BizCom - Bringing Local Businesses to the Local Community by thebusinessescommunity

WHERE BUSINESSES MEET THE COMMUNITY Issue 10 - August/Sept/Oct 2020

Meet the team behind Herts Kitchen Let’s get to know the people behind the businesses - what’s available locally in the amazing city that is St Albans!

How’s it going at Eve & Adam?

Meet Doug at Moveology

INSIDE THIS ISSUE THE

Spot the Postbox Toppers

Businesses COMMUNITY

3 Counties Expo ADL Electrical

Athena

Dance2Gether

Eve and Adam

Events

Ginny Cooper

Headcase Barbers

Herts 10k

Herts Kitchen

Home Start Herts

Jeremy Banks

Kick Pistol

Macpro Design & Print

Moveology

My Mustard

Oaklands College

Peer 2 Peer

Popdance

Sarah Oglethorpe

St Albans Postboxes

STANTA

The Brandit

The Businesses Community

Willmott Dixon

Woo Hoos

THE

Businesses COMMUNITY

Wow! What a few months it’s been! The most strangest and weirdest of times for all of us.

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However, it’s been absolutely incredible seeing how businesses and consumers have been adapting and working together to get through this. From communities being set up in the streets of St Albans, people helping each other out with shopping, setting up whatsapp groups so neighbours can pull together, to businesses learning new ways of doing things, being forced to change the norm and come up with new ideas for the way forward. Many of which, I’m sure, will remain well into the future. Now, more than ever, we value the importance of bringing St Albans

Businesses to the Community enabling people to know more about the amazing people behind the businesses, that they are real people, working hard to bring St Albans the best products and services in the best way possible.

So please, grab a cuppa and sit back and enjoy their stories and what drives them to do what they do. The TBC Team

We want to know about YOU and YOUR business - email stalbans@thebusinessescommunity.com to find out how to get involved 03 5

Your Change. Their future.

Many of the families we support were already struggling with mental health, isolation and anxiety, and we have seen some of them pushed to absolute breaking point.

• Take Away sandwichs for lunch • Coffee/Tea on-the-go • Fuel

Our real concern now is about what happens as lockdown eases; we know there are families who will have silently fallen apart behind closed doors, we also know that lockdown has contributed to a rise in domestic abuse with victims unable to escape their abuser.

• Eating out

With your help, we can make sure we are there for these families and children as the full impact of this situation unravels. This is not a quick fix and will take time.

• Commuting fares

If during lockdown, you have saved money on going out, travel costs, hair appointments etc. we are asking you to consider making a regular donation of just £3 per month to help those families and children to build their lives back up.

Whether you’ve saved money on:

• Drinks in your local • Beauty treatments • Hair cuts

Your £3 per month can make a HUGE difference to so many family’s lives - and it’s really easy to donate - take a look here and help to make that difference. Thank you. www.home-startherts.org.uk/yourchange-their-future/

It’s Electrifying!

We caught up with Anton Leto from ADL Electrical to see how things have been going: Hi Anton, How has lock down been for you and the business? I’ve been quite lucky and have been able to work throughout, taking the necessary precautions needed, depending on the client. Are you now able to get back out there? I am very busy and looking to take on another electrician soon. What kind of electrical work are you finding that customers need at the moment? A lot of ring door bells and ring cctv etc, I’ve been doing loads of outside work, garden lights etc, also lots of condition reports and certificates

Can you tell us a bit more about the landlord safety certificates that you help with? New legislation means everyone needs certificates for when new tenants move in. And we understand you also fit burglar alarms and CCTV? Yep, I also do anything from wired to wireless burglar alarms and cctv systems, depends on customers and what they need.

antonleto22@outlook.com T: 07810 771020 Facebook adlelectricalstalbans

Homestead is where the heart is! Residential Homestead Block at Oaklands College WILL be ready for September

Despite the lockdown, the first phase of the 5-year redevelopment of Oaklands College is on target and will be ready for students in September. The first phase of the redevelopment, introduces a sustainable Residential Homestead block, housing up to 81 new students with spacious living space, kitchens, communal and outdoor recreational areas. Predominantly for

Oaklands Wolves Sports Academy students, the new facilities offer Oaklands College an opportunity to offer courses to students from all over the UK, keen to join the elite Sports programmes and courses at the college. Phase 2 of the redevelopment introduces the newly named Evolution Centre to Oaklands College. Named by Oaklands staff members to reflect the changing nature of the site and the college over time, as well as the evolution that students go through whilst they are with us, as they move to their futures.

The Evolution Centre focuses on providing a brand-new General Teaching Block, containing 49 new classrooms, offices for curriculum staff and house our Pathway 4 Special Needs Provision. Principal Zoe Hancock said â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are so pleased with the first phase of redevelopment at our St Albans Campus. Willmott Dixon have ensured the residential Homestead block stayed on track and have delivered to a high standard, incorporating 81 en-suite bedrooms for students with fantastic facilities. We now look forward to the second phase which is the General

Teaching block due for completion in 2021.â&#x20AC;? As well as the redevelopment, Oaklands College has also made improvements to its facilities, with a brand new, multi-purpose 3G pitch for 11-, 9-, 7- and 5-a-side football and will be situated on the expansive acreage of our ground. Find out more about the amazing facilities and courses at Oaklands College here. And, did you know that Oaklands College have fantastic services for commercial businesses? Find out more here.

Is it time for a change in your life? Sarah Oglethorpe may just have the answer for you…. I was introduced to Arbonne a few years ago by a respected colleague, whom I worked with in the corporate world. At the time, I was looking for something which was totally flexible, where I could have more opportunities to be present with my family when it mattered most to me. I always recommend restaurants, hotels and products to friends, so this seemed a great way to earn money by sharing products I love. All I did was switch my brand to Arbonne, who follow a stringent ingredient policy resulting in clean nutrition, skincare, body care, hair care and makeup products. Our product philosophy embraces the connection between a healthier mind, stronger body and more beautiful skin. Recommending Arbonne products is easy as since using them I can honestly say that I look and feel great!

GP’s, accountants, property developers, beauticians, and bankers to name a few, we work together to help each other grow and be the best we can. Forbes magazine, like many others, believe that the social marketing business model is the shopping model of the future. If you are fun, coachable, driven, and entrepreneurial, who doesn’t mind working hard, I would love to coach and help you build an additional source of income. It only costs £30 to start a business - what have you got to lose?

Arbonne is a B Corp organisation, which means we balance people, planet and profit as a source for good! In the few years I’ve been with Arbonne, I have rediscovered my sense of purpose and have enjoyed coaching others to build successful businesses too. Arbonne is fun, supportive and they provide great business tools for you to grow your business. We are a passionate community of Independent Consultants from all backgrounds including teachers, lawyers,

Give Sarah a shout to see if Arbonne could be right for the life you want. sarahoglethorpe@hotmail.co.uk Mobile 07734 604866 or visit her website www.sarahoglethorpe.arbonne.com

Show customers that you are open for business and how you are keeping them safe with a walk through video. Prices start from just ÂŁ100, are quick and easy to produce, can easily be shared across your social media channels and are a great way to show your customers exactly what their experience will be like when they visit you. For details contact me on 07977 555090 jb@jeremybanksphotography.com www.jeremybanksphotography.com

The yarnbombers are back! THE YARNBOMBERS – SUMMER 2020 Summer Flower Trail - 12 postboxes This would not be possible without our fantastic, talented, clever and dedicated team of creative magicians. Led by Atlas Translations and Candy Stuart – they have crocheted, knitted, created, and devised cleverly during this very…. difficult time to bring to life the amazing floral toppers that adorn the postboxes. All their time and materials generously donated. This year, the team are fundraising for two local charities - Open Door, and St Albans and District Foodbank. Since 1993 Open Door, with the help of the St Albans’ community, has supported over 7,000 people who have experienced homelessness and been at risk of sleeping rough. The Charity funds improvements to the Open Door shelter, as well as covering the costs of outreach services and the volunteer coordinator. The Open Door Charity focusses its efforts on fundraising to support and develop homelessness services, and recruiting new volunteers. Open Door will receive one half of the donations we receive this year. One in five of the UK population are living in poverty. St Albans & District Foodbank want to make sure that no one in our local community has to go hungry, but need your donations to make this happen. St Albans & District Foodbank will receive one half of the donations we receive this year. We remind you that all the #stalbanspostboxes toppers have been made with love, imagination and possibly some swearing, and at no cost, by volunteers. Business sponsors have been identified and generously gave their money, and prizes! Admin, emails, phone calls, helpers, web designers and hosters, map artists, app designers, photographers, Facebookers, bloggers, Instagrammers, all donating time and expertise behind the scenes. So, whatever you do, please, please, please enjoy – and then, don’t forget to donate: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/stalbanspostboxes

Summer Flower Trail 2020

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If YOU would like to work on a topper for Christmas 2020, we would love to hear from you as soon as possible.

10 things you can do to benefit your business right now! June Cory of My Mustard explains: “Making promises and keeping them is a great way to build a brand.” Seth Godin There are hundreds, if not thousands of social posts and articles about how you need to market your business during a crisis which I agree with… however, if you run a business that is literally not able to trade right now, spending thousands of pounds of advertising to drive traffic to a website that really can’t convert and will just annoy clients then I say stop. Do what you can do at this time. Use your time and cash wisely. 1 Update your social media presence, it’s looked tired for months, polish it up. 2 Sort out your website – weave the relevant keywords into the content, update the news section, doublecheck the links are still working 3 Finally get around to claiming your Google My Business listing and start working on the Google reviews. 4 Write a blog. Go on, you have something to say… so say it. 5 Analyse where your new clients came from in the past six months, are you spending time and money in the right place? 6 If you are a fervent networker, write out your 60 seconds and add it as a social post. 7 Search audience is up in some areas – reading, gardening, exercise, cycling, games, some recruitment, loungewear – is this an opportunity for you? 8 Update your opening hours on Google maps – particularly if you are trading. 9 Don’t give away the farm – giving free advice is fine but be careful not to devalue your skills, we will come out of this and you’ll need to be able to revert to your usual charging model. 10 Be thoroughly decent to your existing clients; now is not the time to wave contracts in the air, now is the time to reassure them that you are a decent person to do business with. We will be judged on our behaviour when the war is won. Stay authentic. Stay consistent. Stay on track.

Stay safe. www.mymustard.co.uk

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Keep Dancing! So, the end of March everything changed for Dance2gether, like the rest of the world, activities just stopped. For a day or two, it was just a case of coming to terms with the fact that life had changed, and seeing my lovely pupils face to face would have to be a memory for the time being. Panic started to set in, however, I knew there would be a way through it. I had always thought that teaching online would be an impossible task, and hardly worth the effort, however I was so wrong! After spending a few days researching and practising with Zoom, a few pupils and I got together for our first virtual class. This paved the way for the last few months, and I think will now always have a place in my teaching. After all, online, I can teach anyone, anywhere, from the comfort of their own home, and depending on where their screens are placed, there are even areas where I can see better than in real life! It has been a huge learning curve, has developed me further as a teacher, has stretched me when things got tough and I actually wouldn’t now change it. Zoom classes are still working, and we are now starting to prepare to come out and hopefully be able to start teaching face to face very soon. I believe that teaching 1-2-1 and privately will probably work the best first, and I’m hoping that classes will be able to start in September. So, looking forward, our adult and children classes will hopefully be starting again with the beginning of ‘Strictly’, and our pupils can once again enjoy the experience that so many of our celebrities have done. For further information about Dance2Gether’s online classes, private classes, and studio classes hopefully in September, phone Sam on 07974 173020 or email info@dance2gether.co.uk.

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Happy 20th Anniversary to Ginny Cooper STANTA’s Operations Manager Wow! 20 years at STANTA, Ginny, were you 21 when you started there? That’s very sweet of you; but no, I was in my 30s when I started and Bradley and Sammy were 8 and 5½ so I worked 9.30am to 2.50pm so that I could get back to Harpenden in time to collect the children! I was the Administrator and worked three days a week then, which suited me perfectly as it fitted in with the family and once I left the office, I didn’t have to think about work. So you must have seen a lot of changes during those 20 years for businesses? For the first five years our office was at St Albans Enterprise Centre, off Porters Wood and my boss was John Cornish, whose standard reply to “I could do that” was “We’ll see” – so quite frustrating for me. The office was quite dated, built in the 70s to house light industrial companies – it had large red loading doors, even on the upper floor, with one toilet for everybody to share; not so pleasant (see pic on next page)! The most tedious thing was waiting for the table top printer to print; even in those days we gave every business advice client lots of information sheets to take away – but it took sooo long for them to print out! I kept thinking about the 6 foot photocopier that printed everything so quickly at Debenhams Head Office, where I had previously worked as a PA.

Did we see a photo somewhere showing the STANTA building whilst it was being built? Can you tell us a bit more about that? In the Autumn of 2004, John Cornish retired and Mel Hilbrown joined as Executive Director. We had just secured a site in Soothouse Spring, around the corner to the Enterprise Centre, to build another Business Centre and it was really exciting chosing the layout for the kitchenette in our office, visiting it wearing a hard hat and watching it being built.

The Directors had to choose a name – STANTA being an acronym for St Albans Enterprise Agency so STANTA Business Centre was born and now everyone knows us now as STANTA. We moved into Stanta Business Centre in April 2005 and I had an ‘interesting’ two

weeks looking at John from Amthal’s back whilst he programmed the intruder alarm on the high PC on the other side of the office (lol). Once my children went to secondary school and they could get themselves home, I was able to work longer hours and my role really developed: sales person for the office suites, as well as devising all the office systems and admin for our business advice clients and representing STANTA at networking and Chamber of Commerce meetings. I think it was about 2008 that I was promoted to Administration Manager. What do you love most about being part of the STANTA Team? There are five of us in the STANTA team and we all get on very well, have interesting political discussions and enjoy the occasional lunch or drink out. The St Albans District Chamber of Office share our office too and there is useful synergy. I’m the only full timer, Mel Hilbrown and Mark Fordham are the business advisers working two days each and Michael Weaver from Harpenden does our books. My job has been eased since Eva Lambe joined two years ago, as she handles all the admin connected to our training courses, which run twice a week. The days go by quickly and are varied and interesting, so that’s why I’ve stayed working at STANTA for 20 years and in

recognition of my role, my job title recently changed to Operations Manager. What I love most about my job now is meeting so many interesting people; tenants and business advice clients alike and I really enjoy seeing clients’ businesses start, grow and develop and knowing that STANTA have helped them on their journey. It’s very rewarding when we receive a great testimonial! I am a great networker – I thrive on connecting people and this is why our relationship with TBC works so well. STANTA helps micro businesses to start, grow and develop by offering free advice and training for businesses under 3½ years old and once you have outgrown your home office, you can take space at Stanta Business Centre; we have one desk space in a shared office up to an 8 person office. Ginny Cooper - Operations Manager www.stanta.co.uk Email: advice@stanta.co.uk Tel: 01727 837760

Getting back to business We caught up with Sally Shepherd, Owner of Eve and Adam Beauty Clinic to find out how things have been over the last few months. Wow, Sally, what a rocky road it must have been for you over the last few months with Covid-19? How are you all doing? It has been the uncertainty and the unknown. We were totally expecting to reopen, along with Barbers and hairdressers, on 4th July. Then having to wait again, with no clarification on a date was very stressful. But since 13th July we have hit the ground running and because we had time to get all new measures and procedures in place, it has been busy but very manageable. So, the lockdown really gave you time to spend on the business, what with the slight name change to Beauty Clinic and the incredible refurb of the salon - we must say, it looks amazing. How did that all come about? It is something I had been planning but we never had enough time to completely refurbish in one go as we needed to accommodate clients - closing for a long period was not an option. Lockdown allowed space to think and the time to carry out the refurbishment - it has been great to reopen with a fresh and new feel and with more space to accommodate social distancing. As the industry has grown our business has evolved and we felt that â&#x20AC;&#x153;Beauty Clinicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; better described us. We offer all regular beauty treatments but advanced skincare too.

So what can customers expect when they visit Eve and Adam now - how does it all work with safety measures in place? So on booking clients are sent an embedded covid-19 form to complete, via email, plus protocols on what to expect. If they are a new client to us they will also be sent a consultation form to complete, again online. When they arrive at the clinic they have their temperature checked and are asked to wash/sanitise their hands. They are taken straight through to the treatment room (or nail station) where their therapist will be wearing full PPE - a visor, gloves and aprons. Our couches are covered in plastic wipedown covers and disposable towels and equipment is all in place. We have factored in 15 mins in between each appointment to allow for full cleaning down and preparation. I was mindful after 4 months not working, my team would not only need additional time to adjust but also to adapt to the wearing of full PPE all day. And we understand that as of August, you do have your full service back in place? Yes! Lash and brow tinting and waxing is very popular, as is laser hair removal on the face, so we are happy to be able to start these as of Sat 1st August. And full body massage can be reintroduced. We have been offering back massages but felt a full body was more in line with facial procedures with regard to a client being face up, so decided to wait until facials can resume to wait until facials can resume. We are also aware that you are specialists in skin care and anti-ageing treatments as well - can you tell us a bit more about that? We can’t wait to get our (covered) hands on our clients’ skin and perform facial treatments. Clients are desperate to start their facial treatments again as they are missing the results they were seeing. Although during lockdown, I have been delivering products direct to homes, salon treatments have definitely missed. We offer full complementary skincare consultations for any skin concern, not just for anti ageing. In fact, we are hearing a lot of concerns about dry skin, roseacea and acne possibly due to the wearing of masks and stress - we can help address all these by prescribing across our 3 skincare brands and creating a range of bespoke treatments. We have also had a lot of enquiries about laser hair, and thread vein, removal. I think people have had more time to look and assess themselves during lockdown. Our laser hair removal clients were delighted to have undertaken this treatment prior to lockdown when shaving would have been the only option. And ear piercing is extremely popular at Eve and Adam - especially over the summer - do you have any appointments left for that service? Yes we are always very busy, particularly over the holidays, with ear piercing, but we have 3 senior therapists here who offer the service so I am confident we can accommodate. So what’s the best way of customers getting in touch with you, finding out more or booking? Either call us on 01727 854483, email info@eve-and-adam.com, or book online at www.eve-and-adam.com Our treatments are available to see on our website, as our any offers, but please call for further information. CURRENT OFFER: 30% OFF ANY LASER HAIR REMOVAL COURSE UNTIL 31ST OCTOBER Eve and Adam have been established since 2003 and can be found on Catherine Street

Remodelling, Redefined About Herts Kitchen Recently we caught up with Ali from Herts Kitchen to learn a little more about what they do. Here’s what he had to say. Simon and I run Herts Kitchen and if I was to summarise what we do; we transform your home and deliver your renovation project on time, on budget, and in a really nice and friendly way (which sounds silly but our clients do love how nice all our team are!).

Our team Simon and myself manage the business. Simon is the face of the business really, he’s the one visiting our clients at their homes at all hours of the day offering consultations and quotes, while I work with suppliers negotiating the best deals enabling us to pass on savings to our clients and ensuring we meet our fixed price promise. Our wider team includes Pete, James and Andy who deliver exceptional levels of service and never end the day without leaving a tidy and safe space behind.

What we actually offer: • • • • •

Kitchen Renovations Home Extensions Garage Conversions Fixed Price Quotes Fully Project Managed (which means you only ever need to liaise with one person from our team, usually Simon) this is really where we shine and differentiate ourselves. We believe communication is key and so by having a nominated contact for each project, everything goes through one person meaning all our tradespersons and suppliers are working from the same set of instructions.

Our Promise Fixed Price Promise There will be no hidden costs where we’re working on your home renovation project. The price quoted will be the price you pay. Respecting Your Home Building is a messy business but we’ll always tidy up where we can. At the end of everyday our team will make every effort to leave access areas clear and safe. No Nasty Surprises We always survey your space to prepare for any potential problems in advance and prevent any nasty surprises along the way. If, in the unlikely event, an unexpected situation does occur, we’ll explain what has happened, offer solutions and deal with it swiftly.

Why choose us? It’s simple, we offer peace of mind! We take care of the entire process from start to finish and the best bit is we stand by our fixed price promise, so what we quote is what you pay! You can rest easy knowing the work is being taken care of by professionals who actually care about delivering exceptional levels of service for every one of our clients. Plus, we’re really competitive on our prices, (just last month one of our clients told us we offered the cheapest quote they had with a more professional attitude to customer service). “You guys are trustworthy, honest and have a ‘can-do’ attitude, always prepared to go the extra mile to ensure that the work is completed to a very high standard. I’ll have no hesitation in using you again and I’ll be recommending you whenever the opportunity arises.” Gary from Harpenden • Telephone: 01582 250980 • Email: info@hertskitchen.co.uk • Website: hertskitchen.co.uk

A day full of opportunities The 3 Counties Expo was started in 2016 by Debbie Gilbert and she teamed up with Louise Yexeley to run an event in Luton and Abby Dennis to run one in Watford. These have become annual events. The concept is to bring businesses together from Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Buckingham for a day of learning, networking and an opportunity to showcase your business. Most companies tend to focus on networking in their local area and Debbie felt this was a missed opportunity. Cross county networking does work and over the years many success stories have come out of the meetings at The 3 Counties Expo. Here is what some of our exhibitors say. Who Exhibits and Why? The Expos have proved to be very popular and each event has seen 300 - 400 people come together to create conversations and connections which often lead to business opportunities. Visitors range from business owners, managers and employees from a wide variety of business sectors. Only 2 types of the same business can exhibit to ensure a wide variety of companies. Business who choose to exhibit are given lots of advice about how to exhibit to get the most from their experience. This is a great opportunity to connect with your target market. Exhibitors are also promoted before the events via the website ad social media.

Exhibitors have told us they have had leads from these promotions from people who have not attended the event! Free entry for visitors There is no charge for visitors to attend. Visitors are also well briefed on what to expect and how best to plan their visit. There is no charge for visitors to attend. Free refreshments and free parking! Throughout the duration of the events tea, coffee and water are served free of charge. During the morning you will also find free biscuits and pastries. Both our venues have ample free parking, making attending the expos easy.

Networking An Expo wouldn’t be complete without some networking. At The 3 Counties Expos you will be able to join in breakfast networking with a tasty cooked breakfast. The format allows you the opportunity to promote your business, share your literature and hear a guest speaker. At the Luton event there is also a free speed networking session at 11am. No booking required - just turn up on time. The events close with a networking lunch serving a buffet lunch and another chance to promote your business and a great guest speaker. What is happening in 2020? At the moment there are 2 Expos booked in, which have already been rescheduled due to the pandemic. The dates planned are: 24th September in Watford at Mercure Hotel 3rd November in Luton at Venue 360 To book your stand, enquire about sponsorship, book a free visitor ticket or networking place visit the website. www.3countiesexpo.co.uk

Testimonials Kate Cherry, The Athena Network ‘I attended the Expo in 2016 and have exhibited every year since 2017. I have seen it from both attendees’ and exhibitor’s perspective. It is an all-round incredibly well run event. The quality of speakers is top notch, the balance of free vs paid for additional activities, the opportunities to network as well as visit the stands. As exhibitor the information provided in the run up is spot on and we’re looked after on the day with lots of coverage and opportunity to network with other exhibitors, as well as a good flow of visitors.’ Marcus Thomlinson, The Mindset Revolution ‘Fabulous event. Well organised, promoted, attended and managed. Made some great contacts and had numerous enquiries. Best event I have attended of this type in the last few years. Many other events could learn from the professionalism of Abby, Debbie and the team. Thank you’

On track at Oaklands Herts-based construction company Willmott Dixon is helping Oaklands College expand its St Albans campus by building new residential accommodation and a teaching facility. Despite the pandemic, building work has continued after Willmott Dixon adjusted its procedures to include social distancing measures and adhere to the Construction Leadership Council’s Site Operating Procedures. This has meant completion of the first element, the 83-bedroom Homestead residential block, will be by September, with work then beginning on phase two - Evolution centre – so it’s ready for 2021. Project lead Jack Wells explains how Willmott Dixon has continued to build safely at Oaklands College during Covid-19: “When Covid-19 arrived, we had to move quickly to ensure our operations remained safe for our people and supply chain partners so we could continuing building at Oaklands.” Navigating lockdown Explaining the initial steps taken after lockdown measures were introduced in March, Jack said: “We had to act with the upmost consideration and empathy when considering our options. Our first priority was to consider how the Site Operating Procedures could be safely implemented. We held meetings both internally and with Oaklands to discuss options. Looking at the

guidance, we felt we could quickly embed the required range of social distancing measures at the site to allow work to continue.” Another factor was to reduce the numbers of people onsite. Jack explained, “We reviewed our team’s roles, leaving on site only those who cannot perform their roles from home. This led to commercial and design roles being reallocated to home working environments – something that freed up space in our site office to arrange desks so each could be spaced more than two metres apart at any one place.” Site review “Our next step was to review the site’s layout, looking at where bottlenecks could occur and implementing measures to mitigate this. We implemented a series of one-way systems and marked out 2m spacing at the entrance and throughout the site to avoid close contact. Guidelines were laid out for busy areas, a maximum of one person allowed in each toilet block at a time, with 2m distancing a necessity, as well as bringing in extra welfare provisions such as one person toilets. Hand sanitiser was made available at entrance and exits, within the site cabins and at key points

throughout the interior. It is regularly monitored to ensure stocks remain high. Welfare provision is key, again Jack had a plan, “In our canteen, we staggered break and lunch times to prevent overcrowding. We also removed seats from tables to maintain social distancing, for the sake of cleanliness, microwaves and kettles were removed and our people and supply chain partners were encouraged to bring their own food. To create further space for our people and supply chain partners to take their breaks while abiding by social distancing, we reconfigured the project’s plan to delay works on three large rooms, using them as further breakout space. We worked closely with the supply chain to ensure that operatives weren’t working in the same area at the same time to ensure that social distancing was always maintained.

outdoor recreational areas. This will be available for students in the Wolves Sports Academies who come from over the UK to join the elite programmes and study at the college. Jack concludes, “We now look forward to the second phase, which is the Evolution Centre, due for completion in 2021.”

September opening This careful planning has enabled work on the residential Homestead block to stay on track, providing 81 en-suite bedrooms for students and 2 warden rooms along with fantastic facilities such as communal rooms, kitchens and both indoor and

Herts 10k Hi guys, we’ve heard a rumour that the infamous Herts 10k is still going ahead, however, with a bit of a difference.

Can you tell us a bit more about that? Yes that is correct, due to the Coronavirus pandemic we won’t be able to host the Herts 10k in person this year, however we are inviting participants to join us virtually. You can sign up to run our always popular 10k distance or our new distance for this year, the Half Marathon. And it’s on Sunday 4th October? What time does it start or can people run or walk at all different times? Yes, it will remain on Sunday 4th October. We will still be asking participants to set off on their desired distance at 10:00am and they are welcome to walk or run their chosen distance. If you are unable to complete your chosen distance in one go, you will have the opportunity to complete the distance over the course of the following week. We will also be hosting a zoom pre-race warm up for all participants to join in, wishing them good luck with a count-down to see them off. How would you advise people work out their 10k or half marathon route - is there an app or something to help with that? We are encouraging participants to choose

a route that suits them – challenge yourself to some hills, or pace around a flat path, the choice is yours. The sign up platform, Race Nation, has an app which participants can use to track their chosen route and will create a leadership board for those that wish to compete against their own best times and that of others taking part. Do people need to do much training beforehand? That depends on your fitness when you sign up to the event, if you have never run before then Couch to 5k is great to help you start your running journey. We have other useful tips and guides on our website: www.herts10k.com/training/ We will also be providing 5k & 10k training routes throughout the build up to the event that participants can use. And is it safe to take on the challenge with friends or work colleagues - what’s the safety guidelines on that? We ask that all participants take part and comply with the guidance set by the government, which is that you can meet in groups of 6 as long as

you abide by the 2 metre distancing rules or have safety measures in place to reduce this to 1+ metres. You can take part as an individual or with family, friends and colleagues as long as socially distanced. It’s a great team building opportunity for colleagues who can compete against one another in our corporate challenge and see where they are placed in our leader board table or have a prize for the biggest improver/ highest fundraiser. The Herts 10k has been raising much needed funds for Rennie Grove for the past 15 years - how important is it that the event goes ahead and people dig as deep as they can - what sort of things does the money people raise go towards? Rennie Grove Hospice Care is a registered charity offering services to support local patients diagnosed with cancer and other life-limiting illnesses. The HERTS 10K and Half Marathon is one of Rennie Grove Hospice Care’s flagship fundraising events, attracting thousands of runners and walkers every year and raising valuable funds to support the charity’s services across Herts and Bucks by signing up you will be supporting Rennie Grove Hospice Care deliver a vital service to your community. During lockdown, Rennie Grove Hospice Care’s seen record numbers of more than 600 patients being cared for. This unprecedented demand for our hospice at home service has been twinned with a funding crisis. Shops have been closed for months, and all events were cancelled. If we’re to meet this growing demand, we need you, now more than ever. Are there opportunities for people or businesses to sponsor or get involved in the event? Yes, we have a corporate challenge offering. For just £500, you will receive: • Logo and featured section on HERTS 10K & Half Marathon Virtual Event website • Press release produced for you to distribute • 10 free places to The Herts 10K & Half Marathon Virtual Event

• Reference on social media feeds • Tagged in social media posts • Create social media ‘story’ posts about your company and how they are involved in helping to support Rennie Grove to put on this event • Logo on post event communication to all participants that completed the event • Supporting you with internal communications and providing you with marketing material to encourage staff and family members to sign up to the event And do individuals or groups set up a donation page for the run - how does that work in terms of getting sponsorship for them to take part in the event? Whilst there is no minimum sponsorship that needs to be raised to take part in the Herts 10K and Half Marathon Virtual Challenge, we would encourage all participants to raise a minimum sponsorship amount of £57, which could fund two hours of specialist nursing care. Simply set up a JustGiving page and share it with your family and friends to sponsor you. Alternatively you can set up a Facebook fundraiser, or you can make a personal donation instead. How will registration fees and fundraising make a difference to Rennie Grove? 100% of all funds raised will enable Rennie Grove nurses to continue to provide care to for patients, both adults and children, enabling them to remain at home at the end of their life, with their loved ones. This is more important now more than ever as hospital admissions for patients means they are alone. By providing care in patient’s homes we are relieving the pressure on the NHS. We rely on voluntary

donations to fund our services and with thanks to our sponsors Levy Associates, Plowman Craven and P B Donoghue, all registration fees and fundraising will fund nursing care. It would be great if people could help to spread the word and get as many people involved as possible, is there a webpage with all the information, and also social media names and hashtags people can use? It may be worth giving us a simple sentence with the relevant links that people can share on social? Yes it would, thank you. We are encouraging supporters to spread the word far and wide about the event and as it can be done right from your front door it is more accessible than ever! Please do follow us on social media and like and share our posts about the challenge. Website: https://www.herts10k.com/ sponsorship/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ HERTS10K #virtualherts10k And, a little bird told us that there’s a really special, limited edition T-shirt and medal for every person that finishes - is that right? Yes that is correct. We are really excited by how the brand looks this year with our iconic Herts 10K and Half footprint and rainbow featured on our t-shirt and medals. Everyone that signs up to the event will receive a t-shirt prior to race day and all that complete their chosen distance will receive a finisher’s medal after the event. Both are limited edition for 2020 only! Ooh and one last question, are the runners/ walkers tagged, do they check in and check out with you guys somehow? Using the Race Nation app, participants can share their details with friends and family so although they can’t be there physically they can see how they are progressing along their chosen route and where the location they have chosen for their route. If participants would like to be included in the leader board table then

they will need to submit their results to Race Nation and there will be prizes for the top male, female and junior division. Ooh and one final question, it would be great for people to video themselves or take photos on the actual 10k on the day and share - is that something you would like people to do? Yes most definitely, we will be creating a gallery of everyone’s achievements showcasing pictures from everyone’s runs and walks on our social media. So, get your trainers ready for Sunday 4th October and let’s make this a different yet amazing incredible 16th year of the Herts 10k for Rennie Grove.

Woo Hoo! We did it! Celebrating another 30 amazing businesses in St Albans So it wasn’t what we had originally planned, but like most businesses, events and day to day life, we’ve all had to adapt, learn and try new things. And we are thrilled that we were able to go ahead with the 2020 Woo Hoo’s. Huge thanks to everyone who nominated an amazing business achievement Big, Big thanks to all our headline sponsor, Debbie Gilbert of 3 Counties Expo and all our incredible sponsors

And mahoosive Congratulations to all our winners! For some, going on camera is not in their comfort zone, but we were absolutely chuffed to bits with our sponsors, winners and our fabulous presenters taking to the camera and going for it.

And a big, big Thank You to Scott and Dan at Yellow Lizard Media for putting all of the videos together - certainly not an easy task. A mahoosive thank you to our team at TBC for promoting all of the videos out over the 30 days in June - you are amazing! And last but not least, we couldn’t do it without our fabulous co-hosts, David Jenkins of Brilliant Theatre Arts and Neil Barras-Smith of Total Legacy Care - thanks guys - you rock! We hope to see you next year, as originally planned, in the amazing Tipi at Oaklands College! Take a look at all the amazing winners here and get thinking about who you would like to nominate in 2021!

Moveology It’s moving! So, Doug, can you tell us a bit more about Moveology and the kind of customers you help? Hi Sue, Moveology grew out of a Sports Massage Therapy company my business partner and I had called, ‘1Life Health” which we started back in 2008. Back then we only offered Sports Massage. Over the following 8 years we realized that one therapeutic treatment was not enough to get people out of pain. By then as well as offering the Sports Massage we were qualified to offer more services such as; Osteopathy, AiM 3 dimentional movement therapy to help improve patients gait and overall bio mechanics. Medical Acupuncture, Running Technique and Taping & Strapping. Put all that together and the bottom line is we help patients come out of pain and improve their overall movement. Moveology was born out of that concept with our now well-known tagline ‘Improvement Through Movement”. Recently we have been honoured to include one of the country’s leading physiotherapists under the Moveology banner, Anj Coia. Not only is she an amazing athlete in her own right but she has worked amazing athletes, such as the Royal Ballet Company and Professional Triathletes, Runners and swimmers. We help anyone who is in pain or discomfort, or just wants to move better. All

ages and abilities. We do treat a lot of sports people but we equally treat patients for injuries picked up around the home or in the garden . We have had a lot of ‘working from home’ injuries lately due to the fact that people are work on their laptops on their dining tables and sofas and the result of which is that they then incur postural issues. And you usually work from a clinic room at Fitness First don’t you? Yes, our main St Albans clinic is in Fitness First, however at the time of writing this we are operating out of my home clinic due to the indoor gyms not re opening yet. So how does it all work with the social distancing and booking system? We have set up a COVID free practice to keep our therapists and patients safe. Any patients requesting a face-to-face consultation and/or treatment first require a brief screening via email to assess their clinical needs and to be screened for any additional risk factors. Prior to commencing any face-to-face consultation, a Covid Consent Form has to be read and signed. Follow up face to face treatment will be continually assessed with the health and safety of our patients and staff being paramount. Moveology has prepared for the

re-opening of our clinic to ensure patients and staff can return with confidence. As much as I agree with social distancing we are a close contact profession, so it’s impossible for us in clinic. However as part of our Covid measures we give our patients a mask if they haven’t got their own. We wear a mask, apron, gloves and if needed a face shield during treatments. Once patient leaves we sterilize every surface and ‘aerate’ the clinic for 20mins before we can allow next patient in. So if someone is sitting there suffering with back pain, do you have any tips on what they should do, why would they think to come to Moveology? We get a lot of enquiries regarding this issue. My immediate suggestion to ask where the pain is, when does it hurt, how long has it hurt, any numbness or heaviness in legs etc. If they are mobile I suggest that they try and move within their own pain free range as sometimes just doing this whether its rocking the legs side to side or going for a slow short walk can ease things off a bit. Sometimes if I think they could do more I’ll send a few other exercises to help. I think patients think of coming to see us as we have built up a solid reputation for helping patients out of pain over the last 12 years or so. We also like to deal with the body as a whole and not just treat the point of pain so that the pain returns again a couple of weeks after treatment. We are also known as educators when it comes to empowering patients to be able to help

themselves as much as we can. Are people able to book in a call with you to see if Moveology is right for them? Of course! I’m always happy to take a call or receive an email from people to see if we are right for them. They can email me through our website www.moveology.co.uk or call/text me on 07768 981012. My contact details are: Mobile: 07768981012 (please text initially as I maybe with a patient. Email: doug@moveology.co.uk or via our Website: www.moveology.co.uk Via moveologyuk pages on Facebook and Instagram.

Headcase Barbers are BACK! Hi Paul, so we bet you are now glad to be open again? Absolutely! It’s a strange feeling but it’s so good to be back in the thick of it and seeing people looking and feeling good again So how does it all work? So we are now running an appointment only system using our booking partner “nearcut”. Clients can either download the app or click via our social media channels or website - it’s a really simple system.

When you arrive for your appointment we ask you to wait outside as the waiting area is currently closed. When you come in our staff will be wearing PPE in line with the government guidelines but our clients don’t have to - it’s their choice. So the new booking system is a new thing for Headcase Barbers? How are you and your customers finding it? Yes it’s new to the shop but my staff and I all have a background in hair salons so we’re

all used to the appointment system but it is strange going back to it, although I must say we are enjoying it, and speaking with our clients it seems they are too so actually it may become a permanent fixture! And have you had fun working with home-made haircuts? Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve seen some interesting barnets!! And can customers book in again whilst they are with you, for their next haircut? At the moment we are crazy busy working

back to back and with slightly shorter than normal appointment times to try and fit everybody in so we are asking our clients to book themselves BUT when things calm down a touch we will then have more time to re-book clients straight away if needed. headcasestalbans.nearcut.com Instagram - @headcasestalbans Web - Headcase-barbers.com Facebook - Headcase stalbans

Client quotes: “My meeting at STANTA was one of the best steps I have taken so far since setting up my own business. The adviser’s ability to quickly understand my business, combined with his incredible knowledge and experience, really helped me to see the key areas that I need to focus on and the training courses were invaluable.” “Thank you STANTA, not only for the grant, but the amazing courses and fabulous advice and guidance we received from the start.”

Suite 11 shared office

Business Advice and Training Businesses in the pre-start stage up to businesses 3½ years old can join the Herts Start Up Programme (HSUP) which gives 12 hours FREE advice and training, over a 3-12 month period. One to one business advice meetings usually last about 2 hours and can be on any subject: start-up, company registration, marketing, networking, financial planning, expansion or diversification, to name a few. STANTA also run a wide variety of training courses: Introduction to Social Media, FB & Instagram for business, Google Analytics, SEO, email marketing, bookkeeping, Confidence on Camera and Presentation skills, business planning and GDPR explained, to name a few. For established businesses or employees, these cost only £50 but there is no charge for HSUP clients. Offices to rent STANTA Business Centre’s USP is that there is plenty of on-site FREE parking and there is no long-term commitment to a lease; after an initial three months, the notice period is one month, so if your business changes, you’re not tied down. Budgeting is easy as there is an

all-inclusive fixed monthly fee. And all suites have 24 hour access with a meeting room available to use and free on site business advice. Current vacancies are: One person desk space (£270 plus VAT per month) in a bright first floor office with air con (Or one business could take two desks). Shared kitchenette, microwave, toaster and coffee maker. 6-8 person office: (£1429.17 plus VAT per month) on the first floor with kitchenette & air con. All the information, prices and pictures are on the website: stanta.co.uk/premises/offices-to-rent-in-st-albans/ St Albans Enterprise Agency (STANTA) Suite 19 Stanta Business Centre 3 Soothouse Spring, St Albans AL3 6PF advice@stanta.co.uk www.stanta.co.uk 01727 837760 Ginny Cooper is the Operations Manager (assisted by Eva Lambe), Mel Hilbrown (Executive Director) and Mark Fordham are the very experienced business advisers.

Suite 17

Local Mum celebrates 11 years of Popdance • Dance Routines to Pop Music - here’s a look at their journey: 2009 Single Popdance class set up purely for family and friends here in St Albans Due to success of that class, other dance teachers wanted to open Popdance in their areas, so 4 more classes were set up in Manchester, Blackpool, Watford and Essex. 2010 Sue Wybrow gives up the day job to concentrate on Popdance. Popdance Kids introduced due to demand from parents wanting Popdance for their children and also for Holiday Park company, Park Resorts Popdance train 100 “bluecoats” to deliver Popdance within Park Resorts Popdance open 20 more classes across the UK and introduce Popdance Kids Parties. Popdance also travel the UK and Ireland running Popdance workshops for teachers to see what Popdance is all about. Popdance take part in Guinness World Record for Worlds Longest Dance with Ben Hammond in London. We were thrilled when Ben smashed the world record! 2012 Popdance Tots created, again due to demand from parents Tots parties introduced along with hen parties, corporate teambuilding events and

wedding dances. Paid speaker on “Marketing for Dance Teachers” at IDTA (International Dance Teachers Association) Conference in London, Leeds and Birmingham 2014 Popdance Fit, a cardio based dance class, introduced along with Popdance Seniors aimed at the over 50s Popdance launch “Dance My Street” charity campaign with Arlene Phillips. People across the world took part and shared their videos of them dancing in their street - all donations went to Alzheimers Society.

2015 Popdance continue to grow their team including in Oregon and Florida in the USA, Azerbaijan and Greece 2016 Popdance Fit awarded 16 Reps points for it’s programme. These are accreditation points that fitness instructors gain as part of their Continuing Professional Development. 2018 Popdance publish “101 Marketing Tips for Dance Teachers” book - available on Amazon 2019 More Teachers join the team - including in Cyprus, Switzerland, Ireland, Scotland, Saudi Arabia and Hungary. More teachers find Popdance via word of mouth, social media, our monthly ecomms and understanding the benefits of working with us. It’s all about working together, helping and supporting them in running all genres of dance and fitness they may provide, as well as Popdance.

2020 During Lockdown, Popdance classes and parties go online. Popdance has Licensed and Registered Dance Teachers and Dance Schools and works with approx. 2,500 teachers worldwide to deliver incredible Popdance classes, parties, workshops and events We also have a full merchandise range from clothing to accessories 2020 and beyond Our focus is on working with more dance schools and dance managers internationally to enable them to run Popdance in their areas as well as support them in all genres of dance or fitness that they offer. If you know any amazing dance teachers or dance schools, please point them our way - we are passionate about helping people to make a fantastic living doing what they love - dance!

www.popdance.co.uk 37

Kick Pistol Looking to the future Tipped as the biggest band to come out of Hertfordshire since Wham!, Kick Pistol from St Albans have been busily developing songs for their breakthrough album. We spoke with band members Ernie, Robert and Nate on how they’ve been getting on, and what plans they have for the future.

Have you guys got any plans for the next few months, now that you’re able to play together? Robert Sheppard said “Well, as you know, we aren’t able to play any live gigs at this point in time, however, we are thrilled that we are going to be able to get back in the studio later this month to record new material.

Now that the lockdown has been eased, how has that benefited you as a band? Ernie Wybrow said “It’s given us the chance to see each other again in person and finally practise together. Nate Shribman added “Yeah, I mean, we have had about 4 months without rehearsing together to catch up on, so I’m glad we now have the opportunity to do so, and even though we were unable to practise in the same room during quarantine, we had lots of fun creating a lockdown video performance of our orginal song “The Pragmatic”, which you can view on our YouTube channel.”

How do you guys see live music performances working out in the future? Robert said “I mean, right now, it’s a very tough time for local music venues and pubs, so it’s difficult to know when these will be able to reopen, but in the meantime, it’s important that we all try to support them in whatever way we can.” Ernie added “Yeah, we’ve had great support from local pubs, and it would be real shame to lose them as they are vital in supporting young bands starting out on the circuit.”

www.kickpistol.co.uk

Why communications are so important - especially right now! It’s been the most strangest and challenging of times for businesses as well as consumers - and with so much confusion as to whether businesses can operate or not, it’s been hard for consumers to keep up. So it’s really important to let your customers know what is happening in your business. Here’s a quick checklist that may help: • Can customers still buy from you in the same way they always have? • Do you have additional or different ways of buying from you? • Is it safe to buy from you? • Can customers buy both online and offline from you? • How can they pay you? Does it have to be contactless or can you still take cash? • Are your opening hours different? • Do customers need to wear a face mask when visiting you? • How can customers contact you to ask specific questions?

And here’s a quick checklist to help you as to where you can communicate these points: • • • • • • • • •

Social Media Google My Business Email Phone Your database Leaflets Your website BizCom ;) Radio (We hear Radio Verulam is very impactful!) • Advertising Many forms of communication are simple, quick and low cost to implement. So what are you waiting for? Make sure your customers know what to expect and how they can buy from you today

www.thebrandit.co.uk Construction & Civil Engineering Irwin & Colton – The Health, Safety & Environment Recruitment Experts At Irwin & Colton we have over a decade’s experience within the health, safety and environment industry. We have a deep understanding of the market and a strong commitment to giving our clients peace of mind, over the long term. We put in the work, every day, so you don’t have to. We recruit both permanent and contract professionals from Director to Manager and Advisor level. So, whether you’re recruiting, benchmarking salaries in an existing team or planning future hires we give you all the support you need. We find the best HSE professionals for leading Principal Contractors, Civil Engineering and Specialist Contractors operating across the breadth of the construction, housebuilding, rail, building and infrastructure industries.

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For further information and to discuss how Irwin & Colton can help you find the best Health, Safety, Environment & Quality professionals please contact: E: info@irwinandcolton.com T: +44 (0)1923 432 633 W: irwinandcolton.com

What kind of things can we help you with? We’ve got tons of experience in the events field and would love to help your business be completely ready for your upcoming event

E-COMMS AND WEBSITES

EVENTS AND SIGNAGE

Did you know that we can also help with email communications as well as websites? Whether that’s providing you with a designed email template that you can use in the software of your choice (mailchimp, Get Response, MailerLite for example), or helping you to build your “lists”, create your communications and deliver them regularly for you.

And, at Kall Kwik, right here in the centre of the City, we can help with all aspects of events and signage. From banner stands, to desktop stands, to complete exhibition graphics.

We can also build websites from scratch, or work with you on your existing site to make sure it’s working as hard as it can for you - your website is your “shop window” and we know how vital it is for your business!

From name badges, lanyards, promotional items and “A” boards - we work with you to ensure nothing is forgotten for your event - we’ve got tons of experience in the events field and would love to help your business be completely ready for your upcoming event.

REPORT AND ACCOUNTS Get in touch with us to find out more sales@city.kallkwik.co.uk

Our team are experienced in the design and production of those all important “Report and Accounts”. We understand the importance of accuracy, confidentiality, and deadlines.

COPYWRITING Stuck for words, or would value an “outsiders’ point of view? Our copywriting team love getting their teeth into the goals and objectives of your project and will work with you to get the right messages across in the right way to the right people.

6 IN THE HEART OF THE CITY

Macpro’s Guide to a safe return to work

How can I safely return my employees What steps do I need to take to create a safe working environment? to work? As the government eases lockdown, more businesses are able to reopen, getting back 1. Carry out a Specific COVID-19 Risk Assessment to providing their products and services. This is fantastic news but as we enter a phased As an employer, you have a legal responsibility to protect your employees period of returning to work, employers will and any other people who enter your site. need to put into action several key steps to help keep their staff and visitors safe. It’s vital that you establish what work activities or situations could cause the At Macpro Design & Print Limited we are transmission of the virus. There’s lots of working with local companies like yours to help get their workplaces ready for advice available to help you get it right. Here are a few prompts to get you going: business again with our Hygiene and Social Distancing products. If you would like some • Do you have separate entry / exit assistance in working out your best options based on budget, quantity, and specific points to your premises? requirements, do give us a call or visit our • How many people will be on site at any blog post for more information. given time?

• Which equipment is shared? • What communal areas do you have, both inside and outside the building? Think about how you operate, note any pinch-points, risks and concerns as they come up. This will allow you to formulate an actionable plan, highlighting changes that are required, situations to address and what needs to be implemented to create a safe working space. 2. Get Visible! Signage is a great way to communicate your messaging. There are various forms of signage that can be displayed and we offer a range of solutions, depending on your needs. Our Standard H & S Range of Products include:

To help keep costs down, we have a well-stocked library of template artwork, with correct graphics and health & safety wording for your printed materials. Alternatively, if you would like something more creative, we offer a design service too. 3. Communicate Change Creating change in the workplace can be challenging, one thing that makes it easier is to ensure that communications with your employees are on-point and up-to-date. Staff need to feel safe and know that you have put measures in place to reduce risks.

• Indoor Signage, Posters and Wall Graphics: Clearly display health advice / information to help your staff and visitors practice good hygiene / distancing. • Roller Banners (Classic or Clear Styles available) and Desk Dividers: Where people cannot be 2m apart, it’s important to manage risk transmission. Consider using desk dividers or screens to create a physical barrier between people. • Anti-Slip and Social Distance Floor Stickers: Social distancing can be tricky for people to gauge the exact space. It’s so much easier when it’s clearly marked on the floor! • Window Decal and Window Cling: Attention grabbing and a great way for utilising window space. • PVC Outdoor Banners: High impact, durable and weatherproof.

Building Incredible Connections For Your Business

15 years, yes, our founder Jacqueline Rogers set up the first groups (Amersham and Beaconsfield) when she saw there was a gap in the market for something that would be more suitable for the growing number of women in business and their busy schedules Hi Kate, So, how does it all work with and timings. Something that would also Athena? We understand that it’s for provide the nurturing environment to Women only? help women thrive both personally and in Hi SABs & BizCom! Yes, that’s right, we’re their businesses. Jacqueline has members a business networking and development who have been in her groups since the club for women in business. That means monthly networking meetings but with some very beginning, it’s an active part of their marketing strategy. fab extras. Members are from all different industries, and they can be sole traders, SMEs or in charge of business development And it’s not only a monthly meet up, but do you also have something called for the company they work for. Cappuccino Connections available to? Can I have 5 gorgeous groups across you tell us a bit more about that? Bedfordshire and the St Albans area, and We love to go the extra mile, so Cappuccino members can visit other groups nationally. Connections is a free regional coffee morning Our main focus is support, connection networking for our members, hosted either at and training, so we’re ideal for the shy a venue or online. Visitors can attend for £5 networker, someone who’s new to business and have access to the network and get a feel and wants to build relationships that will lead to fab referrals, but equally we’re great for what we do, sometimes before deciding to visit an Athena meeting (although I have for someone who’s more seasoned and has had one member join simply off the back of tried everything. Our membership is annual and we operate coming to the coffee morning!). I also host 2 large regional events every year, a summer a one seat per profession policy so there’s networking event in August (albeit not this no competition in our groups. year) and a festive version in December, this is And the network has been going for a because we only meet 10 months out of 12, we considerable time now hasn’t it? believe in having a break! We caught up with Kate Cherry, Regional Director at Athena, to find out more about this international business that supports so many women and their businesses.

How is it all working during Covid-19? It’s been very full on, I must say! A week before lock down we recognised something had to change, so we made the decision nationally to move our meetings online, which was fortunate timing because a week later the government announced lock down. We recognised that some members were vulnerable, some not keen to continue taking the risk of coming out, and essentially, we knew it was coming so we had to act. We dedicated a lot of time to working out logistics, helping members get up and running with Zoom technology, I held test calls and reached out individually to make sure my members were OK. I actually biked an iPad (belonging to my son!) to one member because she was having such difficulty with her tech. We had daily Regional Director calls to work out niggles and challenges as an organisation and we have only just stopped those regular meetings for the summer. And from going online, we understand that’s been really successful, enabling people to meet lots more people from other areas? Yes, I’ve been overwhelmed by the response, a few would love to be back in person but overall they’ve loved it. We gave members extra during this time, I have been holding more Cappuccino

Connections as they’ve attracted so many people who wouldn’t normally attend. Members have loved being able to visit all national groups for free instead of having to pay and travel since we introduced our “FREE PASS+” right at the beginning, this is where members get to fill in a form online to request to visit any other group for free. So there are no physical boundaries, people are meeting people from all over the country. One member worked out that her meeting fees became £1.67 a month as she was only paying for her meeting but attending so many more. Some members have told me they’ve done more business online than they would have in person. But it’s the support that’s astounded me and has demonstrated what we’re all about, some members went from very successful to having no business at all overnight, and the way they’ve supported each other and collaborated is incredible. So have you launched in St Albans yet? I did indeed, I purchased the St Albans Athena franchise last autumn and was planning to launch two St Albans groups together on Wed 25th March! We still went ahead virtually instead and the two groups are now successfully launched. Granted, the membership is slightly lower, understandably most people were concerned about what lock down meant for them in those early days, but visitors and members are really picking

up now. They’re both lovely groups and have been massively supported by visiting members using their PASS+. September is set to be busy! We maintained from day one that lock down was the key moment to stay visible and connected, more and more businesses are realising that now. Are there any particular kind of businesses that you think would benefit from joining Athena? Whether someone’s new to business or has been in business for years there’s always something to learn and new connections to be made. Someone who wants to grow their business by building meaningful relationships with others will love Athena because that’s the essence of what we do. In particular I love helping someone get results and grow in confidence in the process, I’m really proud of that side of what we do. When someone shy first walks in it’s important that they know Athena is a place where they can grow at their own pace, I love watching those transformations. Especially as women, something happens when we collaborate and when there’s no competition, it’s powerful. How do you feel that Athena really benefits businesses? I think it’s our combination of Connection, Support and Training. Someone who just wants to hand out business cards and get new contacts will not benefit from Athena, and in fact we’re quite strict on that in terms of who would be an ideal

member. But someone who wants to go on a journey that sustainably grows them and their profile and ultimately their bottom line, really dive in and take advantage of everything on offer, over and above the monthly meeting, will thrive. Professional business women working together (or as one visitor said this month “ Real women supporting real women”). Are people able to come along and give Athena a trial? Absolutely, we love meeting new businesses, visitors can check out one Athena meeting nationally before deciding if they’d like to become a member. They can also attend one Cappuccino Connections. Currently, while we’re virtual, the visitor meeting fee can then be used as a discount on annual membership, with an additional month for free. How do people find out more and book with you? Check out our website: www.theathenanetwork.com/katecherry And for the events you can go here: www.theathenanetwork.com/katecherry/events

Or just email me: kate.cherry@ theathenanetwork.com 07909 675 333 Links: www.linkedin.com/in/katecherryrd/ Facebook page for member interviews, networking tips and inspiration: www.facebook.com/AthenaNetworkBeds/

Aug-Oct Check the TBC Calendar HERE for all events

(as more are added all the time) and as to whether they are online or at some point can be offline. 2nd August 4th August 5th August 7th August 10th-16th August 10th August 11th August 12th August 12th August 13th August 13th August 14th August 19th August 26th August 26th August 27th August 27th August 28th August 30th August 4th September 9th September 10th September 16th September 17th September 14th October 15th October 30th October

Afternoon Tea at Rothamsted Manor - SOLD OUT (book for 30th Aug or Sept) Cappuccino Connections The Business Network South Herts Online Blogging for Beginners Brilliant Theatre - Performance in the Park Mums UnLtd Online Evening Group Mums UnLtd Online A Little Bit of Google Workshop TRIBE - Turning Reading Into Business Excellence Jelly - Co-working and Networking Mums UnLtd Online Confidence on Camera Mums UnLtd Online Business Planning Seminar Part 1 Harness the Power of LinkedIn Business Planning Seminar Part 2 Mums UnLtd Online Jelly Baby Afternoon Tea at Rothamsted Manor Jelly Baby The Business Network South Herts Athena St Albans Athena Redbourn Jelly Co-working and Networking The Business Network South Herts Jelly Co-working and Networking Jelly Baby

Peer2Peer Club Launching in September! Hi John, so what’s Peer2Peer Club all about? Firstly, I want to explain what Peer2Peer is all about and what we stand for. Being a business leader can be lonely, worrying and all consuming. But it doesn’t have to be that way. We want to support business leaders, owners, directors and entrepreneurs to be the best they can be, build the best business they can and crucially - ENJOY THE RIDE. I’ll tell you what it isn’t – it isn’t NETWORKING. You wouldn’t entertain building a house without scaffolding, well, Peer2Peer Club is that scaffolding for SME’s and Start-Ups. Who do you think will benefit from being part of the club? Peer2Peer Club is for SMEs and Start-Ups who want to invest in themselves to make a success of their business. We will be holding monthly zoom calls giving members access to some incredible skill building proprietary content under our Passport Program - we cover - Governance and Finance, Growth, Innovation, Team & Engagement, Brand & Culture and finally Strategic Thinking. We have 3 levels of engagement, so Peer2Peer has something for everybody. You’ll hear other Peer groups talk about how “exclusive” they are. Obviously, this is

to create a sense of “aspiration” so people will clammer to get into their exclusive club. Well, we’re the complete opposite of that, we want people who want to build a great business. We want people who are open to giving and receiving constructive feedback. We want people who are ambitious both for themselves and their business. We are INCLUSIVE. How will it help people in their businesses? Every month, over zoom, we will have a lead theme, for example in September at our launch taster it’s going to be GROWTH. We’ll have a guest presenter who’ll give some valuable tools and tips on growing your business. Each month the agenda and Passport topic will shift, October is going to be centred around Brand & Culture. November will be about Innovation. You’ll also gain access to our numerous support advisers. These are hand picked experts in their field. There is nothing out their to give you all of this support for such a modest amount of money. We aim to blow a hole right through the coaching and virtual Board space. We’re disrupting the whole thing. Our members are at the centre of everything we do.

Why is being part of the Peer2Peer Club important? It’s encapsulated in our tag line - Be Bold, Be Balanced, Be Brilliant. That’s what we want our members to think, feel and believe. We’ll support them throughout. Some will progress from the Club to the Peer2Peer Board and some will engage with our Accelerator Program. Whatever, the momentum and ambition we’ve got the necessary inspiration and balanced support . What will it enable ambitious business leaders to accomplish? They’ll gain access to a growing portfolio of Passport workbooks designed specifically to help grow YOU and YOUR business. Be Bold - support our ambitious members to be the best. Help them through the power of Peer support, You are not alone. We’ve created an encouraging environment to keep you challenged. Be Balanced - We help members bring positive change to their lives. We support our members to achieve an optimum work/ life balance as well as improved health and well being. Be Brilliant - We’ll be catalysts to fuel innovation and drive fresh thinking all the way through to execution. We will hold you to account in a supportive and friendly way.

When does it launch? We will be launching in September over zoom. The first session is a taster and completely free of charge. Thereafter it’s £50 a month. How can people register their interest? Email me directly johnacton@dpi-europe.com Are places going to be limited? Ahh that’s a great question - I should say yes, That’s what the Coaches would tell you to say. This creates a clammer as I said earlier. NO spaces are not limited we’re INCLUSIVE. If we have too many, we’ll stage a 2nd or 3rd Taster day. The most important thing is that everybody gets a chance to step up and join Peer2Peer and enjoy your own ride. Book your free place or find out more by emailing Johnacton@dpi-europe.com