Inform Magazine - St Albans Edition - July 2021 by thebusinessescommunity

Issue 3 - July 2021

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Keeping you “Inform”ed with all the news, products, services, events and opportunities available in St Albans!

THE

Take Your Business To The Next Level with OnBrand Businesses COMMUNITY

Issue 2- July 2021

Contents

What’s in store for you in this month’s Inform Magazine?

A Rave Review

Entrepreneurs Circle

Take Your Business To The Next Level

Young Entrepreneurs Feature

Top Tips from BT

Local Ofﬁce Space

Secret Super Agents

Local Talent

Save Time and Money

Charity Feature

Events

News and Jobs

#ShopLocal

10 Things About Dance That Make Us Smile

5 Questions We Asked A St Albans Business

Connect With Thousands

Even More Local Talent

THE

Businesses COMMUNITY

A huge welcome to the July Issue of Inform Magazine! We’ve had great feedback on the content and we are loving showcasing local business services and products as well as events. We want you to get involved, so if you have news to share, get in touch at stalbans@ thebusinessescommunity. com Whether you know a young entrepreneur like Artemis Chivers, or you have a raving review - get in touch.

We’ve also made #ShopLocal even easier with the brand new #ShopLocal directory within the magazine! And, check out the advertising packages to make sure your business, or your favourite local business is featured every single month - from just £50/year - take a look here So, grab a cuppa, sit back and have a read about all the amazing opportunities on offer in this amazing city. The TBC Team x

03 5

A Raving Review! Musicals at the Manor!

Wow!

atmosphere to the performance, and the acoustics within the room were true goosebump It was soooooooo amazing material! I wouldn’t say that I am a real “theatre not only to be back at goer” but I totally loved it. the absolutely stunning With songs I recognised Rothamsted Manor, but it was also incredibly fabulous and others I didn’t, I was mesmerized! to see live music again! Musicals at the Manor are summer concerts featuring London’s West End stars performing popular hits from blockbuster shows at the Manor. I went along to the matinee with Aaron Lee Lambert (who will be returning to Hamilton in the West End shortly) and Charlotte Kennedy (of Les Miserables fame) and it was truly incredible. The Great Hall, within the Manor, was lit softly which gave a fantastic 04

It was a great performance and felt very intimate and exclusive with being so close to these amazing performers. The Q&A section was fantastic as it enabled the audience to get involved and ﬁnd out more about the arts, how performers have coped during lockdown and what they’ve turned their hands to, as well as to ﬁnd out more about things like nerves backstage.

Find out more about Musicals at the Manor and lots of other amazing events with Rothamsted Enterprises at www. rothamstedenterprises. com/events

Rothamsted Manor are running Musicals at the Manor throughout July with different performers each You can follow Rothamsted time. Get your tickets, get Manor on instagram too at your goosebumps ready, @rothamstedmanor and enjoy what is truly a real treat - why not treat a loved one, your team, or go with pals - there’s plenty of prosecco on hand as well as other lovely refreshments at the brand new bar within the Manor.

A great way to celebrate the end of lockdown! A Brand-New Face-to-Face Monthly Networking and Business Growth Meeting For Entrepreneurs in, and around, St Albans is coming to town... Starting in July, an exciting and new type of Networking and Business Growth Meeting is starting in St Albans that’s guaranteed to help your business to grow. Run by Entrepreneurs Circle, these unique and very different events look set to become the highlight of the month, every month, for ambitious business owners in and around St Albans. So, what’s it all about? We took some time out to catch up with the Entrepreneurs Circle’s Local Ambassador - Peter Barker - a Local Business Owner - who’ll be leading the meetings to ﬁnd out more about these unique business events for local business owners.

What is the Entrepreneurs Circle and why are these meetings being launched? The Entrepreneurs Circle (EC) is the UK’s biggest (and best) community for ambitious business owners. It’s dedicated to helping business owners grow their business and provides tools, training, help and support for Entrepreneurs who want to get and keep more customers. It has an impressive track record too as over 70% of EC Members grow their business by at least 100% after two years of membership. The local meetings are being launched as a direct response to members and small business owners across the UK requesting face-to-face opportunities to meet up and focus on the growth of their businesses. So, tell us a little more about the local meetings and what people can expect? These brand-new face-to-face meetings will be a unique opportunity to spend time with like minded local business owners to share what’s working now. EC

Members are forward-thinking owners of every business type - from brand new start-ups to multi-million pound businesses. They all share one thing in common - an ambition to grow! Our meetings will provide local business owners with a unique place to come together to learn, support each other, have fun and also enjoy a drink together too!

share practical tactics or strategies that you can use in your business to get more customers right now! How can people get involved and what’s it cost? Simply register your interest on our Priority List and we’ll contact you with more details. Places will be limited and are likely to be over-subscribed so you will need to register (you can’t just show up!). Through our Small Business Bursary programme, we’ll also pay for the ﬁrst 3 months of membership for any business owner who is serious about growing their business so it won’t cost you a penny! You can attend up to three Local Meetings completely free of charge to see if we’re a good ﬁt, and when you realise just how great our meetings are - along with everything else the EC provides - you can stick around and keep coming back for more!

What’s different about it from other Business Events? This new Local Meeting has been speciﬁcally designed to not be like any ‘traditional’ networking event. There’s no 6am start, dodgy breakfast, hours and hours of introductions or pitch-fests… You’ll actually enjoy these meetings and come back because you want to - not because you have to!

To get started, at the next EC Local Meeting, book your place for free and we’ll hopefully see you there or e-mail Peter at enquiries@bigbuzzsolutions. co.uk contact him on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/in/peterbarker2 or call him on 07976 609551.

We’ll be taking the best bits of business networking (learned from years of business event experience) and dumping the naff bits that don’t work and no-one likes! The result will be a unique business experience like nothing else out there! Every month we’ll also include a featured content session to

Need a strategic marketing plan that takes your business to the next level? Meet the OnBrand team!

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OnBrand are an established St Albans based full-service marketing agency focused on delivering results for a range of business, retail and consumer brands across Hertfordshire and beyond. We exist to help you make your business thrive and we love being part of that journey.

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How do we work? We believe that whatever business sector you are in, success starts from developing a strong brand, good marketing strategy and ensuring that there is a clear customer journey from first point of contact right through to purchase. Our team can develop and deliver first class digital marketing, email and social media campaigns to drive website traffic and footfall and help businesses grow.

Introducing our talented team… Our senior management team all live locally around St Albans and our offices are right on St Albans High Street so we are really easy to find.

First up is Daniel, our Managing Director who founded OnBrand in 2009, with the goal to improve customer experience and champion brand design. Daniel has been working with businesses for over 20 years helping them to achieve business success. When he’s not working, Daniel spends a lot of time looking at (and buying) trainers with an impressive 100 pairs to date!

Emma, our Marketing Director has over 20 years multi channel experience across brands such as Mothercare, HSBC and lastminute.com. She has years of experience of working with clients to develop marketing strategies that help to drive growth. In her spare time she can be found in her walking shoes putting in the miles, which usually ends in a coffee break with friends.

Marc is our Finance Director and has worked within the creative industry for years so is a dab hand at understanding both the numbers and the creativity. His ability to provide financial acumen and creative insight is a unique talent. Marc is a super sports fan (mostly watching, but he does dabble with tennis!) and you will find him on the weekends ferrying his boys around to various sporting events.

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As well as our senior team we have a talented and experienced creative team of web designers and developers, audio marketing experts, social media gurus, paid digital marketing experts, PR experts, and of course, our client services team who keep things running for everyone. Fantastic introduction to OnBrand.

Innovative, exciting agency.

Very innovative.

Enthusiastic Team!

Emma quickly understood the Live Chat Factory business model and made me feel totally at ease. I needed support to scale my digital customer service offer. Emma advised what I needed to do next to increase lead gen and build my audience, in easy to understand steps. Great advice, cannot recommend highly enough.

A really innovative, exciting marketing agency - totally recommend OnBrand for any of your content marketing needs, on or offline. They are professional, friendly, knowledgeable and approachable.

I enjoy working with the team from OnBrand always very innovative.

It’s hard to find an agency who listen and understand what you need. OnBrand have always delivered for us and more!

Karen Levett, Live Chat Factory

Emma Rundle, copywriter

Bear Lanes Shopping Centre

The team are enthusiastic, very creative and easy to work with.

Fairhill Shopping Centre

Our Services

Digital

Social

Branding

Audio

Events

Driving your success is our business

Marketing needs a 360 view, so understanding your product or service is at the heart of everything we do. Knowing how to drive your business growth, through all parts of the marketing mix - from local advertising, digital & social or PR, is what gives us our buzz!

We’ll work with you to define your key marketing objectives and build a clear website strategy and effective multimedia social media content approach for each social channel to ensure your voice is heard, and shares are converted into leads that drive your business growth.

We believe that the place to start is with your brand strategy. It is fundamental to be able to identify and articulate your unique point of difference within the market through a clear tone of voice, personality and look & feel.

Challenge our team to look at your business today

However, we know that the big challenge for all businesses is how to create cut through across all digital and social channels with so much noise.

Get in touch at sayhello@onbrand.co.uk or call 03333 220022. Our experts could be the key to kick starting the sales you need. OnBrand 12-14 Victoria Street, St Albans, Hertfordshire AL1 3JB onbrand.co.uk

Young Entrepreneur Spotlight Artemis Chivers, 12, is the creative mind by Artibles, a craft business she started when she was in her ﬁnal year at primary school during lockdown. Sue had a chat with her to ﬁnd out how she got started and inspire other local young entrepreneurs to set up their own business too. See @ artiblesbyartemis on Instagram. How did Artibles come about? My dad got me a clay modelling kit and I found some cute ideas online for what to do with it. My mum and grandma said they thought I could probably make a business by turning my creations into magnets people would like for their fridge.

Why did you want to start a business? I’d been thinking I’d like to start a business for a while for extra cash because I wanted a pair of Nike Airforce trainers. I’m not old enough for a paper round and my parents were running out of jobs they’d pay me to do. There’s only so many times I could vacuum the inside of the cars! I was also pretty bored during lockdown because I’d ﬁnish my school work quite early so I had a good few hours left in the school day. How did you promote Artibles and get your ﬁrst sales? I asked family if they would buy two sets: one for themselves and one for a friend. My mum gave me this idea and to market it as ‘postal joy’ for a friend. Artibles always come beautifully boxed in yellow packaging so I think it does make people smile. I started an Instagram account that my mum helped me run and got some orders through there too.

Have you tried any other marketing tactics? The comedian and author Viv Groskop saw them online and said that she thought I could sell them on Etsy. That was really cool. I haven’t done that yet. My mum posted on her Facebook profile too and my Uncle Sam said I should follow up with a private message to everyone who liked or commented on the post. We did a bit of that and got some sales that way. How long did it take you to earn enough to buy your Nike Airforce trainers? It took about two weeks from first telling people about them. The Airforce were £50 and I was selling sets of magnets for £10. I had to pay my mum back for most of the materials (clay, magnets, packaging) because she wanted me to learn about the difference between turnover and profit! What challenges have you had whilst running your business? Motivation has been a big factor because it’s very repetitive making the same creations and so I did get a bit bored sometimes. In September 2020

I started secondary school and I just didn’t have the time to focus on the business. I had quite a bit of homework and that was my main priority after school (and watching Friends!) You’re back open for orders this summer. How will you be promoting the business? This article is a brilliant start! I was really pleased to be asked to do this because I thought it would bring in some new orders from people I don’t know. I’ll also be asking customers to post photos of what their Artibles are holding up on their fridges and whiteboards. I’m hoping I’ll get to see Artibles being used to stick up lots of cute pictures from younger children. Thanks Artemis, it’s been great talking to you and we love what you’re doing. Orders via instagram @artiblesbyartemis or by e-mailing jessicachazelchivers@gmail.com

Do you know any local young entrepreneurs? If so, get in touch to tell us their story at stalbans@thebusinessescommunity.com

Top Tips with Tania Bringing you tech tips from BT Skills for Tomorrow It’s been a tough time for small businesses lately, and with the world going digital, it can be difﬁcult to keep up with the changing technology trends and tools. Once small businesses have the right support to understand the tech, platforms and develop their digital skillset – they’ll be raring to go. Our programme for small businesses is part of BT Skills for Tomorrow and offers a wide range of free advice, information, and support from webinars to free 1:1 mentoring to help owners of small businesses to grow.

You’ll learn:

Webinars

• Tools that can help you save time when creating social posts

Social media strategy – run in partnership with Google Digital Garage

• How social media can help you reach new customers online • The building blocks of a simple social media strategy

Get started with analytics – run in partnership with Google Digital Garage Analytics can help you better understand your customers and support your digital marketing strategy. Explore the questions your customer data can help you answer, In this session you will learn: • The ways that data analytics can help your business strategy • Which tools can help you understand your audience • How to get started with Google Analytics

A social media strategy can help you measure the success of your online posts. Join us for a session to learn about building a social media strategy into your business plan.

Create engaging content for your business We focus on the steps required to create an effective content strategy, as well as top

tips for creating content and marketing it to customers. We’ll explore, discuss and cover: •

Core components of an effective content plan from deﬁning your target audience to crafting your brand voice.

•

Ways in which you can use written text, images and videos to connect with customers and boost levels of engagement across key channels.

•

Top tips for marketing your content and measuring its success.

Design your own ecommerce website

Sign up for free 1:1 mentoring At BT, we’ve helped thousands of businesses to get growing. BT and Google are coming together to help you connect with more customers online via 1-to-1 mentoring and training with digital experts. We’ll help you discover how to grow your online presence, build your social media strategy, create engaging content and take your business to the next level for free. Head here for more on BT and Google free 1:1 mentoring and training with digital experts. Let’s Talk About..

In this webinar we explore the steps required to build an eCommerce website that will convert users into customers. The session provides attendees with: • A checklist of considerations when planning the design and build of an eCommerce website • Advice and guidance on the ways in which businesses can craft an engaging user journey, list products effectively, move users through the conversion pipeline, market their platforms and optimise their online offering for success. Find the full list of webinars, and details of how to join here

We’ve also created some short videos that give top tips to help small businesses along the way. Check out Grace Marshall as she talks about how to be more productive at work. You can view the full video here BT has lots of free resources to help you grow your business online at BT Skills for Tomorrow Tania Young leads on BT’s Digital Skills programme for older and vulnerable customers.

DO YOU KNOW ANY BUSINESS LOOKING TO DOWNSIZE THEIR WORKSPACE OR LOOKING FOR AN OFFICE FOR 2-4 PEOPLE OR 4-6 PEOPLE? If so, consider Stanta Business Centre, on the Valley Road Industrial Estate which has a free car park for tenants!

Beneﬁts: • easy-in, easy-out terms • no long-term commitment to a lease • notice is one month (after the initial three) • all-inclusive monthly fee, which makes budgeting easy • conference room available to use with projection facilities • broadband / telecoms available to connect to • friendly, on-site management • on-site car park • free business advice and training from expert advisors

Details of ofﬁce vacancies: Suite 3: Suitable for 4-6 people, 412 sq ft £1391.67 plus VAT all -inclusive monthly licence Suite 15: Suitable for 2-4 people, 244 sq ft £830.00 plus VAT

Stanta Business Centre 3 Soothouse Spring St Albans, AL3 6PF www.stanta.co.uk 01727 837760 advice@stanta.co.uk

We’re your secret super agent, working to save your sanity! • Not enough hours in the day? • To-do list never-ending? • Juggling a crazy home life with busy work days? You need a secret super agent – welcome to Hour Hands! Hour Hands will be your extra pair of hands, saving your time and sanity, whether you need help with marketing, bookkeeping, admin or anything else (rescuing cats in trees, maybe not so much!). Our friendly, proactive team swoops in to take on all those tasks that you either don’t have the time, inclination or skill set to complete. Over the past six years, we have saved our clients hours of time, reduced their stress levels and saved money too!

Are you feeling overwhelmed and struggling to complete a long to-do list? Choose a speciﬁc service or a combination to suit your needs, on a regular or ad hoc basis – whatever works best for you, even if it’s just an hour a month. You only pay for the time you need, avoiding ongoing employment costs. “Christine is so much more than a virtual assistant, so much more than a bookkeeper, and so much more than an administrator! Quick, efﬁcient and she hits every deadline.” June Cory, MD, My Mustard Are you trying to juggle a busy home life? We know what it’s like to run a busy home life and the demands on your time. Whether you want us to organise a party, holiday, or manage your ‘life admin’, our friendly yet discreet team is here to make life easier.

“Gemma is an exceptionally helpful person who has transformed my home organisation. There is literally nothing that Hour Hands can’t help with.” Dr Kathy Weston Have you been meaning to upgrade to a cloud-based bookkeeping system? We’re expert bookkeepers using traditional and cloud-based systems. We streamline invoicing and payment systems, saving time and ensuring more accurate and proﬁtable ways of working. “Hour Hands have managed our bookkeeping and reporting for 4 years and are thorough, ﬂexible and happy to help. Natasha’s proactive approach has been vital in dealing with issues such as payroll and furloughing during the pandemic.’ Dr. Amanda Gummer, CEO, Good Play Guide Are you a small business needing marketing support? From branding to social media posts, campaigns and copywriting, our creative team is commercially astute and delivers marketing that will make a tangible difference to your bottom line.

“Hour Hands is always our ‘go to’ company, whenever we are in need of an extra pair of hands. We love working with Hour Hands, and Amy has been a big part of our marketing team. Everyone is very professional and ﬂexible, if we need more hours, they are always happy to adjust.” Linette Isaacs, Director, ENJO UK What tasks can we take off your hands? If you’d like to learn more about how the Hour Hands team can help you, your family or your business, do reach out to us. No request is too big, too obscure or too ‘mainstream’. We’re here to help.

Hour Hands T: 01727 818262 M: 07766004520 contact@hourhands.co.uk www.hourhands.co.uk Twitter: @hourhandsuk Facebook: @hourhands Instagram: @hourhandsltd 17

Local Talent... Kaspar Berry Rapkin My name is Kaspar ‘Berry’ Rapkin, and I play delta blues. What is that I hear you ask? Delta blues is one of the most primitive forms of contemporary music. It is the roots, the skeleton, and the foundations of pop, rap, rock, metal and soul music as we know it today. You could also say, Delta Blues is like folk music on steroids! My music tells stories that are authentic to me. My songs describe overconsumption of caffeine, the trauma my pet parrot has gone through, people looking through my window while I bathe and songs true to my life that may reﬂect a day in it. When I was 7, I was given a guitar from a lifelong friend of my father’s with the promise to learn it. Our friend Mike, has a disability called muscular dystrophy which slowly paralyzed him his neck down. Before this, he was a grade 8 guitar player! His name is Mike Miller-Smith and he is the CEO of the wonderful charity, Aerobility. Thanks to this promise, I started to learn the guitar he gave me. Consequently, I quickly started to also enjoy Guitar Hero on my Nintendo DS games console.

This is where I first heard the blues. From there, it’s been a never ending snowball to discovering artists from a time and place that is extremely underrated and isn’t talked about enough, Mississippi 1920/30’s. Artists such as Charley Patton, Bukka White, Son House and most notably, Robert Johnson. These characters share tales of partying, gambling, fighting, work, and even liaising with the devil. In December 2017, I spent my 18th birthday in New Orleans, Louisiana. On that night, I had the honor of performing at B.B. Kings Blues Club. This is where I met the multi talented Harold Marcho. He was impressed with how I performed and invited me back to New Orleans 2 months later to record my first single.

Upon my return from my February 2018 trip, I formed my backing band ‘Kaspar & The Swamp Dogs’ and we gigged as much as we logistically could (without harming ourselves too)! In 2019, I returned to the USA, this time exploring and performing in: Atlanta Georgia, Nashville and Memphis Tennessee, New Orleans again and most exciting for me, Clarksdale Mississippi - birthplace of the Delta Blues! On this trip, I had the honor to perform and brush shoulders with many of my modern day idols, some of which I now consider mentors. I also had the great pleasure of performing in authentic Juke Joints, onboard paddle steamers, and in some remote venues of which google wouldn’t even be able to work out a route there!

Now I ﬁnd myself with a bachelor’s degree in creative musicianship, too many guitars for my own good, an obsession with a dying art form, and a story to tell. I hope to gig as much as I humanly can once COVID 19 is no longer an issue for us all! I greatly appreciate it if you have made it this far in my story. If you’d like to follow me on social media, listen to my music, watch my entertainingly informative videos, book me to play for your function or anything else, you can ﬁnd everything in this link -

www.linktr.ee/kbrblues

Save time and £££s with FSB’s Legal Hub If you run your own business, chances are you picked an industry you know and are passionate about. You’re conﬁdent that you know it well enough to be able to cope with whatever life throws at you. But what happens when you need to deal with something outside your ﬁeld of expertise? FSB members that don’t want to spend on bespoke legal services or need to put policies and contracts in place quickly, can tap into FSB’s Legal Hub saving them money and time. FSB Legal Hub is on online one-stopshop provided at no extra cost to members. It has over 1,200 free up-todate documents, letters, factsheets, templates, and guides across a wide range of issues including employment law, taxation matters, health and safety, business law comprising company and partnership law, cyber security, intellectual property, landlord and tenant, contracts, and consumer law.

barristers and solicitors, who will call you back in an hour. To hear from an FSB member who runs her own law ﬁrm, click here: www.fsb.org.uk/resources-page/ meet-the-member-aly-young-legalangel.html To see what you can tap into, book a live hub demo here: www.calendly. com/loreta-lingyte-fsb/30-minutelegalhub-demo

Members can download precedent documents in an editable format including contracts, agreements, individual clauses, policies, checklists, letters, notices, and forms. Our factsheets and precedent documents are fully managed and updated throughout the year. To discuss anything else, contact And if there’s anything you’re not sure about, you can use the FSB Legal Hub in conjunction with a 24/7 telephone advice helpline staffed by qualiﬁed

Loreta Lingyte: E Loreta.Lingyte@fsb.org.uk M 07464 892 681

We are not-for-profit. At FSB, our mission is to help smaller businesses achieve their ambitions. We are proud to be the leading voice of 5.8 million small businesses and self-employed people across the UK, working to promote and protect your interests. We are not-for-profit and we offer our members a wide range of vital business services including advice, financial expertise, support, and a powerful voice heard in local, UK-wide, and devolved governments across the country. You can take advantage of the local online networking events www.fsb.org.uk/event-calendar. html?region=51621282 to help you connect and generate new business opportunities. We also run a series of online webinars and business surgeries designed to help you find advice, support, and guidance for your business. FSB membership gives you more than just market-leading benefits. Part of your membership fee contributes to making real change happen for your business and the wider business community. Together, we make a difference. What’s included in membership?

• • •

•

• • • •

Legal and tax protection scheme and legal costs insurance 24/7 legal advice line An extensive online legal hub with over 750 document templates and 430 factsheets 24/7 employment advice, and fully customisable documents from the legal hub Free business banking (subject to status) Insurance advice Cyber protection insurance Debt recovery service

We cover your back leaving you free to do what you do best – make your business ﬂourish. Watch doodle explainer here: www.youtube.com/ watch?v=K8DmYYAK00E To discusses your joining options, contact Loreta:

Loreta Lingyte M: 07464 892 681 E: Loreta.Lingyte@fsb.org.uk C: calendly.com/loreta-lingytefsb LI: www.linkedin.com/in/ loretalingyte/

Right from the outset, FSB members have access to a range of services designed to make your life easier, including:

Home Start Herts

Each year Home-Start Herts has to bring in around £300,000 to continue supporting families (with at least one child under 5), who are feeling overwhelmed and struggling to cope. We are currently receiving 20 referrals a month, over double the number we were receiving 4 months ago.

Can you help us raise money so we can make sure we can meet the needs of our local families? We have a number of fundraising events planned over the next year to suit all interests, including some real live ones which we are super excited about, and we would love for you to get involved.

So; talking about holidays may be a bit of a sore point at the moment, but we have set up a virtual travel adventure ‘Where In The World…?’ All you have to do is sign up with us, select a holiday destination in the UK or abroad and then between 1st July – 31st August ‘travel’ the distance of your holiday destination by walking/ cycling/swimming/running the number of km’s it would take to get there. You can travel solo, as a family or even make it a team building event. So let’s get packing people, don’t forget the sun cream, rubber ring and umbrella, just in case!

If this is not for you, we also have a sky dive challenge, places for the London virtual marathon and later in the year, a themed gala dinner. Drop us a line for information on any of the events or visit our website www.home-startherts.org.uk “When I started speaking to a Home-Start volunteer I was overwhelmed that someone would give up their free time and be there for me. It made me feel that the world was a less lonely place and there were people that really cared. I would speak to my volunteer weekly and this I feel helped to keep me grounded.” Home-Start family

The cost to join the challenge is £5 for each adult taking part, children are free. We do suggest you do a bit of fundraising along the way too. If you are interested in ﬁnding out more, please contact Liz: liz@home-startherts.org.uk or register at Eventbrite: www.bit.ly/3fDRTpL

EVENTS Check the TBC Calendar HERE for all events 1st July - Connect Herts Launch: How To Build Trusted Business Relationships Online 1st July - Staying Visible In The New World 2nd July - Pricing for Proﬁtability in Your Product Business 5th July - Ideas UnLtd - Creative Mastermind Session 5th July - Digital Marketing Strategy with FSB and Google Digital Garage 6th July - Sales Skills: Learning How To Become More Effective 6th July - Creative Mastermind Session 6th July - An Introduction To Facebook and Instagram Advertising 7th July - Pricing For Proﬁtability In Your Service Business 8th July - Business Breakfast with Herts Chamber 9th July - GDPR and Data Protection Explained

12th July -Mums UnLtd Evening Online Networking 13th July - Business Planning Part 1 13th July - Virtual Presentation Workshop 13th July - Hertfordshire Virtual Networking 14th July - The Business Network South Herts - Networking and Educational Seminar 14th July - Mums UnLtd Online Networking 14th July - Grow Your Business Workshop 15th July - Apprenticeships: Back To Basics 15th July - Business Planning - Part 2 15th July - The Businesses Community Online Meet Up - aka Jelly 16th July - MHFA England Mental Health Aware Masterclass 19th July - The Queen’s Awards for Enterprise: A Workshop 21st July - Virtual Networking Opportunity 28th July - Online Networking 4th August -The Business Network South Herts Networking + Educational Seminar Do you have events you’d like more people to know about? They can be any kind of event, not just business - get in touch with us at stalbans@thebusinessescommunity.com to ﬁnd out more 25

News Round Up & Jobs Business Services Struggle with content for emails? Check out Joolz Joseph’s online Compelling Content for Emails course for just £49: joolzjoseph.podia.com/creating-compelling-content-for-emails Hour Hands can save you time by taking on your business todo-list and life admin tasks, leaving you free to focus on what’s important to you. Find out more at: www.hourhands.co.uk At VOIspeed we are thrilled to launch video on our business phone system this month. Contact us on 01727 848186 to discuss your requirements. Network and Security - Inspire your client’s trust, attract new business and secure your business without breaking the bank. Discover Cyber Essentials - ﬁnd out more here Free your time and headspace with support in critical business areas such as: bookkeeping & credit control, business organisation, admin support and mentoring - www.jaxstarsolutions.co.uk/ business-mot-administrative-support-jaxstar-solutions/

Family Hi I’m Lou the Midwife delivering antenatal and hypnobirthing classes in the comfort of your home! www.louantenatal.com

Financial Services www.visionaryaccountants.co.uk Changing accountants couldn’t be easier as we take care of every aspect of the handover; from

communicating with your outgoing accountants to transferring your software data. We ensure everything is in place to enable us to start work, so you can start enjoying the beneﬁts as soon as possible.

Hair & Beauty Welcoming our newest team member Jake…take advantage of 50% off with him when you mention this offer when settling your bill - www.headcase-barbers.com/st-albans

Health & Wellness Aloe Vera & Beehive Products (Forever Living) from Nicky Packman - I can help with products to help support healthy skin, hair, nails, digestion, immunity and mobiliity. Please get in touch directly or pop onto www.thealoeveraco.shop/GkHcYFOe I offer Reflexology and Reiki treatments in the comfort of your own home or workplace - these treatments provide a unique healing experience working on both a physical and emotional level to relax, de-stress, rebalance and restore you. www.positivereflextherapy.co.uk/ Do you have news you want to share with thousands across St Albans? Get in touch with us to find out more at stalbans@thebusinessescommunity.com

Jobs ‘Domestic Cleaning Jobs to ﬁt around your lifestyle - £11 per hour ‘ timeforyou.cleaning/uk/home-cleaning/st-albans/jobs/ 01727789439 Do you have job vacancies, or looking for work? Did you know that it’s completely FREE to feature them in Inform Magazine? Email stalbans@thebusinessescommunity.com with details and we will do the rest

Local Products and Services #ShopLocal Advertising My Mustard Looking for targeted, cost effective, measurable results? Look no further. My Mustard & Google AdWords, a winning combination. www.mymustard.co.uk

Arts & Culture Trestle Theatre Company Trestle Theatre Company are a mask and physical theatre company running Trestle Arts Base where they offer creative workshops and opportunities, space hire, performances and training. Trestle provides high quality, creative opportunities to everyone. Find out what their current offer is at www.trestle.org.uk/whats-on

Business Coaching Talia Zamora I help determined achievers (specialising in those with Neurodiverse families) to become the go-to business in your ﬁeld and attain the income you desire! I help to form transformational strategies which enables you to live your dream lifestyle. www.taliazamora.com

Business Consultancy Good Beyond We work with forward thinking organisations that want to lead with vision and create healthy happy workplaces that change the world. www.goodbeyond.com/talk

St Albans Enterprise Agency (STANTA)

Free business advice and training for Herts-based micro businesses under 3 years old, but we specialise in helping businesses in postcode areas AL110 www.stanta.co.uk

Business Support Grow With Vision We help businesses do business better. From streamlining processes, to Software implementation and training, we show you ways of working faster and smarter. www.growithvision.com The St Albans Business Community Effective marketing for your business from a community you can trust www.stalbans.thebusinessescommunity. com/work-with-us

Mums UnLtd Mums UnLtd offers business support for Mums running or starting a business www.mumsunltd.co.uk

Coaching Rocket Girl Coaching My life and work is dedicated to personal and organisational development to improve inclusion and understanding in society through Executive Coaching, Consultancy and Disability Equality Training. www.rocketgirlcoaching.com

Commercial Photogrpahy Striking Places Photography

Professional photography for all your business photography needs. www.strikingplaces.com

Family Louise’s Antenatal Classes Hi I’m Lou the Midwife. I deliver antenatal and hypnobirthing classes and offer antenatal and postnatal care. www.louantenatal.com

Family & Portrait Photography Annie Griggs Photography Capturing a wide range of photography genres, including families and children, business headshots, events and product photography. All at a high professional standard. www.anniegriggs-photography.co.uk

Finance Visionary Accountants Providing professional services including Tax Returns, Tax Advice & Planning, Management Accounts, R&D, Bookkeeping, Payroll & Workplace Pensions www.visionaryaccountants.co.uk/ contact-us

Food Dizzy Bee Kitchen Food Gorgeous Granolas www.dizzybeekitchen.co.uk

Graphic Design The Brandit Super simple, super effective, super amazing logos, branding and communications for your business www.thebrandit.co.uk

Hair/Barbering

Health and Beauty Karen’s Temple Spa Spa Experiences in your own home www.templespa.com/karenfrancis

Health and Wellbeing Victoria Bell Nutrition Nutritional therapy programmes supporting women with digestive health and the perimenopause www.victoriabellnutrition.co.uk Forever Living (the Aloe Vera Co) by Nicky Packman I can advise on and supply a wide range of Aloe Vera & Beehive based products to help support skin, digestion, gut health, immunity, mobility and general wellbeing for all ages. www.thealoeveraco.shop/GkHcYFOe Popdance Learn fun dance routines to pop music from the 80s, 90s, 00 and current pop track - for all ages and abilities www.popdance.co.uk Positive Reflex Therapy I offer deeply relaxing, rejuvenating and de-stressing Reflexology and Reiki treatments in the comfort of your own home or workplace. www.positivereflextherapy.co.uk

Home Decor Verulam Tile Warehouse Ceramic, porcelian, natural stone wall and ﬂoor tiles for inside and outside. www.verulamtilewarehouse.co.uk

Headcase Barbers proper haircuts in an unpretentious environment www.instagram.com/ headcasestalbans

Illustrator HANNAH SESSIONS DESIGN I offer bespoke illustrations of your house/ school/ favourite place. Makes a great gift and now have some packages to choose from. Get in touch. www.facebook.com/ hannahsessionsdesign

Insurance Broker EIC Insurance Services Limited We help business owners sleep at night by protecting the things they care about www.eicinsurance.co.uk

Marketing Amber Mountain Marketing Cost Effective Marketing Communications Book a free power hour too boost your marketing here; www.ambermountainmarketing. co.uk/contact

Music Kick Pistol Show your support for local indie band, Kick Pistol, by following them on Instagram www.instagram.com/kickpistol

Networking The Business Network South Herts Visit us to enjoy networking with likeminded people and an educational seminar www.business-network-south-herts. co.uk/events-seminars The Athena Network Bedfordshire & St Albans Business Networking and Development Club for Women in Business

www.theathenanetwork.com/ katecherry or email me at kate.cherry@theathenanetwork.com Women In Business Network Connections, Support, Business Potential for Women In Business through networking www.wibn.co.uk St Albans Decor

Painters and Decorators Kitchen Cabinet Painters + Renovations Painting and Decorating www.stalbansdecor.co.uk

Performing Arts School Brilliant Theatre Arts We are youth theatre and drama school combined offering training through performance. Aimed at young performers aged 7 - 21 who have a serious interest in performing www.brillianttheatrearts.co.uk

Photography Stephanie Belton Photography Portrait photography for families and businesses www.stephaniebelton.com Immersive Walkthroughs We create unique 3D virtual tours to help you promote your business www.immersivewalkthroughs.com/ tour-examples

Retail Christopher Place Shopping Centre Shopping centre with new retailers and restaurants www.christopher-place.co.uk/

Dress Up & Dance Dancewear, dance shoes, gymnastics clothing, fancy dress costumes for sale and hire, accessories and costume make up www.dressupanddance.com

Senior Care & Dementia Care Tea & Memories Reminiscence Vintage Tea Party Activity for Seniors. Suitable for groups in care homes, community care venues, or private homes. Ideal for celebrations. Email terri@teaandmemories.co.uk Tel: 07505 141707

Web Design Gold Nugget Designs Bespoke WordPress websites that get your business seen! www.goldnuggetdesigns.co.uk/ website-worksheet

10 Things About Dance That Make Us Smile! 1.

Number 1 has to be the music when Wham’s Wake Me Up Before You Go Go comes on – you’ve just gotta dance to it

It’s me time! Forget the phone, the kids tea and work – it’s just about me, the music and dancing!

2. The fact that dance will never date, be boring or run out of moves! 3.

The fact that dancing is good for me – being active, exercising and it’s such a fun way to do it. 9.

The fact that everyone can dance! Even if they say they have two left feet – everyone has their own way of dancing.

Re-living my youth – dancing to tracks from the 80s, 90s and 00s – blasts from the past put a big smile on my face

10.

makes me feel good.

I Ijust love to dance – even though I am not a “dancer” – I feel like I am!

11.

The fact I’ve made so many new friends through dance – it’s a very sociable experience.

Snuck an 11th in here – try a little dance move now – classics that spring to mind are “Gangnam Style”, Tiffany’s I Think We’re Alone Now, or how about a moonwalk – go on – I know you are contemplating it!

It’s fun – it makes me happy and

6. Being in a dance studio – I just want to run across the sprung ﬂoor and do a “fame leap” mid air (but I don’t)

Get yourself down to your nearest Popdance class HERE or online HERE or if you are a dance teacher and you’d like to include Popdance classes, parties and workshops in what you do – then ﬁnd out more HERE

Have a FREE Popdance Fit workout session for you and all the family - go on, give it a go

What makes you smile about dance?

Or why not book a Popdance party or workshop? Find out more HERE

5 Questions We Asked A St Albans Business We caught up with Gavin Wybrow of The Brandit to ﬁnd out why he started his own business and what “ﬂoats his boat” in the world of graphic design Gav, we hear you’ve been a graphic designer for over 36 years? Yep, wow that sounds insane when you say that! Yep, I’ve loved graphics since I studied at Watford College. I come from a very creative family - my Dad is a retired graphic artist and worked with the likes of the Hilton Hotel, Lentheric and Pears Soap. My brothers are both in the printing industry, my niece is a graphic designer too and my cousin teaches art - so I guess it’s in the blood. What do you love most about your “job”? I have to confess that I love creating logos, branding and creative concepts - working with clients to understand what they want to achieve, and helping them to do just that through simple, yet effective, visual

communications. I also love the fact that I work with a diverse range of clients - so it never gets monotonous. What made you start The Brandit? Having worked with my wife, Sue Wybrow, on the creation of St. Albans Businesses branding, which became The Businesses Community St. Albans, Popdance and Dance News Worldwide, I knew that many start up businesses could not afford a lot of marketing agency’s fees.

THE I wanted to give all sizes of businesses the opportunity to present themselves in a professional way and to create the look and feel that interpreted what they offered and the solutions they gave to their clients. The Brandit works with lots of different sized businesses - from start ups to large corporates - and the journey is the same in terms of working together to create the perfect logo or communications for that company.

Businesses COMMUNITY

So what do you like to do when you are not designing? Ooh I’m partial to a local public house, The Lower Red Lion, being one of them. We are very lucky to have such an amazing selection of pubs in St. Albans. I also love my 1958 Vespa Scooter - it’s great to get the wind in my hair every now and then (which is very difﬁcult as I have no hair and wear a scooter helmet)!

So, being a graphic designer, And I love spending time with what famous brands do you like my gorgeous family (Sue told me that are out there? to write that) I really like Levi - the red tag, the simplicity of it, the fact that it’s grown to be a huge brand internationally. I like to keep things simple.

Find out more or get in touch with Gavin at www.thebrandit.co.uk

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KICK PISTOL

Discover our EP and other recent tracks on Spotify - Just search Kick Pistol