessed by. When offering them the job, the new employee also needs to be told they will be subject to a probationary period.

During the probationary

$ VWDJJHULQJ RQH LQ ƬYH HPSOR\HHV IDLO WKHLU SUREDWLRQ SHULRG of Employment clearly defines both the probationary period, and such things as acceptable conduct, and performance standards, in order to make sure the probationary period and the Contract of Employment can both stand up to scrutiny in case you do decide the employee has failed to meet the required standard.

Contact: www.mlplaw.co.uk

Employing new staff can be worrisome, especially for growing SMEs not wanting to make the wrong choice. So, Gareth Matthews of MLP Law, examines why probation periods are important for businesses

grounds of poor attendance, performance, or time-keeping, these reasons may be classed as discriminatory if the issues have been caused by a disability.

Therefore, it would be a good idea to discuss these issues with the employee first, and see if any reasonable measures could be taken to prevent the employee’s circumstances from adversely affecting the business. Otherwise, you could potentially leave yourself open to a very costly case of unfair dismissal.

In summary, a probationary period can be an effective way of protecting a business and ensuring the new employee is right for the job. It is vital that the Contract

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PEOPLE

SPONSORED ARTICLE

Back to business

T

he Business Show has built an estimable reputation for delivering the optimum level of education, expert opinion, and expansive insight into the business world.

The 33rd Business Show, which returns in May, will continue this proud tradition.

Since its inception in 2000, The Business Show has grown exponentially to become Europe’s biggest business conference and exhibition. Thousands of visitors are drawn to the event each year to experience the revered and unparalleled range of content, carefully designed to assist business owners and entrepreneurs on a variety of topics.

The make up of The Business Show consists of seminars, masterclasses, exhibitors, and world class speakers. The level of education, information, and inspiration provided through these features is absolutely unprecedented, and remains invaluable in its assistance to entrepreneurs and business

We take a look at what one of Europe’s largest exhibitions for SMEs – The Business Show – has in store for visitors at the 33rd running of the event, and why you should attend

owners, no matter what part of their journey they are on.

SEMINARS The event’s exclusive seminar schedule of 250 sessions provides a rich stream of education and insight into a variety of industries. Each session is delivered by an expert speaker, with a distinguished background in their field, providing the latest technology, information, and solutions, which can help you on a multitude of levels. The scale of topics their schedule covers is fantastic; every facet of your industry is analysed, and brings with it a mass of detail, from the marketing and funding of your venture to the changing role of technology in business.

MASTERCLASSES Your business will benefit from the very best advice you can find.

There will be more than 140 of these small group sessions, each one presented by an expert, delivering an abundance of advice that will assist your business in

achieving greater success.

The schedule provides something for everyone, bringing with it a plethora of information that crosses a number of issues and challenges faced by the contemporary business owner.

From perfecting your digital marketing and the outlook of your social media, to the phenomenon of the cloud, no stone is left unturned.

EXPERT SPEAKERS As ever, The Business Show comes with some of the most influential figures the business world has to offer, bringing you their knowledge and experience to inspire and guide you on your business adventure.

Among the fantastic line up of business experts, leaders, and innovators, are Julien Callede, co-founder and COO of MADE. com; Piers Linney, co-CEO of Outsourcery and current star of BBC’s Dragons’ Den; and Charlie Mullins OBE, managing director of Pimlico Plumbers.

Since its inception in 2000, The Business Show has grown exponentially to become Europe’s biggest business conference and exhibition ExCeL London, 13-14 May 2015.

To book your tickets or find out more, visit www.thebusinessshow.co.uk 82 April 2015

EXPERT SPEAKERS

PEOPLE

CHARLIE MULLINS

PIERS LINNEY

JULIEN CALLEDE

The inspirational Charlie Mullins OBE is one of the UK’s most recognisable entrepreneurs, having grown his plumbing business, Pimlico Plumbers, from the bottom floor of an estate agency, to become London’s largest independent plumbing company. Charlie has received widespread admiration for his business work, and also for his commitment to helping new generations find employment.

Charlie will provide a fascinating look at why companies should focus attention on training apprentices, not in importing new talent, and why in a modern world, government policy is necessary to make this happen.

Piers Linney is one the most highly influential speakers at this year’s event. A renowned technology entrepreneur (and a regular contributor to Talk Business), he is now co-CEO of multiple award-winning cloud service provider, Outsourcery.

Piers has enjoyed a highly diverse career, and garnered numerous individual honours.

Aside from his various business ventures, Piers is widely recognised for his philanthropy, and as being one of the wealthy investors on the BBC’s Dragons’ Den. Piers will provide expert opinion and analysis on the impact technology continues to have on business, and how, in order to succeed in the business world, companies need to embrace inevitable technological changes.

Nantes-born Julien Callede founded MADE. com together with his business partner, Chloé Macintosh and school friend, Ning Li. By offering original furniture design at affordable prices, Julien and his team are continuing to take the online high street by storm, and it’s little wonder MADE.com was the UK’s second fastest-growing tech company in 2014.

At the show, Julien will pass on some insights into what has helped MADE.com achieve the lofty position it is in today. He’ll discuss the company’s business model, talk about growth, and look at how to overcome the inevitable challenges that a developing business will face.

The Business Show is proud to count Outsourcery as a sponsor for this year’s event, along with Aviva. Once again, TBS will run side-by-side with Business Startup, the event for SMEs taking their first steps in business. The two-day event also includes Going Global (specifically designed for companies looking toward overseas expansion), Sales Innovation Expo (the biggest event around for sales leaders), Legalex (the biggest national event for the legal profession), and Accountex (the UK’s only exhibition for accountants and finance directors).

talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk 83

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PEOPLE

DAY ONE: THAT FUZZY FEELING I land back in the UK having left Dar es Salaam the evening before. Over three days in Tanzania, I have been checking up on a number of projects, which the charity we work closely with, The Equal World Foundation, has been involved in. I took the chance to sit down and chat with some of the pupils at the Lemguru School in Arusha, which we have rebuilt - I consider every second we’ve spent on these projects worthwhile.

I rush back to our studios in Birmingham, where after the quickest of showers and a change of clothes, I present a two-hour programme on Gems TV. The adrenaline of live broadcasting keeps me flying, and I enjoy the show, but afterwards I start to feel the fuzzy sensation of jet lag settling in. There’s no time to rest, as I sit down to chair a board meeting to discuss our 2015 brand strategy,

Secret diary of an entrepreneur All that glitters is not gold – but it could be gems!

Steve Bennett, CEO of The Genuine Gemstone Company, offers an insight into what a typical week looks like in the precious stone business

where my senior team fire in views and ideas at a brisk rate.

I collapse into bed in the early evening, after a quick family dinner catching up on events at home.

DAY TWO: FROM THE SOURCE I sit down with my wife Sarah, the company’s jewellery director, to discuss a new line of jewellery, which is set for launch within the first quarter.

We manage to cover a number of

86 April 2015

PEOPLE

new approaches and styles, as well as flagging my commitment to watch my nine-year-old son Tom playing football this evening. Sarah has a remarkable ability to marry creativity with customer demand, and it is a treat to work so closely with her on a business we are both passionate about.

In the afternoon, I take part in a conference call, which discusses our ethical sourcing tactics, a key issue on which I built the business. These calls are held regularly to ensure our promise to support the local

not yet been signed off for sale.

I manage to avoid doing this today, and come off air pleased with how it has gone.

Over lunch at my desk, I spend an hour and a half going through messages from our customers on my Facebook account, and also emails from our audiences. I respond to one woman who has suggested a new gem for us to look at, and tell her we will look at it straight away.

In the afternoon, I clear some time in my diary and sit down to

making surprise purchases for their loved ones. We also talk through an advertising campaign due to launch soon, flagging up a new line, and I approve the fairly radical approach put forward after some debate.

In our financial meeting, we talk over sales figures, projected turnovers, and ways to expand our Gemporia brand. As we talk through the numbers, I remember how I started out in the nineties with a loan from my father after being made redundant, and realise what a

I take part in a conference call which discusses our ‘ethical sourcing’ tactics. These calls are held regularly to ensure our promise to support the local communities from which our stones originate holds true communities, from which our stones originate, holds true. I am given a checklist of issues to consider during a visit to Jaipur in India over the weekend, which looks set to keep me busy throughout.

I make it pitch side just in time to perform ‘Dad duties’, and watch Tom playing for the school team, and I even manage to hold a phone conversation with a supplier without being caught and accused of not paying enough attention to the game in front of me!

DAY THREE: THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT I start the day with another stint presenting on Gems TV. I really enjoy engaging with our customers live on air, and I am often told off by our sales team for bringing out unscheduled products, which have

research the proposal properly, as geology and gemmology is not just my profession, but also my guilty pleasure. I pull my eldest son, Matt who is our gem sales manager - into my office to discuss the idea, and we start roughing out some ideas, a process which takes up most of my afternoon without my even realising.

DAY FOUR: KEEP THEM APPY There are two main items on my agenda today: a meeting with our marketing team, and then a financial update with our finance directors, John and Richard. The first is dominated with discussions about how to further develop two apps we have recently launched: a video review uploading app, which lets our viewers review their purchases on our website; and a ring-sizer app, which is intended to help people

rollercoaster it has been, and how far we have come with the business.

DAY FIVE: BACK ON THE PLANE AGAIN I head back to Heathrow before sunrise, in order to catch a flight to Jaipur, where most of our jewellery is manufactured. In departures, I look over the checklist I was given on Tuesday - as well as catching up with our gem cutting team working out there, I am to meet with a group of women who we are training to cut gemstones in order to provide them with a skill, which will help them out of poverty. I also look forward to meeting with the people The Equal World Foundation is supporting, but I can’t wait for a good sleep on the flight.

Contact: www.tggc.com

talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk 87

PEOPLE

Turn that frown upside down

T

he start of the year is traditionally a time when disgruntled employees consider making a job change. Recent research has indicated that around a third of UK employees are considering a new job in 2015. With the expectation of increased stability in the economy, employees are feeling confident about leaving their existing jobs.

IDENTIFYING CHANGES? By picking up on some minor changes in an employee’s behaviour, it should help you to determine if they may be looking to leave, or if they require some form of additional support.

As a manager, it is important to pay attention to your employees so that you do not miss out on some of the tell-tale signs, which can include: • A change in personal circumstances • Increasing lateness or absenteeism • Any drop in productivity • If the employee seems much quieter, stressed, or hostile • Taking longer lunches • Requesting lots of individual holidays • Improvement in appearance and longer time spent on their personal phone HOW CAN YOU STOP SOMEONE FROM LEAVING? If you spot any of these changes in your employees’ behaviour, the first step should always be to engage with them. By making the first move, and

HR Insight’s Richard Cummings looks at how you can spot the early warning signs of a disgruntled employee, and how to fix it

The cost of making DQ RƫHU LQ RUGHU WR NHHS VRPHRQH VKRXOGQƎW SXW \RX Rƫ PDNLQJ VXFK D GHFLVLRQ \RX QHHG to think about how PXFK LWƎG FRVW \RX WR UHSODFH WKHP engaging with an employee prior to them being offered a job elsewhere - or even attending their first interviewyou may be able to reduce the likelihood of them leaving. Having an open discussion with your employee about their future can often clear the air, and help to restore their morale and commitment to your company.

For the more talented, or key employees within your company, it may be worth doing something more significant, such as offering a pay rise, promotion, or some other attractive benefit in order to encourage them to stay. The cost of making such a significant offer in order to keep someone should not put you off making such a decision - you need to think about how much it would cost you to replace them.

Preventing an employee’s resignation with improved pay, benefits, or other incentives shows employees that they are genuinely valued. If individuals feel they are progressing within your company, and developing their career, they are more likely to stay for longer. The employee will then be able to take the next step on their career path, and potentially increase their earnings, helping to set them up for better prospects. In the meantime, you are able to avoid the costs, both direct and indirect, which are associated with losing a valuable employee.

To conclude, keep an eye on your employees’ behaviour, and ensure that you are regularly engaging with them.

Hopefully, this will ensure that you are aware of anyone who is becoming disgruntled, so that you are able to deal with the issues before they have made the decision to leave.

Contact: www.hrinsight.co.uk

talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk 89

PEOPLE

Fail to prepare, prepare to fail Lee McQueen, founder of the Raw Talent Academy and season-four winner of BBC’s The Apprentice, looks at how to prepare for challenges

F

acing challenges is part of the fabric when you run a business. After all, if there weren’t any challenges to deal with, everyone would be doing it.

Your employees play a huge part in your success or failure, so they can provide you with some of your biggest challenges.

I’ve been faced with a number of these during my career, but been able to deal with them successfully thanks to one basic principle - structure.

Before I set up Raw Talent Academy, I worked in the corporate world. I once had to make a very tough decision regarding an employee who was married with kids and his family’s breadwinner. He was a lovely guy, but just couldn’t do the job.

In the corporate world, it’s usually harder to terminate someone’s employment because HR departments are scared of being taken to court. However, in this case, it was a fairly straightforward - although hard thing to do.

We’d sat down together several times to agree his objectives, but it was clear they weren’t being met. If we hadn’t sorted objectives out, and had an easy way to measure his performance, it might have been very different, but the structure that was in place meant I was able to deal with this difficult challenge.

I’ve followed this lesson throughout my career. As a boss, if you don’t do things properly, you can end up with all sorts of trouble.

However, don’t sit on your employees’ shoulders and micromanage them. Instead, have regular meetings and set them bite-sized objectives. That way, things that aren’t being done properly will become apparent.

On a different note, I’ve had a potentially difficult issue recently. One of my employees has taken on management responsibility for 10 people. She was very good when overseeing just two or three people, but now that her responsibilities have increased, she’s spending most of her time managing rather than doing her ‘day job’.

The way we’ve dealt with this challenge is to help her set key objectives - both for herself and for her team. You might be surprised at how many businesses fail to do such an obvious thing.

As a result, we’ve been able to break down her tasks and share them among her team.

She now has a great management structure to enable her to get the best from her team, we’re

getting the best from her, and the business is benefiting as a result.

It’s a win-win-win situation.

There are so many potentially difficult challenges. Whether it’s a popular, friendly, family man that you’ve got to let go, or a valued member of staff who needs assistance in adapting to a new role, these can be serious if you don’t have structures in place to cope.

The right structure won’t stop the issues coming up in the first place, but they’ll help ensure a speedy and smooth outcome.

I once had to make a very tough decision regarding an employee who was married with kids and his family’s breadwinner.

He was a lovely guy but just couldn’t do the job Contact: www.rawtalentacademy.com

talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk 91

Swiss movement, English heart

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LIFESTYLE

Phone not included

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Each month we bring you a selection of gadgets, gizmos, and gifts that we’re going crazy about. This month we’re all about relaxing with easy-to-use, hasslefree gadgetry to make your life easier

Forget about all those messy cables and frayed wires - charge your phone wirelessly with the Fuel iOn case and stand for iPhone. It is compatible with multiple handsets, including iPhone 5/5S and 6, plus Samsung Galaxy S4 and S5.

Not only does the case allow you to charge your phone magnetically, it also provides damage protection in the event of a drop or fall. There is also a car mount attachment available, which means you can charge in your car and also use your phone’s sat nav functions (among others), hands-free.

At the heart of Fuel iOn’s slim, stylish, and fully protective case is a robust magnetic power transfer pad that uses incredibly strong neodymium magnet technology to automatically secure your phone by simply making contact with the charge base.

PRICE: £99.98 (FOR THE BUNDLE) AVAILABLE FROM: www.carphonewarehouse.com

DURACARD ID 300 If your business is one that deals with high-sensitivity data and documents on a daily basis, and you need to restrict access to certain personnel, it can be a time-consuming process to constantly be printing new - not to mention updating old ID photo cards. Step forward the ID 300 from Duracard.

Create and print your own badges and cards from the comfort of your desk with the all-in-one desktop printer for plastic ID cards, membership cards, security passes, loyalty cards, and much more. Supplied with a YMCKO colour ribbon and 100 blank cards, the print output is exceptional, with full colour edge-to-edge printing or monochrome black and white as an option. There’s also an easy to change card feeder and output hopper for 25 thick or 40 thin cards at the front of the printer.

PRICE: £995 AVAILABLE FROM: www.durable-uk.com

NUFORCE UDAC3 At work or on the go, if you own a computer and love music you need the NuForce uDAC3. The NuForce is a high resolution USB digital audio converter (DAC) that connects your personal computer’s audio with your home stereo, desktop sound system, or headphones.

There’s no need to put up with tinny or sound that is too quiet any longer, as the uDAC3 enhances the performance to new levels.

Compatible with DSD, the uDAC3 is perfect for enhancing sound on conference or video calls through your laptop, or even when making presentations.

Alternatively, simply use it to enjoy better audio through your headphones in the comfort of your own home.

PRICE: £99.99 AVAILABLE FROM: www.amazon.co.uk

talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk 93

LIFESTYLE

hotspots This month we discover some of the best places to eat, greet, and lay your head ‘up north’, alongside the dales, in York

AWAY ON BUSINESS CEDAR COURT GRAND HOTEL & SPA WHERE? York WHY? Yorkshire might only have one five-star hotel, but boy is it a doozy! This quaint retreat, nestled among the throng of York, is an elegant place to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life.

Originally built as the Yorkshire headquarters of the North Eastern Railway, and overlooking the historic walls of York, the hotel offers exquisitely furnished rooms that give a modern, decadent twist without betraying the hotel’s 100-year history.

There are an array of suites available for the ultimate luxury experience, but even if you fancy just a classic room, you’ll still get all of the luxury and benefits, as each room features Egyptian cotton bed linen on king-sized beds, flat screen TVs, and - perhaps most importantly - free Wi-Fi. The unique and stunning spa is located in the hotel’s atmospheric vaults, where the North Eastern Railway company once stowed its millions, and you’ll be sure to feel like a million pounds when relaxing after a hard day’s negotiation. Open to hotel guests, there’s also a state-of-the-art gym, heated pool, spa whirlpool, Nordic dry sauna, and aromatic steam room for you to while away those aches and pains.

If you’re in York on business, it still has great transport links to the city, but also works great as an incentive for rewarding hardworking employees. Additionally, it is just 45 minutes from LeedsBradford International Airport, should you wish to jet in and out of your location.

CONTACT: www.thegrandyork.co.uk 94 April 2015

LIFESTYLE

MEET AND EAT THE GALLERY WHERE? Helmsley, North Yorkshire WHY? This exquisite restaurant is nestled inside the Black Swan Hotel, an historic inn turned boutique hotel, located a short drive from York.

Boasting three AA rosettes, The Gallery puts quality of fare first and foremost on its list, sourcing all of the produce from within 30 miles of the restaurant where possible. They update the menus regularly to offer the best seasonal tastes available in North Yorkshire.

Of particular merit is the specialty six-course tasting menu, which features succulent Gressingham duck in a mouth-watering plum sauce, and the delectable twice-baked Montgomery Cheddar Cheese soufflé with truffle and apple - certainly one not to be missed!

The Gallery offers a wide selection of exciting menus designed to combine taste bud-popping flavours and modern simplicity, and with prices from just £40 per person for a three-course dinner, you’ll be treated to a wonderful array of tastes to delight your palette while keeping your bank balance intact.

CONTACT: www.blackswan-helmsley.co.uk

EVENTS, GATHERINGS & HUBS YORK BARBICAN WHERE? York WHY? For decades it has been associated with music, glitz, and glamour, seeing stars such as Jools Holland and Lulu pass through its doors.

But now, newly redeveloped with upgraded facilities, the York Barbican is no longer just a concert venue - it also provides an exciting environment for a diverse range of corporate events.

Centrally located and easily accessed by public transport or car, York Barbican provides a unique and alternative venue for a variety of conferences and events. Its adaptable layout means you can host anything from a traditional trade show to a live event, with up to 1,500 guests seated theatre-style, making it the largest conference venue in York.

CONTACT: www.yorkbarbican.co.uk talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk 95

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LIFESTYLE

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talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk 97

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Anything you can use to set yourself apart from the crowd can make a real difference.

Virtual office packages come with virtual assistant options, such as call handling which allow busy people to delegate some of their work.

Freelance designers, solicitors, architects and other professionals may find securing work difficult without a designated business address and this can make or break a business.

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LIFESTYLE

On the road

IN THE SPOTLIGHT: VOLVO V60 PLUG-IN HYBRID PRICE: £44,675 WWW.VOLVO.COM

Whether you’re looking to get from A to B, or arrive in style, your car is part of your business image. So each month, motoring expert, Oliver Hammond checks out the latest in executive travel, helping you to decipher the market for business drivers

I

f asked on the spot to blurt out ten Swedish-related things that spring to mind, furniture giant IKEA may well get a mention. Billy bookcases, Groggy trays, Smäck serving bowls and Svartsjön toilet brushes have found homes throughout our shores, gobbled up indefatigably based on price and universal suitability, if you like that sort of thing.

The same won’t prove true for the V60 Plug-in Hybrid from Sweden’s automotive titan, Volvo. Costing £54,079 after the Government slips £5,000 back into your pocket through the Plug-in Car grant, it’s enough to make your eyes water. Our press car was typically packed to the gunnels with options, including rear DVD screens at £1,495, but basepriced from £44,675 without sporty R-Design styling, the Hybrid V60 is still a good £10,000 pricier than the D5 and D4 diesel versions.

In Lux Nav trim, it’s a superbly appointed lifestyle estate, with wonderfully supportive seats, a fantastic audio system, laminated and water-repellent windows - and even a smartphone app for monitoring the battery and programming the car

to warm up for you each morning.

Being a Volvo, it’s incredibly safe, with road sign, pedestrian, and cyclist recognition; blind spot and lane departure warning; and autodipping headlights.

High-mileage drivers are best steering clear of the V60 PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle), even if it is the only diesel hybrid around. With a maximum pure electric range of 31 miles (which reduces on hilly routes, in cold temperatures, with a heavy driving style, and climate control on), the diesel engine will kick in seamlessly before you know it, and due to the extra weight of the battery, consumption averaged 50-60mpg on medium to long journeys.

Which course is this Volvo horse suitable for then? The V60 PHEV’s jaw-dropping headline figures provide the answer. If you regularly travel no more than 30 miles, such as to the office, and can find a mains socket to charge it when you get there, you could conceivably commute on pure electricity, in blissful serenity. Just ensure you can spare four hours, as the V60 can’t be

rapid-charged. On my energy tariff, 30 miles cost me roughly £2.38, compared to £2.96 purely in diesel. If business regularly sees you drive into, or around London, this Volvo makes even more sense, being Congestion Charge exempt. Accountants, HR, and fleet managers will love the V60 PHEV as its 49g/km CO2 emissions are so green it attracts a mere 5% BIK, rising to 7% for 2016/17, and 9% for 2017/18, all things being relative.

Effectively four cars in one, the Volvo V60 PHEV makes more sense for some than others. It’s a technologically-impressive car, and hopefully the shape of things to come. Now, let me see if a Billy bookcase will fit in the back.

VERDICT: On my energy tariff, 30 miles cost roughly £2.38, compared to £2.96 purely in diesel. If business regularly sees you drive into London, this Volvo makes sen being even more sense, Congestion Ch Charge exempt

talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk 99

LIFESTYLE

Rain, rain go away April is here, promising spring sunshine and daffodils, but there’s also a strong chance of rain. So, the experts at Holiday Hypermarket explore some of the best places for you to avoid the downpours this month

I

know carrying an umbrella is an everyday necessity with Britain’s forever-winter climate, but midspring’s longer days and stronger sun means showers are much more common at this time of year.

So, if the thought of running into your office to avoid lashings of rain every day is getting you down, why not escape the April showers this year, and head towards a sun-filled destination? To help plan your trip, Holiday Hypermarket has listed a selection of places with very little rainfall during spring.

100 April 2015

DUBAI April sees an average temperature of 26°C, with rainfall of two days If its sun you’re after, Dubai has plenty to dish out. With a sweltering climate most of the year, it’s safe to say showers are rare here. But the weather isn’t the only draw, the city’s spectacular skyline, grand shopping malls, and desert safaris all contribute to Dubai’s status as one of the most extraordinary places on the map.

Looking for the best view in the whole of Dubai? Then head towards the tallest structure in the world, the Burj Khalifa. The building has an observation deck located on the 124th floor, offering incomparable views of the city’s multi-million pound skyline. Perhaps you’d rather escape those tourist spots? If so, try an evening desert safari. Ride across the desolate desert and stop at a camel farm while you witness a Middle Eastern sunset. Then, as you reach the campsite, don’t be surprised if you’re welcomed by the smell of barbeque smoke - hope you’re hungry!

LIFESTYLE

GOA, INDIA

CAPE VERDE Average temperatures of 23°C with average rainfall of one day If it’s relaxation you’re after, in a stress-free environment away from the confines of your daily office setting, then Cape Verde is a no-brainer.

This stunning destination is a traveller’s dream with its year-round sun spots.

Plus, its unspoilt beaches and boutique hotels make this island a shorthaul alternative to the Caribbean. You’ll find a blend of African, Brazilian and Portuguese influences here, so get ready to experience an array of cultures during your time on this vibrant island.

There are also plenty of activities to try if you’re bored with sunbathing.

From November to April strong winds lash the ocean waves into a frenzy, making this an ideal spot for windsurfing. Prefer to keep your feet on dry land?

Well, you’ll be happy to discover that Cape Verde has its fair share of walking opportunities, with a stunning mountainous landscape.

Average temperature of 29°C, with just one day’s rainfall Soak up the sun this year in exotic India. From the south to the north, you’ll come across some of the earth’s most natural beauty along with the finest cuisine imaginable.

There’s nowhere quite like this place. Forget highrise hotels and crammed beaches because Goa’s more about watching cows sunning themselves on the beach, visiting spice farms, and trips to ancient temples. Although Goa has long been associated with hippies and backpackers, it is now looking to attract a much more upmarket crowd.

Imagine spending the night in a Rajhastani tent located on one of India’s most picturesque beaches.

Think swaying palm trees and star-lit rippling waters as you set up camp sounds incredible, right?

This area also has some of the oldest churches in the whole of India, so if you’re a lover of stunning architecture, why not spend your days exploring these magnificent structures?

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL ARUBA Average temperature of 28°C, with three days average rainfall Warm days, exotic shores, and laid back nights; yes you’re in Aruba, so leave the brolly at home! Simply laze in a hammock with your favourite book, or try every water sport imaginable in this tropical paradise. Whatever you choose, Aruba’s island vibe will leave you feeling fully refreshed on your return.

Are you a shopaholic? If so, Aruba’s tax free status is a good enough reason to hit those open-air malls.

But don’t forget to explore the many flea markets and street stalls, as you’re sure to bag some quirky Caribbean gifts for your friends and family back home.

Once you’ve spent all your hard earned cash, round the day off with one of the Caribbean’s most breathtaking sunsets. Four- and fivestar accommodation is standard here, so if its luxury you’re after on one of the most calming coastlines, Aruba is the island for you!

Average temperature of 25°C with rainfall on nine days This former World Cup host country has charmed tourists for years.

Stunning beaches beside an urban city backdrop surrounded by tropical rainforests is what makes Rio one of the most diverse landscapes in the world. But the best way to see Brazil’s true beauty is from Christ the Redeemer, which stands high above the tree-tops on Corcovado Mountain.

This is one of the new seven wonders of the world, welcoming visitors with open arms, literally.

Do you want to let your hair down?

Well, Brazil is the place to loosen up with its nightlife-loving vibe.

Listen to samba beats as they play out into the pathways from the many music venues, which line Rio’s streets.

WWW.HOLIDAYHYPERMARKET.CO.UK

talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk 101

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TECHNOLOGY

Dragons’ Den star and CEO of Outsourcery, Piers Linney takes a look at what the future of office working might entail from a technology perspective

On the horizon

W

ork for a rapidly growing number of people is now something you do, and not somewhere you go. Checking email inboxes, finishing off a report, or joining conference calls no longer needs to be done from the four walls of an office. As smart device use has become a daily facet of consumers’ lives, they’re now adopting familiar behaviours in the workplace, using the efficiency of smart technology and several communications platforms at once to work faster and with more flexibility.

As personal and work lives, and the devices used, converge, some employers have introduced Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) schemes to embrace the adoption of smart device technology, reduce shadow IT, enable greater efficiency, and get the best out of employees’ time. This has presented the whole workforce with the advantage of being able to continue working while away from the office, and use a device they feel comfortable with, rather than using something their IT department issues to them.

These trends have been supported by the development of cloud technology, providing

employers with a cheaper, more secure, and more effective deployment model to provide employees with the ability to access systems wherever they are, while staying in touch with their customers and colleagues.

Because many employees no longer need a fixed desk all day, some are making use of office space by fitting shared workstations or ‘hot desks’. These workstations enable employees to book a desk for small amounts of time. Cloud services also remove the need for expensive floor space assigned to server or comms rooms, whilst having disaster recovery built in should any office become unusable for any reason.

Looking forward, as future generations who’ve been relying on smart technology throughout their lives enter the workforce, there’ll be even more pressure for businesses to provide the right smart solutions to get the job done. Smart devices and cloud technology will play a key part in satisfying these generations, and will change the reliance on a fixed office even further. Some commentators have gone as far as to envisage the end of offices for workers, and even the end of the need for cities, which evolved as centres to bring together workers and the units of economic production.

Considering these changes to the way employees behave and operate, offices will gradually become less of a necessity, particularly with new advancements in unified communications and collaboration solutions, where colleagues can participate in virtual video conference calls and send documents through instant messenger services. In the future, the necessity for a fixed office space will be determined by the

Some commentators have gone as far as to envisage the end of RƮFHV IRU ZRUNHUV DQG HYHQ WKH end of the need for cities effectiveness of new technology developments, and the need for face-to-face interactions. Cloud enables companies of all sizes to utilise complex new technologies that were only available to large enterprises a decade ago.

The combination of this, and smarter devices, will transform how we work and where we work.

Contact: www.outsourcery.co.uk

talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk 103

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TECHNOLOGY

Getting them on the hook

A

small business that has created a functioning website or eShop, often considers their job done in terms of establishing an online presence. Yet, a lot more sales can be won by making sure you are truly match-fit for consumer expectations. So what can you do to improve your sales?

PAIR PRODUCTS Leverage the opportunity to cross-sell. Although each description should be unique to differentiate your products, suggest related products to those customers that have already expressed an interest.

data is safe by including reputable third party accreditation. By integrating social media and customer review comments within your web pages, you may find customers are more likely to purchase from you.

INCREASE SALES CHANNELS Synchronise your shop with marketplaces, such as Amazon and eBay, that will deliver more convenience for consumers. A recent survey of UK SME online retailers reported a 58% increase in sales in 2014 alone, through channels such as these. The more online sales channels the more sales conversion.

So you have an online shop, but the customers aren’t biting. What can you do? Simon Yeoman of Fasthosts Internet guides you through how to convert website visitors into customers

Detailed product descriptions can also help improve chances of customers finding your site within search engine results.

MAKE IT EASY TO PAY Provide customers with as wide a choice of payment options as possible, such as PayPal and Stripe, for their convenience. By accepting various methods, you will find that customers are more likely to buy from you.

MOBILE IS KEY A simple point, frequently reiterated, but it’s important

CAPITALISE ON SALES OPPORTUNITIES Use seasonal occasions such as Easter, Mothering Sunday, Christmas, and Black Friday to increase your website traffic and sales. Promotions, product bundles, and dedicated sections of your website are a few ways to bolster sales during such periods.

50% of consumers that shop online do so with security concerns.

Give your customers peace of mind that their personal data is safe by including reputable third party accreditation

CONSIDER SOCIAL SELLING It’s now commonly accepted that there is a large correlation between customer engagement through social media and higher sales. 81% of Brits report that they appreciate being able to identify with a small company.

Integrate Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ buttons within your site to help boost sales.

ENSURE NAVIGATION IS EASY A clear and structured site encourages visitors to stay and explore your shop. Make the order process as easy to follow as possible - avoiding lengthy registration processes - to increase your sales conversions and avoid shopping basket abandonment.

SAFEGUARD YOUR SITE According to an Avira Survey, 50% of consumers that shop online do so with security concerns. Give your customers peace of mind that their personal

OPTIMISE YOUR SITE FOR PERFORMANCE Performance means reliability.

Consumers are ever more conscious of slow-loading websites. Always ensure your web hosting can fully support your busiest time periods.

to ensure your site is mobile optimised; it can be the difference between a sale and a missed opportunity.

MAKE SURE IT LOOKS GREAT We are all human after all. An attractive and engaging website will always have more credibility and interest.

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talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk 105

TECHNOLOGY

ORTIS DELEY

Tech Review

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E

ver since I was a teenager with home-owning aspirations, I’ve dreamt of having my very own cinema room. Thoughts of entertaining groups of friends with huge images projected onto a drop-down screen have always held a special attraction for me. After all, it’s a statement maker, right? (Albeit a self-imposed one.)

Alas I’ve never quite made the kind of money required to have such a bespoke room in the house. But thankfully, now it would seem I don’t need the huge house, just a blank white wall, a much smaller budget, and enough space in my man-bag to carry the Optoma ML750 3D Ready Projector. Somewhere in the distance, I can hear teenage me rejoicing!

Not much space is required as the projector in question is pretty small. It’ll fit in the palm of your hand and weighs just 380g. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t pack a punch though, as it crams a lot into its tiny frame. There are enough connections to link via cable to just

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TECHNOLOGY

Alas Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never quite made the kind of money UHTXLUHG WR KDYH D EHVSRNH FLQHPD URRP LQ WKH KRXVH EXW WKDQNIXOO\ QRZ LW ZRXOG VHHP , RQO\ QHHG D EODQN white wall and enough space in my man-bag about any device (Micro SD, USB, HDMI, universal I/O), and there is an optional Wi-Fi dongle available for wireless connectivity. Plus, its MHL compatibility makes it great for mirroring your device, be it laptop, tablet or smartphone.

So what does the Optoma ML750 projector offer?: â&#x20AC;˘ More than a million pixels â&#x20AC;˘ Video system: NTSC, PAL and SECAM â&#x20AC;˘ Supports a bunch of resolutions, from VGA to full HD, and formats, including AVI, DAT, DivX, MPEG and WMV â&#x20AC;˘ Projection size: 17â&#x20AC;? - 100â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;˘ 1W mono speaker â&#x20AC;˘ 1.5GB internal memory â&#x20AC;˘ Tripod mount â&#x20AC;˘ A nice, firm focus wheel, which allows you to finely tune the focus of your images â&#x20AC;˘ Adjustable stand for angling the unit if placed on a flat surface (a table top, for example).

I had a lot of fun watching clips in just about every room in the house that I could find a white wall in, and its portability was one of many joys.

It also came in very handy at my hotel, when I used it in my room to test run an awards intro speech for a ceremony I was due to host. It was amazingly easy to focus on a wall, whatever depth I had to contend with; the images were nice and sharp, and the

menu was easy enough to follow.

Fan noise is kept to a beautifully quiet level too - 30dB - which is vital for watching the quiet parts of movies.

However, the biggest downside is that the device is not so great for clips with a large soundscape, as the 1W speaker

canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t handle much. Additionally, the projector could have done with a sexier interface, and a more responsive remote, but thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just me being a little picky and doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get in the way of the user experience too much.

As a business tool, the Optoma ML750 is a great bit of kit. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s light, hugely compatible, and projects gorgeous images. Turning up and giving a presentation with this little marvel is a cinch, because it allows you to do so from pretty much any device.

VERDICT: A top-notch affordable, mobile, presentation companion. I think I might have to get myself one of these!

I had a lot of fun watching clips in just about every room in the house WKDW , FRXOG ĆŹQG D ZKLWH ZDOO LQ DQG its portability was one of many joys

talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk 107

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TECHNOLOGY

Casting your net on the net Cath Harrison, managing director of JobVacancyPortal.co.uk, explains the benefits of promoting your vacancies online, and suggests how to get the best results

T

he methods jobseekers use to seek out new roles has changed dramatically during the past 20 years. Research suggests that 95% of jobseekers are now using the internet in search of a new role, and the majority of leading job boards have introduced mobile apps, where jobseekers can apply in a matter of seconds.

As employers, we should be making the most of online recruitment and the benefits it can offer. With the internet constantly evolving, and online recruitment advertising developing so quickly, it’s extremely important that your business is keeping up or you could be missing out on the best talent.

At JobVacancyPortal.co.uk, we come across businesses on a daily basis which have never advertised a job vacancy online, so if you haven’t already done so, here are five simple reasons why you should: IT MINIMISES RECRUITMENT COSTS Online advertising can prove much more cost effective in comparison to traditional methods, such as print advertising and recruitment agencies.

IT HELPS YOU TO KEEP ABREAST OF MARKET AVAILABILITY By advertising your vacancies online you keep control over your own recruitment process. Advertising online provides you with access to each applicant, not just the five or six your recruitment agency feels fit the role best. You will generally also have access to a wider talent pool than you would through print advertising or recruitment agencies, and can gain a better understanding of the candidate market.

IT PROVIDES INSTANT EXPOSURE Once your advert is live, applications may start to come through very quickly (dependent on the role, location etc.), so, unlike print advertisements where you may have to wait days or weeks for it to be published, and for a few days of exposure, online job boards will raise awareness instantly, and for longer.

THERE’S WIDE AND TARGETED VACANCY EXPOSURE With 89.8% of the UK population being internet users, the online

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TECHNOLOGY

world allows you to reach a vast number of jobseekers, whilst still targeting a very specific audience.

That, paired with the fact that approximately 95% of jobseekers are now looking online; makes it seem the most obvious place to be advertising your vacancies.

YOU ACHIEVE MEASURABLE SUCCESS By making the most of advancing recruitment technology, you

WHAT TO INCLUDE IN YOUR ADVERTS Your job adverts should inform and attract relevant talent, discourage irrelevant candidates, increase recruitment efficiency, and promote your employer brand.

Firstly, make sure you choose an appropriate job title (not some new-fangled collection of fancy words that sound important but mean nothing to anyone), then provide a good description about

the term SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and keyword searches, or even understand what coding means, but these are crucial factors to consider when advertising a vacancy online. Job boards have ‘advanced search’ features, which allow jobseekers to narrow down their search results depending on job title, location, salary, type of role, and keywords, to name a few, so you need to ensure your advert is optimised and coded correctly.

With 900,000 vacancies posted online each month, optimising your vacancy advert is critical in avoiding it being lost amongst the others.

WHERE TO ADVERTISE With 1,100 job sites to choose from in the UK, deciding where

95% of jobseekers are now using the internet in search of a new role can measure how successful each campaign was, easily and effectively; you can see the source of applications, and how many people viewed the advert compared to how many people applied for the role. These tools provide valuable information for reviewing previous, and planning your future, campaigns.

HOW TO MAKE SURE YOUR ONLINE RECRUITMENT ADVERTS ARE A SUCCESS The first and most crucial stage of the recruitment process is ensuring that your advert makes the role look appealing, and ensuring that it will attract the best applicants.

Once you have a perfectly written advert, you need to select the most effective sites to promote the opportunity. With a high number of job sites in the UK, it can be time consuming, expensive, and a risky task, which requires careful research and consideration to ensure sufficient and appropriate vacancy exposure is gained.

Here are a few pointers to ensure your campaigns are successful:

110 April 2015

your company and the culture.

Include an overview of the role in the form of a few sentences or a list of bullet points. Identify the most important and essential experience, qualifications, skills, and attributes, again ideally as a bullet point list, and under a requirements header. Include a salary wherever possible, as candidates are more likely to apply for a position if they know the salary guide. They don’t want to waste their time (and yours) applying for jobs below their pay expectations.

Don’t forget to mention other benefits offered, such as bonus schemes, annual leave entitlement, free onsite parking, flexi-time etc.

TIP: Be clear and concise; avoid jargon, acronyms, internal phrases, and symbols, and don’t make it too long or too short.

SEO, KEYWORD SEARCHES AND CODING CONFUSION You may not be familiar with

to publish your vacancy can be a real minefield. Which job board do you use? Do you use just one?

Do you choose a specialist site with a smaller reach, or a generic site that reaches thousands? How much will it cost? Then, once you have decided on your job board, consider this: has everybody heard of that site? Is it the most likely place your ideal candidate will look? Suddenly you’re back to where you started.

TIP: You need to advertise everywhere, because candidates can be anywhere.

While this may seem like a lot of work to find the right candidate, I’m sure you will agree that attracting the best talent is paramount for the continued success of any business, so putting in the effort now will pay huge dividends later on.

Contact: www.jobvacancyportal.co.uk

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TECHNOLOGY

90% of callers hang up if they are confronted with silence, and 34% will not call back

e h t e k Ma right call The experts at Pioneer B usiness Syst take a look a ems t how to cho ose the right phone syste m for your b usiness

I

f you are considering a new phone system, you need to know that you are getting the best service, from a specialist who understands your requirements, and will help you select the right phone system for your business. It is an important decision for any business - big or small. It is with that in mind that we’ve put together this handy advice for you, to help you consider the best phone system for your needs and ultimately, make a wise investment.

IS IT TIME TO SWITCH? A phone system can revolutionise the way you work. It can save you time, whilst increasing your revenue, staff productivity, and profitability.

Modern phone systems have a number of features designed to increase efficiencies, and build your business.

To check if now is the right time for you to switch, see if any of the following are true for you: • You are relocating premises • Your workforce has increased • Your need for voice capacity has increased

112 April 2015

TECHNOLOGY

Call recording enables you to automatically capture every phone conversation, giving you an actual record of what has been said. This is invaluable in the case of a dispute

• Your old system has become unreliable • You are looking for a more cost effective solution • You want to generate more sales • You need more flexibility or functionality from your system If any of these reflect your business, then now is the ideal time to look for a new phone system.

WHAT DO YOU NEED FROM YOUR NEW PHONE SYSTEM? Before contacting suppliers for a new system, there are a number of things you should consider. Ensure you have answered the following so that you can challenge any supplier to fully deliver your needs.

• How many users would benefit from a phone on their desk?

• How reliant is your business on the phone system operating?

• Do you need to monitor staff performance more efficiently?

• Do any calls go through an assistant before reaching the desired contact?

• Will you be taking on new staff in the near future?

• Will your staff be working remotely in the future?

• Will your new phone system be expected to work alongside databases, such as Microsoft Dynamics, or Salesforce?

• Are you looking to invest in a new system, or do you prefer to pay nothing up front?

• Is the net result of the upgrade a saving, or a cost to your business?

• How much downtime can your business sustain?

WHAT FEATURES SHOULD I EXPECT? Choosing the right features for your phone system will drive both efficiency and productivity while saving you money in the long run.

Functionality of your current system

will be a necessity. It’s also important to consider new features offered from your new provider that will increase your productivity, marketing reach, and generate more revenue.

Some of the features available on the market today include: CALL RECORDING - This software enables you to automatically capture every phone conversation, giving you an actual record of what has been said.

This is invaluable in the case of a dispute and can be also used to effectively train staff.

ON-HOLD MESSAGING - Did you know that 90% of callers hang up if they are confronted with silence, and 34% will not call back? On-hold messaging reduces caller hang up, and allows you to promote products and services to a captive audience.

COMPUTER TELEPHONY INTEGRATION (CTI) - CTI links your computer with your phone system, giving you a number of benefits. It allows you to tie a phone number to a client record in your customer relationship management (CRM) system. This means that when they call, you will have all their details to hand.

CALL REPORTING - See comprehensive reports on call traffic, including your busiest time of day, to help you organise your resources. Call reporting also shows any missed calls, such as those received out of your office hours. You can then pro-actively call them back, ensuring you do not lose potential business.

EXTENSIONS STATUS - See who is away, who is engaged, and who is free, even if they aren’t sitting next to you. The extension list will show you all of this. You can also call your colleagues directly at the click of a button.

VOIP VERSUS TRADITIONAL PHONE LINES VoIP refers to voice over internet protocol, meaning that call data is carried over the internet, rather than via traditional phone lines.

VoIP offers substantial cost savings over traditional long distance phone calls. The main disadvantage of VoIP is a greater potential for dropped calls and degraded voice quality when the underlying network is under a heavy load. If you are considering VoIP, you should check your broadband capability first, to see if it will be able to support this. Some suppliers can offer a hybrid system, which gives you a back up if your broadband fails.

SUPPORT, SERVICE, AND AFTERCARE Your phone system is a key platform to running your business successfully, and communicating effectively with both internal staff members, and external clients and suppliers. You need a system that you can rely on, and if something does go wrong, a supportive, fastreacting service that’s there to help you get you back to normal. Make sure your supplier has a support service level agreement; this should give you the confidence that you are in safe hands. The industry works to a standard of two hours for most faults to be rectified, with major faults taking a maximum of 24 hours.

Contact: www.pioneercomms.co.uk

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ADVICE

Beware of the ex Riverbank IT Management’s Malcolm Newdick looks at some of the best ways to keep your critical data safe against threats from within THE ENEMY WITHIN Like most business owners, I value my team enormously. But any member of staff can become the ‘enemy’. You don’t know who is disgruntled because they think they should be paid more.

You don’t know who is trying to hide a gambling problem. You cannot know these things and you don’t want to find out when it’s too late. Here are some simple steps to protect yourself from the enemy within: • VET STAFF - An effective recruitment process reduces the chance of recruiting the person with a fictitious CV. • LIMIT ACCESS - Only give people access to the files they really need.

Have an IT setup that makes it easy to maintain security.

• CONTROL USE OF YOUR COMPANY DATABASE - Find out who would be able to copy or export large quantities of data and limit it to the few who really need to.

• AUDIT - Do you need to know what is going on within your computer network? Can you track who is accessing what?

• CONTROL USE OF EXTERNAL DEVICES - You could prevent people plugging in USB sticks or external disks. You could also control which devices can connect

to your wireless network.

• MANAGE YOUR USERS ON YOUR NETWORK - Do you disable user accounts the moment someone leaves? Are you certain that ex-employees can’t access webbased services that you use? Could a disgruntled ex-employee still have remote access to your office network?

PREVENTING STUPIDITY None of us would intentionally employ stupid people, but even the best of us are capable of accidental acts of stupidity - just ask any car insurance firm. Here’s how you can reduce the chance of the sort of embarrassment that the US Central Command suffered when their Twitter account was hacked: • EDUCATE YOUR USERS Half the battle around security is educating people. If they know what the risks are, how to spot them, and how to avoid them, they’re much less likely to fall victim.

• REDUCE THE CHANCE OF PROBLEMS - Filter spam from your email; control the sorts of websites people can access through web filtering.

• GET VISIBILITY OF WHAT’S GOING ON - Do you know who is accessing what websites at work?

$Q HƫHFWLYH UHFUXLWPHQW SURFHVV UHGXFHV WKH FKDQFH RI UHFUXLWLQJ WKH SHUVRQ ZLWK D ƬFWLWLRXV &9 For example, if employees are accessing their internet banking during working hours, it’s more likely that they’d respond to a phishing e-mail purporting to be from their bank.

• ACT ON THE INFORMATION People who are doing the wrong thing during working hours or going to the wrong sort of website are not only wasting their time and your money, they are your highest risk of a security problem.

In summary, a lot of IT security issues are not IT issues, they are people issues. The rest can be dealt with by your IT team. Add in a good reporting system that brings the important issues to your attention and you have layers of security that reduce the risk of an embarrassing problem for your business.

Contact: www.riverbank.co.uk

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TECHNOLOGY

I’ve got an app for that Each month we bring you a selection of our favourite apps for business or pleasure. This month we’re looking at the world’s dumbest app and another to help you write lightning-quick messages

LOOKFOR

SWYPE

PRICE: £0.79 COMPATABILITY: iOS THE GIST: Literally billed and marketed as “the world’s dumbest app”, LookFor is ingenious in its simplicity.

That’s great, but what is it you ask? LookFor is a coloured screen that blinks and changes colour. It might not sound all that exciting, but actually it is designed to help you be easy identifiable by others in a crowd, and is billed as a ‘short-range friend finder’.

At an exhibition or conference, and can’t find your colleagues among the throng of bustling people? They can simply hold their phone in the air with the LookFor app displaying its changing colours, and you’ll be able to pinpoint their whereabouts instantly. In a darkened cinema and can’t find your friends in their seat? They can activate the app and you’ll find them quickly, without disturbing anyone else.

DOWNLOADABLE FROM: www.apple.com/uk/itunes

PRICE: £0.79 COMPATABILITY: iOS, Android, Windows phone THE GIST: Typing anything of length on a phone or tablet can be a frustrating experience. It’s slow and cumbersome, but the makers of Swype have come up with a solution. By simply swiping between letters you can type quicker and easier - achieving up to 40 words per minute!

The Swype Keyboard is a fast, easy, and fun way to enter text on any screen. Effortlessly glide your finger from letter to letter and watch as words and phrases appear on screen.

The app has three separate keyboard layouts to cater to your tablet or phone screen size, and the four-in-one keyboard offers Swype, Type, Write and Speak capabilities.

DOWNLOADABLE FROM: www.swype.com

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FRANCHISE

Franchise

NEWS Harry Ramsden’s comes home to Yorkshire The iconic fish and chips brand will open a new outlet in Shipley

H

arry Ramsden’s will return to Yorkshire this month, with a new outlet in Shipley - one of three planned for 2015 in conjunction with Vikesh and Dimple Patel of JVP Ventures.

The next two openings are planned for Huddersfield and Sheffield later this year.

The franchise announced that the 1,000 sq ft new store will be in the form of a ‘traditional local’, and will create ten full- and part-time jobs. Its first restaurant opened in Guiseley, near Leeds, in 1928, and the brand has been one of Yorkshire’s most famous exports ever since.

Vikesh Patel is aware that the company

history means there is plenty to live up to for the new site - but is confident that being Yorkshiremen themselves, puts he and Dimple in a strong position to show off the new Harry Ramsden’s to locals.

He explained: “First and foremost, to be able to bring Harry’s name back to his roots is really exciting for us.

We have spent a great deal of time and effort in identifying and securing suitable sites; however that process has been made slightly easier since both Dimple and myself were born and brought up in Yorkshire.”

Joe Teixeira, CEO of Harry Ramsden’s,

said: “It has always been a dearly held ambition to bring the Harry Ramsden’s name back to Yorkshire, so I am delighted that we are able to announce the opening of Shipley. It effectively represents deserved financial investment in the brand and, more importantly, secures Harry Ramsden’s legacy locally.”

As well as recently recording a 9.7% increase in annual like-for-like sales, Harry Ramsden’s is now one of the top 40 ‘Eating Out’ brands in the UK. Contact: www.thebfa.org

UK’s largest pizza franchise sets new records Growth in online ordering, new store performance, and franchisee profitability drives record results for Domino’s

A

n increase in system sales by 14.6% to £766.6 million, along with a hike in like-for-like sales of 11.3%, saw pizza delivery franchise, Domino’s enjoy a record year in 2014, according to recently published accounts.

There were also 44 new stores

confirming the strength of our customer offer. Both UK like-for-like sales and new store performance were excellent, and this has largely been driven by our sector leading e-commerce initiatives.

Our renewed focus on franchisee profitability has also provided an impetus to continued growth.

“These results are a tribute to the entire Domino’s team, including the franchisees and their colleagues, who work in the stores and served our customers with more than 75 million pizzas during 2014. I would like to thank them for their amazing efforts.”

opened in the period, which contributed to profit increases, before tax, of £63.1 million, up 14.3%.

Commenting on the results, chief executive officer, David Wild said: “It has Contact: www.corporate.dominos.co.uk/ been another strong year for Domino’s, franchising particularly in our core UK market,

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SPONSORED ARTICLE SPONSORED ARTICLE

Unprecedented Success For Thames Valley Expo

From ShipYard to ZipYards

T

here is a latent desire in British people, particularly in unsettled times, to create jobs rather than tackle the employment market from the outside.

Franchising gives people the opportunity to work for themselves, reducing the risk but at the same time it brings all the benefits of running your own business. It also acts as a springboard into markets and alleviates the laborious aspects of disrupting them; probably one of the most daunting prospects of going at it alone.

Nigel Toplis, Managing Director of The Bardon Group, says: “Where you have a good franchise system, you really

have a marriage, whereby you have a proven business system, collateral, support and training from the franchisor, and you have the dynamism, the ambition, the drive and the skillset of the franchisee.

“Put them together and you really have a husband and wife; two people with two distinct set of skills, but one distinct objective.”

ZipYard is one such success story. After a botched tailoring job, two entrepreneurs saw a gap in the market and used an empty shop opposite Belfast ship yard to set up their own business, which duly inspired the name.

“From there they decided to franchise the concept in

Northern Ireland, then master licence in Southern Ireland and then we took the Master Licence from them to run Great Britain and we started trading in 2011,” Toplis says. ‘ZipYard has an ‘open kitchen’ approach, in that the store is open plan and workers are very much out in the open, rather than confined in a back room. There is also fitting rooms on site and an automated processing service, where the garment are tracked by barcode throughout the process and a text message is delivered to the customer upon completion’.

Toplis believes it has “professionalised the industry”, adding an extra element of

SPONSORED SPONSOREDARTICLE ARTICLE

Experienced in Sales and marketing, Graeme Mulheron took the decision to buy the ZipYard franchise for Bedford in summer 2014 and hasn’t looked back since.

By the time local Mayor Dave Hodgson unzipped a six foot giant zip to declare the specialist garment alterations and repair centre officially open, the business was trading at almost full capacity and recruitment was underway to add a third seamstress to the team.

Graeme is no stranger to the franchising business model. authority to an already He was previously an award talented workforce. winning Cash Generator owner “We’ve very much made it running multiple branches. a professional, open, high “The time was right to move street operation,” Toplis adds, on and give my career a new which explains growth of 15 direction. I was proud of the new centres in the last two #TVExpo Cash Generator businesses that years and an expectation of I had built up. but as a marketer, getting 50 Centres open I am always on the look out for within three years. innovative ideas and the ZipYard model ticked all of the boxes.”

Richard McConnell opened www.thamesvalleyexpo.co.uk The Bedford ZipYard is ideally The ZipYard in Altrincham located in the town centre and in September 2011 and in 2013 was a finalist in the bfa Franchise of the Year awards At the time of writing there – having won numerous local are 16 ZipYard Centres in the business accolades.

UK and a plan to have 50 within From a turnover of £174,000 three years. ZipYard Centres in his first year to £270,000 carry distinctive yellow and plus in his second, growth has black branding and offer a top been exceptional and such quality garment alterations has been the progress of the and repairs to members of the business that this one-time public as well as local retailers, driving instructor has opened businesses with uniformed staff, a second Centre (Wilmslow) – hire and bridal shops and even which is also doing very well. schools in a clean and purpose

within days of opening its doors, customers began flocking in.

He said: “ I had read about the ZipYard’s arrival in the UK and was vaguely interested, but it wasn’t until I had to get a suit altered to go to a business awards dinner that I realised just how much the local area needed a top quality alterations and repair service “I searched high and low for someone to carry out the repair and eventually ended up in the middle of an indoor market at a stall having the alterations pinned in full view of other shoppers’’ It dawned on me that there must be lots of other people out there just like me with clothes needing altered and nowhere to take them so I decided bring the ZipYard to Bedford.

“I have been extremely pleased by the success of our ZipYard store so far. As with any business if you can combine excellence in service with excellence of products you @thamesvalleyexp have a winning formula and we certainly have that here at the ZipYard Bedford.” designed retail environment with on-site seamstresses and private changing rooms.

Territories are being snapped up fast but there are still opportunities available for the right candidates.

Contact: Emma Downes T: 01530 513307 E: info@thezipyard.co.uk W: www.thezipyard.co.uk

FRANCHISE

You must be kidding!

Dynamis’ Nicky Tatley looks at the rapid growth in popularity of franchises that cater to children, and examines opportunities to get in on the act

I

A study by Quidco.com found that the largest sum of money parents spend on their prodigy is directed into after-school activities, sports clubs, and groups; amounting to a staggering £15,000 during an entire childhood

122 April 2015

n the last few years, franchises that cater to kids have become a rapidly growing sector of the industry.

Unaffected by the economic downturn, the market has been served by schools continuing to reduce facilities for pupils, and an ever increasing demand for extra-curricular improvement, and childcare.

Whether you’re a big kid at heart, an entrepreneur, a parent looking to get back into work after having a family, or you’ve decided to ditch the suit and briefcase to become your own boss, owning a children’s franchise is proving to be a lucrative, flexible, and rewarding option.

Families are becoming busier than ever, and households where both parents go out to work are on the increase. Subsequently, a gap in the market for after-school activities has appeared, and along with it, a whole string of children’s franchises.

Recent figures show that people will continue to spend money on their children - even in financially unstable times - if they feel that it will improve their child’s quality of life, or enhance their education.

A recent study by Quidco.com surveyed 2,000 parents, and found that the largest amount of money they spend on their prodigy is directed into after-school activities, sports clubs, and groups. This amounts to a staggering £843 each year - more than £15,000 during an entire childhood.

Even if parents are considering cutting back on children’s activities, there is yet another safely net: grandparents. In today’s economic climate, the ‘grey pound’ is king, with

FRANCHISE

70% of disposable income accounted for by the over-50s.

Today, grandparents regularly supplement family incomes. Many also provide regular childcare, and are often instrumental in researching and attending activities for their grandchildren, thus contributing further to the success of this area.

The childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sector offers a range of opportunities - sport and physical skills, creative, childcare, education, and entertainment to name a few.

They also cater to differing age ranges, from babies and toddlers, to teenagers and young adults.

The buoyant market has seen many enterprise from park-based football coaching to mini-yoga sessions, and even street dance become successful franchises.

Education franchises have always been popular, especially amongst anxious parents keen to boost their childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s performance at GCSE level.

Tutor Doctor (www.tutordoctor. co.uk) is just one of the numerous franchises specialising in the childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s education sector.

A recent article in the Daily Telegraph revealed that, on average, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;parents spend ÂŁ6bn a year on private tuition in the UK, with many saying it is a necessity they can barely afford.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Tutor Doctor specialises in one-toone tuition covering all ages, subjects, and abilities, enables the franchisee to work from home to their own schedule.

Rob Kerrison, a Tutor Doctor franchisee, emphasises the rewarding nature of the job for both the children and himself as an investor: â&#x20AC;&#x153;At Tutor Doctor, what we do is help children to be as good as they can be.

Why would anyone not want to do this? Also, it was a tutoring franchise opportunity that was very much aligned to our own agenda and skill set.â&#x20AC;?

At the more creative end of the childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s franchise market, Creation Station (www.thecreationstation. co.uk) is a franchise that provides childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s arts and crafts classes. The franchise, like most in this sector, boasts flexible hours. The workshops are predominantly in term time, and run during a conventional Monday to Friday week.

There is the option, however, to work evenings, weekends, and holidays, part time or full time - with

extra revenue created thorough fetes, events, and birthday parties etc.

Whilst a background in your chosen franchiseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s activity is essential in some cases, many offer training and support that can facilitate your endeavours.

Sarah Cressall, founder of Creation Station, is proud of the support offered to her franchisees. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You never have to worry what activities you are going to do. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve planned it and prepared it all for you. We will even deliver all the products you need to your door. This gives you more time with your family when you want it.â&#x20AC;?

Martial Arts training franchise, Combat Academy (www. combatacademy.co.uk) offers potential franchisees the chance to become a certified self defence instructor as

As this sector of franchising continues to grow (leading UK franchisee recruitment website, FranchiseSales.com currently has in excess of 30 childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s franchises looking to expand), it will appeal to an increasing number of individuals looking for that all-important work/life balance.

Ruth Morris, owner of The Creation Station, Aberdeen, and winner of the franchiseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Best New Franchisee of 2014, says it all; â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have the best career in the world, whilst providing a loving and secure family life for those most important to me.â&#x20AC;?

Contact: www.dynamis.co.uk

Naturally, parents love to talk about their FKLOGUHQ DQG LI WKH\ IHHO WKHLU FKLOG LV EHQHĆŹWWLQJ they are more likely to tell other parents.

1HYHU XQGHUHVWLPDWH WKH SRZHU RI SOD\JURXQG FKDW part of the franchise package.

Combat Academy franchisee, Laurence Hamilton, has made the most of this support. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am about to complete my instructor training programme, and will soon be launching my own womens and beginners self-defence seminars in Aberdeen - I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t wait!â&#x20AC;?

Besides sports, educational, and creative franchises, the inner child in you may prefer a party franchise. There are already a few doing well in the sector, from Froggle Parties (www.froggleparties. com), to Jabberjacks (www.jabberjacks. co.uk), and Fun Science (fun-science. org.uk/franchise). The niche is ripe for expansion.

With any childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s franchise, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to remember that marketing should be tailored towards parents, and perhaps the oldest form of advertising, yet still the most effective, is word of mouth.

Naturally, parents love to talk about their children, and if they feel their child is benefitting, they are more likely to tell other parents - a low cost, high value way to attract and retain both potential and existing customers. Never underestimate the power of playground chat!

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SPONSORED ARTICLE

THE STEAK ’N SHAKE DIFFERENCE A

t Steak ‘n Shake our steakburgers are made from 100 % pure beef selected from the best producers.

Our fresh-cut fries are made fresh and not frozen, and our awardwinning milkshakes are traditionally prepared by hand with real ice-cream.

All are priced competitively.

W

e aim to provide the highest level of service and customer satisfaction.

Our place in the current market Europe is lacking a gourmet burger chain offering premium burgers at an excellent value. Currently there are either, fast food chains selling low quality burgers at low prices, or small independent restaurants selling high quality burgers at high prices. Our niche is to offer premium burgers at great prices.

High-quality hamburgers have come into fashion across Europe.

People say it is a trend but we do

not see it as a trend... Burgers aren’t new. They’re like high-top Converse sneakers: They never go out of fashion. What is NEW is high quality and the service.

What makes the Steak ‘n Shake concept so different?

Premium food is prepared and cooked, to order, in sight of the customer and we run a half-table service, whereby the food is ordered at the counter but brought to the customer’s table.

Biglari Design, a subsidiary of the Biglari group, provides modular customised restaurant design

solutions for its franchisees. This allows franchisees to select from multiple options to best suit their site specific property needs, with flexible solutions in building sizes ranging from 70 square meters to 300 plus square meters.

Our story so far…

Founder Gus Belt was a pioneer in the American restaurant business in the 1920’s and 1930’s he realised that the burger had caught the public’s fancy. What was needed, Belt reasoned, was a ‘Superlative Burger’. Over eight decades later, Steak ‘n Shake is one of the most

SPONSORED ARTICLE

recognised and loyal brands in the restaurant business with more than 114 million Steakburgers and over 66 million shakes served annually.

The Steak ‘n Shake brand – and its famous Steakburgers, fries and shakes – still means freshness and quality.

Steak ‘n Shake established a dedicated European office in 2011; since then we have opened key units in Cannes, Marseille and Ibiza and currently have more than 120 international units committed for development in France, Spain, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Pakistan and the UAE. In the US we have over 530 restaurants and more than 20,000 employees; and have proven to be a massive success. The company intends to replicate this achievement internationally.

What are the medium and long term objectives?

We aim to clearly establish the brand nationally, and internationally, and strengthen our expansion plan; partnering with committed individuals and businesses for the long term.

What are the benefits of the Steak ‘n Shake franchise?

The path to owning a Steak ‘n Shake franchise is an exciting journey from the beginning, during the application phase, to the opening of a restaurant. Our leadership team is comprised of highly qualified individuals with extensive industry experience who provide full support and training to our franchisees.

Our franchisee’s success is our success!

That is why we do everything we can to help their business succeed.

What are we looking for in a franchisee?

Our ideal franchise partner candidate must be dedicated to our core values of: Commitment to Excellence; Integrity; Responsibility; Respect and Transparency.

Previous retail or food and beverage experience is not necessary, but would be a distinct advantage.

They need to have adequate, easily available, liquid funds and the ability to obtain necessary additional financing.

They should also have an understanding of the local “culture” and strong ties to the community.

Now is the time to grab this opportunity and capitalise on the ever-growing worldwide hunger for premium, hand-made burgers and milkshakes - as this highly successful, classic American brand expands in the UK & Europe.

Contact us TODAY via email UKFranchise@steaknshake.mc or more information, or to arrange a meeting, or apply directly via the website www.steaknshakefranchise.eu

Buy a coffee franchise with

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Coffee is big business: 800,000 people in Britain buy coffee at least 4 times a week It makes lots of money: Total turnover for this sector reached £5.8bn in 2012 And it’s growing: Analysts predict that the chain market will grow at least 6% by 2017, hitting 7,000 outlets and £3.7bn in sales revenue.

Visit FranchiseSales.com to find out more about buying a coffee franchise – and more!

ADVICE

The sales DOCTOR This month Sales Doctor, Tony Morris takes a look at what personality traits make a good sales person

Dear Sales Doctor, I’m looking to recruit temporary sales staff for the peak summer months. Beyond sales figures, what should I be looking for in a potential employee?

I

often get asked what the characteristics of a good sales person are. The first thing is tenacity. You want a sales person who will never give up. This doesn’t meant they keep chasing a prospect and saying the same message; they change the angle. I was once told, if you keep knocking at the door and no one answers and you can’t open it, then try the window. Ask them to demonstrate where in their life they’ve been tenacious.

The second thing is a positive attitude. This is one of the most important characteristics I look for in a sales person because, not only will it affect their performance, it will affect most people around them.

Thirdly, they need to be able to listen. No matter what product or service you’re selling, if they can’t, or don’t, listen to what the customers want and need, they’ll struggle to make a sale. I would recommend in your interview process, get them to listen to a recorded call and ask them some questions about it, and see what they heard.

This follows nicely with the fourth characteristic; they need to be able to ask questions. This skill is trainable, however if you’re

looking for a sales person to hit the floor running, then they need to be able to ask open questions to engage, build rapport, and qualify the prospect.

One thing that will never change in sales is ‘people buy people first and product second’. So you need to be able to get along with the person and, more importantly, ensure your existing team will get along with them.

The person needs to have a level of intelligence where they can retain knowledge and communicate to people in authority. Prior to the interview, send them some information on your company and get them to communicate it back to you in the interview.

My final characteristic that a lot of sales people lack is they don’t ask for the business or the appointment, as they fear the dreaded word ‘no’. If a person doesn’t close me in the first interview, then unless I was blown away by them, I would not invite them back for a second interview. I’d be looking for them to ask me ‘do you have any reservations about me whatsoever that could prevent me from getting the job?’

One thing that will never change in sales is ‘people EX\ SHRSOH ƬUVW DQG SURGXFW VHFRQGƎ 6R \RX QHHG WR EH able to get along with the SHUVRQ \RXƎUH KLULQJ To learn more about the real world of sales, please email tony@salesdoctors.co.uk with the subject line ‘Coffee’s for closers’ and I’ll send out a copy of my first book, based on the real life of sales. The eBook usually retails at £6.99 but it’s free for Talk Business magazine readers.

Contact: www.salesdoctors.co.uk

NEED A DIAGNOSIS? Send your sales problems to the editor, marked ’FAO the sales doctor’: editor@talk businessmagazine.co.uk

talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk 127

ADVICE

Try not to get lured into ‘cheap’ deals and instead focus on the type and amount of cover you need

Unjumbling the jargon

B

uying insurance is not always straightforward.

When searching for the best policy, navigating your way through the onslaught of industry jargon can make for a time consuming process.

To help you to make an informed decision, here’s some advice: FIND THE RIGHT COVER Before reviewing different providers, you will need to determine the type of cover you need. With numerous levels available, it’s important to take the time to sift through your options to find a policy that meets your needs.

To make this easier, it pays to enlist the help of a qualified insurance professional, as they’ll be able to analyse different plans to find one that is suitable for you.

While it may be tempting to cut corners and reduce your cover level to keep costs down, this may leave you out of pocket if you ever need to make a claim.

Gail Newland, expert at Click Consult Limited, provides a guide to understanding and finding the right insurance policy

DO YOUR RESEARCH Whether you’re looking for home, car, or business insurance, it’s crucial that you do your research.

For added peace of mind, check the insurance company’s licensing, their customer complaint records, and their financial stability. You may also want to add product ratings and reviews to your checklist, making sure that you use reputable sources.

PAY ATTENTION TO DETAIL Whatever your needs, it’s vital that you read the small print. With a myriad of insurance-related phrases being bandied around, alongside a host of attractive deals, and price-cutting promises, it’s easy to miss the finer details. However, failing to be vigilant could prove to be a costly mistake. If you ignore the terms and conditions, you risk ending up with a plan that either exceeds, or falls short, of your needs.

With this in mind, be careful to note the individual features of each policy and read the terms thoroughly. Once

you have received a quote, double check that it includes all the benefits you need before you make a purchase.

FINAL CONSIDERATIONS There are many technical aspects to consider when reviewing policies, and the questions you need to ask will depend on the type of insurance you wish to take out. However, there are a few key considerations that can help to narrow down your options.

For example, try not to get lured into ‘cheap’ deals, and instead focus on the type and amount of cover you need.

Bear in mind that some providers may offer large discounts, but may also charge higher rates. It’s also a good idea to be mindful of any unnecessary add-ons that may have been included in the price, and to think carefully about your method of payment remember that some payment plans can charge you high interest.

By sticking to these guidelines, you should find that getting suitable cover is a simple and hassle-free task.

Contact: www.click.co.uk

talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk 129

SPONSORED ARTICLE

Bluebird Care has been supporting the lifestyle and independence of their customers for over a decade.

Join the UK’s leading homecare provider

‘Business success’ and ‘run my own business’ are often high on most franchise owners’ priorities. With a decade of exceptional growth underpinned by a proven business model, our franchise owners’ deliver the very best homecare from over 200 offices across the country under the Bluebird Care brand.

O

ne of the largest home care and support providers in the UK, in financial terms Bluebird Care has grown on average 112% year on year. With over 200 offices, and the largest member of the care sector’s representative body the United Kingdom Home Care Association, Bluebird Care’s growth rate has been exceptional since its inception in 2004.

Bluebird Care provides the highest quality homecare and support services primarily to the private market. Delivering 20,000 homecare and support visits to over 9,500 customers each day, Bluebird Care is the largest care franchise in the UK with experience in franchising and care provision you will not find elsewhere.

What makes us different?

Our management franchise business is unique in the UK. We are a successful private sector business, enabling us to attract, develop and keep the best people and to deliver the best possible customer service. What makes us different, however, is that our key

motivation is quality. We firmly believe that providing the highest quality of home care and support services to our customers will meet their needs and help sustain their independence and lifestyle.

In turn their satisfaction with our service provision continues to grow our business. Our proven track record shows that this approach definitely works.

The Bluebird Care Franchise Support Centre Our central support team is based Petersfield, Hampshire, where the business was born in 2004. Our highly experienced team provide essential guidance to each Bluebird Care business. We are absolutely committed to putting the customer first in everything that we do so that Bluebird Care can provide the best homecare and support services. A key element of this is the comprehensive support we give to each franchise business and how we develop these businesses throughout their lifecycle into successful, sustainable businesses providing exceptional value to their owners, staff, customers and wider stakeholders.

Annetta Doyle Franchise Recruitment Manager

CALL US NOW Please contact Annetta Doyle, Franchise Recruitment Manager, for a no obligation discussion about the franchise opportunity and to answer any questions you may have. t: 01730 26 00 26 e: franchises@bluebirdcare.co.uk Visit our website to discover more about creating your own successful homecare business with Bluebird Care www.bluebirdcarefranchise.co.uk Contact our friendly, knowledgeable franchise recruitment team today to discuss the Bluebird Care franchise opportunity.

ADVICE

Legally speaking Each month an expert from solicitor’s, Wright Hassall, takes a look at a different dilemma for small businesses from a legal perspective. This month, Rebecca Harmer tackles probation period extensions

Q A

I’ve an employee who was on a threemonth probation period. However, when hired, they failed to tell me about an outstanding medical condition, and they shortly went on sick leave for two months. Am I allowed to terminate the employee’s contract because of this, or even extend the probation period?

The point of a probationary period is to assess whether the employee is suitable for a role.

One of the most common reasons for employees not having their contracts renewed at the end of the probationary period is absence. However it’s crucial that an employer understands why they were absent before deciding whether to dismiss, or extend the probation period.

PROCEED WITH CAUTION Although employees cannot bring a claim for unfair dismissal until they have completed two years’ service, this doesn’t apply to ‘protected characteristics’.

In other words, if your employee’s sickness absence during probation is as a result of an underlying disability, but you dismiss them regardless, they could bring a disability discrimination claim against you.

HOW SERIOUS IS THE MEDICAL CONDITION? Clearly you’re hampered by the fact that the employee did not

tell you about their medical condition in advance, possibly due to its sensitive nature, and neither were they in the post long enough to allow you to assess their performance. The first thing you need to establish is the seriousness of their condition, and the likelihood of it recurring. You’re entitled to ask for a medical report (with the employee’s consent), but ensure you manage this sensitively; your main concern is to avoid any accusation of discrimination.

EXTENDING THE PROBATION PERIOD If the medical report confirms your employee’s absence is due to an underlying disability, then dismissal is unwise. In these circumstances you need to assess whether reasonable adjustments can be made so the employee can return to work; this will also give you more time to establish if there are any non-disability related capability issues. Likewise, it’d be unwise to extend probation as the

employee may claim this is disability discrimination.

However, if there’s no underlying disability, you could extend the probationary period in order to assess performance over a longer period of time. Of course, you’ll need to notify the employee of this, preferably in writing.

IF DISMISSAL IS THE RIGHT OPTION If the employee is classed as disabled, and it’s clear that you are unable to make reasonable adjustments to accommodate the employee’s needs, or they’re not disabled and there are performance-related issues, then you can go down the dismissal route. However, because of the sensitivity of the situation, you’d be advised to follow your normal dismissal procedures to minimise the chance of a discrimination claim.

This is a delicate situation and requires careful handling. Your main objective must be to protect the interests of your business by avoiding a discrimination claim, which can be damaging, not only financially, but also reputationally.

Contact: www.wrighthassall.co.uk Got a question you want answered by the legal team? Email editor@ talkbusinessmagazine. co.uk with the subject line “Legally speaking”

talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk 131

Photograph used by permission of Cambridge Science Park

ADVICE

The Cambridge phenomenon Katharine Price explains why Cambridge is a great place to be a tech entrepreneur

C

ambridge is one of the UK’s largest and most successful technology hubs, with strengths in a range of sectors, including engineering, biotechnology, medical devices and wireless communications.

The seeds were sown many years ago with early examples of technology entrepreneurship, including the Cambridge Scientific Instrument Company (founded by Charles Darwin’s son, Horace in 1881), electronics company, Pye (1896), and Marshall’s aerospace (1909). However, it is since the founding of Cambridge Consultants in 1960 that the region has seen a real surge in growth of entrepreneurial companies. There are now more than 1,000 technology and biotechnology companies in the region.

Cambridge has fostered fourteen £1billion technology businesses, with two - Autonomy (founded by University of Cambridge graduate, Mike Lynch) and ARM (a university spin-out) valued at between £10 billion and £20 billion.

Although largely known for expertise in hardware, Cambridge also now has strengths in gaming, software, cyber

security, and digital healthcare, through companies such as Jagex, Solarflare, Healx, Raspberry Pi, and Cambridge Intelligence.

The successful growth has been attributed to the fusing of the University’s research capabilities and student talent with industry, enabling the commercialisation of innovations. This, together with established resources through research laboratories (Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Microsoft Research, Babraham Institute), incubation centres (ideaSpace, St John’s Innovation Centre, Hauser Forum), business networks (Cambridge Network, Cambridge Wireless), investment and venture capital (Cambridge Business Angels), seed funds, licensing, and tech transfer services (Cambridge Enterprise), makes for a sophisticated eco-system that supports technology entrepreneurship at various levels. And it can all be found within a relatively small geographic area, making it highly accessible.

Dr Chris Mitchell, founder and CEO of Audio Analytics, said: “Cambridge is attractive to entrepreneurs because of the abundant availability of capital and

talented individuals. However, there are other particular advantages, such as the presence of incubators, and access to quality training programmes, which gives the flexibility and support needed at the early stage of a business.”

There are opportunities for aspiring entrepreneurs to gain skills, knowledge, and networks through entrepreneurship training provided by the University and Cambridge Judge Business School. The School’s Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning (CfEL) has recently celebrated a decade of inspiring entrepreneurs, both in Cambridge and beyond. The Centre purposefully embedded itself within the Cambridge entrepreneurial eco-system, and built a significant

Although largely known for expertise in hardware, Cambridge also now has strengths in gaming, software, cyber security, and digital healthcare network of experienced entrepreneurs, including Cambridge graduates, Lord Karan Bilimoria (Cobra Beer), and Dr Herman Hauser (Amadeus Capital), who have contributed to the delivery of courses through lectures, workshops, and mentoring. The leveraging of this expertise is based on a belief in practical learning by doing, where students apply their learning directly to business ideas and innovations, rather than studying third party cases.

Aspiring technology entrepreneurs in Cambridge can benefit from a range of courses, including ETECH Projects, Enterprise Tuesday, EnterpriseWISE, Ignite, and the accredited Postgraduate Diploma in Entrepreneurship.

talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk 133

ADVICE

Photograph used by permission of Cambridge Science Park

In fact, the week-long intensive Ignite programme - which aims to fast-track technology innovations to commercial readiness - is open to national and international delegates.

747 participants from 26 countries across Europe, Asia, and America have attended Ignite since the programme started. It’s estimated that 170 business ventures have been created by Ignite alumni, and are still up and running.

Based on a 2013 alumni survey, more than £120 million in funding has been raised by Ignite alumni ventures, and approximately 2,500 jobs were created from 2011-2013. Ventures started by Ignite alumni include Alphamosaic (acquired by Broadcom), Audio Analytics, BlueGnome (acquired by Illumina), Cambridge Intelligence, Health Enterprise East, Cambridge Temperature Concepts, Syrinix, and Surface Generation.

Dr Joe Parry, founder and CEO of Cambridge Intelligence, said: “Cambridge is defined by its University, its ideas and the talent it attracts. I benefited from participating in the Ignite training programme at Cambridge Judge Business School, because it enabled me to learn business skills and test my ideas 134 April 2015

Cambridge is attractive to entrepreneurs because of the abundant availability of capital and talented individuals

in a safe environment. We were based at the ideaSpace accelerator when we started up and being part of a growing community of other entrepreneurs, mentors, and experimenters has proved invaluable to the development of the company.”

Pre-seed fund support is also available via the school’s Accelerate Cambridge for growing venture teams through practical training, mentoring, and coaching.

During the two years of its existence, Accelerate Cambridge has engaged with 60 ventures, and is currently supporting 42 of them at various stages. In the last year, the more mature of them have attracted £4 million in investment and grants.

So, not only is Cambridge a great place to start a tech business, it is also a great place to learn to be a tech entrepreneur.

Contact: www.jbs.cam.ac.uk/ entrepreneurship

Here are some examples of businesses that have benefitted from the Cambridge tech start-up scene: CAMBRIDGE INTELLIGENCE www.cambridge-intelligence.com

AUDIO ANALYTIC www.audioanalytic.com

Cambridge Intelligence, based at ideaSpace in the Hauser Forum, makes innovative visualisation software, which lets organisations see the networks in their data. The software is browser-based, and works on desktops, tablets, and even smartphones. In 2014, the company was named Innovative Business of the Year at the Startups. co.uk awards, and also invited to join the Scale Up Club, a group of 60 high-growth European companies with the potential to hit £100million revenue within three to five years.

Audio Analytic was founded on PhD research into sound information systems and signal processing. Its intelligent, award winning sensing technology was initially deployed in the professional security industry, and has now found further applications in consumer electronics and the connected home. The company has established itself as the emerging leader in sound recognition.

In January 2015, Audio Analytic was included in StrategyEye’s Silicon Fen - 10 Companies from Cambridge to Watch in 2015.

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ADVICE

Backdoor shenanigans Fiona Horlick, of Outer Temple looks at the fine line that sees a benefit become a bribe

M

uch myth and misinformation surrounds the Bribery Act 2010 (BA), with many companies instituting bribery policies out of fear of prosecution for the corporate offence of failing to prevent bribery, but without really analysing their business risks and thus often setting arbitrary limits that may inhibit legitimate business.

One might have hoped for detailed guidance from the UK prosecuting authorities but such guidance as it exists is neither particularly helpful nor specific. Some guidance can be extracted from cases under the mature US legislation, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), which illustrate certain common themes. The FCPA only covers the bribing of foreign public officials whereas the BA outlaws both private and public bribery.

The US case themes show that hugely valuable gifts, such as yachts and jewellery would almost without exception be considered a bribe, as would sightseeing tours or payment of private medical expenses or school fees. However, none ever appear in isolation but always as part of a wider scheme of corruption. More than two millennia ago Euripides observed ‘the gods themselves, they say, are moved by gifts and gold speaks better than words with people’.

Corporate gifts are

lifetime. Gifts and entertainment might accumulate; a bottle of wine is an innocent enough gift but given every week for a year, becomes less so.

However, to ban all gifts or set some arbitrary but meaningless monetary limit may harm business with no realistic advantage particularly where the rejection of a gift and lack of reciprocity might cause cultural offence. Types of potential bribes extend beyond ordinary gifts and hospitality to those far more likely to cross

To ban all gifts or set some arbitrary but meaningless monetary limit may harm business with no realistic advantage, particularly where the UHMHFWLRQ RI D JLIW PLJKW FDXVH FXOWXUDO RƫHQFH part of everyday business life and are particularly important in some cultures. Corporate hospitality such as lunches, dinners, trips to sporting events are commonplace.

But will they be regarded as a bribe? There are two crucial factors at play here; what is the purpose of the gift or hospitality? Is it to get business that you otherwise would not get or to award business that the recipient company would not receive but for the bribe?

Is the gift or hospitality disproportionate to the payer’s or the payee’s resources or to the relationship or to all three?

A costly watch would mean little to a Premiership footballer, but an all expenses international trip for a poorly paid employee may mean the chance of a

the line such anything in cash, a sexual entertainment, benefits given to the spouse of family of a potential or actual business partner, or payments for private aspects of the recipient’s life such as a holiday or shopping. Political donations should be avoided especially in countries where a particular politician or party has the power to award contracts or licenses. Even seemingly altruistic donations such as to charities and social responsibility programmes can be fraught with problems.

Whenever accepting gifts, for whatever reason, always consider the implications and context in which it is given. If you’re unsure, it is safest not to accept it.

Contact: www.outertemple.com

talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk 137

ADVICE

Here at Business Hands, we believe that high quality marketing services should not just be the preserve of larger organisations with big budgets.

We’re committed to working exclusively with small and mid-sized organisations, providing affordable, fixed price, monthly packages to help your business raise its game and stay ahead of the competition.

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Clothes2order.com is a leading online supplier of printed and embroidered clothing offering quality, flexibility and speed since 2002 T: 08456 522 655 W: www.clothes2order.com

M2 Computing provide reliable, flexible managed IT support and consultancy across London and the South East.

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Building Fabulous Business Relationships Learn techniques to develop meaningful partnerships with your clients Book now at http://www.businesshelpforyou.co.uk/ fabulouslifeladder.php T: 020 7863 7977 E: support@businesshelpforyou.co.uk W: www.businesshelpforyou.co.uk

138 April 2015

Each Belvoir office will provide you with a professional lettings and property management service that embraces our core principles of quality service and customer care.

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Solicitors for you, your business and your family with our offices on Fleet Street plus locations around Essex. Working with an innovative, flexible approach, we always put your business first.

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Need more sales? Through expertly managed Pay per Click and digital marketing services we capture demand and drive profitable growth. We’re a trusted Google Partner with a pedigree for success.

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We work with ambitious businesses to help build revenues, slash costs, improve margins, and deliver compelling customer experiences – by implementing innovative CRM solutions on the world’s leading cloud platform: Salesforce.com.

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Direct Numbers are specialists in providing quality numbers and virtual call handling services to businesses of all sizes in the UK. Our numbers and services are all hosted in the cloud so this means no expensive in-house kit is needed. You can access all our cloud services by using our online management tool to give you full access to your numbers, services and call stats.

T: 08000 755 755 M: 0330 333 8755 W: www.directnumbers.co.uk

Enghouse Interactive develops and supplies the widest range of customer contact solutions on the market. Through our extensive network of reseller partners, we are helping thousands of organisations of all sizes, industries and complexity across the world to improve their service, productivity and operational efficiency.

T: 0118 943 9200 W: www.enghouseinteractive.co.uk

FranchiseSales.com is a directory of over 1,000 franchises, containing everything need to get into business through investing in a franchise.

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A leader in innovation, esl works with many of the best known UK companies, providing more than just a payroll service.

Our expertise is in understanding our clients’ objectives and providing sustainable processes through our Payroll and HR solutions.

T: 01628 526304 E: marketing@employerservices.co.uk W: www.employerservices.co.uk

ADVICE

We offer the full spectrum of creative services from design and artwork, web design and build through to reproduction and photography to get your campaign live.

Whether it’s a standalone project – initial concept through to finished media, overflow of current work or part of a bigger campaign, we are happy to jump in anywhere in the process to help you get the most of your spend, on time and within budget.

T: 020 3328 5777 W: www.purewhitecreative.com

Are you tired of working for someone else?

If so, then why not consider running your own accountancy practice with our Award Winning franchise, which will give you brand credibility from day one, mixed with professional training and full support. We are looking for individuals who can develop and grow their business and become part of our successful network T: 0800 0188 297 W: www.taxassistfranchise.co.uk

With some 50 Centre Owners Kall Kwik is the UK’s leading business print and design franchise and has been delivering business services on the high street since 1979. Now through the introduction of a new high street concept with multiple income streams we are looking to double the estate over the next few years.

T: 01530 513300 E: edownes@kallkwik.co.uk W: www.kallkwik.co.uk

T: Steak ’n Shake - a classic American brand serving steakburgers, hand-cut fries & hand-dipped milkshakes are actively looking for franchise partners to be part of our successful UK expansion programme.

A minimum of circa £240K (liquid capital) is required to own and operate your first Steak ’n Shake outlet in the UK and Eire, with a view to opening more.

We offer: • Brand strength and longevity • Superb systems and support • Striking, yet flexible, new outlet designs...and more W: www.www.steaknshakefranchise.eu E: UKFranchise@steaknshake.mc

Basepoint has 30 centres offering high quality workspaces with flexible terms, meeting rooms, virtual office space, free membership and more.

T: 01753 853515 E: hq@basepoint.co.uk W: www.basepoint.co.uk f: facebook.com/basepointbusinesscentres t: twitter.com/@Basepoint_Cntrs

Through working in partnership with you, and by understanding your business and providing bespoke support, we add value and provide commercial HR solutions that contribute to your bottom-line.

T: 07973 958149 or 01604 688757 W: www.hrbespokesolutions.co.uk E: phil@hrbespokesolutions.co.uk

VMhosts VMware Cloud Iaas Platform.

Multiple UK based Data Centre locations powered by Flexiant T: 020 3397 1233 W: www.vmhosts.co.uk

In business since 1979 supplying branded merchandise to businesses.

Our 50 franchisees provide everything from personalised badges to signage; Staff awards to business gifts and promotional products to a wide range of leisure clothing and work wear.

T: 01530 513300 E: edownes@recognition-express.com W: www.recognition-express.com

Become a part of a company that has helped over 171,200 people succeed – while you earn profits for yourself and your children. We worked tirelessly to figure out a way to give business owners who were interested in making a difference in the lives of children and their families a means to do just that, without actually being a tutor themselves. Find out more: W: www.tutordoctoropportunity.com/UK T: 0208 144 5678

ComputerXplorers is the leading provider of quality technology education for children from the ages of 3 to 13.The clubs and classes we deliver are engaging, educational and fun, and are run in a variety of settings, such as after school clubs, pre-school and nurseries, summer camps and in-curriculum time classes.

T: 01530 513300 E: edownes@recognition-express.com W: www. computerxplorers.co.uk

i2 Office provide serviced offices, virtual offices, meeting rooms and business lounges with the latest technology and the highest quality fit-out in Grade A buildings across the UK. T: 0203 440 5000 W: www.i2office.co.uk

The ZipYard is the UK’s most successful and fastest growing garment alteration franchise in the UK. Established in Ireland since 2005 ZipYard Centres are now springing up on High Streets across the UK. T: 01530 513300 E: edownes@recognition-express.com W: www.thezipyard.com

talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk 139

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OPINION

Hot topics

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Q

Would you ever hire someone from The Apprentice?

HERE’S WHAT THE REST OF YOU THOUGHT:

YES

30% NO

JONATHAN RICHARDS, CEO OF BREATHEHR Never, never, never! The Apprentice is about making (questionably) good TV, so the contestants are paraded for their celebrity, rather than business skills. Apprentices demonstrate combative skills that have no place in business. The whole premise of the show is stuck in a past decade too, maybe even as far back as Gordon Gekko shouting ‘Lunch is for wimps’.

SHARON WALPOLE, CEO OF WWW.NOTGOINGTOUNI.CO.UK It very much depends on the candidate. It’s a television show, so it takes some bottle and ambition to go through the programme.

Self confidence and drive are good qualities, but so is the willingness to start at entry-level and work hard. The other issue is the competitive nature of the candidates; it’s all about them, but the ability to work in a team is extremely important.

THE NUMBERS GAME

70%

Each month we ask a selection of business leaders for their views on an aspect of business. This month, we’re discussing popular TV show, The Apprentice

KIMBERLY DAVIS, FOUNDER OF SARSAPARILLA MARKETING AND FORMER THE APPRENTICE CANDIDATE When The Apprentice first started, it was about finding the best business minds in Britain. Sadly, by the time they got to my series (Series 5), the producers figured out that brawls sell better than brains. I found myself living and competing against a 50/50 split of the most intelligent, mature, and talented people I’ve ever met, whom I would be proud to work with again, such as James, Howard, and Anita; and some of the most vile, mentally-stunted people I’ve ever met, who I wouldn’t trust to spell their name right. So would I hire someone from The Apprentice? The answer is yes, if they are skilled and really interested in business, and no, if they’re just in it for the fame and attention.

SUKHI GHUMAN, CEO AND FOUNDER OF OCTAVIAN Attention-seeking and fame-hungry - these people are a world away from the hardworking and trustworthy people I’d want to do business with.

The Apprentice is more about the characters and the sub-plots than raw business acumen, painting business entrepreneurs as greedy and self-indulgent. An appearance on the show used to be a half-credible addition to your CV, but if one landed on my desk today, it would go straight into the shredder.

DARREN FELL, MD AND FOUNDER OF CRUNCH ACCOUNTING It might work for Lord Sugar, but the way contestants conduct business is appalling, and would absolutely put me off hiring them.

I can’t think of one person who has come out of The Apprentice looking good - in fact I’m surprised many of them can find any work after appearing on the show!

WHAT DO YOU THINK? TELL US YOUR THOUGHTS ON TWITTER @TALKBUSINESSMAG *Talk Business magazine and its staff are in no way linked to, condone, or agree with, any opinions expressed in this article.

Opinions are solely those of the named individuals.

talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk 141

OPINION

Trash talk Each month we ask a different business man or woman the everyday phrases that â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;drive them up the wallâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; in the business world, and why

7RR EXV\" 7KHQ WU\ XSJUDGLQJ WR ĆŤEUH RSWLFV A great example of the business worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attempt WR DGRSW D ĆŹDVKLHU PRUH XS WR GDWH DSSURDFK WR LWV RĆ­FH MDUJRQ DQG IDLOLQJ MY MOST HATED BUSINESS JARGON

Chris Smith Opinio Group Job Title: CEO The business: Launched in December 2011, Opinio Group is a suite of digital businesses that are focussed on improving the jobseekerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s journey.

MyJobMatcher.com is the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lead product matching jobseekers to their ideal job in seconds â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and will be expanding into the US market later in 2015. Opinio Group has two other core products; Applitracker and IMPS - both enable a recruiter/hirer to reach jobseekers more quickly and better than before through its Intelligent Mass Posting System.

Contact: www.opiniogroup.com

HELICOPTER VIEW: Simply put, a broad overview of the business, but why the need for an entirely new turn of phrase? Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more, it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even have any unique or specific relevance - it might as well be an aeroplane view, a skyscraper view, or a man-in-veryhigh-place-looking-down-view. What if itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s foggy?

NOT ENOUGH BANDWIDTH: Too busy? Try upgrading to fibre optics. A great example of the business worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s attempt to adopt a flashier, more upto-date approach to its office jargon - and failing.

I reckon I know a few people who havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been blessed with enough bandwidth, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s got nothing to do with being busy!

LOOKING UNDER THE BONNET: Analysing a situation. Of all the phrases, this one does at least have some relevance to what you are actually trying to achieve.

However, it does still have an annoying ring to it that basically means â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;somethingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s gone wrong, we need to find out who/what/whyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. Either way, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not good news.

TOUCH BASE/REACH OUT: You mean Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d actually have to sit down and have a conversation? Canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t I just touch base? Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s far less like having to have a human interaction. Touching base is one of those phrases that sounds pretentious and important in an attempt to achieve some form of gravitas. You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;touch baseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, you simply need to have a catchup. Maybe say it louder, so everyone can see how important you are.

WANT THE CHANCE TO GET YOUR FRUSTRATIONS OUT?

Tell us the insane phrases that wind you up, and you could feature here - simply email editor@talkbusinessmagazine.co.uk with the subject line â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;trash talkâ&#x20AC;?.

142 April 2015