Borough Business April 2018

BOROUGH

BUSINESS The voice of Kingston’s business community

Issue 8: Spring 2018

Schemes that allow business to make a difference - p16

The Royal Borough of

Kingston Chamber of Commerce Spotlight on the Thames p8

Inspirational Leader p24

A day in the life of... p33

WELCOME TO

BOROUGH BUSINESS The Kingston Chamber of Commerce magazine for all Businesses in Kingston

Welcome to our Spring edition of Borough Business although, having recently enjoyed the Easter Bank Holiday, we have not really evidenced too many signs of Springtime yet. Hopefully we will shortly see some better more settled weather, matched also by a more settled economic outlook for the rest of the year.

In January the Chamber launched its Patron Membership Scheme at a lunchtime event at the prestigious French Table and invited the senior executives of several key employers in the borough to attend. Patron Membership is aimed at larger companies and organisations who appreciate the vital role the Chamber plays in serving the borough’s business community and offers bespoke and exclusive membership packages in return for their vital, strategic support. I am delighted to report that two of our members have already upgraded to Patron membership; McDonalds and Kingston College with a third, Saipem about to join them.

The Chamber President and I are currently also in discussion with a number of other local business leaders about packages for their organisations. (For more information about Patron Membership go to P.21) The Royal Borough of

Kingston Chamber of Commerce

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As many of our members are aware, the Bank of England publishes a quarterly “Summary of Business Conditions” which we circulate through our Chamber Newsletter. This summary of economic reports is collated by Bank of England Agents who gather information and data by meeting with business representatives, including some Chambers of Commerce.

Kingston has been involved in these surveys for some years now and I recently met with our area’s appointed Agent to answer questions about the economic climate and its affect on the local business community.

I was happy to report that there were many aspects of Kingston’s economy that remained very healthy such as our higher than average level of business start-ups, our lower than London’s average for unemployment and our ongoing projects which will regenerate and re-develop large areas of the town centre. I did however raise some concerns about the retail and leisure sectors which, in common with the national trend, are beginning to evidence some distress as consumer spending weakens and online competition bites harder into traditional retail sales. Increased operating costs through Business Rate increases and higher finance costs reducing profit margins are also concerning for businesses, along with ongoing Brexit uncertainty.

Finally, I must just mention two of our major events in the year’s calendar; the Kingston Business Expo and the Business Excellence Awards. Both have been extremely popular and successful in past years and are excellent platforms for local businesses small or large, new or established to showcase their products and services and the excellent standard of all that they do.

So, don’t miss the opportunity to be involved in either, or both. Details of the Expo can be found in this issue of the magazine and to apply for the Awards go to www.kingstonawards.co.uk.

Jerry Irving

CEO Kingston Chamber of Commerce

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Welcome to New Members 4 Chamber News 5 Economy 6 Members News 7 Spotlight on the Thames 8-10 Skills 13-14 Chamber Events 15 Cover Feature - (CSR) Corporate Social Responsibility 16-19 Patron Membership 21 Ask the Expert 23 Inspirational Leader 24-25 Health & Wellbeing 27 Focus on Finance 29 The person behind the business 31 Top Tips 32 A day in the life of ....

33 Starting Up 34 Editorial and General Enquiries Guildhall, High Street Kingston upon Thames. KT1 1EU. 020 8541 4441 Email: office@kingstonchamber.co.uk Web: www.kingstonchamber.co.uk Chief Executive: Jerry Irving Publisher: Ian Fletcher Benham Publishing Limited Aintree Building, Aintree Way, Aintree Business Park, Liverpool L9 5AQ Tel: 0151 236 4141 Fax: 0151 236 0440 Email: admin@benhampublishing.com Web: www.benhampublishing.com Published Spring 2018 © Benham Publishing and Kingston Chamber of Commerce Advertising and Features Karen Hall Tel: 0151 236 4141 Email: karen@benhampublishing.com Production Manager Mark Etherington Tel: 0151 236 4141 Email: mark@benhampublishing.com Media No.1592 Disclaimer

Patron Members

Borough Business is published for Kingston Chamber of Commerce and is distributed without charge to Chamber members. All correspondence should be addressed to Kingston Chamber of Commerce. Views expressed in Borough Business are not necessarily those of Kingston Chamber of Commerce. Reprinting in whole or part is forbidden except by permission. © 2018. Please note that submitting an article does not guarantee publication. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy and reliability of material published in this journal, Benham Publishing and its agents can accept no responsibility for the veracity of claims made by contributions in advertising or editorial content.

Benham Publishing cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies in web or email links supplied to us.

BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

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join us The Royal Borough of

Welcome

Kingston

to our new members

Chamber of Commerce

Adrienne Gibson

Marketing Tech

Adrienne Gibson https://www.linkedin.com/in/ adriennegibson/

Joyce Ong www.eazi-apps.com/joyceong

Steve thought his new hypnosis skills might help his networking

Air Charter Services Ltd www.aircharter.co.uk

Aksel Digital Ltd Ozlem Askel Basboga www.akseldigital.com

Bang & Olufsen Paulo Erotocritou www.stores.bang-olufsen.com/ great-britain/bang-olufsen-ofkingston/

Burgess Glass

www.kingstonchamber.co.uk For more information or to discuss how we can help you, please contact us at: Kingston Chamber of Commerce T: 020 8541 4441 E: natalie@kingstonchamber.co.uk Connect with us on

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@KingstonCOC

Sandra Porter www.hrdept.co.uk/licensees/elmbridge

Silicon Reef

CEM Bookkeeping & Consultancy Ltd

SpecTronics UK

Paul Bulloch www.conceptvehicleleasing.co.uk

Driving Appointments Paul Farmer www.drivingappointments.co.uk

Entrepreneur Mind Limited George Alexandru Turcitu www.entrepreneurmind.co.uk

HeartMath UK Gavin Andrews www.heartmath.co.uk

Holly & The Ivy Holly McLoughlin www.hollyandtheivy.com

Kingston CoC

Sandra Porter HR Services Ltd

Giles Court www.siliconreef.co.uk

Concept Vehicle Leasing

Come and join us and see for yourself

Michael Pittams www.hillcroft.ac.uk

Darren Burgess www.burgessglass.co.uk

Clare Mannall www.cembusiness.co.uk

All our members have several things in common; a desire to expand their local network, meet like-minded people, and most importantly to have fun while they are doing it.

Richmond and Hillcroft Adult and Community College

Julie Leach Associates Julie Leach www.julieleachassociates.co.uk

BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

Christopher Selby-Rickards www.spectronics.co.uk

Surbiton Sitters Stacey Richard www.surbiton-sitters.co.uk

Thrive Beyond Business Coaching Rachel Russell www.thrivebeyond.co.uk

Thrive Workplace Wellbeing Matthew Carlton www.thriveworkplacewellbeing.com

Voixenergy Awais Shahid www.voixenergy.com

WPA Healthcare Practice Plc Thomas Bradley www.wpa.org.uk/simonbradley

chamber news Kingston’s premier business awards open The sixth annual Kingston Business Excellence Awards in association with Willmott Dixon is now open and inviting entries from businesses across the Royal Borough.

Are you still on track?

Organised in partnership with the Royal Borough of Kingston, Kingston Chamber of Commerce and Kingston First, the awards celebrate the successes and achievements of the Royal Borough’s vibrant businesses.

Guests at the launch reception in Kingston’s Warren House heard details about this year’s 12 updated awards categories, which are FREE and easy to enter online.

Kirsten Henly, Chief Executive of Kingston First, told guests: “Year after year, these awards have been a fantastic platform for the best of the borough’s businesses and the teams and people that drive and develop them.”

Rosie Miller, Sales and Marketing Manager with Headline Sponsor, Willmott Dixon, said: “Being able to support these awards is really important to Willmott Dixon because as a local company we are keen to put something back into the Kingston community.”

The clocks have gone forward, swathes of daffodils adorn open spaces all over the Royal Borough of Kingston and Easter has come and gone. All of which means that Spring has definitely sprung (despite the recent ‘Beast from the East’)!

Thanking all the 2018 awards sponsors, Shabnam Ali, Group Manager, Regeneration and Internationalism, Royal Borough of Kingston Upon Thames, added: “We hope as many of the borough’s businesses as possible participate in this year’s Kingston Business Excellence Awards.”

Jerry Irving, Chief Executive Officer, Kingston Chamber of Commerce announced that following the success of last year’s event, the 2018 Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony on Thursday 11th October, will once again be held at Ravens Ait, a luxury island venue on the River Thames at Kingston.

The closing date for entries is 5 pm, on Friday 22nd June.

Christopher Hirsch, Managing Partner of Holland Hahn and Wills, winner of the Best Business for Staff Training and

Development category last year, urged businesses in the borough to enter.

The awards are sponsored by the Royal Borough of Kingston, Kingston Chamber of Commerce, Kingston First, CNM Estates, McDonald's Kingston, and headline sponsor Willmott Dixon They are supported by Kingston Burrowes and Warren House.

For more information, or to register to enter visit: www.kingstonawards.co.uk

Are you ready for GDPR? The EU’s GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) laws will be enforced from 25 May 2018, the new law marks a wide-reaching and significant shift in the way that organisations must protect personal data.

Heavy fines could be enforced for non-compliance and tighter regulations on keeping and using data will be required, which means businesses can't ignore it!

Your marketing and relationships with clients, employees and suppliers will be affected by the regulations, including: • What data you can keep - what information is necessary • How you keep it - where and how it is stored • Why you have data - do you have evidence of consent • What information you must provide - when asking for consent and when an individual makes a request The new GDPR regulations affect all businesses, no matter how big or small. If you have not already ensured your business is GDPR compliant, please do make time to find out more and take action.

On 20th February over 120 businesses joined us for a free GDPR business seminar. Speakers included: Delia Porter from Business Clan, ethical hacker Paul Hudson from IQ in IT, Patrick Stewart from TWM solicitors and Emma Levy from Figment Agency.

The event was filmed by AVTeam UK and is now available online as a business resource at www.kingstonchamber.co.uk/business-support/ gdpr-seminar/ For more information about GDPR visit the ICO website www.ico.org.uk/for-organisations/ guideto-the-general-data-protection-regulation-gdpr/ The Royal Borough of

Kingston Chamber of Commerce

If you’re one of the dedicated few, your New Year’s resolutions are still front and centre. For mere mortals like me, however, the transition from Winter to Spring is always a great opportunity to revisit the promises we made to ourselves, our colleagues and our families in the first few days of January.

If you’ve fallen off the wagon, not kept your burgeoning in-tray under control or not spent enough quality time with your nearest and dearest now’s the time to get back on track.

Whatever you’ve not yet managed to achieve in 2018 there’s still more than 6 months to put things right.

We all know that the only way this can happen is if we take ACTION. So, will you take ACTION? And will you do it today?

Since I last put pen to paper the chamber has successfully launched its Patron Membership, which is aimed at the larger enterprises in the borough, and you can find out more about this exciting development elsewhere in this issue. More recently I hosted, on the chamber’s behalf, the President’s Ball – a black-tie gala event at which the great and the good of the Borough’s business community came together and enjoyed a fun-filled, fundraising evening in support of my nominated charity, Kingston Carers’ Network.

I’m delighted to say that, together, we raised over £6,000 for a great cause – thank you to everyone who participated, donated prizes, helped to organise or contribute in some other way – You know who you are!

Sadly, my year as President comes to an end in May and this will be my last contribution to Borough Business in a position that I’ve been honoured to hold. I’d like to take this opportunity of thanking all of you for supporting Kingston Chamber of Commerce and for your contribution to making the Royal Borough of Kingston a great place to do business.

Best wishes for the rest of 2018.

Best regards, Guy

BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

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economy Borough Views into Westminster Rt Hon Sir Edward Davey MP (Kingston and Surbiton, Liberal Democrat) Westminster still mired in Brexit Has the Brexit confusion ended yet?

Well, in just under 12 months we will formally leave the EU, probably. Then there will be a 21 month transition period till 31st December 2020, when we remain in the customs union and single market. And from 1st January 2021, we will be free - or on our own, whichever you prefer.

Government’s stated policy.

The talk in Westminster is that there is a growing number of Conservative backbenchers who may vote for such an amendment.

And what would happen if Parliament defeats the Government and passes a law that says Britain must be a member of the European Union’s Customs Union?

We could still legally and constitutionally exit the EU, but the terms would be very different from those favoured by hardline Brexiteers. We would be closer to so-called “soft Brexit” territory.

So at least the uncertainty around the future has been kicked down the calendar a bit.

We now have just under 3 years to sort out the confusion – with negotiations on the future needing to conclude by this Autumn, to enable a deal to be debated by Parliaments before March 2019, and then a period of implementation.

But it’s doubtful if either the Government or hardline backbench Brexiteers would be prepared to accept remaining in the EU’s Customs Union. And that would really throw out the newly-agreed timetable.

Yet the greater clarity on the Brexit timetable still begs many questions.

What trade prize exists outside the Customs Union?

What happens if there isn’t a deal? What happens if the UK Parliament, the European Parliament or some other Parliament refuses to agree?

What will happen about the huge number of issues that won’t be resolved by this Autumn?

To my mind, the Customs Union is at least as big a deal for British business as the single market.

The frictionless trade it enables has become essential to huge swathes of British manufacturing and retail, with “just in time” stock strategies and carefully calibrated food supply chains.

Let me give one rather pertinent domestic example.

MPs will be voting in May or June on amendments to the Trade Bill, one of the new laws necessitated by Brexit. And the key amendment will be whether Britain should stay in the EU Customs Union – against the UK

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Added to these economic advantages, now taken for granted for four decades, remaining in the Customs Union also answers the tricky Northern Ireland question, as there would be no need for a hard border.

The alleged disadvantage of course is that we would not be able to negotiate trade deals by ourselves.

Yet having served as Trade Minister for 2 years – negotiating both at the EU and the WTO – I think this trade freedom, so cherished by hard Brexiteers, is a total illusion.

Not only has the EU led the world in promoting free, open trade – in stark contrast to the USA, even before Trump – but the UK has always been the leading voice in EU trade policy. Far from holding Britain back, the EU helped us secure trade benefits which would have been more difficult to win alone.

Nor did EU membership prevent the UK – or our European competitors like Germany and France – from having our own large trade delegations to a myriad of third countries. Within the EU, we actually have the best of both worlds, able to negotiate deals as part of a larger bloc in formal, legal trade agreements, but still able to promote our own interests supporting our own companies as a British Government feels best.

Perversely, at the moment, the Department for Trade is primarily focused on working just to keep, post-Brexit, the 40 trade deals with 70 countries that we already enjoy as members of the EU. If – and it’s a big if – we manage to retain the trade agreements we already have, the focus could then switch to UK efforts to strike out on our own.

BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

Could our own trade policy then bring home economic prizes, unavailable to us within the EU? So far the evidence is not encouraging.

If we were hoping to fast-track deals with the USA and China, for example, it looks as if those countries might well be preoccupied with a dramatic and escalating trade war – and each of them would be looking for the UK to pick sides.

Neutrality wouldn’t get you to the front of the queue – and it’s not a great choice to have to make.

The Trade Secretary seems keen on deals with countries like Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the Phillipines. Yet the size and benefits of such deals might well be questioned, along with the impact they might have on our wider foreign policy aims.

An obvious high trade priority should be India. But when Vince Cable and I both pressed for an EU-India Free Trade Agreement, the biggest opponent in the Cabinet was Theresa May. As Home Secretary, she objected to a key demand from New Delhi, that a quota would be agreed to allow tens of thousands of Indians to travel to the UK to study and work.

It’s far-fetched to think India will have changed her position.

My conclusion? There is no great trade prize to be won outside the EU’s Customs Union.

So if we must Brexit – and I still hope we won’t – then at least leave the EU in the least damaging way to British business: stay in the Customs Union.

members news

Photos by Joanne Redington of JR Photography www.joanneredington.com

President’s annual fundraising Ball a huge success!

On Friday 23rd March, Chamber President Guy Fallows FCA hosted a fundraising ball at the Holiday Inn London Kingston South.

The event, attended by over 120 local business leaders, the Mayor of Kingston and Sir Edward Davey MP was held in support of the President’s chosen charity, Kingston Carers’ Network. Kingston Carers’ Network is a local registered charity, providing independent information, advice, advocacy and support to unpaid carers in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames.

These can be people of all ages, including young carers from just 5 years old.

Guests enjoyed a champagne reception, three course meal and evening entertainment The Royal Borough of

Kingston Chamber of Commerce

by a live band. Throughout the evening, guests were invited to bid in a silent auction using iPads placed on the tables.

This innovative way of fundraising not only raised money but was also hugely entertaining for guests who delighted in seeing their bids live on screen whilst trying to out-bid their fellow attendees! Our thanks go to local Kingston based business jumblebee who provided the silent auction technology.

Fundraising activities on the night also included a raffle and live auction and in all the evening raised over £6000 for Kingston Carers’ Network.

“Thank you to everyone who attended the President's Ball and to all those who donated the auction and raffle prizes.

A massive thank you to the Chamber team for making it such an enjoyable and profitable evening. Raising awareness of carers is important to help improve services and support for the thousands who contribute so much to the community.

Being the Chamber's Charity of the Year has helped promote the importance of Kingston's 14,000 carers".

Kate Dudley CEO Kingston Carers’ Network If you would like more information about the silent auction technology please visit www.jumblebee.co.uk For more information about Kingston Carers’ Network visit www.kingstoncarers.org.uk

BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

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spotlight on...

And a river runs through it‌ The Thames is the lifeblood of London and many businesses rely on it to support jobs and attract tourists and investment.

Starting as a trickle in the Cotswolds, the river travels more than 210 miles through picturesque towns, into the centre of London and eventually on to the North Sea. Situated on the banks of the Thames, the historic market town of Kingston has a strong link with the river; indeed, it was mentioned in the Domesday Book as having one church, five mills and three salmon fisheries. Today,

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Kingston businesses relying on the river range from restaurants, pubs and hotels to Turk Launches, a 300-year-old river boat company that cruises along one of the most scenic stretches of the Thames in South West London.

Trips include the chance to visit Richmond or Hampton Court Palace, the Tudor treasure that was at the centre of court and political life for more than two hundred years. If you prefer walking, you can follow the Thames Path towards Hampton Court. Kingston marks the end of the Thames Path on both sides of the river. From here on, the Thames Path runs on one side only for most of the way to its source.

BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

From the town, walkers cross over Kingston Bridge and take the steps at the side of the bridge to the Path, which takes you past Ravens Ait. Whether you are looking to host a wedding to remember or stage a conference with a difference, Ravens Ait is the perfect venue.

On selected dates they also open their doors to the public for events ranging from Sunday BBQs through to open air cinema screenings. Reached by a short boat trip across the river, you'll be able to enjoy everything the island has to offer and discover your own unique experience on the Thames.

spotlight on...

“Kingston businesses relying on the river range from restaurants, pubs and hotels to Turk Launches, a 300-year-old river boat company that cruises along one of the most scenic stretches of the Thames in South West London.”

So important is the Thames to the town that Kingston Council recently ran a consultation process to give local people the opportunity to help shape the future of Kingston’s vibrant riverside.

Council leaders sought opinions to inform a riverside ‘supplementary planning document’, which will give clear policy guidance on the borough’s expectations for this key waterside location.

The document, which relates to the area from Canbury Gardens through to Seething Wells, will focus on how the open space along the riverside is used and design guidelines for the public spaces. It will also enable the council to apply for grant funding to bring about improvements to public space and sustainable transport.

Councillor David Cunningham, Cabinet Member with responsibility for Regeneration at Kingston Council, said: “Kingston’s riverside is an integral part of our identity as a borough, underpinning the local The Royal Borough of

Kingston Chamber of Commerce

economy, providing a wonderful amenity for our residents, businesses and visitors as well as providing a unique habitat where wildlife thrives.

“However, we need to make sure that we’re making the most of this key asset by improving the use of public space, links with the town centre and ensuring that, as our population grows, there’s a good balance of activities for all.

“The history of Kingston’s riverside is inseparable from its history and status as a Royal Borough.

There is an opportunity to create a heritage trail which takes in Hampton Court Palace, the Coronation Stone, and the planned permanent mooring on Kingston riverside of the Queen’s royal barge, the Gloriana.”

The eight week consultation ran until 18 March and once responses are analysed, a decision on the draft planning document will be taken to Growth Committee for final decision.

“Kingston’s riverside is an integral part of our identity as a borough, underpinning the local economy, providing a wonderful amenity for our residents, businesses and visitors as well as providing a unique habitat where wildlife thrives.”

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Thames fact file • First recorded in a Royal Charter in 838 and nestling on the banks of the Thames, Kingston is known as the coronation site of as many as seven Saxon Kings and the birthplace of England. Many relics remain from its rich history including London’s oldest bridge - Clattern Bridge. Thought to have been built way back in the 12th Century, the bridge doesn’t cross the Thames, but rather the River Hogsmill.

• There are 45 locks on the non-tidal River Thames.

• The Thames is about 20 metres at its deepest.

• The Thames Path follows the river for 296km (184 miles) from its source, making it the longest riverside walk in Europe.

• Henley-on-Thames is famous for its regatta which started in 1839 and gained royal patronage in 1851.

The first Oxford and Cambridge boat race was held here and finished at Henley bridge.

• The River Thames may take its name from the Sanskrit Tamas meaning ‘dark’ as its waters are often cloudy; another school of thought suggests it is named after the Roman Tam meaning “wide” and Isis meaning water.

A relaxing time afloat Between March and October, Turk Launches run up to 45 scheduled boat trips daily along the scenic stretch of the River Thames between Richmond, Kingston and Hampton Court.

A river cruise is the most relaxing way to view the greenest and prettiest of south west London’s riverside landscape and experience an eclectic mix of British history merged with cosmopolitan riversides.

Events & Festivals on the River Thames From regattas to festivals and Other events include: • 1-3 Jun: Beale Park Boat & Outdoor Show exhibitions, there's always something http://www.bealeparkboatandoutdoorshow.co.uk different to do on the River Thames.

• 16-17 Jun: Marlow Town Regatta Among them is the Thames www.marlowtownregatta.org/ Traditional Boat Rally in July, which • 4 - 8 Jul: Henley Royal Regatta was relaunched in 2015 as the https://www.hrr.co.uk/ Traditional Boat Festival to reflect • 11-15 Jul: The Henley Festival the broader range of attractions http://henley-festival.co.uk/ aimed at creating an exciting and • 16-20 Jul: Royal Swan Upping fun filled weekend for families and http://www.royalswan.co.uk/ traditional boat owners alike.

• 22 Jul: Kingston Rotary Dragon Boat Challenge It is a celebration of boating and http://www.kingstonrotaryclub.org.uk/ the skills used by traditional boatevents/dragonboats builders and repairers in areas like • 10-11 Aug: Wargrave & Shiplake Regatta Kingston. It happens between http://wsregatta.co.uk/ 20-22 July and more information • 1-30 Sep: Totally Thames can be found at https://www.visitlondon.com/ www.tradboatfestival.com things-to-do/event/43808913-totally-thames

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This scenic boat trip captures Turner’s landscapes, Hampton Court Palace, Dunkirk memorial at Teddington Lock and Eel Pie Island where rock royalty such as the Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart and Eric Clapton recorded and resided.

Sip a chilled drink as you relax on deck.

Kids love the adventure, parents love the rest!

Take a peek at the most stunning riverside properties and when you step off board, enjoy the best of south west London’s cuisine with its cosmopolitan mix of bars, restaurants and bustling food markets at Kingston, Richmond and Hampton Court.

Turks boats are all stylishly furnished with indoor and outdoor seating, bar and toilets. Their piers can be found at Kingston, Richmond and Hampton Court - all within 5-10 minutes walking distance of the train stations.

BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

020 7629 7282 realestate.bnpparibas.co.uk

skills Apprenticeships are for all ages and for all careers and roles David Hillier, Assistant Principal Apprenticeships and HE at Kingston College Sophie McConnon

Previous articles in Borough Business Magazine have highlighted changes introduced by the 2017 Apprenticeship reforms.

This article will; • tell you a little about the life of an apprentice • highlight that there are no longer age limits on Apprenticeships and tell you about upskilling opportunities for existing employees of all ages • and explain how career paths, for example even into the professions such as the law, have been transformed by the new Apprenticeship opportunities.

At a recent Apprenticeship Employer Breakfast held at Kingston College two young apprentices, Tobi and Sophie, Business Administration apprentices working as part of the College’s Customer Service and Reception team talked about their career choice and experience as an apprentice.

Tobi Olusola who is 19 years of age explained that he was: “learning new things every day. I am based at the reception, my duties include operating the switchboard, managing the College’s enquiries inbox, welcoming visitors and processing mail outs.

I work with departments right across the College, providing assistance with different projects and tasks

Tobi Olusola The Royal Borough of

Kingston Chamber of Commerce

and sometimes support events held outside the College, for example, at local schools. This gives me insight into different functions within the College and is great experience for me. Being an apprentice I am treated the same as any other employee.

I have enjoyed building working relationships with other staff and have received a lot of advice regarding my career. The freedom to earn, work and learn is perfect for me and I have no regrets at having chosen the Apprenticeship route over my original plans of going to university. I have the opportunity to gain experience and a qualification simultaneously.“ Sophie McConnon (aged 17) described that: “sitting in a classroom for hours on end” was not for her and she chose an Apprenticeship as she is a “more practical person and prefers to learn hands on. An Apprenticeship offers me that, it gives me a step on the career ladder, allows me to learn both basic and in-depth skills on and off the job, gain a qualification at the end of it and also earn a salary.

An Apprenticeship is something that will allow me to progress to a professional career and gain experience.” Sophie explained that the off the job training gives her the chance to work and train in the same place (she attends College based off the job training for one day every fortnight). Sophie recognised the value of the:“one to one time with my teacher as she goes through with me the good parts of my coursework and parts that could be improved and how to be successful in a way which works for me”. In the week in between Sophie has time away from her day to day job to dedicate to her coursework and explains that she “always has the help of her colleagues and line manager which helps to keep me stress free”.

For Sophie the most important part of the Apprenticeship has been its help in “gaining much more confidence, which is something I have lacked all of my life. I will always be grateful to the Apprenticeship as it has built my confidence up and pushed me to my limit to achieve things I never thought I could. ”

Toby and Sophie are very typical age wise of what most of us would regard as an apprentice but studying in the College there are also degree apprentices with an age range from mid-twenties to mid-fifties, who have been selected by their employers to join the Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship.

This is a great opportunity for the employee to gain a degree without paying tuition fees, develop their knowledge, understanding and capability in management and accelerate their career development.

For the employer, this is a chance to utilise their Apprenticeship Levy, rather than the training budget, to increase the organisation’s management capacity and capability and provide staff with a really motivating opportunity.

The Apprenticeship reforms have also spawned new Apprenticeship qualifications (Apprenticeship Standards) and new career and staff training opportunities. Few would have thought that a solicitor might be born from an Apprenticeship, much more likely that the solicitor would have studied for a degree at a wellrecognised university. The Paralegal Apprenticeship offered at Kingston College is the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx) route to a legal career which private law practices, in-house legal offices and local authorities are benefiting from to enhance the quality of legal services provided within their business. For the apprentice this is an innovative route to ultimately gain qualification as a Chartered Legal Executive or Solicitor.

Similarly, new Apprenticeship opportunities are arising in other professional careers including Human Resource Management.

The Level 3 and 5 Human Resource (HR) Apprenticeships, offered at Kingston College, both have the highly respected Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) qualification embedded meaning that the apprentice gains a recognised Apprenticeship and a relevant and recognised professional qualification.

A current HR apprentice who was working previously in sales but wanted a career in HR chose the Apprenticeship route and explains: “I am so glad I took this route as the experience I have had so far has been excellent. I have been fully supported in the workplace and work alongside a very experienced member of staff who has been able to guide and support me. The College experience has also been excellent and being taught by a qualified employment lawyer has been inspirational. My organisation is keen to see what I have learnt at college and help me put it into practical use.

I am so glad I undertook this Apprenticeship and am aiming to continue on to the Level 5 HR Partner Apprenticeship when I have completed this.” An apprentice on the Level 5 HR Partner/Consultant Apprenticeship explains: “although I thought I might be a little old to be an apprentice I was wrong! I am loving the experience and I am really developing my skill set across all areas. My organisation has been very supportive of me doing this Apprenticeship and I am grateful that I work for such a forward thinking organisation that wants to grow and support its existing staff.”

Kingston College is hosting an Apprenticeship Breakfast on 22 May 2018 (starting at 8.15am) to champion Apprenticeships in the professions including Human Resource Management, Legal Executive and Management apprenticeships at Levels 3, 4, 5 and 6.

For full details and to book a place please email rebecca.stewart@kingston-college.ac.uk

BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

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3 Key Steps to Business Success Amanda Cullen Business Made Simpler

Do you run a small business?

If so, does this sound familiar?

Do emails Deal with invoices Do emails Make phone call Do emails Go on social media Do emails Go networking Do emails See a client or customer Do emails Many small business owners try to do too much.

We spend too much time juggling activities and doing ‘stuff’ in our business, without standing back and assessing what we need to focus on to make our business successful.

To be successful, you need 3 things: 1. A vision that says what you want to achieve, and by when 2. A strategy that says how you’re going to do it 3. A plan that sets out the actions you will take, and when you’ll take them I had a long and successful career as a partner in a global consultancy firm. 4 years ago I retrained as a coach, and left corporate life to set up my coaching business. I’ve coached lots of people on a wide range of issues and topics, but now I focus exclusively on helping small business owners.

I understand how business works My clients appreciate that I know what it takes to be successful. Not only do I have my corporate experience, but I’ve been involved in running several small businesses.

I use tools and techniques derived from the corporate world, but adapted for small businesses and with absolutely NO JARGON! Contact details: amanda@businessmadesimpler.co.uk www.businessmadesimpler.co.uk 07557 416714 Kingston-based, but I coach UK-wide

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Data Skills: What are they and why should you learn them?

At the end of last year, LinkedIn reported that some of the fastestgrowing jobs involve using data.

Data is valuable across a breadth of industries – they give retailers the power to predict what consumers want before they know it themselves, they ensure entertainment groups can identify the kind of TV shows that will be successful, and they help healthcare providers improve their methods of diagnosis by comparing similar conditions across humongous datasets.

on the ability to ask the right questions.

When companies have millions of items of data in their archives, we can’t go in empty-handed – we need to first lay the groundwork so that we can know where to look. This means someone who can understand the cultural and economic contexts surrounding the data will be hugely beneficial to a company looking to start.

Consider data, then, as units of currency that institutions acquire to identify consumer expectations, operational problems, and future successes.

Therefore, an understanding of how to manipulate data isn’t just critical across industries, but across departments, from marketers gaining insights into customer motivations to administrators identifying bottlenecks and inefficiencies.

Attention to detail makes a frequent appearance in many job specs and it’s crucial when working with data: you will need patience to work through fields of information in datasets that have been previously updated by various staff members, checking for consistency and accuracy through it all. Consider that this initial preparation takes up about 70% of the project, and you’ll understand just how precious this skill is.

These are clear signals that data skills are crucial for the 21st century workplace, meaning that many companies are willing to pay six-figure salaries for these professionals. Yet the supply of personnel who are data literate isn’t meeting demand. Part of the issue is the prevalent cluelessness about what data skills are, as fears that they require mathematical prowess or computer expertise are simply inaccurate. While a knowledge of analysis is desirable, acquiring it is most often a case of playing around with data analytics software. Do you know how to use Excel?

PowerPoint? Many of the relevant programmes require a basic knowledge of computing as that.

The key to succeeding with data actually requires the soft skills frequently asked of sales and management positions.

Take, for example, research and interpersonal skills. As entrepreneur Timothy Ferriss says, “life punishes the vague wish and rewards the specific ask”, and a data project’s success impinges

But the holy grail of data skills is knowing how to present your information. This means both creating compelling visuals of your results and communicating them clearly. After all, results are of no use if no one can understand them. In my experience, those with sharp presentation skills often fare much better for information management jobs than even those who have a degree in the field.

Companies are presently looking for interpersonal capabilities and evidence of enterprise from their data job candidates, rather than of deep technical Know-How. Even if you have the skills highlighted above, still consider attending a short course, or learning one of the simple data programmes, to increase your foundational knowledge – the odds are in your favour that you’ll be invited for interview.

Kirill Eremenko is a data science expert and the author of new book Confident Data Skills, published by Kogan Page. The book will help you master the fundamentals of working with data and supercharge your career. It is priced at £14.99 and is available on Amazon.

BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

chamber events April Networking Breakfast Thursday 12th April Surbiton Golf Club Woodstock Lane, Esher, Chessington KT9 1UG

Chamber Golf Day Wednesday 25th April Hampton Court Palace Golf Club Park House, 40 Park Road, Hampton Wick, East Molesey, Kingston upon Thames KT1 4AD Following the success of last year’s Chamber Golf day, we are back again for teams to challenge for the Chamber cup. Set within the royal grounds of Home Park, Hampton Court Palace Golf Club’s beautiful 18-Hole Golf Course is steeped in History and offers a truly unique experience.

Join us as a team or individual player.

Canbury Coffee Wednesday 16th May The Wych Elm 93 Elm Road, Kingston upon Thames KT2 6HT A new venue for our well established networking morning for freelancers, home based start-ups, and aspiring entrepreneurs in the Kingston area.

Get out of the house and tell people about your business, swap expertise, experiences, advice and contacts with other local talent

Wine Tasting Evening with Wined Up Here Friday 18th May RBK Guildhall High Street, Kingston. KT1 1EU

AGM & Lunch May Networking Breakfast Thursday 10th May Kingston College Kingston Hall Road, Kingston upon Thames. KT1 2AQ

Wednesday 23rd May Warren House Warren Road, Kingston upon Thames KT2 7HY

Women in Business Lunch Wednesday 6th June Venue TBC

June Networking Breakfast Thursday 14th June BoConcept, Kingston The Roundhouse, 20 Eden Street, Kingston upon Thames. KT1 1EP

The Kingston Business Expo is back!

Join us on Wednesday 4th July 2018 at Kingston University Business School for the biggest networking opportunity in the borough.

We are working hard to make this year even bigger and better and have listened to your feedback to ensure that we deliver the ultimate business expo, with everything local businesses need to grow their business.

This year the breakfast will be more informal with much more opportunity to network even before the Expo kicks off.

As well as the exhibition, networking and key speakers, this year we also feature free seminars throughout the day and an expert advisor zone.

The launch of the advisor zone will enable visitors to access free expert advice throughout the day as well as providing advisors with a dedicated space to share their knowledge and skills with local businesses. Alongside this, will be our silent speed learning stage, offering a rolling programme of short seminars to engage and educate our audience with bite-sized business knowledge.

Attending as an exhibitor is a great way to showcase your business and share your expertise, or register as a visitor now at www.kingstonchamber.co.uk/expo

Kingston Business EXPO Wednesday 4th July Kingston University Business School Kingston Hill. KT2 7LB The Royal Borough of

Kingston Chamber of Commerce

BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

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cover feature

Schemes that allow business to make a difference Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is an increasingly important part of business life as companies seek to make an impact on their communities beyond their interest in the simple bottom line.

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BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

cover feature From helping to raise money for local good causes to promoting sound health within their workforce and the wider community, companies are increasingly playing their part in improving people’s lives.

All in all, Corporate Social Responsibility has much to recommend it for businesses of all types and sizes.

One business that has placed CSR at the heart of everything it does is Community Motors, a social enterprise that was set up three years ago and operates in Surbiton.

Environmental efforts: businesses regardless of size have a carbon footprint and taking steps to reduce it is good for the company and society as a whole

The Community Interest Company uses the money it makes from the likes of car servicing, MOT and repairs to run motor training courses for young people, some of whom have dropped out of education or are on the verge of doing so, others of whom come through the Probation Service.

Philanthropy: businesses can practice social responsibility by donating to national and local charities

The idea is to give them skills they can use to develop careers as well as motivating them to continue with their education.

Methods of applying CSR include:

Ethical employment practices: by treating employees fairly and ethically, companies can demonstrate their corporate social responsibility Volunteering: Attending volunteer events and encouraging staff to volunteer, including giving them paid leave to do everything from tree planting to office work for charities, says a lot about a company’s commitment to the area in which they operate.

All these measures benefit society and that in itself is seen by many as justification enough for supporting them but there are also benefits for the company taking part, one of which is the boost they provide to reputation.

A company seen to be doing a lot to benefit their local communities can only go up in people’s estimation. Although good public relations is usually not the driving force behind a good CSR initiative, it can be a useful side-effect.

There is another benefit which is harder to measure. Recent research has indicated that people who volunteer, or support communities in other ways, feel better about themselves.

For a company encouraging its staff to support good causes there can only be a knock-on effect; happier employees make for more productive employees.

The Royal Borough of

Kingston Chamber of Commerce

In addition, Community Motors supports a range of community initiatives, raises money for good causes and operates environmental safeguards including responsible recycling and waste disposal.

The company employs ten people and supports them with everything from group lunches and after-work bonding activities to wellbeing sessions.

For General Manager Justin Cooper, who previously worked in the City, it is vital that Community Motors succeed not just as a social enterprise but as a business.

He said: “CSR is what we do but I think it’s important that we operate commercially as well, otherwise we would be a charity.

Should you be providing an employee wellbeing scheme to your staff?

Employee health and wellbeing schemes are perhaps thought to only exist in large corporations with an extensive HR budget, or within technology giants who build employee-friendly offices to boost creativity, teamwork and to foster loyalty from staff.

However, things are changing and a growing contingent of small and medium sized business are now investing effort and time into the health and happiness of their employees.

And for good reasons.

“I think it is important to protect the environment and to support the community but it is also important that we offer a good service to the people who bring their vehicles to us because good customer service is part of CSR.

Mental health problems among employees can reduce productivity significantly, and even seemingly minor issues, such as staff feeling they lack control over their work, or that their manager does not support them, can have a negative impact.

“Any business can do the sort of things we do to an extent and I think that many of them would benefit from going that little bit further. Once we tell our customers about the other things that we do we have a customer for life.”

The average number of annual working days per employee lost to absenteeism or presenteeism — when employees attend work but are not productive due perhaps to hangovers or sickness — has risen from 23 in 2014 to 30 in 2017.

A start-up business in Kingston and a Chamber of Commerce member - is aiming to introduce employee health and wellbeing schemes within local companies which positively address issues aforementioned.

Thrive Workplace Wellbeing is headed up by Matthew Carlton, a former marketing professional who decided to change career paths early last year.

He said: “I’d worked for a number of businesses or with clients which had employee health and wellbeing schemes in place, and I saw their benefits both for the company and for employees who were happier and more motivated.

“I have also experienced the other end of the spectrum with some businesses giving little or no consideration to their staff and simply asking them to constantly churn out work.”

Unsurprisingly, according to Matthew, it was the latter who experienced high staff turnover, demotivated employees and above-average rates of absenteeism.

Determined to help smaller businesses reap the benefits of focused wellbeing schemes, he became professionally trained in the sector before setting up his business.

BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

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cover feature There’s little doubt employee wellbeing is moving into business mainstream, as indicated by the introduction of the London Healthy Workplace Charter devised by the London Assembly and backed by the Mayor of London.

His experience is backed up by evidence from Great Place to Work, a global research and training consultancy, which suggests that organisations with positive cultures and high levels of wellbeing enjoy benefits such as: improved attraction and retention of talent; lower levels of absenteeism; higher engagement levels; and better organisational and financial performance.

Wellbeing what?

The term wellbeing is certainly a contemporary buzzword, but many companies might ask the question ‘what exactly is an employee health and wellbeing scheme?’

“It is all about demonstrating you have your employees’ best interests at heart across a number of key areas, including physical activity, mental health and flexible working,” said Matthew.

These three areas, and more, are integral to the schemes and policies Thrive Workplace Wellbeing helps businesses construct and - crucially maintain.

Matthew said: “Our approach is straightforward – we consult with key stakeholders at companies that want to improve their employees’ wellbeing and we introduce easy-to-follow plans and practices or develop and update existing strategies.”

It comprises eight key areas that businesses should consider to create or enhance an employee wellbeing scheme.

They are: Corporate Support; Attendance Management; Health and Safety; Mental Health; Smoking and Tobacco; Physical Activity; Healthy Eating; and Alcohol and Substance Misuse.

A badge of pride Often Thrive Workplace Wellbeing helps businesses reach certain levels on the charter in order for them to receive accreditation and have something to show for their efforts.

who help to maintain and influence schemes.

Matthew is on something of a quest to quash busy owners and directors’ beliefs that putting such schemes in place will take a lot of time and money. While there is some red tape and form filling, his business venture takes care of this so owners and managers can get on with running their businesses - but with the added benefit of a healthier and happier workforce.

“It all depends on the number of employees and what schemes are already in place, but a wellbeing programme can be devised and introduced in a week,’ said Matthew, who thinks businesses will start seeing the benefits as quickly as two to three months.

Matthew said: “Once this accreditation is gained, it should be displayed proudly.”

He believes if it appears on a company’s website or in offices it can attract job seekers as well as help retain existing staff who feel more appreciated for their efforts. Employees, he said, frequently get involved and become ‘wellbeing champions’

Matthew Carlton

How can a law firm be socially responsible?

For years, businesses too often only paid lip service to their corporate social responsibilities (CSR).

But now most businesses, including law firms, can see the ethical, moral and commercial reasons for being socially responsible. The challenge remains how to make it happen in practice.

At the heart of Russell-Cooke’s approach to CSR is recognition of the need for a social consciousness in all of our decisions and actions. CSR shouldn’t be something that sits separately from the firm’s day to day operations; it should be an integral aspect of everything we do.

Commitment to our local community has always been a strong part of that social consciousness. From our decade-long relationship with the Rose Theatre through to hosting information sessions for parents of children with special educational needs, we have always seen ourselves as having a responsibility to the wider community.

But for Russell-Cooke, being socially responsible entails far more than engaging with the community.

To make CSR happen, we focus on three additional areas where we think we can make a difference.

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Access to justice All lawyers provide access to justice in some form. At Russell-Cooke we have a long-standing strategic commitment to practice law in areas of work where access to justice is most at risk, the majority being legally aided. This commitment means we have experienced lawyers who deal with areas such as children at risk, clinical negligence, private and public sector tenants, and the homeless and serious criminal allegations.

As well as offering access to justice via legally aided advice, a number of our lawyers also volunteer in legal centres providing free advice.

The Grenfell Tower tragedy is a recent and tragic example of where staff have been able to offer immediate access to justice.

Equality and diversity We employ more than 300 staff and advise 20,000 clients from in and around a global city. So equality and diversity underpin all of our policies and processes - clients get a better service and we create a more sustainable business if we are able to tap into a more diverse range of skills and perspectives.

As an industry we still have some way to go. So, as well as defining how we operate internally, we also support legal sector initiatives to encourage more diversity in the profession such as the Law Society’s Diversity Access Scheme.

Environmental sustainability Through investments we have made in the likes of solar energy and LED lighting, we have reduced our carbon footprint over the last four years by more than 40%. But the project our

BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

staff are often most excited about is our bees – back in 2014 more than 200,000 bees took up residence on the top of our largest office in Putney.

As well as helping to pollinate local vegetables and fruit, last year we also enjoyed 120lbs of honey!

Whether it is paying the London Living Wage or making sure our PCs switch off at night, there are many ways that a firm like Russell-Cooke can be socially responsible. We are not perfect but we are trying our best to make it happen.

Rachel Stewart is a senior associate at Russell-Cooke Solicitors, specialising in residential conveyancing.

cover feature Making a difference through Corporate Social Responsibility For Karen Powell, Managing Director of Thames Ditton-based business The Creative People, CSR is an important part of her working life. Here she explains why.

Why CSR is good for your workforce CSR can mean many things to many people such as the ethics of an organisation, where a company sources its products through to the impact it has on the local community.

The element of CSR I love is where a CSR strategy can be used to develop and grow employees in a business.

Can you think of a more engaging way to develop the skills of the people in your team than by tasking them with delivering a project in their local community where the results will really matter to people? I believe that whilst there is still definitely a place for the more traditional classroom based training and development, coaching and mentoring, an organisation can elevate employee learning by giving them practical and hands on experience outside their workplace through CSR.

The launch party for Salmon Magazine.

L-R: Tessa Kind, Love Kingston; Andrew Connolly, Kingston Pound; Karen Powell, The Creative People and Salmon Magazine; Cllr Julie Pickering, Mayor of Kingston upon Thames At The Creative People, we believe that we all have a duty to support our local environment so we encourage ‘localism’ and sustainability.

Our community is important to us. We are an active member of Kingston Chamber of Commerce and designed the Chamber’s website. I was also on the board for four years.

I am an Ambassador for Love Kingston, a local charity building a fund for disadvantaged people in the Royal Borough of Kingston.

Love Kingston's vision is for local people and businesses to come together to support local needs.

We provide design advice and also help to organise fundraising events such as the Mayor’s Gala Dinner and Love Kingston Day. My company also endorses the Kingston Pound (K£), a local digital currency that allows The Royal Borough of

Kingston Chamber of Commerce

participating businesses to trade between one another instead of using sterling.

In order to help to promote the K£ project we have published Salmon, a magazine for ethicallyminded people who live, work and play in the Royal Borough of Kingston. The name of the magazine harps back to Kingston’s history when three salmon fisheries once stood on the banks of the River Thames.

Sadly, due to pollution in the industrial revolution, the salmon all died out and plans to re-introduce salmon eggs in the 1970s failed because salmon return to where they are born to spawn and as the eggs were from Scottish hatcheries so they never returned to the Thames.

We all need to be aware of our environment because if we don’t support our local businesses and high streets then

they will disappear like the salmon – and once gone they will become empty shells, charity shops, betting shops or be bull dozed down – never to return.

We all have choices, so whenever possible we should not buy online or from chain stores, and we should support local independent businesses.

In our industry, it is easy to order printing online but we have no control over the stock and the printing is usually inferior quality – so we prefer to use a local printer who may charge a bit more, but will take time to ensure we see a dummy and sign off printed proofs prior to printing.

If your business has CSR it strengthens relationships and builds loyalty and trust. If people trust and like you, then they will want to do business with you – simple as that.

Imagine promising a local school that you will enhance their playground, build them raised beds to teach the children about growing vegetables or help a local charity enhance their facilities for the people that rely on them. Then imagine sharing your vision and ideas with a group of your colleagues and commit to making it happen. The key skills I’ve helped develop through projects such as these include communication, time management, project management, budgeting and leadership.

The list can extend beyond that, but the lessons learned from being responsible and accountable for making a project happen in the real world, I believe are extensive.

I’ve worked on CSR projects both in the UK and Asia where this has had positive effects. You can give people the theoretical knowledge about a key skill they need in their role and then give them the opportunity to practice and put it to use in a real life scenario where a charity or local school can benefit… it brings their learning to life in a unique, exciting and engaging way.

Julie Leach has more than 15 years’ experience in HR and Learning & Development in global financial institutions.

She now runs Julie Leach Associates, specialists in HR, Learning & Development and Coaching. www.julieleachassociates.co.uk

BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

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BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

Kingston Chamber is delighted to announce a new enhanced patron level membership, aimed exclusively at prominent organisations in the Borough that want to take a leading role in shaping the future of the local business community.

Patron membership offers unique and previously unavailable benefits with extensive opportunities to build company profile, engagement with key stakeholders, and access to high profile networking.

The scheme was launched on Friday 26th January at The French Table restaurant in Surbiton, attended by Kingston and Surbiton MP, Sir Ed Davey, and Zac Goldsmith, MP for North Kingston and Richmond Park. Other guests included Senior Leaders from key employers in the Borough, with a dynamic range of prestigious local organisations represented.

Already two companies have signed up to the Patron scheme, demonstrating their commitment to supporting business growth and corporate social responsibility through the Chamber. They are: •Kingston College. A major provider of further education and apprenticeships •McDonalds. MJ Restaurants is the franchise owner of McDonalds restaurants in the Borough

Mike Smith, Owner says: "I am incredibly proud and delighted to be a Patron for The Royal Borough of Kingston Chamber of Commerce.

As I continue to invest in Staff Training and Development, Innovative systems & Customer driven technology, I also want to be part of the future decision making of The Royal Borough of Kingston. I believe that Kingston Chamber of Commerce is best positioned to drive not just the future ideas but the shared solutions with its portfolio of key partners & leaders."

As a not-for-profit organisation, all Chamber income is invested directly into providing valuable services to support long term and sustainable local business growth. We help businesses make valuable connections through an extensive events

calendar, we offer training and support to business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs and provide the business community with regular business news both locally and regionally.

We organise major business events like the Business EXPO and Kingston Business Awards.

The Chamber has strong links with local strategic stakehoders such as the Council and Kingston First, and we are also affiliated to the London Chamber. With links to the Mayor of London and the GLA, we work hard to support and develop a healthy business environment for all.

Mike Tweedale, Principal of Kingston College says: 'Kingston College is delighted to be one of the first Patron Members of Kingston Chamber of Commerce. This reflects our support and commitment for

the work the Chamber delivers to local businesses and we look forward to strengthening this work through collaborative projects, locally and regionally.'

Patron membership is available to a limited number of organisations and benefits are tailored on a bespoke basis to meet the specific requirements of the company. Engagement at this level provides opportunities to benefit from our high profile connections and influence policy and decision making on a local, regional and national stage.

Becoming a patron affords exclusive benefits to ensure an excellent return on investment.

We have had some fantastic feedback on this opportunity from our meetings with other potential patrons, and are looking forward to other prominent companies signing up to the scheme soon. We are thrilled to have so much support for the work we do from the business community. Do check back in our next issue and keep an eye on our website over the coming months for more announcements.

If you would like to find out more about this new opportunity, please get in touch with Natalie Crew in the Chamber office on 020 8541 4441 or email natalie@kingstonchamber.co.uk More information is available on our website https://www.kingstonchamber.co.uk/patron-membership/ The Royal Borough of

Kingston Chamber of Commerce

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BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

ask the expert

Chiropractic: More than just back pain relief Did you know that over 30 million working days were lost due to musculoskeletal problems including back pain, neck and upper limb problems in the UK in 2016?* Not only does this have a substantial financial impact on UK businesses, it also results in lost earnings, pain and reduced enjoyment of life for the sufferer.

Gale Zappacosta Chiropractor and Founder

Irrefutable Health www.irrefutablehealth.co.uk

How Chiropractic May Help Chiropractors are trained to diagnose, manage and prevent disorders of the musculoskeletal system as well as the effects these disorders can have on the nervous system and general health.

Chiropractic care involves various techniques to naturally reduce pain, improve function and increase mobility. Adjustments, which are often gentle, free joints in the spine or other areas of the body that are not moving properly.

Although chiropractors are best known for managing back and neck pain, chiropractic care may also benefit numerous conditions including hip and knee problems, sciatica and trapped nerves, and headaches and migraines.

Perfect Your Posture Hours sitting at a desk or in a car can cause havoc to your posture.

Here are our top tips to improve your posture whilst at work: • Avoid slouching by sitting upright in your chair, shoulders relaxed with shoulder blades touching the back rest of the chair and both feet on the floor.

• Get up and stretch or move around every 20 to 30 minutes.

• Increase your daily activity to stretch your spine: take a brief walk at lunchtime and take the stairs instead of the lift.

Headaches and Migraines The more you tilt your head forward, the heavier it weighs. The modern-day malady “tech neck” is the result of looking down at your computer, tablet or phone. A forward head position can cause stress to the cervical spine (the neck) may result in not only neck and shoulder pain but also debilitating headaches and migraines.

Gentle chiropractic manipulation of the joints and muscles around your neck may be more effective than medication for pain relief.

Enjoy the things you love Good spinal health is not only crucial for your working life but also to enable you to enjoy the things you love, pain-free. Whether you run, cycle, swim, play golf or tennis, or simply want to be able to keep up with the kids or grandchildren, chiropractic care may reduce and eliminate pain naturally and improve flexibility and mobility.

Irrefutable Health is a multidisciplinary healthcare clinic offering Chiropractic care, as well as Nutritional Therapy, Acupuncture and Massage.

Call us on 02030 340 340 to find out how we can help you feel be er and to arrange your assessment.

16 The Triangle, Kingston, Surrey KT1 3RT Email info@irrefutablehealth.co.uk Web irrefutablehealth.co.uk *Source: “Total of 137 million working days lost to sickness and injury in 2016.” at https://www.ons.gov.uk/news/news/totalof137millionworkingdayslosttosicknessandinjuryin2016 The Royal Borough of

Kingston Chamber of Commerce

BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

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inspirational leader

Football foundation champions excellence In a world where football can so often attract the wrong type of headlines, it is worth taking time out to consider the immense good that the sport can achieve as well.

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BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

inspirational leader Among the best examples is the Fulham Football Club Foundation, a community charity that is dedicated to building better lives through sport.

For CEO Mike McSweeney, his appointment in late 2017 was very much a homecoming, having spent ten years in the commercial team at the football club from 2004-2014 before leaving to fulfil a similar role in the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA).

During his time at the LTA, he supported Great Britain’s Davis Cup triumph with a team including Andy Murray.

Money to fund the programmes comes from grants, fundraising events and donations with the football club also playing its part.

And although success on the pitch or otherwise does not necessarily affect the work of the foundation, a good season like the one Fulham are having as they push for promotion back to the Premier League can create a beneficial feel-good factor.

Mike said: “We receive a lot of support from the football club itself, not necessarily monetary but in use of their excellent sporting facilities, through administration, legal support and the involvement of the players in promoting some of what we do.

Throughout his time with the LTA, Mike retained his connection with the foundation, continuing to volunteer with its Downs Syndrome football team, the Fulham Badgers, before returning to work for the foundation.

“It does not necessarily affect the work of the foundation if the club is doing poorly on the pitch because we keep doing what we do regardless but there is definitely a knock-on effect if the team is doing well.

He said: “The chance to come back to work in an environment that was community-based was great. The idea of putting something back into the community appealed to me.

“We rely on the support of supporters and season ticket holders and if the team is playing well, everyone feels better and that creates momentum.”

“My time with Fulham Badgers had given me a really good insight into how the foundation works and I welcomed the opportunity to work for it.”

The foundation uses the power of sport to provide education, employability, health, inclusion and sport programmes and at the heart of its work is a commitment to empowering the most vulnerable members of the communities in Lambeth, Merton, Kingston, Hammersmith & Fulham and Surrey.

The Royal Borough of

Kingston Chamber of Commerce

The foundation delivers an immense amount, interacting with more than 11,000 people each year in everything from running football sessions for youngsters to providing education in Brixton Prison, running employability sessions in Feltham Young Offenders and working in more than 40 primary, secondary and further education establishments.

colleges. Successful applicants have the choice of studying for A Level or BTEC qualifications in a variety of subjects under the guidance of experienced teachers and coaches.

The foundation team also do a lot of work on inclusion and have worked in some tough areas, helping hard-to-reach individuals to integrate socially.

Another foundation activity is disability programmes which covers a wide range of abilities and, using the Cohen Fund, set up to celebrate the achievements of former Fulham player and 1966 World Cup Winner George Cohen, the foundation also runs regular health programmes.

An important theme for Mike is the need to deliver quality.

He said: “When I was with the Lawn Tennis Association, I appreciated the importance of excellence when we won the Davis Cup. “On returning to Fulham, one thing I didn’t realise was the breadth and scope of the foundation’s work and my early months in the job have

been spent ensuring that we can deliver everything we do to an excellent standard and that we do not stretch ourselves too thinly.

“Much of my work is fully understanding exactly every area we work in and ensuring that not only are they sustainable but that we deliver every programme with excellence.

“A lot of our work is about providing sporting pathways.

If you have a five-year-old who becomes involved in sport, you want to ensure that he or she can stay involved as they grow up.

“The Cohen Fund is a good example of how we have been able to build sustainability into what we do. The worst thing we can do is bring in a grant and start something up for a year then close it down because the money has run out.

“It is important that we can continue to run programmes and the money raised through the Cohen Fund, and the work it has financed, is an excellent legacy for George.”

For further information on the foundation you can email: foundationinfo@fulhamfc.com www.fulhamfc.com/fulham-fc-foundation

Indeed, Fulham Football Club Foundation recently recruited for the 2018/19 cohort of Football and Education students across South London

BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

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hr dept “Working 9 to 5 ...what a way to make a living?!”

Ok, so yes I am a bit of a Dolly Parton fan. My guilty pleasure now declared in public. However, the lyrics of Dolly’s, probably most famous of hits, must resonate with many: “Workin' 9 to 5, what a way to make a livin' Barely gettin' by, it's all takin' and no givin'

They just use your mind and you never get the credit It's enough to drive you crazy if you let it”

How many of your employees are feeling like this and struggling with the ‘Sunday Blues’?

The workplace environment can provide anything from challenge and progression through to resentment and depression.

As we often spend more time with our work colleagues and boss than we do our friends and family, the impact of the workplace environment can have an immeasurable effect on our health and wellbeing.

The employer / employee relationship is more complicated than it may initially appear.

Most of us crave a role that plays to our strengths, that offers challenge and progression, that provides reward and recognition for our contribution and values us

as our ‘whole selves’. However, finding this within a company can feel as elusive as the Easter Bunny.

The impact of a negative working environment can be inherently damaging to the individuals and potentially to customers and profits too. Employee wellbeing and mental health issues are increasingly becoming a workplace issue. With ‘stress’ now overtaking back pain as the leading reason for workplace absence, it can feel like a minefield for an employer to try to manage. Ignoring, avoiding or poorly managing workplace stress will lead to poor employee engagement, lower productivity but also potentially tribunal applications in the future. Since the Supreme Court decided to

over turn the payment of court fees last year, there has been a 70% increase in tribunal applications over the last nine months, many of which against small and medium sized businesses.

From an employers’ perspective this can feel like a minefield.

While not expected to be counsellors, it is necessary to discuss the health and wellbeing with employees to be able to fulfill your duty of care and make any reasonable adjustments. It is obviously in the interests of an employer to create an environment that creates an engaged and productive workforce. However, knowing how to do this may not be obvious.

We work with many local businesses to identify and plan how best to resolve their people issues and to create a productive workplace environment for a better business.

Keeping businesses compliant is a must but unlocking the human potential in a business can be transformational.

Call Sandra Porter, Managing Director at The HR Dept on 07387 101637 for a chat about your 9 to 5 and our service and devotion! Go Dolly!

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BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

Top 5 Employer Questions for a Healthy Workplace 1) Are you getting the best from your employees by playing to their strengths?

2) Are your managers skilled at managing?

3) Do you invest in employee skill development or always hire externally?

4) What message does your recognition or criticism send about what’s important?

5) Do you offer services to employees to support their health and wellbeing?

health and wellbeing

How to avoid burnout at work Jane doesn’t feel the same about work anymore. Something’s changed. She can’t put her finger on when it changed - it didn’t happen overnight - more like a gradual slow burn.

She use to approach work with commitment and drive, happily doing extra hours, taking on more work, juggling more balls as she believed in and was passionate about her job, where the company were going and what they were aiming for. They were in this together.

Now things are different. The extra hours, the extra work, the constant juggling and reprioritizing have become the norm, the expected.

The compromises she is making are affecting her home life and her family life. Jane is starting to question her decisions: ‘Have I missed one too many bedtime stories?’, ‘When was the last time I sat at home still and peaceful, without checking my emails or preparing for the next big meeting’ or ‘when do I not think about work?’

This hypothetical example describes a common and real scenario in businesses all around the world today, and worryingly for many it may be considered the norm.

You may not even realize, but the chances are high that you know at least one Jane, perhaps even more.

The UK Government’s Health & Safety Executive (HSE) define workrelated stress, depression or anxiety as a harmful reaction people have to undue pressures and demands placed on them at work. In 2016, 11.7 million days working days were lost due to this condition alone, with the main work factors cited by respondents were workload pressures, tight deadlines, too much responsibility and a lack of managerial support.

Burnout at work is gradual and preventable. Here are my top tips to help you navigate those workload pressures before they spiral out of control;

#1 Speak Up

#5 Switch OFF

Sounds obvious, I know. If you continue as you are, nothing with change. Your leaders or manager will think you are OK with the set-up.

You’re not! The conversation will take you one of two ways. Your manager not realizing you are under pressure and take steps and actions to resolve this or your manager in-overtly explaining this is the norm and get on with it. You have now realized maybe this job/company is not a cultural fit with you and it’s time to go.

When you’re not working and when it’s your ‘downtime’ switch of phones, tablets, laptops. Seeing a flashing red light on your phone saying new email message is not going to help you switch off. Your natural curiosity will want to see who it is from and what it is about. And guess what, once you’ve had a look your mind is now switched into work world.

#2 Delegate or ask for help Are you doing too much because you’re not delegating or simply not asking for help? You may not have a challenge with overseeing the work but do you physically have to do it all? Is there someone in the team who could take their share of the workload? Again, if you don’t ask you won’t get.

We all recognize there will be times when the extra hard yards are asked of us – new product launch, new system deployment, a relocation – and we all put the hours in to make it a success, no questions asked.

But start to recognize or look out for the warning signs; are you working later, longer hours all the time? Is this becoming the norm?

Has your workload significantly increased and it’s not due to a BIG event? Do you feel you’ve crossed the line between being positively challenged and productive to being overwhelmed and stressed? If any of these bells are ringing, take action now before it’s too late.

Royston Guest is a global authority on growing businesses and unlocking people potential. He is CEO of Pti-Worldwide, author of #1 best-selling business growth book, Built to Grow and founder of livingyourfuture™.

Connect with him on LinkedIn or check out his weekly blog at www.roystonguest.com

#3 Prioritize, Prioritize and Prioritize again!

Another obvious one, I know. But how many times do we look at our to-do list and think ‘I’ve got so much to do, I just haven’t got the time to do it all’. Whilst that might be true, the question to ask is; ‘what have I got to do today, tomorrow, by the end of the week’ Chunk up your work into manageable daily tasks.

Close out each day with a new task list for the next day based on what you achieved that day and what you hope to achieve tomorrow. You will see the progress and more importantly will feel in control. #4 Say No or reprioritize.

This may be easier said than done, but sometimes you may have to kick back with a no. Or, if that feels impossible, another approach you could take is to share the impact of you accepting that additional piece of work. For example; ‘To deliver XYX

by Friday, will mean I will get ABC to you next week’. You are not saying no, but you are re-aligning new deliverable dates for existing pieces of work.

BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

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Canbury Secret Café The Idyllic Setting for Dining with Friends and for all your Catering Needs Exclusive Gelato Catering Service for Parties and Events Now Available Canbury Secret Café is the brainchild of Filippo Selini who painstakingly regenerated a derelict toilet block, out of use since 1984, decaying and attracting antisocial activity, and converted it into a seasonal café serving Artisan Italian Coffees and locally sourced Fresh produce for Lunches and Snacks.

They have recently added a new line to their catering offering which now includes artisan products and their refreshing and delicious new Canbury Gelato, to eat at their picnic tables, take away or the Gelato machine, plus Filippo, are available for hire for private parties and events!

From a dismal eyesore and undesirable corner of Canbury Gardens, Canbury Secret Café is now a smart, safe area to enjoy great food with friends and colleagues.

Canbury Secret Café, Canbury Gardens, off Kings’ Passage, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, KT2 5AJ

Tel: 07929 371500 For more information please go to: canburysecret.co.uk or facebook.com/canburysecret

finance Chancellor seeks debate on tax system Chancellor Philip Hammond has embarked on a consultation about changes to the tax system which could have a profound effect on businesses.

The Chancellor, who announced the move in his Spring statement in March, said that one of the changes the Government was determined to make involved using the tax system to crack down on the amount of plastic waste being generated in the UK. He said that disposable plastics like coffee cups, plastic cutlery and foam trays damage the environment and the Government is now seeking views on how best to use the tax system to encourage the responsible use of plastic.

Some of the money raised from any tax changes will be used to encourage the creation of new, greener products and services, he said. In addition, £20 million from existing budgets will be given to businesses and universities to research ways to reduce the impact of plastics on the environment.

In other tax proposals, the Chancellor also announced plans to make sure that multinational digital businesses pay a fair share of tax and said that the Government is seeking views on extending the current tax relief to support self-employed people and employees when they fund their own training.

The Chancellor also wants to see a debate on the future of money. He says that digital technology has changed the way people shop, sell, and save. While cash will continue to be an important method of payment, more people are moving towards digital payments every year.

The Government is seeking views on what more it can do to: • support people and businesses who use digital payments • ensure that those who need to are able to pay with cash • prevent the use of cash to evade tax and launder money The Royal Borough of

Kingston Chamber of Commerce

Philip Hammond also announced plans to help businesses by bringing forward the next business rates revaluation to 2021 In the Autumn Budget 2017 it was announced that business rates revaluations will take place every three years, rather than every five years, following the next revaluation.

This makes bills more accurately reflect the current rental value of properties.

Spring Statement 2018 announced that the next revaluation, currently due in 2022, will be brought forward to 2021. This will mean businesses can benefit from the change to three-year revaluations earlier, with the first taking place in 2024.

Adam Marshall, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce, gave a mixed reception to the statement.

He said: “Businesses will be encouraged by the Chancellor’s report on the UK’s fiscal health, with lower projections for the deficit and falling national debt, as well as his full-throated defence of the market economy and the role of the private sector in delivering prosperity.

“Yet as deficit and debt levels improve, the Chancellor must resist calls to pour money into politically-attractive, short-term spending priorities. Any headroom the Chancellor has must be used to leave a lasting mark on the UK’s infrastructure and to attract investment, particularly with the challenges and changes of Brexit ahead.

“A far stronger push is needed to fund and fix the fundamentals here in the UK over the coming months, and business wants the Chancellor to use his Autumn Budget to double down and spend to improve digital connectivity, deliver further road and rail improvements, strengthen the

UK’s energy security and build more houses. Existing plans alone are not enough.”

Although one or two tax changes were suggested.

Mr Marshall said he felt that the statement had been restrained, something he welcomed.

He said: “Given that businesses across the UK have long complained about constant tinkering with tax rates, the Statement’s lack of tax and spending changes is welcome and not before time. A clear annual cycle will mean fewer rushed policies and give firms the time they need to plan for any changes that come their way.”

He welcomed the business rates change, saying: “We are pleased that the Government has listened to our calls to make revaluations more frequent. Switching to a threeyear-cycle will go some way to reducing the huge changes in rates bills that clobber firms across the UK and enable them to plan their growth strategies with greater confidence.

“However, a system that responds more frequently to changing economic conditions must also be simpler for firms to navigate. The current system already generates a huge number of appeals, and if it is not made easier for companies, more frequent valuations would simply make this backlog mushroom.”

On training, Mr Marshall said: “While more funding to support small businesses seeking to employ apprentices is welcome, urgent action is needed to reform and improve the apprenticeship levy, which is currently failing both businesses and the people they want to train. The levy’s lack of flexibility and its complexity are stifling the training aspirations of businesses of all sizes.”

The Long Road to Recovery: why CVAs fail The move to try and remarket insolvency as a restructuring and recovery-based profession is in full swing.

The championed recovery tool is a Company Voluntary Arrangement, allowing a company to continue to trade whilst addressing past liabilities.

However, all too many CVAs fail; BHS and Toys R Us are two of the highest profile CVAs to have collapsed recently, but many more have been unsuccessful. Why is it such a difficult process to complete successfully?

Here are three suggestions: 1. The reasons for the Company’s insolvency in the first place aren’t addressed. Usually there are a number of reasons for difficulty, some of which may not be under the Company’s control, and some of which may be symptomatic of the Company’s industry, or management. The reasons presented for why the Company will not suffer these difficulties again may be more hopeful than real, with the result that the Company continues to struggle even after a CVA has been approved.

2. Offers are overly optimistic. The Company wants creditors to accept the CVA, with cash flow forecasts to support good offers. However, the reality of being in the CVA may result in these forecasts being over-optimistic, perhaps due to suppliers increasing their prices to recoup some of their losses, imposing tighter credit terms than anticipated, customers being put off by the CVA, or director fatigue (see next point). The Company then finds itself unable to afford what it proposed.

3. It’s a long-term procedure. CVA’s can last 3-5 years, depending on the levels of debt and what the Company can afford to repay. In that time, the CVA will bind directors to the CVA’s terms, and will most likely restrict what they can draw from the Company, which may result in fatigue and loss of morale. Would you want to be director of a Company subject to years of CVA contributions and conditions?

These problems may be mitigated if advice is sought early, before difficulties become numerous and debts become great. At WSM Marks Bloom we have three Licensed Insolvency Practitioners ready to speak with individuals and companies in financial distress.

Give us a call at WSM’s Kingston Office on 020 8939 8240 or email insolvency@wsm.co.uk, and an expert will be ready to assist you.

BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

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Do you struggle with growing and marketing your business?

We spoke to Business & Marketing Consultant Kate Lemon – Founder of KL Business Planning & Marketing – about how they help small to medium sized businesses with both their business planning and marketing challenges.

What is your area of expertise / business speciality?

We coach businesses, helping them with their business planning and we also look after their marketing for them in the form of an outsourced marketing department.

How did you get into your chosen career and why?

In the past I’d worked for a big corporate, a charity and also at marketing agencies. I realised when I worked at the charity that the skills I’d learnt in the big corporate were really valuable to smaller organisations and so I decided to set up my own business, helping other businesses to grow.

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Tell us a bit about your business I launched the business just under 2 years ago and in that time we’ve helped all types of organisations from marketing agencies, cafes, charities, gyms and software companies - with their business planning and marketing challenges.

What do you enjoy most about what you do?

It’s really rewarding being able to look at someone else’s business from the outside, helping to identify their challenges and objectives and then putting a plan in place to combat those challenges and help them achieve those objectives – ultimately helping them to grow their business.

Secondly, we pride ourselves on providing “business and marketing with a human touch.” We aim to be an organization that anyone whatever their level of experience or confidence - can talk to and not feel intimidated.

Is there a secret to your success?

We’re very focused on helping clients achieve their objectives but we couple that with being friendly and authentic.

What can you offer clients that competitors can’t?

We can help my clients on their entire business journey – from business plan to marketing execution and to monthly business reviews.

What makes your business stand out?

I think there are 2 things – firstly we cover everything from business planning and coaching to marketing execution – that’s rare.

BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

And if there’s something that they need that we can’t provide, then we work with Associates to deliver it. We’re a one stop shop.

If you’d like some help from KL Business Planning & Marketing contact Kate today for an initial discussion and to benefit from two very special offers: - 2 hours business coaching for just £100 per month (usually £130) for 3 months* AND/OR - 8 hours marketing support (marketing planning and/or delivery) per month: just £320 per month for 3 months * offer available to the first 5 responders only who quote “Borough Business”

Tel: 0203 3488 1890 kate@klbusinessplanning.com www.klbusinessplanning.com

person behind the business Right time, right place, right message - still place for tradition in the fast-moving world of marketing Few areas of business have changed as rapidly in recent years as the art of marketing as digital technology and social media play an increasingly prominent role in getting messages out.

Keeping up with changes in everything from how we access social media to how we watch television is a key part of Philip Scotcher’s job as the co-owner of a successful marketing and design company.

“We went in ready to talk to them about social media and when we had finished our presentation they said ‘that’s fine but tell us about all the other ways we can sell our product as well’.

Philip is the co-founder of Grand Central Creative, an award-winning agency that specialises in branding, design, digital and marketing and which will mark its fifth anniversary in May.

“We came back to them with what we call a 360 approach, which looks at everything we can do to promote a brand, everything from taking out sponsorship to ways in which we can use digital marketing. It is a very broad spectrum.

The years before he set up his own company were spent working with some of the UK’s biggest marketing agencies, handling everything from website design to social media, but the idea of running his own business was growing ever more appealing.

Philip said: “I wasn’t getting as much satisfaction from working for other people so my business partner and I decided to set up on our own.

“It felt like a colossal decision at the time. When you work for someone else, you are in a protected bubble but to work for yourself is initially terrifying. It feels like a real leap of faith.”

“I think that is the best approach to take. Traditional methods of marketing still have their place and it is about understanding the audience so that you can reach them.

“If you go back twelve months, let alone five years, everyone was talking about social media. Everyone was saying ‘we have to be on Facebook, we have to be on Instagram’ but I think that people are calming down when it comes to social media.

They are becoming more grown-up in their approach and realising these channels are part of the solution.

It was a leap that worked and today the company employs ten people and works with a range of well known brands. Philip believes that central to the company’s success is the ability to acknowledge that, although digital technology has its place, that does not mean that more traditional methods such as advertising in printed publications have had their day.

“Take a client who runs a gym.

The important thing is to understand how their potential customers access media and what channels they use.

How do they get to the gym, what mode of transport do they take, what do they read en route, what time of day do they visit the gym, do they respond to the seasonal aspect of fitness?

He said: “I remember our first big pitch, which was to a wine company not long after we had set up Grand Central Creative.

“We do a lot of work analysing how people obtain their information. Not everyone may access information

digitally, for example, and our job is to find out the methods that will resonate with them.

“We also try to understand what our clients want from a marketing campaign. Do they want sales, do they want ‘likes?

Or do they want people to sign up for something?

For us, it is all about getting under the skin of a brand.

“I think that there is a place for everything when it comes to marketing. Take Amazon and books as an example.

“Ten, twenty years ago, people were saying that the arrival of the ebook meant that the traditional printed book would die off but here we are ten years later with printed books selling well.

The key to success is being able to identify the trends and respond to them appropriately.”

“We do a lot of work analysing how people obtain their information.

Not everyone may access information digitally, for example, and our job is to find out the methods that will resonate with them.”

The Royal Borough of

Kingston Chamber of Commerce

BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

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top tips

At Cajun HR Services, our aim is to give employers practical, straightforward advice based on current HR legislation, best practice and backed up by a wealth of commercial experience.

We are locally based in Surbiton and work to meet the HR needs of growing businesses in Surrey and South West London.

We have long known that people are a company’s most important asset. However, analysis at the University of Warwick by Professor Andrew Oswald, Dr Eugenio Proto and Dr Daniel Sgroi from the Department of Economics suggests that, not only do better performing companies generally have happier employees, but that employees’ happiness itself “seems to motivate greater effort, increasing output without affecting its quality and thus boosting productivity”.

With that in mind, here are 5 top tips for a happy workplace: 1. Recruit people who can do the job, but who also “fit” Recruit not only for technical expertise but also for how

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employees will fit into your workplace. This may mean a more rigorous recruitment process; starting with a thorough Job Description and Person Specification and concluding with in-depth interviews, ideally with a range of stakeholders.

There should be a real focus on finding a candidate with shared values – and as an employer you should be clear on what values are most important to you before commencing the recruitment process.

2. Build trust You should be clear from the start about your expectations of employees as well as in return what they can expect from you.

The foundations of trust are built on regular, open and honest communication.

Company values, mission statements and policies should be shared with employees at the start of their employment, perhaps in an employee handbook.

3. Give and receive quality feedback Regular 1:1s are the simplest way to give and receive feedback, learning what is going well and equally what isn’t, allowing you to resolve issues as you go along.

Other feedback mechanisms such as company induction, probation reviews and appraisals allow you to recognise success as well as giving feedback around poor performance, which is never as easy, but is essential to developing a happy workplace.

Remember that other employees look to you to have those difficult conversations however hard they seem.

BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

4. Develop your team Think creatively about team development and learning opportunities. Whilst “chalk-andtalk” has its place, ensure there are a variety of development opportunities available.

Build clarity around succession planning: it not only safeguards your future but demonstrates to employees that there is a career path which they can be part of, encouraging better retention of people and their skills and knowledge.

5. Walk the walk Model behaviours you ask of your employees and live your company values. Be an authentic leader and walk the walk, engaging with your team in a more productive workplace.

You don’t have to be perfect, good enough will sometimes do!

a day in the life...

Life at the heart of Kingston Ask the Reverend Jonathan Wilkes to describe a typical working day and his answer is “I have ten or fifteen typical days!”

It’s an answer that sums up the variety of the working day for the Rector at All Saints Kingston, which is in the heart of the town and as such is a busy church that supports a whole range of community activities.

He said: “I don’t really have a typical day although I do tend to get up at 6am and have half an hour of silent prayer, which is important to me. Then I will have breakfast with the family and start work.

“Although my days are varied, there are some elements that are the same, including the three morning services that we have during the week, at noon on Tuesday and Wednesday and 10.30am on Thursday.

“My working day is also shaped by the location of the church, which is in the town centre and, therefore, at the heart of much that happens.”

All Saints in Kingston is indeed a focal point of the town and has been for centuries.

Since the 9th Century, there has been a church on the site, when it was originally part of the Saxon royal estate.

The Royal Borough of

Kingston Chamber of Commerce

Key events in the church’s history include Egbert, King of Wessex, holding his great council here in 838 and in the 10th Century, Athelstan and Ethelred the Unready were two of the seven Saxon kings of England said to be crowned there. Construction of the present church began in 1120 under the orders of Henry I and the church boasts a 14th Century wall-painting of St. Blaise. Other highlights include the great west window of the 19th Century, and the magnificent Frobenius organ installed in 1988, plus a memorial chapel to the East Surrey Regiment.

However, this is not a church that dwells on the past and it prides itself on being an important part of many people’s lives.

The Rev Wilkes said: “The church is open seven days

a week and part of my day is taken up meeting with the groups that use and support it, everyone from local groups to the people that run our café, which is open every day.

“Some of the meetings are with the Royal Borough of Kingston, who we are talking to about the possible creation of a museum on the site and for which we need to raise funds.

“I believe that the church has to be part of a partnership and it has be accessible to the people of Kingston, which is why in addition to church events and services we host events that might be seen as more secular, like choir practices, concerts and meetings.

“Another important part of my day is meeting people who just need someone to talk to.

Given our town centre location and the fact that we are open every day, sometimes people come through the door in search of peace and quiet or someone to talk their anxieties over with. It’s an important part of my job and why we have a team of volunteers trained to listen to people who come through our door.

“I like to be home sometimes in late afternoon to spend some time catching up on paperwork and emails and I can often have an evening meeting but I like them to over by 9pm. I think the best meetings don’t last more than an hour and a half.”

“I believe that the church has to be part of a partnership and it has be accessible to the people of Kingston, which is why in addition to church events and services we host events that might be seen as more secular, like choir practices, concerts and meetings.”

BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

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starting up Capturing the moment With 25 years’ experience in the education and corporate events industry, we have the know-how to make any event a success.

Matthew Thompson AVTEAMUK Ltd www.avteamuk.com Q1 Tell us a bit about your business?

Q3 What motivated you to set up the business?

AVTEAMUK Ltd is a new audio visual and multimedia service company based in Surrey. We specialise in producing video content for any purpose - training, promotion or the capture of live events. We also have an extensive stock of AV and video gear that we hire out.

With 25 years’ experience in the education and corporate events industry, we have the know-how to make any event a success.

We’re flexible and friendly and have numerous awards under our belts.

I dreamed of being more in control of strategy, direction and brand and now have that freedom.

As a small company we’re agile and can work around our clients’ needs; every job is a unique project.

Q2 What gives your business ‘the x-factor’?

Our unique selling point is industry experience. I worked as Head of Audio Visual at the Royal College of Surgeons for more than a decade and my teams produced high-fidelity multimedia content for the most demanding surgeons in the world.

While we’ve gone independent only recently, we’ve learned a lot and want to share our passion for content creation.

Q4 What do you like most about working for a start-up?

The opportunity to start from a blank page is great. There’s so much to learn and an opportunity to truly adapt. We will make some mistakes but this is part of the learning curve, on which we thrive.

I function best when I’ve got multiple projects on the boil and the company is a chance to make something out of that, for my teams and our customers.

Q5 What has been your greatest business success to date?

Recently we worked with a client on an event for the Saudi royal family at the Dorchester in Park Lane.

We got the job at short notice but it was great to be involved in such a prestigious occasion and the client was super-happy - they gave us a glowing testimonial.

That's a really big win."

Peer-to-peer rental and service provision could be a big part of our industry. If we are to remain competitive, more efficient processes and workflows must be developed.

Q6 What has been your lowest moment?

For content creation, many online start-ups offer drag-and-drop services. They may not always capture the personality of clients but they are cheap and fast.

The Kingston Chamber of Commerce start-up workshop rang a lot of bells: Jerry Irving explained that it is common to feel lonely or lose confidence when you first start up because business isn’t flowing.

But I have a great network of peers to ask advice from. My old (and new) friends have been incredibly supportive.

Q7 In terms of business achievements, where do you want to be within the next five years?

There are great career opportunities for gifted individuals in the AV industry. I want to make that happen for my teams, so apprenticeships and training will be a part of our future.

88%

UNLEASH THE POWER OF VIDEO

FACT: People spend 88% more time on a website with video content.

AVTEAMUK. Flexible, professional and experienced.

We’ve got you covered.

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BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

It’s our job to be better at a price our customers can justify. That’s a worthy challenge.

Q8 What would be your top tips to someone thinking of starting up their own business?

Know your unique selling points and shout about them.

Understand your clients’ needs.

Network across industries, make contact with as many people as you can and listen to their advice but don’t always take it.

Be positive and love your craft.

www.avteamuk.com Quote BB15 for 15% off your first order.

Rest, Relax & Refuel THE WHITE HART HOTEL Relax in our large patio garden and enjoy the summer sun with the start of our, Spring & Summer Menu Starting on 1st April.

There is a 20% discount off the bill for Chamber of Commerce Members.

The White Hart has been a hotel since 2003 and has become a key must stay for locals and visitors to Kingston and the surrounding area.

If you would like to stay in one of our Beautiful Bedrooms they are voted number 1 by Tripadvisor guests 2017 and awarded a certificate of excellence.

20% Discount for Chamber of Commerce Members

B E AU TIF UL BEDROOMS

BY FULLER’s

The White Hart Hotel 1 High Street Hampton Wick Kingston-Upon-Thames Surrey KT1 4DA

Tel: 020 8977 1786 Email: whiteharthotel@fullers.co.uk

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Contact us today to book your test drive.

Guy Salmon Jaguar Thames Ditton 47 Portsmouth Road, Thames Ditton, Surrey KT7 0TA 020 3417 4596 guysalmon.thamesditton.jaguar.co.uk

Official fuel consumption for the Jaguar F-TYPE range in mpg (l/100km): Urban 17.4-32.1 (16.2-8.8); Extra Urban 33.2-45.6 (8.5-6.2); Combined 25.0-39.2 (11.3-7.2). CO2 Emissions 163-269 g/km.

Official EU Test Figures. For comparison purposes only. Real world figures may differ.

Vehicle shown is an F-TYPE R 5.0 V8 S/C 550ps AWD with optional Santorini Black paint (£730), Black Pack (£265) and Carbon Ceramic Brake Pack (£7,705)

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