The Edge - Business Magazine - Issue16

for business in merseyside

DIGITAL In Association with: sixteen

BUSINESS & Networking EVENTS

THINK Business BENEFITS OF Chamber Membership Working From Home Social Media for your Business

theedge

DIGITAL

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4

7

NS REASO

News

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Wirral Chamber

7

Sales Mistakes to Avoid

11

Outlook - Christian Coventry

12

Morecrofts

13

Outlook - Jane Richards

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Working from Home

15

Outlook - Paul Davies

16

Using Social Media Wrong

18

Ask the Expert - Chris Fry

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Warren Buffet Quotes

24

Outlook - Chris Bawden

27

Changes in Employment Law

28

Networking and Events Diary

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...why you should be a member

Sales Mistakes to Avoid

11

15 Home Working

WARREN BUFFET

18

Quotes

A Let’s Go! Publication Issue Sixteen Editor Barry Bragg Publisher Melissa Bragg Design & Production Alex Ramsay Account Manager Claire Langrell

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Published by Let’s Go! Publishing Limited.

With kind thanks to our contributors.

To advertise in future issues email claire@theedgewirral.co.uk or telephone (0151) 203 2115. To contribute email editor@theedgewirral.co.uk. © Copyright Let’s Go! Publishing Limited 2014 No part of this publication may be reproduced, either in part or as a whole, including artwork, without prior written consent. All details are correct at time of publication. The editor of The Edge has consulted sources believed to be reliable in their efforts to provide information that is accurate and true at the time of publication. The views expressed in this publication are those of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or policy of Let’s Go! Publishing Ltd.

28 Recent

Changes IN Employment Law Favour

The Employer www.theedgewirral.co.uk | 3

theedge

news Wirral Chamber gets green light

for Pacific Road development he Wirral Chamber of Commerce has received the green light to transform the disused Pacific Road Theatre into a Hi Tech business centre.

Funding has already been secured to undertake a full restructuring of the building interior to create a desirable, modern business community while also helping Wirral Council to remove a ‘problem’ asset from its portfolio.

The theatre has posed something of a dilemma for the council over recent years as a new and viable use for the premises has proven elusive given the authority’s reluctance to maintain it as a performance space due to competition with Wirral’s flagship Floral Pavilion theatre. Several alternative schemes have been proposed for the site but the most viable would appear to be the current business centre proposal.

The proposed scheme will not affect the Transport Museum and Tramway, which operates from the site as acccess by Merseyside Tramway Preservation Society to the tramline inside the building, and the Taylor Street electricity sub-station which powers it will be protected.

The Chamber's chief executive, Paula Basnett, said “The redevelopment of Pacific Road is a great opportunity for us to create a business centre with an environment of the highest quality. This will bring not only significant opportunities for new and existing businesses to develop, but also be a conduit for employment creation. Wirral Chamber is committed to bringing this project to fruition and in doing so will greatly enhance the economic prosperity of the area.”

SPONSORED BY

First Apprentice for Bebington Gas Limited Since launching last summer, Bebington Gas is going from strength to strength. Owner William Paul is a traditional tradesman providing comprehensive advice, high-quality professional work and an extensive level of service, during and after project completion.

And it is this level of personal service that is winning them new contracts via “word of mouth” recommendation.

William said, “We take great pride in the loyalty of our customers, which is what motivates our continuous development as a company. The most modern and up-to-date technologies and continuous professional training are priorities for us as we support our customers through whatever situation they find themselves in”.

This month sees the launch of their first apprenticeship scheme – with more planned for later in the year. This is something that both William and business partner Phillippa are passionate about. He says, “I have come through the traditional building route and received sound training from some really good craftsman. I want to be able to support future gas engineers and pass on my experience. It’s important to support local youth and employment and those people looking to have a change of career and learn a trade”.

Esther McVey calls on Merseytravel to control spending Conservative MP Esther McVey has called on Merseytravel to take a more responsible attitude to its spending policies, which result in higher tunnel tolls for Mersey Tunnel users.

In a recent blog post she said “I was saddened to see Merseytravel increase Mersey Tunnel Tolls by 10p per crossing for 4 | www.theedgewirral.co.uk

cars, with bigger increases for other vehicles.

These increases are being forced through simply for Merseytravel to squander more money on other unnecessary pet projects.

Let’s not forget the £70 million they squandered on their failed tram scheme, or the millions it cost to provide them with their

plush, half empty new building at Mann Island. These constant increases are unjustifiable and unaffordable – particularly at a time when many people are struggling to make ends meet. It is time Merseytravel listened to tunnel users and stopped using motorists as a cash cow to pay for their vanity projects.

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NEWS

Wirral accountants to give Clearground free advice to small Celebrate businesses under new scheme 10th Birthday Small businesses could get up to £2000 under government initiative dvice worth up to £2,000 will be available free of charge to small businesses from Woods Squared, (a member of global accountancy body ACCA) under a new initiative with the government and small business network Enterprise Nation.

The Growth Voucher project, which is being jointly run with the Department of Business Innovation and Skills (BIS), the Cabinet Office, as well as ACCA and other organisations, will see up to 15,000 small businesses receive a maximum contribution of £2,000 from the government in order to seek advice and professional support across 5 key areas: sales and marketing, management and leadership, access to finance, employment relations and making the most of digital technologies.

Alan Woods, Director of Woods Squared said “This initiative is aimed at businesses with less than 50 employees. Rather than simply throw money at them, the Growth Voucher project links funds to valuable advice from qualified accountants that small businesses need as they look to grow, whether that be through accessing finance, exploiting assets within the business or looking to export to new markets. Woods Squared is no stranger to providing high quality business advice and lending our support to small businesses. The Growth Voucher scheme is, therefore, an ideal project for us to be involved in.”

True professionals The Growth Voucher scheme has built in safeguards to ensure the advice and support small enterprises gain from the project comes from professionally qualified accountants.

Alan explained: “Anyone can call themselves an accountant, so to guard against that the government has ensured that advice under the initiative comes from a professionally qualified accountant, such as a member of ACCA. This ensures that small businesses will feel safe in the knowledge that the accountant advising them has passed a rigorous set of professional exams, has already attained experience as a practicing accountant, is bound by a code of ethics and conduct, and is regulated by a professional body. They will also have professional indemnity insurance to guard against risk.

“This means a small businesses’ trusted business advisor under the scheme will meet the highest global standards. There is a misconception that accountants simply handle the books within a business. However, they also provide services covering both legal and planning elements to help a business such as tax compliance and planning advice, recordkeeping and reporting, forecasting and looking for the right type and mix of finance, and employment and payroll support.

“Under the Growth Voucher scheme, businesses that qualify will have access to this kind of support.”

Find out more about the Growth Vouchers project at www.enterprisenation.com/blog/posts/all-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-growth-vouchers Or contact the Woods Squared team via info@woods-squared.co.uk or call on 0151 649 8456.

Sleep is key to better memory A group of scientists from the University of Lubeck have discovered that memories form more clearly during sleep than when awake.

Earlier research had shown that recent memories are stored for a short time in a part of the brain called the hippocampus and are 6 | www.theedgewirral.co.uk

then committed to the brain’s “hard drive”, the Neocortex, for long term storage later. A new study led by Suzanne Diekelmann has found that the key to transferring the information is sleep.

“When we sleep there are fewer distractions

Birkenhead based Clearground have celebrated their 10th year of trading. The support services company provides a one stop shop for clients wanting to simplify their waste management and cleaning needs and have clients across the country. Started as a domestic drainage company by Phil Piercy ten years ago with his £7,000 redundancy money, Clearground now has turnover of £1m per year and has grown by 30% in the last four years. Mr. Piercy quickly spotted an opportunity to diversify into other areas of cleaning services and moved into commercial window cleaning, kitchen fan & extraction system cleaning as well as graffiti removal, pest control, waste management and all elements of commercial cleaning needed by property management companies and the hospitality sector.

Managing Director Phil, said: "We've come a long way in ten years and I'm very proud of everyone involved in the business who has contributed to our success. It doesn't seem that long ago that it was just me in a room with a phone, trying to persuade potential clients to give me a chance and now we employ 19 people. We pride ourselves on looking after the jobs that our clients don't want to deal with. Our aim is to develop into a market leading support service provider that enhances its client's reputations through our organisational and professional excellence.

to potentially corrupt the memories during the transfer from short-term to long-term storage,” Said Ms Diekelmann. She added: “Memories acquired before sleep, in effect, solidify as we snooze & that leads to better recall. Brain scans showed the information transfer begins shortly after sleep begins. Memories are put into temporary storage while we decide whether they are worth keeping or not. While in temporary storage these memories are fragile and can be easily damaged or overwritten by newer information” During trials volunteers were asked to memorise 15 pairs of cards with pictures of everyday objects on them. They were then split into two groups & asked to study a second set of cards, with one group given time to sleep first. Both groups were then asked to repeat the original task & the group which had slept retained an average 85% of the patterns, compared to 60% for those who stayed awake.

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...why you should be a member

S N O S A E R

The message is very clear from the Wirral Chamber – it will only succeed by working closely with its most powerful and its strongest resource – its members.

Throughout 2014, the Wirral Chamber support team will be working hard to see as many businesses as it can to find out what support is needed and to talk to them about joining Wirral Chamber on its exciting business journey.

So why would a business want to be a member of Wirral Chamber of Commerce?

There are many reasons but here are just 10 of the best business reasons to be cheerful about being a member of Wirral Chamber of Commerce...

REASON 1 - Wirral Chamber will ensure that your voice is heard. It is important that we know about your successes and your concerns, and we will speak on your behalf. With a growing membership of over 220 companies and a Chamber team genuinely committed to providing the best available service, we will see that you get the best opportunities to grow.

REASON 2 - Wirral Chamber organises a diverse calendar of business events, from training workshops to initiative updates, business dinners to company site visits, seminars to networking – if you would like to get involved just let us know, we would be delighted to hear your ideas.

In February 2014 the new look Wirral Chamber of Commerce was launched. Its objective is quite simple - to provide a true partnership that will create a business environment stimulating growth, employment, and economic prosperity for its members and Wirral alike.

REASON 3 - Wirral Chamber offers excellent export documentation services such as, European Certificates of Origin, EUR1 Movement Certificates, A.TR Certificates, and e-Cert – if you export then why not come and see our Export Team and find out how we can save you time and money – we offer members a 50% discount on services, so why go anywhere else?

REASON 4 - Wirral Chamber will promote your business, your products or services and encourage stronger supply chain links between members - if we can keep it local then we will keep it local.

REASON 5 - Wirral Chamber’s strength is you. Without our members we cannot succeed, therefore, we will offer your business a spotlight to be featured and promoted on our website, social media links and other media sources. It’s as simple as talking with us, we will come to your business and highlight what you do.

See how our members have benefitted at www.wirralchamber.co.uk REASON 6 - By being a Wirral Chamber member you will have plenty of opportunities to connect with like-minded business people, key decision makers, fellow members, potential clients and suppliers. We organise many networking events including social and business events, training seminars and workshops, and business-to-business meetings.

REASON 7 - We have a local memberto-member discount scheme so that you can either promote your goods and services to other members or look for particular offers on our website.

REASON 8 - Wirral Chamber has an experienced support team who will work closely with you to understand your business, your aspirations and your needs. We will then bring in the business support you need to help you grow.

REASON 9 - Membership of the Wirral Chamber enables your company to raise its profile within our local business community. The Chamber of Commerce brand is one of the oldest, most respected and well recognised business brands in the world, adding strength and value to your company’s profile.

REASON 10 - Wirral Chamber is continually evolving, and there will be new initiatives, resources and services added throughout 2014 and beyond. We believe our businesses are the most innovative and enterprising, that’s why our vision is to be the best Chamber of Commerce and with an active and strong membership, together we can make a real difference.

If you would like to become a member of Wirral Chamber of Commerce then it is as easy as contacting 0151 650 6940 or emailing info@wirralchamber.co.uk and we’ll be in touch to tell you more.

Or visit www.wirralchamber.co.uk

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Wirral Chamber members

S S E C C U S E T A CRE irral Chamber’s community of businesses is a dynamic and diverse membership comprising companies and organisations within sectors such as legal & professional, retail, training & education, manufacturing and digital & creative services.

Ace Audio Visual and Mills Media Group are just two from the digital and creative category recently undertaking major projects and demonstrating their respective production qualities and creativity.

The official launch of Wirral Chamber of Commerce in February was a perfect platform for Birkenhead based Ace Audio Visual to show its expertise in designing the striking staging and lighting for the official presentation.

Ace Audio Visual is well known for its work with clients across North West England, North Wales, as well as the wider UK, including organisations such as Wirral CVS, National Union of Journalists, Merseyside Police, United Utilities and Wirral Council.

Ace Audio Visual provides packages such as bespoke presentation sets, conference graphics logos, staging hire, PA systems, rear projection, plasma screens and lighting. Ace Audio Visual also offers first hand technical support, project management and equipment servicing. - www.aceaudiovisual.co.uk Mills Media Group is recognised internationally as a leading event management, conference, exhibition, photography, video and design house, supplying creative marketing solutions for a wide range of clients that include Wirral Chamber of Commerce, Telecare Services Association, Driver Hire, Newsquest, The Royal Statistical Society, Liverpool City Region LEP and British Cycling along with national charities such as The Lords Taverners.

In January, Mills Media delivered an event ‘experience’ on behalf of IT experts Intrinsic, designing a fabric wrapped set and a runway stage allowing the presenters to get right to the heart of the audience of senior directors, engineers, sales, marketing and administration teams. The set even included coloured “Tittles”!

Andrew Mills, Managing Director of Mills Media, said, “Such accomplishments come from hard work, enthusiasm and a dedication to ‘design and deliver’.

We never just turn up with equipment, stage the show and simply go home. We want to engage, to enable and to enhance the entire experience for both client and delegate.”

Not content with just staging a major conference - Intrinsic was launching a new logo and branding design - Mills Media expanded the event itinerary to include a team building challenge bringing staff together to create balloon towers against the clock. There were also scene artists on hand to visualise key comments, strategies and developments, creating the ultimate cartoon strip – some four metres in length (www.millsmediagroup.com).

Paula Basnett, CEO of Wirral Chamber of Commerce said, “Ace Audio Visual and Mills Media have both provided us with their expertise on different projects.

We need to ensure that Wirral Chamber stages quality and highly professional corporate events, and by working with both Ace and Mills Media that is exactly what we achieve.”

8 | www.theedgewirral.co.uk

Inspiring the Future and getting involved Inspiring the Future is a national programme bringing employers and their staff in front of young people in schools and colleges, and is supported by the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills, the British Chambers of Commerce, the Confederation of British Industry and the Federation of Small Businesses.

WIRRAL CHAMBER EVENTS

MARCH 2014

It is a free service in which people from all sectors and professions go into state schools and colleges to talk about their jobs, careers, and the education routes they took. There are also opportunities to help with mock interviews and CV workshops.

6th March Grow Your Workforce @ Oldershaw School 8.30am to 11.00am

The aims of the project are:

12th March #DevelopYourPeople @ Egerton House 8.30am to 11.30am

• To encourage all local schools (secondary and primary) and colleges to register for ITF and make requests on the system; • To encourage employees working in all the sectors in the local community to volunteer in schools; • To develop school based activities to ensure students in all year groups from year 6 understand what apprenticeships are and how to apply for them locally.

Everyone from CEOs to apprentices can volunteer for Inspiring the Future. Recent graduates, school leavers and people in the early stages of their career can be inspirational to teenagers - being close in age they are easy to relate to, while senior staff and retirees have a wealth of knowledge and experience to share.

Your insights will help inspire and equip students for the next steps they need to take. It is not a big ask – you can volunteer for as little as one hour per year.

23 of the 26 secondary schools in Wirral have already signed up to Inspiring the Future

How do I sign up?

Go to www.inspiringthefuture.org - complete your ‘profile’ and confirm the ‘location’ and ‘activities’ sections. You can volunteer at a local school near your home or place of work.

21st March Wirral MP’s Question Time @ Holiday Inn Express, Hoylake 12.30pm to 2.30pm 26th March #MakeAWill @ Egerton House 5.00pm to 7.00pm

APRIL 2014 4th April Crabbie’s Grand National – 9.00am Egerton House 10.00am Aintree Racecourse 29th April Bank of England Update @ Caldy Golf Club 8am to 10.30am

Visit our website www.wirralchamber.co.uk for more information on any of these up and coming events.

www.theedgewirral.co.uk | 9

MEMBERS SHOWCASE

PlumbNation – ROYDEN EVANS Determination and commitment are just two of the vital business ingredients which has seen Royden drive PlumbNation's growth so strongly in becoming a leading UK based e-commerce business.

Tell us about your company?

Since 2007, PlumbNation has established itself as one of the UK’s largest and fastest growing online distributors of plumbing and heating products, offering customers over 20,000 products at any one time, and processing more than 50,000 orders a year. We have a 23 strong team of employees with real knowledge and in-house technical expertise. While the vast majority of sales are in the UK, we also handle orders from overseas, shipping to Europe, USA, Hong Kong and Australia.

Where do you want the business to be in two years?

PlumbNation has an exciting future. During 2013, it was acquired by the Travis Perkins Group, which means we now have access to unrivalled levels of stock across thousands of core product lines, and we have developed a new e-commerce site. We put innovation and entrepreneurialism at the heart of everything we do and as such have built a reputation for being a good employer of both experienced staff and young apprentices. Consumers now transact online with a trustworthy, customer-focused e-commerce business which allows them to find exactly the right products for their home.

What is your background?

As the son of a plumber, I have always had a passion for this industry. When I left school I started as an apprentice with a national plumbing and heating merchant in the warehouse and, having a strong product knowledge, I soon escalated through the business in roles such as trade counter, sales office, sales representative, branch manager and regional sales manager. Of all the jobs, founding, building and managing PlumbNation has been the most challenging, rewarding and enjoyable part of my career to date.

If you could suggest something to government which would help your business growth what would it be?

I would like government to assist manufacturers bring back as much production to the UK as possible. We have skills and factories, now we need assistance to fund the opportunities. The success of Land Rover is incredible, however, we need successes like this to reduce unemployment and do what we do best as a nation. Whilst we have seen growth in smaller industrial units producing high value goods, we need the likes of the steel factories who employ thousands of people being able to compete in the production of large volumes of low value goods.

What do you do to relax away from the office?

I have one rule and that is not to work on a weekend if at all possible. I have a young family and love to spend my weekends at their mercy allowing them to call the shots and do what they want to do. This invariably involves taking my daughter clothes shopping or taking my son to watch the football. Friends and family are obviously vitally important, so it’s also great to spend as much time as possible with them too.

What hobbies do you have?

Although I have equipment for pretty much every sporting event known, excluding a fencing suit and sabre, I have never ever found a hobby that has engaged me enough to continue long term. I have been thinking about guitar lessons, however, in true Evans fashion you will probably find a dusty guitar in my loft within 12 months lying on top of the home brewing equipment and skiing goggles.

What one piece of advice would you give an 18 year old Royden Evans starting out today?

I was fortunate to develop my career in an industry that I had and still have a real passion for. One piece of advice? To believe in yourself and trust your judgement. Over the years I have talked myself out of various ventures that I am sure would have been a great success, I always found an excuse to prevent me biting the bullet. Starting a business from scratch is hard work, however, if you are passionate, determined and surround yourself with like-minded people the rewards outweigh any negatives you may experience along the journey.

To see more about PlumbNation then please visit its website www.plumbnation.co.uk

10 | www.theedgewirral.co.uk

sales

Sales Mistakes to Avoid ith the new financial year should come a review of your business and an evaluation of where new business will come from over the coming 12 months. Sales and budgeting forecasts for the year ahead should already have been undertaken to include not just top-line revenue growth projections but also strategic decisions for new business through new accounts or new offerings.

How much repeat business is realistic and what opportunities were missed last year that should not escape the net this year. As part of the process it’s important to identify and address mistakes form previous years and evaluate in detail why certain business didn’t come through or wasn’t fully maximised.

1. Not speaking to the decision maker:

Relationships are critical, especially in the sales environment and business associates have many opportunities to spend time together and get to know each other throughout the year. However, it’s important to know that the contacts you are making are empowered to make business decisions, either for a specific department or across the entire organization? Are there other executives inside your customer base that have spending authority? Many sales professionals get too comfortable with the same contact and are fearful of asking to be introduced to other budget holders, shutting themselves out of potential opportunities companywide. Stop wasting time and leverage the contacts you have to make more contacts.

2. Undervaluing products & services:

Many sales professionals can act like they are working for their customers and not the company that pays them. They resist charging for the value being provided and instead feel obliged to price products / projects based on cost. But solution providers are in the value business, and sales professionals working for them need to be able to communicate the competitive advantage and efficiencies their services provide. Once a customer knows your costs and is conditioned to paying certain rates, up-selling can be difficult. Don’t undercut your own business. There is always room for discounting but think big from the start.

3. Overpromising:

In most cases, buyers are not naive and won’t be bowled over by the products and services you are offering at crazy prices.

They are businesspeople and have generally been there and done that so they probably already know your competitors and have a pretty good idea of what they want and what price is realistic. Promising the world will send off alarm bells so don’t offer something that can’t be delivered as it won’t end up in closed business and if it does, it will likely fail.

4. Failing to understand a customer’s needs:

Of equal importance to knowing your products and services is understanding your customer’s objectives if you want to build a lasting relationship rather than a one off sale. Do your research and learn about your customer’s industry and the challenges they face. The more you understand their business, the better you

Here are some common mistakes that sales professionals make that will prove costly to your business. can customize your offering to meet their needs. Be a good listener—instead of going in there hell-bent on selling a particular item, approach your initial dialogue as an exchange of ideas. Only by having a discovery conversation can you really get to understand your customer’s objectives.

5. Never asking for the business:

One of the biggest obstacles to gaining a sale is not asking for the sale to begin with.

After the discovery meeting, put together a detailed proposal and ask for the business and close the deal. So many sales professionals spend a lot of time and effort meeting with potential customers but never ask for money at the end. They reason that the moment wasn’t right or the conversation didn’t go as planned but remember if potential customers meet with you they are expecting at some point to be sold. So sell. www.theedgewirral.co.uk | 11

opinion

UTLOOK

Outlook for housing markets nder great fanfare, the Governments Help-to-Buy scheme finally arrived at the end of 2013, with the promise of a bounce in the housing market and a much needed shot in arm for the British economy. For those of you who have maybe missed the details of the scheme. In brief, it allows First Time Buyers and some Home movers, access to 95% mortgages, which have not been available in the post credit crunch era. Until now that is!

Should anyone really care? If you holiday on private islands, or own a Premier League football club then probably not; but for the rest of us mere mortals it is likely to impact on our lives in some way or another. The mortgage products available on the scheme do carry marginally higher interest rates but they are still reasonably priced and it would appear that the rates haven’t proved to be a barrier to potential homebuyers wanting to take advantage of the scheme. This is supported by the fact that almost 6,000 applications had been submitted by early January.

Some buyers who have been saving towards a 10% deposit are now opting to use less funds toward their deposit and have planned on keeping some money back to assist in furnishing or improving their home. This means that lenders, who would have otherwise befitted from the 10% deposit business, have adapted to the new market conditions by launching their own 95% loan-to-value mortgage ranges. In addition to this, we have also seen a number of lenders reducing the rates on their 90% loan-to-value mortgage ranges, so it would appear that competition has certainly improved at the toughest end of the mortgage market.

For Landlords the picture is mixed. It is likely that property prices will continue to rise, so the value of existing properties held by Landlords will typically increase. Indeed in anticipation of a potential price rise, we saw a flood of Buy-to-Let applications in the autumn of 2013, with Landlords looking to grab a bargain before the final phase of the Help-to-Buy scheme was rolled out.

However the flip side to this is that the high Tenant demand of the last five years has been fuelled in part as a result of the lack of mortgage funding. As it becomes easier for prospective homebuyers to access funds, we could see a decline in Tenant demand and as a result this could place pressure on the yields that have been enjoyed recently within the Buy-to-Let sector.

Landlords have helped to prop up the housing market over the last few years and have almost taken the place of the first time buyer in some areas of the country. Moving forwards however, Landlords who are hoping to either start or expand their 12 | www.theedgewirral.co.uk

Christian Coventry, Chief Executive, Concept Mortgages portfolios, will now face stiffer competition from first time buyers.

It is inevitable that some Landlords will either lose out on property or pay a higher price.

All of these factors will inevitably lead to concerns over a housing market bubble. Yes, that could still happen, but another important development is taking place within the Mortgage Market, which, unless you are directly involved you will maybe not have heard of, as it has gone largely unreported by mainstream media. This development is the Mortgage Market Review or MMR. What is MMR I hear you ask? The MMR was a comprehensive review carried out by the Financial Service Authority (latterly the Financial Conduct Authority) of the mortgage market, which started with a Discussion Paper in 2009 and culminated in a Policy Statement and final rules in October 2012. The majority of the changes will be implemented on 26 April 2014.

The MMR will cover many points, but the one that I feel will have the biggest effect on the market is that Lenders will be made responsible for assessing whether the customer can afford the mortgage, and they will have to verify the customer's income, this will no longer be the responsibility of the Intermediary. In real terms it means that lenders are under greater scrutiny by the Regulator to prove that borrowers can afford the mortgages they are providing. We would expect that the net result of this is that some lenders may not be keen to lend quite as much as they were in the past.

This in itself may not burst the bubble; but it might reduce the speed at which it inflates. Whatever happens 2014 is going to be an interesting year in the housing market and having made it through the last few difficult years it feels like a good place to be again; for now at least.

Legal

What would happen to my business if I could not make the day to day decisions? he continuity of your business is crucial to business planning. It is vital to ensure the efficient running of your business should any disruption occur making you, the business owner incapable of running it or making decisions about it due to physical or mental incapacity.

as to how ther person(s) you nominate (Attorney(s) should deal with your business affairs.

Few business owners are aware that should they be unable to manage their own affairs, there is no one (not even a close family member) that has an automatic right to deal with the business on their behalf.

What happens if I do not make this provision?

So if documents need signing, wages need to be paid or orders need to be fulfilled, giving someone authority to deal with such matters it is essential: a Lasting Power of Attorney enables you to do this.

Lasting Power of Attorney A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) enables you to appoint someone to look after your financial affairs if you become incapable of dealing with them yourself.

The LPA enables you to decide who will deal with your affairs on your behalf and enables you to place restrictions and give guidance

Making an LPA in respect of your business affairs allows you to appoint someone who is familiar with the business, for example the other partners or someone in your family who knows the business well.

If you become incapacitated then without an LPA an application has to be made to the Court of Protection in order for someone to be appointed as a Deputy. This process is lengthy and much more costly than the process of applying for an LPA. In short, it makes business sense to apply for an LPA now – think of it as an insurance policy that could keep your business running successfully. For more information call Rebecca Robinson on 0151 666 2210 or Email: rmr@morecrofts.co.uk

Rebecca Robinson

Solicitor, Morecrofts Solicitors

www.theedgewirral.co.uk | 13

opinion

UTLOOK

Put a Spring in your Step Do something for nothing. t’s March and rain permitting, the natural world is starting to wake up. There are signs of spring around us and we can all start looking forward to getting out more. Traditionally, it is also the time for a clear out. But I’m not going to ask you to think about backing up data, organising your filing or even painting the office. I’m asking you to think a little differently.

I hate waste. I avoid going to the local tip because of the amount of good quality items getting binned, just because one individual doesn’t want it any more. Forgive the Americanism but the saying is true: One Man’s Trash is another Man’s Treasure and this applies to businesses just as much as it does to the general public. Let me give you an example.

Last month I was talking to a local cafe owner, who has been running a small Food Bank with overstocked food from a local source. She was talking to me about the difficulty of trying to find inexpensive shelving to display the food properly. The same week, less than half a mile down the road, a supermarket was being refurbished and the contractors were filling large industrial skips with all the ‘unwanted’ display stands. Just one or two of those stands would have made all the difference to that Food Bank!

And it’s not just furniture that could be donated to a good cause.

There are little things that any business can do that will help greatly also. Although it’s not as widely practised as in the 80’s there are still organisations that collect used stamps; the Shropshire Union Canal Society being just one. Any small business could pin an envelope in the area where the post is sorted to collect the stamps as the mail is opened then when it’s full send it off. Similarly there are charities that collect ink cartridges to be recycled. They provide a box for the used ones, and then when the box is full they come and collect.

The joy of things like this is that there is no cost involved, or very little. In these times when everybody and every business is thinking about cutting costs and tightening budgets, it is a pleasant change to be able to do something for others without having to ask staff or customers for money.

There are benefits to the business as well. There are PR opportunities in donating to good causes. Getting all your staff to bring in their old specs can then lead to a photo of staff with the mound of glasses being donated to one of the sight charities for shipping to other countries. Advertising a desk to be donated to a

14 | www.theedgewirral.co.uk

Jane Richards, Third Sector Thinking charitable cause on your Facebook page will be seen by all your followers. Ask them to suggest a cause, and make it a competition.

The charity gets the desk, the customers get included and the company gets the praise.

So next time you have a clear out, please - stop and think.

Can whatever you are about to throw away be donated to a good cause instead? There are organisations out there that would kill for those kitchen units that you are about to tip; those filing cabinets you no longer need or that printer you no longer use.

Finally, remember - doing good makes you feel good. So put a Spring in your Step and Do Something for Nothing.

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Working from home

Home Working or many employees, working from home offers the perfect balance between home and work life. Some people thrive without a boss breathing down their neck, being able to wear whatever they want and being able to work without distraction from work colleagues and office drama. But one person’s idea of heaven could be another’s hell as without a boss to maintain motivation, productivity can fall, while some workers feel directionless if they don’t dress for work. Furthermore it can be difficult for workers to bond with colleagues they never meet and the temptation is always there to do anything other than work. So how do you ensure that your work-from-home experiment is a successful one?

1. Set boundaries: A lot of people choose to work from

easy it is to squeeze in a nap. It’s essential though, that you set an alarm or that nap will throw a spanner in the works. Try the Power Nap App, which has a number of different sleep increments to choose from along with an explanation of the effects each will have on your body.

4. Create a routine and stick to it:

It’s essential that you establish a routine and incorporate breaks from the start. You might be tempted to think you can indulge in a “Breaking Bad” binge during the work day and then make up for it on the weekend or by working late into the evening. That’s a bad way to go, and sets you up for the formation of long term, bad work-from-home habits. If you’re having trouble focusing, take a timed break and go for a walk to clear your head.

home because it gives them more time with their families.

However, the home worker must be careful to set boundaries with the people they live with so that family time doesn’t bleed into work time. Make use of babysitters and cleaners or housekeeper if needed but don’t fool yourself into feeling better about procrastination by doing personal chores when you are supposed to be working. Loading or unloading a dishwasher in work hours is pretty harmless, but embarking on a massive spring clean or home improvement project is not.

5. Stay on the boss’s radar: Not having a boss constantly poking their head in your workspace can be an adjustment for both manager and employee alike. Work out a regular check-in system with your boss – whether it’s through instant messaging, email or even video chat – so you can establish a touch point, receive feedback on your work, and generally let them know you’re actually working.

2. Establish a sanctuary: Every home worker needs a place to go in their house that is theirs and theirs alone where they can concentrate and work effectively. Some people need a complete home office, with a desk, printer and scanner, while others need only a quiet room where they can close the door. Figure out what works best for the individual.

The fact of the matter is that a lot of your work-from-home success will depend on setting up an environment and routine that works best for you. If you’re the kind of person who has to put on a tie and sit at a desk to feel productive, then do that. Pay attention to what interferes with your productivity, and cut it out of your workday.

3. Nap smarter: You know that post-lunch crash we all

At the end of the day if you are not cut out for ‘home work’ be honest about it and look for a more conventional work environment.

experience? One of the biggest joys of working from home is how

www.theedgewirral.co.uk | 15

opinion

“The Great Recession” hadn’t twigged this before, but the recession we’re currently clawing our way out of is being labelled “The Great Recession”.

No arguments from me on that one. But now we’re officially out of it, I’m amazed at how hindsight has coloured our view of how it all started. Everybody seems to be pretty much in agreement as to the root causes – principally excessive borrowing and consumption on the back of non-existent or over-valued assets – but there still seems to be a prevailing attitude that it all came as some sort of big surprise. In fact there were plenty of people around, in the media, in businesses and in pubs, who were saying in 2007 and before, “This can’t go on”. Even some of the more astute politicians were issuing warnings - Vince Cable, to name the most prominent - and were being labelled as doom-mongers as a result.

What’s really puzzling, though is that the same willingness to spend money that we don’t have is still a big part of the modern psyche. It’s as if nothing’s been learned. So now it’s back into borrow-and-spend mode for anyone who has equity in property, but not so easy for those who don’t. This highlights one of the biggest and I expect most long-lasting effects of the recession, which is the increased polarisation of society in economic terms.

Paul Davies, Principal Business Consultant, Fieldcrest Business Solutions

global meltdown. Over the last five years growth in Asia has slowed and societal and I suspect that it personal expectations there have risen. In the west we’ve been taking advantage of incredibly might be a longer cheap Asian labour (and also Indian and than we think before African) for the last thirty years or more. In fact most of us really it’s no exaggeration to say that our whole start to feel economic model has been underpinned by the comfortable that availability of cheap goods from the Far East.

Common sense dictates that unfettered growth, the nastiness in economies and in populations, cannot is definitely I know many people who have pretty continue indefinitely, but our whole economic behind us. much sailed unhindered through the last philosophy is built on the premise that it can five or six years, fully aware of the and will. There are many signs that China and circumstances, but not drastically similar developing economies may be faltering affected by them. On the other hand, many people on the lower and this will very probably put an additional brake on our own rungs of the socio-economic ladder have found themselves recovery hopes. considerably worse off, and will have a much harder struggle to recover. These divisions between the Have’s and the Have-not’s cut Against the prevailing trend, the majority of businesses I work across our society in so many ways. Consider, for instance, the with have stayed busy during the recession, and few have laid position of the southern European states relative to the north; the people off. Most have made less profit, largely as a result of south-east of England compared to the north-east, and closer to pressures on prices and margins, and almost all the owners and home, the economic canyon between north and south Wirral. directors have taken out less than they would have liked to. The What this polarisation will mean in economic terms as we go biggest pressure, however, has undoubtedly been on cashflow and forward is unclear, but I suspect that it might be a longer than we cash availability. Dealing with supplier payments, wage bills, VAT think before most of us really start to feel comfortable that the and PAYE commitments has been and continues to be a weary nastiness is definitely behind us. treadmill for most businesses in the face of slower and slower customer payments. It’s ironic that at a time when interest rates For me, the biggest threat to our fragile recovery is (and to some have been at an all time low, for longer than ever before, extent always has been) the situation in the Far East. China and businesses have often been unable to take advantage, because of the other developing nations undoubtedly formed a buffer when the reluctance of the lenders to consider even the smallest risk. things went pear-shaped over here, helping to prevent a complete Despite many Government incentives to encourage more lending, 16 | www.theedgewirral.co.uk

the banks are still failing to engage, and businesses are still struggling to source cost-effective borrowing to finance expansion and redevelopment. Come on guys, get a grip!

An important factor in achieving commercial success is the amount of support businesses can draw from government and private incentives. Business support at the local level was catastrophically axed in 2008 and has never recovered. However, there are signs of progress, and as an example, I was delighted to attend the launch event for the newly reconstituted Wirral Chamber of Commerce a couple of weeks ago. There was a real buzz in the room and lots of positive talk and attitude. I’m looking forward to participating in the Chamber’s drive to improve business and economic prosperity in Wirral. Well done to all involved. If you haven’t already done so, visit their website or give them a ring. And consider becoming a member – the more businesses that participate, the stronger it will be.

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When did I become everyone’s “Mate”?

I’m thoroughly fed up with being addressed as “Mate” in pubs, restaurants, supermarkets – in fact everywhere!

“Thanks, Mate”, “Can I take your order, Mate?”, Would you like some help with your packing, Mate?”.

It’s an epidemic, and it’s getting worse. If you own a business where there are customer-facing staff, or are responsible for managing such a business, take note please.

I’m a customer, not their Mate, and in these circumstances a different type of relationship and address is called for. I don’t want deference, just politeness. It can be done, and actually it’s not hard. The staff at a restaurant we sometimes visit down by the shore at Heswall get it absolutely right and make me feel valued as a customer and respected as a person. They appear to be almost entirely from southern Europe (Portuguese I think) and they are unfailingly polite, friendly and courteous.

Why do we British have such a problem with this, and how can it be addressed? Or am I the only one who is bothered?

Answers on a postcard please……

Paul Davies is Principal Business Consultant at Fieldcrest Business Solutions www.fieldcrest.co.uk • paul@fieldcrest.co.uk

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social media

Are you using social media all

ocial media is not a good advertising medium for SMEs looking for new business. In spite of this the general advice is for businesses to have a Facebook page, a Twitter account, a Google+ page, an Instagram account, and so on. Have you stopped to ask yourself, “Why?” There is tremendous value to be had from your social media exposure but not as a direct sales tool so it’s important to determine where this value lies and then use your social platforms accordingly.

You’ll be hard-pressed to increase your sales figures via social media platforms.

People really don’t want to be sold to in this way and you are likely to alienate followers with any direct sales approach.

People are using social sites to be entertained and informed and to connect with friends so unless you are selling pure entertainment you can’t compete. You simply don’t have the pull to rip them away from social media’s powerful magnets and into a buying frame of mind.

Social media is ideal for running your fan club and should be used to engage with your most fervent fans. These are your best and most ardent repeat customers. These are the people who buy almost every time you send out an email. They’re the ones telling their friends about your site. These are your key clients. Engage them in order to enjoy the multiplying network effects of word-of-mouth advertising.

18 | www.theedgewirral.co.uk

Only cater to your key clients on social media. Your best customers follow you because they like your products, your policies, and your overall approach. You don’t need to sell to them. They’re already sold! Instead, you need to take off the covers and reveal even more about you, your philosophy, your employees, your culture, etc. These people are already interested so give them a little more.

Don’t just copy what’s on your website.

Your best customers already know your website content. They’ve come to your social media presence to find out more so give it to them! This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t announce new products, but that you should also go above and beyond.

Be familiar and post insider jokes!

Remember, this is a fan club. If visitors are here, they are fans and they should “get” the joke. If they don’t, even better.

That means they’re new and eager to learn. It’ll be a mystery for them to solve and people love a challenge Share special deals and coupons. Only your best fans are going to check out your social media pages, so reward them when they do. Repeat customers are the lifeline of any small business so rewarding loyalty is a far better policy than trying to sucker new customers with absurdly low deals.

This only trains them to buy when there’s a special.

T

R E P X E E H T K AS

sful Businesses of Highly Succes ls ia nt se Es 7 e Th

Y CHRIS r,FChR g Ltd. ris Fry Consultin Finance Directo

n trying to unpick where any business is going wrong and/or can be improved, you need to address each of 5 core processes in turn.

Relight the Fire Imagine yourself back in control of your business.

Imagine being able to focus on what you do best. expertise to guide your decisions, you can stop imagining and start achieving your goals.

1. Value Creation Is your business creating value for anyone else? Or, put more simply, who are your customers? And is your product or service offering something that they actually value or just something that you think they ought to value?

director and business coach, specialising in assistance for Merseyside SMEs.

2. Marketing You can have the best value proposition in the world but if no one knows about it you won't be in business too long!

For a completely free and without obligation chat give Chris a call on 07740 800986 to get back on track and

3. Sales You might have the best value proposition in the world but irrespective of how much value you can bring to your customers' lives and even with the best possible marketing campaign an inability to convert prospects into paying customers will lead to the failure of your business.

e t with m Connec

chris@chrisfryconsulting.co.uk

www.chrisfryconsulting.co.uk

4. Value Delivery Customer relationships are at the heart of every business and the ability to deliver what you have promised through your marketing and sales efforts is critical to your success.

5. Finance The Finance process will ensure that the other processes create value, market, sell and deliver that value to customers at a price (to the customer) and a cost (to your business) that makes money for your business.

If you have plans on growing your business beyond the one man and dog stage then you need to add to these processes 2 more: People and Systems.

'If you have built your castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them.'

Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) Without the ability to manage yourself and your time, to relate to people and to communicate effectively with them, you will struggle to get your business off the ground. And as your business grows, you will quickly find that unless you have these processes systemised in some way you will find it increasingly difficult to stay on top of things.

CHRIS FRY

This article is a summarised version of a report that you can obtain free and in full from my website: www.chrisfryconsulting.co.uk A Chartered Certified Accountant and a Chartered Tax Adviser, with over 20 years experience in senior finance roles.

Chris Fry

T: 07740 800986 W: www.chrisfryconsulting.co.uk E: chris@chrisfryconsulting.co.uk www.theedgewirral.co.uk | 19

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WARREN BUFFET

s e t o u Q

The fourth richest person in the world with a fortune of $53.5 billion.

Also known as eferred to as the "Oracle" of Omaha, Warren Buffett is widely viewed as one of the most successful investors in history. He has amassed a personal multibillion dollar fortune mainly through investing in stocks and buying companies through Berkshire Hathaway. Shareholders in Berkshire Hathaway who invested $10,000 in the company in 1965 are above the $50 million mark today. Now in his 70s, Buffett has yet to write a single book, but among investment professionals and the investing public, there is no more respected voice. In 2006, Buffett announced that he would pledge much of his reported $44 billion in stock holdings to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation ($31 billion) and four other charities ($6 billion) started by members of his family.

Warren Buffett graduated from the University of Nebraska in 1950 with a Bachelor of Science degree. After reading "The Intelligent Investor" by Benjamin Graham, he wanted to study under Graham, and did so at Columbia University, obtaining his Master of Science degree in business in 1951.

He then returned to Omaha and formed the investment firm of Buffett-Falk & Company, and worked as an investment salesman from 1951 to 1954. During this time, Buffett 24 | www.theedgewirral.co.uk

The "Oracle" of Omaha developed a close relationship with Graham, who was generous with his time and thoughts. This interaction between the former professor and student eventually landed Buffett a job with Graham's New York firm, Graham-Newman Corporation, where he worked as a security analyst from 1954 to 1956. These two years of working side-byside with Graham and analyzing hundreds of companies were instructive years that formed the foundation for Buffett's approach to successful stock investing.

Wanting to work independently, Buffett returned home once again to Omaha and started a family investment partnership at age 25 with a starting capital base of $100,000. From 1956 to 1969, when the Buffett partnership was dissolved, investors, including Buffett, experienced a thirty-fold gain in their value per share. Prior to the final decision to liquidate the partnership, Buffett had acquired the unprofitable Berkshire Hathaway textile company in New Bedford, Massachusetts, in 1965. After acquiring Berkshire, Buffett effected a successful turnaround of the company, which focused on changing the company's financial framework.

Berkshire kept its textile business, even in the face of mounting pressures, but also used the

company as a holding company for other investments.

It was in the 1973-74 market collapse that Berkshire got the opportunity to purchase other companies at bargain prices. Buffett went on a buying spree, which included an investment in The Washington Post. The rest is history and today, Berkshire Hathaway is a massive holdings company for a variety of businesses with assets and sales totaling, approximately, $240 billion and $100 billion, respectively, for year-end 2006.

Investment Style Warren Buffett's investing style of discipline, patience and value has consistently outperformed the market for decades.

John Train, author of "The Money Masters"(1980), provides us with a succinct description of Buffett's investment approach: "The essence of Warren's thinking is that the business world is divided into a tiny number of wonderful businesses – well worth investing in at a price – and a large number of bad or mediocre businesses that are not

WARREN BUFFET

money; "Rule No. 1: never lose rule No. 1" Rule No. 2: don't forget

"It's far better to buy a wo nderful company at a fair price than a fair comp any at a wonderful price."

e.

"The stock market is a no-called-strike gam You don't have to swing at everything - you can wait for your pitch. The problem when you're a money manager is that your fans keep yelling, 'Swing, you bum!'"

"You don't need to be a rocket scientist.

Investing is not a game where the guy IQ." with the 160 IQ beats the guy with 130

"Long ago, Sir Isaac Newton gave us three laws of motion, which were the work of genius.

But Sir Isaac’s talents didn’t extend to investing: He lost a bundle in the South Sea Bubble, explaining later, “I can calculate the movement of the stars, but not the madness of men.” If he had not been traumatized by this loss, Sir Isaac might well have gone on to discover the Fourth

"After all , you only find out who is swimming out." naked when the tide goes

t people "Wall Street is the only place tha advice ride to in a Rolls-Royce to get y." wa from those who take the sub "Long ago, Ben Graham taught me that 'Price is what you pay; value is what you get.'

Whether we’re talking about socks or stocks, I like buying quality merchandise when it is marked down."

WARREN BUFFET

Quotes

"The best thing that happens to us is when a great company gets into temporary trouble...We want to buy them when they're on the operating table."

"I try to buy stock in businesses that are so wonderful that an idiot can run them . Because sooner or later, one will ."

"My approach is very much profiting from lack of change rather than from change. With Wrigley chewing gum, it's the lack of change that appeals to me. I don't think it is going to be hurt by the Internet.

That's the kind of business I like."

attractive as long-term investments. Most of the time, most businesses are not worth what they are selling for, but on rare occasions the wonderful businesses are almost given away. When that happens, buy boldly, paying no attention to current gloomy economic and stock market forecasts."

Buffett's criteria for "wonderful businesses" include, among others, the following: • They have a good return on capital without a lot of debt.

• They are understandable.

• They see their profits in cash flow.

• They have strong franchises and, therefore, freedom to price.

• They don't take a genius to run.

• Their earnings are predictable.

• The management is owner-oriented.

"I have pledged – to you, the rating agencies and myself – to al ways run Berkshire with more than ample cash. We never want to count on the kindness of strangers in order to meet tomorrow’s obligations. When forced to choose, I will not trade even a night’s sleep for the chance of extra profits."

Buffett has not, as yet, authored any books. However, his annual letters to the shareholders in Berkshire Hathaway's annual report are a suitable substitute. Quotes from some of these 20-page masterpieces of investing wisdom follow from which we can all learn valuable lessons about investing and business philosophy. Read on. www.theedgewirral.co.uk | 25

APPRENTICESHIPS

new year, a new start and an extra pair of hands might be all that’s needed to help your business grow in 2014. According to the National Apprenticeship Service, 96% of employers that take on an apprentice report benefits to their business and 72% of businesses report improved productivity as a result of employing an apprentice.

One national skills and training provider that has welcomed the government’s commitment to cutting the red tape involved with taking on apprentices, along with cash incentives for the firms that do, is Avanta Enterprise Ltd. Avanta works as a Prime Provider on behalf of the Government to deliver the Work Programme and has helped people to improve their lives for over 30 years by working with local communities and partners to deliver employment and training services as well as helping businesses flourish.

Avanta can support your business and provide professional training programmes such as Customer Service and Management and Team Leading courses to name but a few.

The courses and qualifications Avanta offers provides the breadth and depth of skills and knowledge needed to equip any workforce with the skills they need to grow and build a successful business.

Avanta also welcomes and supports the government’s new wage incentive scheme for employers called the Youth Contract – Wage Incentive Scheme. As an employer you could receive £2,275 for providing a permanent job to an 18-24 year old, and £1,500 for taking on a young person as an apprentice*.

Laura Harris, Northwest Skills Employer Relationship Manager At Avanta said: “Apprenticeships are an important way of improving the UK's skills base, and giving people opportunities through work based learning programmes, but they also bring tangible benefits for employers. We work with employers across the UK to enable them to recruit and train the staff they have to sustain and develop their organisations and grow the economy.”

With offices in Liverpool, Birkenhead, Chester and Warrington, Avanta has a presence right across the Wirral. For more information contact Laura Harris on 07971 958 686 based in Avanta’s Liverpool branch and visit

www.avanta.uk.com/apprenticeships

*terms and eligibility apply.

26 | www.theedgewirral.co.uk

opinion

UTLOOK The Universal Push for an LED Takeover n terms of energy conservation, the pros of using light-emitting diodes (LED bulbs) has long been known. LEDs are up to 10 times more energy efficient than their traditional incandescent counterparts, and considering that lighting accounts for half of all electricity used by industry and a quarter of that used by homes, it’s little wonder that governments all over the world are doing all they can to speed up the process of converting all lighting to LED by slowly phasing out incandescent bulbs.

The savings that would result from a complete LED conversion are truly dramatic, and this is closer than ever before to becoming reality as the LED industry continues to make these devices less expensive.

As the price of LED bulbs has continuously decreased over the years, the LED market continues to grow in value. IMS Research, the Colorado-based market research firm, place the current annual value of the LED market at $85 billion, and predict that this will grow to $120 billion by 2017.

However, the firm believes this will shrink back down to $105 billion by 2020.

Although initially worrying, this estimated dip does not signify a decline in demand for LEDs, but rather it reflects that the price of LEDs will continue to drop, and, owing to their longevity, their replacement rates won’t be as high as incandescent bulbs. Customers will undoubtedly benefit from this too, as they will only need to replace LED bulbs every 10 years or so.

The industry is also working hard in other ways to improve the rate at which LED bulbs can outstrip their counterparts in terms of usage. For a long time it was not possible to use dimmer switches with LED bulbs. Many homeowners enjoy using dimmer switches to create an atmosphere in a room or to reduce power usage. In homes that want to go ‘green’ and install LED throughout the house, their incompatibility with dimmer switches was always a problem. However, this is no longer the case.

Chris Bawden, Managing Director of Simple Lighting

...THEY can also save up to 90% on their annual energy costs compared to incandescent bulbs.

Although customers can’t yet use LEDs with traditional dimmer switches, simply installing a GU10 LED dimmer switch is the ideal option. The LED dimmer switch works by turning the LED bulb off and on so quickly that it is undetectable by the human eye. The result is a dim glow just as you would get with a traditional dimmer switch. With this option, not only can customers dim their lights but they can also save up to 90% on their annual energy costs compared to incandescent bulbs.

For customers that still want to keep their traditional dimmers, manufactures are working hard to make LED bulbs compatible with these too, so it won’t be long before incandescent bulbs are truly a thing of the past. Due to this, the future of LEDs looks to be very bright indeed.

www.theedgewirral.co.uk | 27

EMPLOYMENT LAW

Recent

Changes IN Employment Law Favour

The Employer The Pendulum Swings Again When you have practised employment law as long as I have (since about 1978 since you ask), you become used to the fact that every time there is a change in government the balance between employers and employees swings backwards and forwards like a pendulum. Historically significant changes were made to the original laws relating to Industrial Tribunals (now Employment Tribunals) in 1974 when Edward Heath was ousted by Harold Wilson. The pendulum swung the other way somewhat unsurprisingly when Margaret Thatcher came into power in 1979.

Tony Blair revoked many (but by no means all) of the changes that had been made during the 18 years of conservative government when he came to power in 1997.

Following the formation of the coalition government in 2010 there was the usual clamour from the CBI and the FSB (Federation of Small Businesses) for radical reform of employment law.

Notwithstanding the fact that Vince Cable the Trade Minister was a Liberal Democrat and would not be expected to favour the changes the lobbying was successful in persuading the government to make significant changes despite there being a total lack of objective evidence to justify many of them. The government has now enacted a number of significant reforms which have undoubtedly had the effect of curtailing a number of employment rights for employees and more particularly dramatically reducing the number of claims being brought before the Employment Tribunal. Many may think this is a good thing until it is their own rights which are affected.

The main changes have been:-

1. Time Limits

Anyone whose employment commenced after the 1 April 2012 must now work for a total of 2 years before they can bring a claim for unfair dismissal in the Employment Tribunal. Although there are a significant number of exceptions to the 2 year rule which entitle an employee to bring a claim within the 2 year period, in most cases an employer can treat the first 2 years of a new employee’s employment as an extended probationary period and does

28 | www.theedgewirral.co.uk

not have to give any reason for a dismissal in that period and need not fear an unfair dismissal claim. Employers still need to be cautious before taking action due to the significant list of exceptions to the 2 year rule but it does mean that if someone is simply not performing satisfactorily an employer is now in a position to dismiss without fear of a claim.

2. FEEs

In July 2013 the government introduced fees into the Employment Tribunal system. Since its inception in 1971 the Tribunal Service has been free. Now it can cost up to £1,300 for an employee to bring a claim for unfair dismissal to trial. Although the government have made provisions for fee remission in cases where the former employee has no income the effect of the introduction of fees into the Tribunal has seen a dramatic reduction in the number of claims being brought in the Employment Tribunal.

3. COSTS ORDERs

Up until very recently the Employment Tribunal has been a costs free zone. In the English Court system generally speaking the winner takes all. That is to say if you win your case then your opponent not only has to pay you damages but also has to pay your lawyers costs as well as his own lawyers costs. In many cases the legal costs incurred in a case had become a higher figure than the damages paid.

Somewhat paradoxically at the same time that the government has introduced significant changes in the rules relating to costs in the Civil Courts generally curtailing the excessive costs orders being made, it has also now started to encourage Tribunals to make costs orders in Tribunal cases.

There is a general feeling that costs orders are going to become far more frequent in the Employment Tribunal particularly following the introduction of the fees referred to above. Inevitably this will favour employers. Already employers’ legal representatives will use threats of costs orders against employees who bring a claim even when that claim is a perfectly justified one. The threat of a costs order

EMPLOYMENT LAW and the fees charged by the Tribunal are likely to intimidate a significant number of Claimants from making a claim.

4. Restriction on Compensation

Although in February 2013 the government increased the amount of compensation that can be recovered in an unfair dismissal case to £74,200, in July the actual amount that is likely to be recovered in most cases was severely curtailed.

The new rules introduced in July of last year mean that an individual cannot recover more than 12 months pay as a compensatory award if they are claiming unfair dismissal in the Tribunal. Consequently if you earn £20,000 per annum in your job and you are unfairly dismissed your compensation is going to be kept to a maximum £20,000 however large your actual losses are. It is hard to understand the justification or rationale behind this decision. In the vast majority of unfair dismissal cases the awards made were less than £10,000 in any event. However there were a significant minority of cases where someone could suffer a major loss as a result of an unfair dismissal which would amount to more than 12 months of their earnings particularly if as a result of that dismissal they missed out substantially in relation to their pension entitlement. The government seems to have made this decision simply to appease the various pressure groups who seek to demonise the effects of employment law on business.

5. Protected Conversations

For many years it has been a bugbear for employers that they have not been able to have a confidential off the record conversation with a member of staff concerning a proposal that the employee leaves under the terms of an Agreement.

These Agreements used to be called Compromise Agreements but have now been renamed (for no apparent reason) Settlement Agreements. It was always felt that any kind of negotiation surrounding a proposed Agreement could be used subsequently in evidence by an employee under an unfair dismissal claim. The Government has very sensibly in this case introduced a new concept whereby conversations between an employer and an employee surrounding a proposed Settlement Agreement will be treated as ‘off the record’ and ‘private and confidential’ and therefore cannot be admissible in evidence in an unfair dismissal case. This will make it a lot easier for negotiations to take place between an employer and employee about an agreement to leave usually involving the employee in being ‘paid off’. Caution must be urged in relation to the use of this new protected conversation procedure as the protection only extends to claims of unfair dismissal and does not cover any claim relating to any kind of discrimination or whistle blowing claims. It is however a very positive development.

FORTHCOMING CHANGES 1. Compulsory Conciliation

In April of this year compulsory pre-issue ACAS conciliation is being introduced. This will mean that before any proceedings in the Employment Tribunal can be issued the parties must involve ACAS in a form of conciliation. The time limit for bringing a claim is only 3 months. The 3 month time limit will remain. I foresee great difficulties in the introduction of this compulsory conciliation scheme in view of the fact that ACAS simply does not have the resources to deal with this new responsibility which has been foisted on it. It is only a few years ago that ACAS made a significant number of their experienced conciliators redundant due to government cuts.

2. Parental Leave

Just to show that not all the changes to Employment Law are in favour of employers new rules are coming up later this year in relation to parental leave. The proposal is that what was maternity leave can be shared between both parents following the birth of a child. This will mean that in certain circumstances the father of a child will be able to take significant leave following the birth of a child. The leave is to be shared between the two parents where they opt to do this. The logistics of how this is negotiated between the mother’s employer and the father’s employer will be interesting.

MARK BLAND

Partner Percy Hughes & Roberts

www.theedgewirral.co.uk | 29

Events & Networking March Weds 5th 9:30am - Thurs 6th 4:00pm Planning for Success – FREE Business Planning Course. A 2 day workshop ran by The Women’s Organisation. Covering all the basics of business planning including financial forecast, how to market you organisation and social media. The Women’s Organisation, Liverpool, L1 5HA. Contact: 0151 706 811 or info@thewo.org.uk Thurs 6th 8.30am - 11am Grow Your Workforce Seminar – Wirral Chamber Seminar at The Oldershaw Academy, Valkyrie Road, Wallasey CH45 4RJ This seminar will provide details of current funding for both apprenticeships and training for your existing workforce. It offers opportunities to speak with local training providers about your present and future training needs. FREE to Wirral Chamber members, and £20 +VAT for non-members.

To register your place please follow the link www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/grow-your-workforcetickets-10313184011 Thurs 6th 9:30am – 5:00pm 1 Day Social Media Strategy – covering all social options while creating a strategy plus content throughout the day. £199 PP. Wirral – Hamilton Square www.koogar.co.uk Thurs 6th 9:20am - Fri 7th 4:30pm I’m Liverpool I’m Business A intensive programme where you will be advised of everything you need to know to start a growth business, meet contacts and networks, and a chance to hear inspiring speakers. £10. Meeting room, Top floor, Liverpool Central Library, L3 8EW Contact: Liz Lacey – llacey@liverpoolvision.co.uk Thurs 6th 8am - 10am Priory Business Forum 10th anniversary of this highly popular monthly networking business forum. Wirral Met College present opportunities for funding for training. Refreshments and a bacon batch. FREE. Book at eventbrite or akoltuniak@the-priory.co.uk. Maritime Engineering College, North West, Monks Ferry, Birkenhead Wirral CH41 5LH 30 | www.theedgewirral.co.uk

Fri 7th 8:00am - 3:00pm Merseyside Spring Term Conference A workshop that gives schools the opportunity to find out about new devlopments in using ICT to support learning, teaching and school management. £25 and lunch provided. Liverpool Football Club, L4 0TH Search ‘Merseyside Spring Term Conference’ on: www.eventbrite.co.uk Mon 10th 5pm Business Equipment Auction Clwyd Auction Centre, Deeside www.clwydauctions.co.uk Tues 11th March 5.30pm Pro Wirral – Business Networking.

Encourage key business collaborations and create new strategic partnerships. Oxton Bar and Kitchen. Twitter: @Prowirral Tues 11th 1:00pm - 4:00pm FREE Business Workshop Workshop on Financial Accounts, Management Accounts, Cash-flow, Cash Management and managing budgets. Only for businesses located on Merseyside with less than 250 employees. Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, Liverpool, L3 9HG Search ‘Free Business Workshop’ on: www.liverpoolchamber.org.uk Tues 11th 11:00am - Weds 12th 4:00pm Planning for Success – FREE Business Planning Course. A 2 day workshop ran by The Women’s Organisation. Covering all the basics of business planning including financial forecast, how to market you organisation and social media. The Women’s Organisation, Liverpool, L1 5HA. Contact: 0151 706 811 or info@thewo.org.uk Wed 12th 7:30pm - 9:30pm FREE Business Networking No fuss. No fee business networking event open to all those who run a business on Wirral or the surrounding area. Relaxed and informal meeting. No cost. The Chimneys, Hooton Green, Hooton, Wirral www.wirralbusinessassociation.co.uk

Wed 12th 8.30-11.30am Develop Your People - Wirral Chamber Seminar at Egerton House www.wirralchamber.co.uk Wed 12th 8.00am - 10.30am Taster event for University of Liverpool’s management school ‘Growth Catalyst’ - a practical growth programme for business owners and managers. Help to: become more profitable, develop a long term strategy for growth and become a more confident leader. Info or book: Caroline White caroline.white@liverpool.ac.uk www.liv.ac.uk/management/growth-catalyst Thurs 13th 8.45am - 12noon Invest Wirral Workshop: Developing your team. Fully funded workshop to help develop your staff and improve team dynamics; forecast changes and keep staffed skilled and build and secure relationships to increase business loyalty and to make your organisation a great place to work. Ideal for individuals that are new to leading a team or working to motivate their existing teams. www.businesswirral.com Fri 14th The Low Carbon Innovation Hub Developing low carbon goods, processes and services through collaborative partnerships between businesses and researchers at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU). Come and meet LJMU's team of researchers and academics who can help local SMEs increase profits & knowledge and gain a significant competitive advantage in areas such as: • Low Carbon Planning • Sustainable Asset Management • Energy Efficiency/Management • Renewable Management • Waste Management/Recycling • Renewable Energy from Waste Systems Find out more and register at www.businesswirral.com

networking

Fri 14th 12:30pm - 4:30pm Women in Business Awards 2014 A chance to celebrate female entrepreneurs, decision makers and business owners from across Merseyside.

The event will recognise the achievements of women who have created successful ventures. £85. Hilton Hotel, Liverpool, L1 8LW. Search ‘Women in Business Awards 2014’ on: www.eventbrite.co.uk Tues 18th 1:00pm - 4:00pm FREE Business Workshop Workshop with information on how to improve your sales and marketing of your product or service. Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, Liverpool, L3 9HG Search ‘Free Business Workshop’ on: www.liverpoolchamber.org.uk Tues 18th 10:30am - 3:30pm Liverpool Business Fair A chance for companies to network, make new contacts and benefit from a wealth of free business information and advice.

No cost. Liverpool football club.

Search ‘Liverpool Business Fair 2014’ on: www.eventbrite.co.uk Tues 18th Business Improvement District – Public Consultation Meeting www.wirralchamber.co.uk Weds 19th 9:00am - 4:30pm System Thinking workshop Provides a new way of thinking and understanding with an introduction to Thinking Systems concepts and systemic behaviours to improve problem solving and inspire organisational learning.

International Business Centre, Delta Crescent, WA5 7WQ Contact: Jackie – events@noee.co.uk Fri 21st 12.30pm - 2.30pm Wirral MP’s Question Time @ Holiday Inn Express, Hoylake www.wirralchamber.co.uk Wed 26th 5pm - 7pm #MakeAWill – Wirral Chamber event @ Egerton House www.wirralchamber.co.uk

April Weds 2nd 6:00pm Wirral Tourism Awards A chance to celebrate a fantastic range of quality businesses and staff in the tourism industry in Wirral. £30 a ticket.

Floral Pavilion Theatre, Marine Promenade, New Brighton, Wirral, CH45 2JS www.visitwirral.com/whats-on/wirraltourism-awards-2014

Amazing food to keep you working

Fri 4th April Crabbie’s Grand National Corporate Hospitality day with Wirral Chamber – 9.00am @ Egerton House or 10.00am Aintree Racecourse. Enquiries to Wirral Chamber 0151 650 6940 or www.wirralchamber.co.uk Thurs 10th April ITC Update with Peel www.wirralchamber.co.uk Fri 18th 8am - 5pm Google Analytics Workshop practical course by Designated Associates to give you the knowledge you need to set up Google Analytics, understand Traffic and Content Reports, and use Goals and Filters to help improve your website's effectiveness, usability and conversion rates.

1st Floor Vale House, Vale Park, Magazine Lane, New Brighton, Wirral, CH45 1LZ Donna on admin@designatedassociates.com 0151 653 3338 Mon 28th 1pm - 3pm Hanging Out With Google Workshop Designated Associate’google advisors run workshop and seminar for beginner and intermediate-level Google marketers designed to push your online presence onto the next level.

1st Floor Vale House, Vale Park, Magazine Lane, New Brighton, Wirral, CH45 1LZ Info and booking: Donna on admin@designatedassociates.com 0151 653 3338 Tues 29th 8am - 10.30am Bank of England Update @ Caldy Golf Club www.wirralchamber.co.uk

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• We cater for all business events: training, meetings, networking and workshops.

• Delicious menus, fresh ingredients and excellent value • Sandwiches, canapés, salads, wraps, savouries, platters, cakes and pastries, hot & cold buffets.

4 Bebington Road, Tranmere, CH42 6PU Tel: 0151 643 0730 | 07846 094 020

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THE OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP ROYAL LIVERPOOL 16-20 JULY 2014 A DAY IN THE CHAMPION’S CLUB INCLUDING ENTRANCE TO THE COURSE AND PARKING COSTS JUST £299 EX VAT PER PERSON For more information about all our hospitality packages please contact our team; T: +44 (0)844 371 0883 or email: hospitality@TheOpen.com

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