Borough Business September 2018

BOROUGH

BUSINESS The voice of Kingston’s business community

Issue 10: Autumn 2018

Chessington where variety thrives - p8 The Royal Borough of

Kingston Chamber of Commerce

Women in Business p16

Inspirational Leader p24

Business Expo 2018 p 9

Professional training and development programmes to meet your business needs.

New for 2018

Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship Popular in 2018 Apprenticeships in HR and HR Consultant/Partner See kingston-college.ac.uk for further details.

At Kingston College we are committed to working in partnership to support your organisation’s skills, employment, Apprenticeship and training strategies.

For a FREE skills assessment or for more information please contact: 020 8546 2151.

kingston-college.ac.uk South Thames Colleges Group Business Centre

WELCOME TO

BOROUGH BUSINESS The Kingston Chamber of Commerce magazine for all Businesses in Kingston The feature article of this issue is about Chessington and the South of the Borough, an area in which, for some time, we have been trying to establish a stronger foothold.

Often when we talk about Kingston’s strengths and assets we refer to town centres, retail, hospitality, creativity and great educational establishments but tend to overlook the trading and commercial estates located across the borough. These are a home to a host of international businesses and many small independents who all make an invaluable contribution to Kingston’s economic wellbeing.

Well it looks like we are finally coming to the end of a truly glorious Summer for weather which inspired many of us to get out and enjoy some of the great outdoor events in the borough’s Summer Calendar.

In July over 50 teams battled it out on the Thames in the Kingston Rotary Dragon Boat Challenge and in September thousands of revellers attended the Kingston Carnival, the borough’s largest social gathering. The Chamber also celebrated Summer by holding a joint networking event with fellow London Local Chambers members, Merton and Wandsworth at the fabulous Warren House.

The evening was attended by nearly one hundred businesses and included a presentation on the “Future of Heathrow Airport”, which outlined some great supply opportunities for local businesses.

To find out more about these you can visit the Heathrow Business Summit 2018 website at www.heathrowbusinesssummit.co.uk/ Visit

Patron Members

+ forbesdesign

The Royal Borough of

Kingston Chamber of Commerce

This Autumn, thanks to the support of the recently renamed Chessington School and sponsors HSBC and the Council, we are holding the first Business Expo of its kind in the area.

The event offers over 50 exhibition stands, networking activity and professional seminars, providing a great opportunity to bring local businesses together for the first time.

See the full feature on Chessington at Pages 8-11 and to find out how to book your place at the Expo visit www.kingstonchamber.co.uk/ chessington-expo/ Those of you who know me will also know that I have always been strongly committed to working together with other key organisations to develop a healthy business environment which encourages enterprise and stimulates economic growth. In January we launched our Patron Membership Scheme; an enhanced membership aimed at those key organisations, and others, committed to supporting the Chamber by taking a leading role in shaping the future of the local business community. I am delighted to report that the scheme has made a great start, “signing up” five new Patron Members and holding its first breakfast workshop earlier in the month. For more information about our Patrons and their activities, see P.21.

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At a recent London Local Chambers’ lunch held by the Bank of England, Chamber leaders were asked to give their views on the economic climate within their boroughs.

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The responses were mixed where some Chambers in West London reported that their economies are growing, albeit slowly, whereas other boroughs with large retail centres like Kingston upon Thames declared that achieving growth is more challenging. Key concerns across the group are increased Business Rates, high Commercial Rents and, particularly in South London, the lack of affordable, flexible workspace. The Bank of England reported that, overall, growth targets are being met and, on Brexit, it was confident it could maintain financial stability whatever the outcome, although a “no Brexit” deal would, obviously, create far more uncertainty within the main financial markets.

Finally, I do hope you enjoy the variety of content within this issue of Borough Business and I thank all the subscribers to this now acclaimed Kingston magazine.

I look forward to seeing many of you at this years Kingston Business Excellence Awards and the Chessington Business Expo, two great events next month celebrating all that is great about doing business in the Royal Borough.

Jerry Irving CEO Kingston Chamber of Commerce

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Welcome to new members Economy Chamber Events Finance Focus on Chessington Legal Skills Women In Business Patron Membership Ask the Expert Inspirational Leader Health & Wellbeing Festive The Person behind the Business Top Tips A day in the life of...

Starting Up

4 5 6 7 8-11 12 13 16-18 21 23 24-25 27 29 31 32 33 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 Autumn 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. 1628 Disclaimer

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

3

welcome

Welcome to our new members Access Self Storage Ltd Carlos Sousa www.accessstorage.com

Angel Business Club

Radfield Home Care Richmond, Kingston & Hounslow Shamsah Lalji

Soraya Anderson www.radfieldhomecare.co.uk/080/ https://abc.angelequitygroup.com/ about-us user/690

Assist Coaching Limited Forbes Low

Melanie-Jane Lawson Wall www.assistcoaching.com

Blissful Kids Ltd

Helping put a man on the moon There is a famous story of John F Kennedy’s visit to the NASA space centre in 1962.

As he was walking around, he spoke to a passing janitor, asking him what he was doing. ‘Well Mr President’ he replied, ‘I’m helping put a man on the moon.’

The point of this simple story is that too often we think of our goals as individual activities, pursued in isolation from other people. The janitor got it. He understood the vision, and his part in it, and he had purpose.

There are a number of reasons why we join a Chamber but I would argue that sharing should be one of the main influencers.

If you ask a friend, a family member or a colleague to help you to do something, it will trigger within you (and them) a strong urge to give something back. To reciprocate.

By seeking out the support of others to help you achieve your goals, take the opportunity to share their weight and support them in turn. To me, this is what our Chambers should be all about.

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By working in partnerships, we are very likely to achieve more, faster than being by ourselves.

On October 31st, we hold our first EXPO in Chessington, at Chessington School.

There is such potential for business growth in this area of the Borough and we are excited at this opportunity. A number of local businesses have really engaged with us to set up the EXPO which is appreciated, and I encourage everyone to support and get involved.

To quote an American author Zig Zagler (yes, that is an actual name), ‘If people like you, they’ll listen to you, but if they trust you, they’ll do business with you. ’Go out and make your social networks work for you, then try and put something back in.

Forbes Low forbes@forbesdesign.co.uk

Shrama Gowda www.blissfulkidscity.com

SRS Media & Spires Estates Ltd Stanley Spires

Sue Towner Sue Towner

Bridger Bell Commercial LLP

Surrey Accountancy Services Ltd

Sally Holley www.bridgerbell.com

www.sasbusinessbox.co.uk

British Heart Foundation Retail Division

The Business Kitchen SW London Ltd

Louise Stevens www.bhf.org.uk

Chakra Kingston Limited Arjun Varma www.chakra.restaurant

Ecowelle Limited

Alida Ballard

Robert Hancock

The GDPR Compliance Consultancy Howard Freeman www.thegdprcomplianceconsultancy.co.uk

Zac Choudry www.facebook.com/ecowelle

The White House Nursing Home

Joanna Moch Copywriting

Rahim Nurmohamed

Joanna Moch www.joannamoch.com/?m=1

www.twhnh.co.uk

JT Biokinetics Ltd Julia Trollip www.jtbiokinetics.com

Mindful Community Victoria Brookbank www.mindfulcommunity.co.uk

Vorwerk UK Limited Ian Gibson https://corporate.vorwerk.com/en/ about-vorwerk/this-is-vorwerk

Walks the Talk Ltd Tara Kent

Mirror Consulting Ltd

Xplus London Limited

Julian Bloom www.mirrorconsulting.co.uk

www.xpluslondon.com

Owlett

Young Enterprise

Billy Wood www.theowlett.com

Abdul Rashidi

Erwan Toulemonde www.young-enterprise.org.uk/

Primary Business Finance

about-us/our-work/young-enterprise-

Nigel Philpott www.primarybusinessfinance.co.uk

kingston-richmond-news/

BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

by-region/london/

economy

Small businesses challenge

The Royal Borough of

Kingston Chamber of Commerce

Steve thought his new hypnosis skills might help his networking

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.

Come and join us and see for yourself 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

The Royal Borough of

Kingston Chamber of Commerce

@KingstonCOC

Kingston CoC

traditional view of growth

New research has identified that many small businesses are adopting an increasingly flexible approach to growth that goes against traditional ways of thinking because it allows for periods of contraction.

The study from Direct Line for Business identified three million Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the UK that need to expand or contract throughout the year to meet business demands.

These companies have been named ‘Balloon Businesses’ because they don’t follow a continual growth trajectory but instead recruit and release employees in response to business needs, or open pop-up or temporary locations as demand fluctuates.

Almost three quarters (74 per cent) of SME owners have set-up their business so they can scale it up or down without affecting its overall viability, according to the study.

Their approach goes against the belief in linear business growth and the research suggests that they are fast becoming the backbone of the UK economy, currently employing about 12 million people, according to the researchers.

Nearly half (49 per cent) of SMEs say the headcount of their business fluctuates throughout the year, followed by a third of micro businesses (32 per cent) and around a quarter (27 per cent) of sole traders.

When it comes to premises, a third of SMEs say the number of locations they operate from changed between the second half of 2017 and into 2018, as businesses increasingly take advantage of short term leases and pop-up locations.

SMEs also highlight a lack of consistent revenue throughout the year, with significant peaks and troughs.

Decision-makers identify June as their most profitable month, while January is traditionally the month they record their lowest revenues.

Underlining SME flexibility, more than 2.6 million (47 per cent) of these companies have started offering a new product or service outside of their primary industry, with one in nine (11 per cent) expanding their service or product offering every year.

In the first half of 2018, SME businesses in IT and computing were the most adept at diversification, with more than two fifths (44 per cent) starting to offer products outside of their primary sector.

Jazz Gakhal, Managing Director at Direct Line for Business, said: “Traditionally, business growth has been viewed as a linear process, but small companies are now incredibly agile, hiring contractors to meet

demand and taking advantage of short term leases to test the landscape and expand their footprint. By adopting flexible working practices, they can quickly scale up or down their operations without putting the company’s survival at risk.”

According to the study, UK SMEs are extremely optimistic about their growth prospects over the next year, with nearly two thirds (64 per cent) of businesses anticipating their revenue will grow by an average of 10.6 per cent over the next 12 months.

A third of SMEs (33 per cent) plan to employ new full-time staff, while 28 per cent plan to bring in part-time staff and 21 per cent plan to hire temporary staff to deal with seasonal business demand.

Professor Robert Blackburn, Director of the Small Business Research Centre at Kingston University, said: “Today’s small firms operate in challenging environments but it is their agility and their ability to respond quickly to market opportunities and threats, that enables them to survive and thrive.

“Hence, it is important that small firms are able to adjust their costs according to their requirements, rather than be burdened with a fixed outlay. Driving down the so-called fixed costs of the business is one way of achieving this.

Indeed, the ability to manage their cost base flexibly can be the difference between success and failure of a small firm as market opportunities come and go and the performance of the business fluctuates.”

Emma Jones, Founder of Enterprise Nation, said: “The reason the UK has a thriving small business community is because the entrepreneurs running these firms are incredibly resourceful and adaptable. Whether it is making use of free Wi-Fi in a coffee shop when just starting out, or taking advantage of pop-up shops to trial a retail offering, people are increasingly taking a flexible approach to running a business.

“Indeed, company owners and operators are increasingly ready to let their operations shrink if necessary in the short term to ensure their long-term success. Not every company gets it right first time. To be successful it is vital for small businesses to be malleable and realise when a business needs to change.”

BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

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chamber events Networking Lunch Friday 12th October Chakra Riverside Enjoy the delights of this new Indian restaurant on Kingston Riverside.

Women in Business Networking Lunch Friday 28th September Holiday Inn Kingston The Women in Business events offer a relaxed atmosphere to network and build relationships with other local business women.

Chessington Business EXPO Chamber Quiz Night Monday 15th October The Willow Restaurant Join us for a Charity Quiz night at the Willow, raising fund for our President’s chosen charity ASCA

Wednesday 31st October Chessington School Join us for the very first Chessington Business Expo, celebrating the success of businesses in the south of the borough.

Networking Breakfast Thursday 8th November Bentalls Store, Kingston Another exclusive opportunity to enjoy breakfast networking at Bentalls in Kingston.

Kingston Business Excellence Awards Ceremony & Dinner Thursday 11th October Raven Ait Island Find out who this year’s winners will be at this glittering finale

October Networking Breakfast

Networking Breakfast

Thursday 18th October John Lewis Kingston

Thursday 13th December Chessington Garden Centre

An exclusive breakfast at John Lewis, Kingston in the popular Place to Eat restaurant overlooking Kingston Bridge and the Thames

End of year Networking Breakfast, you might even meet the big man himself as he prepares to meet visitors in his winter wonderland experience.

New Chamber events and events run by our members are being updated on our website daily.

Please visit www.kingstonchamber.co.uk for full details and to book.

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BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

finance

DLAs

Getting a grip on cash flow is the key to SME success

It is surprisingly common that a major asset of an Adam Nakar insolvent company is an overdrawn director’s loan account (‘DLA’).

New research from American Express reveals that poor cash flow is preventing many of the UK’s small businesses from reaching their potential.

Forty six per cent of senior decision makers admitted that the challenges are distracting them from growth related activities like product development and marketing.

One in five (18%) say keeping on top of financial commitments is taking their focus off chasing down new business opportunities.

The research shows that not having a proper system in place to manage money flowing in and out of their business is leading small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to rely on short-term financial fixes.

A quarter (26%) of SMEs are using a bank overdraft to help them manage their cash flow, while 12% are looking to

business loans in order to meet financial commitments, which may not always be the most financially suitable tools at their disposal.

Challenges with fulfilling financial obligations can have an impact on supply chain relationships as well.

A third (30%) of SMEs who have missed a payment deadline have had a supplier withhold goods or services and 28% have had their relationship tested with a supplier they depend on.

Missing payments can also cause costs to add up for SMEs, with 35% having to pay a fee for doing so.

Despite money matters causing unnecessary worry for small business leaders, with these concerns keeping a quarter (25%) awake at night

and a similar (24%) number experiencing symptoms of stress, only half (54%) use an accountant or financial advisor to help them take back control of cash flow.

Carlos Carriedo, Senior Vice President, Global Commercial Services at American Express, said: “Getting on top of cash flow doesn’t need to be as challenging as many SMEs might expect and doing so will free up their time to focus on growing their business as well as alleviating personal stress.

“Breaking the cycle of late payments should remain a priority for SMEs to avoid problems being passed down the supply chain. They should definitely explore the full range of financial support and tools at their disposal to crack the cash flow conundrum”.

To help SMEs manage their cash flow efficiently, American Express has put together top tips for business owners: That way, not only will you ensure you • Review recurring costs – The first don’t miss any payment deadlines but step is to cut costs and make sure your you’ll also keep the cash in your account cash is being used efficiently by reviewing as long as possible. existing commitments, such as subscriptions or services you no longer • Ensure smooth payment process – need. Regularly review your vendors to see Using a business credit card that enables if any new competitors offer better prices, you to boost your cash flow through or whether terms on existing contracts can deferred payments terms and earn rewards be renegotiated. on business spend means you can make your money go further.

• Cash in on assets – Equipment or assets that you no longer use can be a • Don’t delay on invoicing – When source of quick cash. Review your inventory work has been completed on a project it for anything that’s no longer of use or in can be easy to switch off and turn to more need of an upgrade that can be sold and pressing tasks. The longer you take to eliminate clutter at the same time. invoice, the more time you’ll have to wait for a payment to be processed and for • Know your vendor timeframes cash to arrive in your account. Issue an inside out – Be eagle eyed when it invoice as soon as work is done every time comes to payment timeframes and deadlines for your different vendors. to cut out any unnecessary payment delays.

The Royal Borough of

Kingston Chamber of Commerce

It has also struck me recently that many directors and even accountants appear to be ignorant of how it arises and what its consequences can be.

Here then, is a summary.

What is a DLA? A DLA is a loan of funds to the director of a company, from the company’s funds. (It can also be the other way, from the director to the company).

How does it arise?

It’s a default account that any payments from the company to the director are put to, if the payments cannot be allocated to anything else, eg salary, business expenses, or the like.

What are the consequences of a DLA? A DLA is not illegal, so there are no criminal implications. There may be tax implications if a loan is outstanding at the end of the company’s corporation tax accounting period, and not repaid within 9 months.

The greatest risk is that, in the event of insolvency, the DLA is a recoverable debt, just like any other debt due to the Company. The appointed insolvency practitioner will therefore pursue the director for full repayment from their personal means.

How do I avoid a DLA and its consequences?

Always make sure anything you take is accounted for – perhaps as salary (with tax/NI declared and paid), as traceable business expenses or, if you are a shareholder and there are sufficient reserves in the company, as dividends.

And always remember: the company’s bank account is not your own, so don’t treat its funds like they’re yours!

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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focus on chessington

Chessington – where variety thrives Chessington may not always grab the headlines but it is important to the borough as an area that combines international businesses with small independents.

The area is seeing a lot of investment by businesses large and small to strengthen its vibrant economy.

Key businesses in the area include Chessington World of Adventures, which incorporates Chessington Zoo, and the European headquarters of Sega Games, one of the world’s foremost technology companies.

The Chessington World of Adventures Resort can trace its history back to 1348 when the original mansion was built.

The zoo itself was opened in 1932 to showcase a private collection and eventually Chessington World of Adventures opened as a theme park with a wide range of rides.

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Over the years, the park’s owners have added ever-more spectacular rides as well as other attractions and hotel accommodation.

Another major name making a big contribution to the Chessington economy is Sega, a multinational video game developer and publisher Sega has developed and manufactured numerous home video game consoles and today is a leading software developer known for its multi-million selling game franchises, such as Sonic the Hedgehog.

However, Chessington is not all about big names and plays host to a thriving small business community.

Among places supporting them is Chessington Business Centre, which offers flexible serviced office space, supporting entrepreneurs whether they are a start up business, a small company or a larger organisation.

Also supporting local companies of all sizes is Barwell Business Park, which is located off Leatherhead Road (A243) providing good access to the West of London via the A3 and the national motorway network via junction 9 of the M25.

The Park offers a diverse range of units from 896 sq ft (83 sq m) workshops to 26,315 sq ft (2,445 sq m) industrial, warehouse and business units.

Barwell has been able to accommodate many companies as they have grown, relocating into larger units as and when they have become available.

Also important is the Chessington Industrial Estate with its variety of companies and the area generally is witnessing a growth

BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

in the amount of office space being developed.

Another part of the business landscape is the local retail scene, which mixes well-known high street names with small independents to provide a good mix of offerings for shoppers.

When it comes to recruitment, there are plenty of opportunities for job-seekers, many of them in the hospitality and catering market as well as in office-based commercial companies.

Shane Green, director of Office Zebra Total Recruitment Solutions, which fills a wide range of largely office-based positions in Chessington, said: “There are certainly opportunities in Chessington. We probably fill fifty or sixty posts a year in the area.”

Shane also runs Smart View, which allows potential employers to see candidates answering questions on video before deciding to invite them for a face-to-face interview.

Shane said: “It saves a lot of time and money and prevents candidates travelling long distances for jobs they are never going to get.”

focus on chessington Join us for the very first Chessington Business Expo

Building on the success of the Kingston Business Expo held in the summer each year, we now want to celebrate businesses in the south of the borough and bring valuable business seminars and networking opportunities to the Borough’s Corporates, SME’s, start-ups and entrepreneurs.

As Kingston is quite a small Borough, you may wonder why we have chosen to highlight businesses in the Chessington area. There is a lot of diversity within it and the southern end of the borough can feel quite separate from the main town centre of Kingston. People often question whether Kingston is in Surrey or London and geographically the South of the Borough certainly feels more like Surrey bordering with Elmbridge, Epsom & Ewell and Mole Valley districts. Chessington is therefore perfectly placed to bring together the local business community and be a focal point for businesses from a wide surrounding area.

Headline sponsors, Kingston Council and HSBC see the benefits of delivering a business event in the area. Cllr Liz Green, leader of the council said, 'This is an exciting first Expo at Chessington which will help us engage much better with businesses in the South of the Borough and help us understand key issues' With the Borough's economy benefiting from the 8,500 businesses, facilitating 81,000 jobs, it's really important we share success across the whole of Kingston.

Chessington is already home to our major Industrial businesses such as New England Seafood and Lidl is soon to join, bringing 750 new jobs to the area. Events such as this, promote further opportunities to network, trade and collaborate with each other.

I'm looking forward to the Expo which will no doubt bring energy and vibrancy from the business community in attendance'.

The Royal Borough of

Kingston Chamber of Commerce

Converting your networking conversations into real business Keynote speaker Stefan Thomas is the author of three Amazon bestsellers, all dealing with the subject of business networking.

Stefan will be coming to the Chessington Business Expo on the 31st October to give everyone who attends the very best chance of doing business with the people they meet at the show. He has attended over 1000 business networking events including trade and business expos over the last 12 years, and knows that most people could make a significant difference to their success from these events, by making a few tiny changes to how they approach them.

We asked Stefan a few questions before the show; What will your seminar be covering?

How to introduce yourself in formal networking events (the 60 or 40 second pitch) and at open networking events like the expo.

I will reveal the one thing that most people get wrong when introducing themselves, and how to fix it.

It will also cover how to follow up and why you need two specific strategies and then how to join up your real life networking with social media - for maximum impact.

Why is it important to attend event like the expo?

Every big opportunity starts with a little conversation and what I love about shows like the Chessington Business Expo is that I will be able to have loads of little conversations, some of which I'm sure will turn into big opportunities.

It is so important to keep our networks alive, by meeting new people, as well as nurturing our existing relationships. Chessington Business Expo will give me the opportunity to do both, all in one place. I'll be meeting people I already know from the networking circuit, plus I'll get to meet a whole load of new people, who I'll be able to connect with after the show and continue the conversation.

following them, and checking out who else is talking about the expo, you'll be able to start conversations even before the expo starts. I love walking into a room where I've already met people online.

Tip - check out who else is engaging with the Expo on Twitter there's a pretty good chance they are going to be there as well.

Mark yourself as going to the event on Facebook, and share that to your friends and followers.

Again, you'll find other people are going who you can engage with way before you arrive.

Secondly, on the day, remember to bring business cards, and remember to bring something to take notes with. That way you can write yourself reminders for who you promised to follow up with, and make sure you do it.

Finally, remember that the Expo itself is the start of the conversation; it is now your job to follow up with all the people you met.

Stefan will be at the show all day, signing books and answering questions.

Stefan is the author of: • Business Networking for Dummies • Instant Networking: The simple way to build your business network and see results in just 6 months • Win the Room

CHESSINGTON BUSINESS

EXPO2018

Join us

Wednesday 31st October 2018 Chessington School, Garrison Lane, KT9 2JS

Promoting businesses in the south of the borough FREE to attend

‘Very frie well orga ndly, useful da nised, y. If it co uld expand to two r on twitte that wou days, Follow us ld gtonExpo be great’ @Chessin

Includes: • Exhibitors • Inspirational Speakers • Speed Networking www.kingstonchamber.co.uk/chessington-expo/

How can visitors get the most out of these types of events?

For me, any business or trade C the event. show starts well before Here's a few things I recommend you do, if you want to get the most out of the expo.

Firstly, social media is your friend.

The expo has it's own Twitter account, so I would be getting engaged with that, and joining in the conversation. You'll find them at @ChessingtonExpo and by

SPONSORED BY:

ORGANISED BY:

The Royal Borough of

HSBC UK

Kingston Chamber of Commerce

BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

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Bank Chambers | 64 High Street Epsom | Surrey | KT19 8AJ

01372 730000 www.bridgerbell.com

Barwell Business Park is delighted to welcome two new occupiers to the Estate in recent weeks!

Barwell Business Park and Aviva Investors are pleased to announce the imminent arrival of two new customers, ETS Cable Components and Interior Workshops onto the Park. Totalling over 16,000 sq ft with both lettings being exchanged prior to refurbishment works completing, the lettings show the continued demand for high quality industrial space both within Chessington and the wider borough.

ETS Cable Components were incorporated in 1988, when the company was based in Hilsea, Portsmouth. The original objective was to set up a business dedicated to providing excellent levels of stock and service for a defined range of power cable accessories.

Many companies supplied the cable, but there was a gap in the market for a product-focused distributor. In 1991 they opened their London branch and soon became the leading supplier to the South East Contracting and Utility markets.

Colin Lawrence-Waterhouse, Aviva Investors commented, “It is a pleasure to be welcoming ETS Cable Components and Interior Workshops. We have been working very closely with both businesses over recent months and I have no doubt that they’ll settle into the Park well.”

“We have a long history of providing a high-quality working environment for production, storage and distribution companies, and these lettings show that the Park continues to appeal to that diverse range of uses. We have several discussions underway on our other available units, so we look forward to shortly announcing more new customers joining the Park”.

ETS Cable Components have just completed a letting of Unit 43 Barwell, a fully refurbished 11,633 sq.ft HQ warehouse, which they are relocating to from the Red Lion Business Park, Tolworth.

The Royal Borough of

Kingston Chamber of Commerce

Seven years later they moved to a purpose-built premises in Tolworth, which became their head office and Main Distribution Centre.

Kevin Moloney, Managing Director said, “The relocation to Barwell Business Park will provide the ideal image and working environment for the electrical industry’s leading distributor of cable jointing, termination and installation material.” www.etscablecomponents.com

Interior Workshops will shortly be taking occupation of Unit 35, a fully refurbished 4,450 sq.ft warehouse unit with excellent loading and parking.

Interior Workshops specialise in the manufacture, project management and installation of exceptional quality curtains, soft furnishings and furniture for the interior design market. They were established in 1976, and quickly gained a reputation of excellence, quality, craftsmanship and attention to detail.

40 years on, the business and the team have grown substantially, balancing youth and experience to ensure they continue to produce curtains, soft furnishings and furniture that truly are at the top end of the market. Barwell Business Park offers the perfect working environment to take their company forward.

If you are an interior designer, looking for people who work at the top end of the market, delivering beautiful, hand finished, bespoke pieces of work, Interior Workshops can help you. sales@interiorworkshops.com

BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

11

legal

SURVIVING the retail revolution 2018 has seen a long list of big high street names reporting disappointing sales figures.

Many high profile retailers have looked to safeguard their businesses by taking steps to deal with what appears to be a permanent shift towards online shopping. struggling company some

While the likes of Marks and Spencer have announced mass store closures, others, such as House of Fraser, have resorted to the formal legal processes designed to help financially unsustainable companies recover. Although they receive less attention from the press, small independent retailers are facing similarly difficult choices.

Marks and Spencer is an example of a large retailer which has been slow to react to the trend for consumers to shop online. While some retailers have managed to offset weak performances on the high street with strong online sales, others have lagged behind in their online presence. M&S and many of its competitors are looking to increase the speed and modernity of their websites as part of plans to create more digital businesses.

With even the slow-turning behemoths of the high street now prioritising online growth, it could be only a matter of time before many retailers give up on the idea of physical stores altogether.

Those at the head of large and successful online sales companies may decide that it is not worth paying high rents, business rates and shop workers’ salaries for a service that is merely complementary to the core online business.

But among these challenges are opportunities for businesses that are willing to adapt to consumer trends.

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Some retailers are starting to adopt unconventional methods to maintain footfall and store viability.

For instance, there has been an increase in smaller retailers sharing space with one another. Others, particularly those in the technology sector, are trialling the use of augmented reality to attract a new generation of shoppers. Although we are not seeing a marked decline in store acquisitions from all of our retail clients, they are all trying things outside the scope of what would be considered traditional.

It is likely that most retailers who already have a strong national presence will decrease the size of their property portfolios in the coming years. That may or may not be the case in terms of the number of stores, but there will almost certainly be a reduction in occupied floor space. There will be a number of ramifications for those of us in the property industry. One of those is that, in order to maintain their rental income, landlords will have to show more flexibility. The days of rolling out the same old 10-20 year lease and insisting on its virtue may be coming to an end as the high street becomes more of a buyer’s market.

One growth area we are seeing is investment by both landlords and retail tenants in warehouse distribution centres. With the rise of online sales showing no sign of abating, retailers may look to differentiate themselves from their competitors by diverting funds from stores to maximise the efficiency of the delivery process.

BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

Many businesses are turning to formal insolvency processes to support their turnaround plans.

Recently there has been significant publicity about CVAs (Company Voluntary Arrangements). A CVA is a compromise between a company and its creditors. The terms of a CVA might provide for debts to be reduced, rents to be slashed or stores to be closed. So long as at least 75% of creditors are in favour of the CVA (and there is no legal challenge) it will be approved and all unsecured creditors will be bound by it.

For obvious reasons, the process is attracting criticism in the media and it is becoming more common for CVAs to be challenged. Despite the criticism, the CVA process has some merit; it is often more sensible for creditors, including landlords, to agree to a compromise rather than to let the company fail outright, leaving behind unpaid debts and vacant properties.

Administration is another turnaround process which is designed to give a

Pieter Boodt Senior Associate, Real Estate

breathing space to get its business in order, focus on its profitable trading activities and turn the business around.

Successful turnarounds are rare and often an administration leads to the sale of valuable assets to a new company, leaving the debts behind, as in the recent case of House of Fraser.

All of these processes attract criticism in the media, but the reality is that insolvency processes are necessary to avoid catastrophic failures, to preserve jobs and to ensure creditors are able to make some recovery.

Meanwhile company directors, whether of small family firms or significant corporations, need to be mindful of their duties to the company and its creditors. They should take early advice to ensure that they do not run up more debt, for which they can be personally liable.

The retail environment is changing fast, and it is necessary for all of us in the industry to be aware of how retailers, big and small, are innovating and using insolvency processes to stay afloat.

Thomas Bond Associate, Insolvency

skills INSPIRING FUTURES Employability Skills and Work Experience: creating employees of the future

By Karen Wheatley, Head of Employability at Kingston College.

For more than 2,500 16 – 19 year-old students studying at Kingston College on a wide range of subjects up to BTEC Level 3/A level, and another 1,500 studying at Level 4 and above employability skill development and work experience is a compulsory and incredibly valuable element of their study providing them with the real progression opportunities that they crave in an ever more competitive employment market.

• Recruitment opportunity – hosting work experience students allows you, the employer, to trial potential future employees or volunteers before, or instead of, a potentially expensive investment in recruitment or training.

Being a guest speaker during our Employability Weeks, or providing a visit opportunity to your organisation, promotes you and your sector and could stimulate a larger talent pool from which to select when recruiting.

The College is delighted in how it works closely with employers and voluntary organisations and is always very keen to discuss opportunities with new contacts looking for support with a specific project or to raise the profile of the business or organisation by meeting our learners or hosting them on work experience.

• Community links – students share good experiences with their friends and family, and this and the College’s acknowledgment of your support will help raise your profile as an organisation which supports the development of local young people.

The College’s Inspiring Futures Programme includes Employability Weeks which provide for students talks by our industry partners on job/career opportunities within their sector or organisation, CV checks, mock interviews and other “soft skill” development. Employability Conferences and Taster Days help learners to discover more about what they could do next and how to develop those “soft skills” to give themselves the very best possible chances for the future.

• Staff development – encouraging current staff to mentor or supervise work experience students, or offer a talk about their career path can motivate them, and contribute to their continuing professional development and perhaps be their first step into first line management.

The benefits to our generous participating employer organisations include;

• New ideas and understanding – young people often bring fresh ideas and approaches and may help revitalise your organisation.

You will also benefit from an increased knowledge of the way they learn and current qualifications, possibly helping you target recruitment more effectively and help with the effectiveness of in house training.

• An extra resource at no cost – a work experience student may be able to support the current staff or undertake a project that has been planned for some time but has been unable to progress due to lack of resources. Why not have a rolling programme of students all year who can hand over projects to each other?

As Patron members of Kingston Chamber of Commerce a representative of the College will be at most of the amazing networking events so please do say hello and ask how you might get involved.

Alternatively please contact Karen Wheatley on 02082 682915 or Karen.wheatley@stcg.ac.uk to find out more.

The benefits to the learner are numerous, and much appreciated, and include the opportunity to improve amongst many things their communication and team work skills etc.

The Royal Borough of

Kingston Chamber of Commerce

Case Studies Make a Difference Trust In December 2017 students from the Creative Industries Centre supported the Make a Difference Trust - West End Christmas Production (hosted by Christopher Biggins), at St Paul’s, The Actors’ Church, Covent Garden. This is a charity event supporting people within the industry, and their families, suffering with HIV/AIDS and cancer, along with international HIV/AIDS support.

Production Arts student Ella said “It was an awesome night, I love musical theatre and all the West End Musicals, to see the cast live and speak to some of them was amazing. Rigging all the lighting so quickly was a great experience but hard work, I learned a lot from doing that.

I can’t wait to do it again next year’. Daniel another of the students working at the event said “This is the third West End Christmas production I have worked on, the standard of performance is so high and the lighting has to match that. It is hard work setting up so much equipment in a limited time, but it is worth it for such a worthwhile case”.

Performing Arts student Jude said “The singing and dancing was amazing, I have worked on productions in the lighting department before, and it is interesting to see how it all works backstage but very hard work. My mum is very impressed at me working on such an important show with so many famous people”.

St Thomas’ Hospital Sport and Exercise Science student Hannah worked at St Thomas’ Hospital during the October half term and her work place supervisor spoke of how professional and excellent she was on her placement.

She asked numerous questions, was willing to be moved all around the hospital and look at all the different job opportunities that the NHS offers. Since this placement Hannah has applied for a BSc Physiotherapy and has secured an interview with all of her 5 university choices. Initially unsure about what to study at University this placement helped Hannah recognise what she really wanted to study.

The Men Who March Away Production Arts students enjoyed a work experience opportunity with LX Designs Limited on the world premiere of a brand new musical “The Men Who March Away” written by legendary and world-renowned singersongwriter and conductor, Mike Batt. This pilot performance at St Anne's, Limehouse, was staged in advance of the production moving to the West End and the big screen.

Four students worked as part the lighting team and another four worked as assistant stage managers. Nigel, Director of LW Designs Limited, explained that “the students who worked with me in lighting and those working in stage management and sound all chipped in and helped to solve all sorts of technical issues. They were fantastic, working long, hard hours, being utterly professional and a great source of pride to me and the college. The event was a huge success, attended by dignitaries from the world of television and theatre and has received acclaimed reviews.” Three of those students have since progressed to Rose Bruford College and are studying BA (Hons) in Theatre Lighting Design and another is just starting an apprenticeship as a production electrician at The National Theatre.

Photo courtesy of Nigel Lewis, LX Designs Limited

BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

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skills Make your Business Count GROW YOUR BUSINESS WITH A SKILLED AND QUALIFIED WORKFORCE

If you want to make your business flourish – it’s important to have a sharp, knowledgeable and efficient workforce.

HIRE SPACE FOR MEETINGS, CONFERENCES AND SEMINARS. HIRE@RHACC.AC.UK

RHACC IS A HUB FOR BUSINESS TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT. • Start a Business – Self-employed | Consultant • Accounting – AAT | ACCA • Marketing – Digital Marketing| PR Advertising • Social Media – SEO | Google Analytics • ICT – Excel | Websites | WordPress • Professional Skills – Minute Taking | Chairing | Health & Safety

Courses at times to suit you and your business needs – daytime, evening and weekends.

Visit rhacc.ac.uk for course details or contact our Business Development Adviser at RBS@rhacc.ac.uk

It’s sometimes hard to take time away from the day to day production and processes to assess your staff development needs; and then finding the right course at the right price can make the whole process too hard.

However, there’s more help and support out there than you might think. At RHACC we have a dedicated business school that can offer anything from a one day social media for business course to a full accounting qualification.

We keep our costs down so our courses are affordable for business and individuals and we can also access government funding so many courses are discounted or free.

The government has also announced some exciting new funding that will mean that individuals who earn less than the national living wage (£15,736.50 per year) either full or part time, will be eligible for many more free courses. This is particularly helpful for those who want to retrain or update their existing skills with a formal qualification.

We are also working with the business community to provide much needed workspace.

Our newly refurbished annexe building will provide co-working space as well as everyday office space, with access to our onsite café, gardens and additional rooms for meetings, workshops and seminars.

To find out more visit www.rhacc.ac.uk or email rbs@rhacc.ac.uk for more information.

FIND OUT MORE OR ENROL AT WWW.RHACC.AC.UK

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RICHMOND BUSINESS SCHOOL

“At RHACC we have a dedicated business school that can offer anything from a one day social media for business course to a full accounting qualification.”

BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

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women in business Outdated views that reveal there is still work to be done on narrowing the gender gap This year, the UK is celebrating one hundred years since women were given the vote but amongst the celebrations has been continuing disquiet that equality has not yet been achieved in the workplace.

The Government’s new gender gap reporting system has revealed that many companies still favour male staff over female when it comes to pay and promotion.

The explanations include:

Although the past one hundred years have seen women being increasingly involved in the workplace, much remains to be done. A recent Governmentbacked report said that, despite a major drop in the number of top companies with all-male boards, many are still refusing to move with the times. Underlining the point, a series of shocking excuses made by firms for not having women among their top employees was revealed – and condemned.

They came from a range of FTSE 350 Chairs and CEOs to the Government-backed HamptonAlexander Review, which has challenged all FTSE 350 companies to make sure at least a third of their board members and leaders are women by 2020.

Most women don’t want the hassle or pressure of sitting on a board.

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I don’t think women fit comfortably into the board environment.

There aren’t that many women with the right credentials and depth of experience to sit on the board - the issues covered are extremely complex.

Shareholders just aren’t interested in the make-up of the board, so why should we be?

My other board colleagues wouldn’t want to appoint a woman on our board.

All the ‘good’ women have already been snapped up.

We have one woman already on the board, so we are done it is someone else’s turn.

We need to build the pipeline from the bottom - there just aren’t enough senior women in this sector.

I can’t just appoint a woman because I want to.

The number of women on boards may have more than doubled in the FTSE 350 since 2011, and the number of all-male FTSE 350 company boards fallen from 152 to ten, but the comments still attracted fierce criticism.

Chair of the Hampton-Alexander Review, Sir Philip Hampton, said: “Around a third of FTSE 350 companies still have very few women either on their boards or in senior leadership roles.

We used to hear these excuses regularly a few years ago, thankfully much less so now.

“However, leaders expressing warm words of support but actually doing very little to appoint women into top jobs - or quietly blocking progress - are really not much better.”

Chief Executive of Business in the Community Amanda Mackenzie said: “As you read this list of excuses, you might think it’s 1918 not 2018. It reads like a script from a comedy parody but it’s true.

“Surely, we can now tackle this once and for all. Maybe those that

BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

give credence to these excuses are the ones that are not up to sitting on boards and should move over: we are in the 21st Century, after all.

“However, we have plenty of reasons to be optimistic; the combination of gender pay gap reporting and the increased focus on equality and diversity in general by responsible businesses means there are more women on boards than ever before.

“While we still have a long way to go, with the collaboration between government, employers and their employees, both men and women, we could see true equality in our lifetime.”

Government Minister Lord Duncan said: “These shocking and pathetic excuses for not appointing women to FTSE company boards highlight the necessity to keep driving home the message that women must be in senior roles.

However, with the number of women on boards doubling in the FTSE 350 since 2011, there has been solid progress.”

women in business relationships and supporting each other than pitching and selling.

“From these relationships, new business can and does develop, often making friendships along the way.

How Kingston Chamber is championing Women in business The Kingston Chamber is working with local businesses to play a key role in supporting women in business.

Chamber director Sara Whitman, of Whitman Fry Wealth Management Ltd, who is an ambassador for the Chamber’s Women in Business, said: “We started the Chamber’s Women in Business in 2016.

At the first lunch meeting we had about 25 members, which we were pleased with but now we get between 40 and 50 ladies attending. It’s hard trying to find a venue that is big enough to take us as we like to keep the venues within the Chamber membership.

“We asked attendees what they preferred in the form of a questionnaire at the first meeting and we found out that they preferred quarterly meetings on a Friday at lunchtime with a speaker now and again, which is exactly what we do. We meet once a quarter on a Friday lunchtime and try to have a speaker two out of the four meetings.

“While many women enjoy the more traditional corporate networking environment, we have found that the most popular style for our women in business group is a more relaxed networking atmosphere.

Events focused more on building

“We support and give advice to each other regardless of whether you are a start up or head of a large firm. It’s a refreshingly non judgmental environment, it doesn’t matter if people are working flexible hours or have childcare commitments to work around. It’s not noted for future reference or frowned upon as we have all been there at some time or another.

“Our meetings have gone from strength to strength which to me shows there is clearly the need for women only networking in the borough. At nearly every meeting we have a waiting list.”

• The next lunch is on 28 September and the speaker is Erica Ferrar who will be talking about Stress and Resilience and how to juggle work and homelife.

Why narrowing the gender gap is crucial to help in retirement Pay remains a concern with many companies still paying men more than women.

Recent research from the Prudential showed that women retiring in 2018 will have incomes 29 per cent lower than men nearly £5,000 annually.

Prudential has, for the past eleven years, tracked the finances of people planning to retire in the year ahead, which has revealed the persistence of the gender gap with men expecting to retire on an average annual income of £21,800 compared with women’s of £16,900.

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation’s Minimum Income Standard states the income for a single pensioner should be at least £9,9982.

However, findings show that one in six women will be retiring with an income below this standard, compared to just one in ten men.

Encouragingly, the retirement income gender gap is narrowing and is now the second lowest on record with the smallest gap recorded in 2015 at a £4,800 disparity. This is a significant improvement when compared with the widest gender gap in 2008 when the average expected retirement income for men was 84 per cent, or £9,500 higher than that expected by women.

Furthermore, both men and women are now retiring on a higher average annual income in 2018 than any other time over the past eleven years. Women retiring this year will be £2,600 a year better off than last year, while men will be £1,150 better off.

WOMEN IN PROPERTY The property industry is a good occupation for women. You can have an excellent career based on good inter-personal and organisational skills and it can accommodate career breaks.

However, the number of women, who set up on their own in the industry is low.

This has more to do with the fear of ‘going it alone’ rather than any other obstacles.

From setting up my own property consultancy 18 months ago I would say: • You need strong motivational factors to leave the comfort of a regular salary – 100% commitment is required for a new venture, you cannot waste energy constantly doubting whether you made the right decision • Research your market – this is a major step with financial implications so should not be taken lightly

Kirsty Anderson, a retirement income expert at Prudential, said: “The retirement income gender gap is still too wide, at nearly £5,000, with women struggling to match the incomes generated by men.

“However, it is really encouraging to see that the retirement income gender pay gap is shrinking over consecutive years and women are starting to close the gap on men.

It is also extremely positive news that expected retirement incomes this year are the highest on record.

“As working patterns continue to change and become more flexible and shared parental leave is more widely encouraged by the government agenda and employers, the future looks positive for narrowing the retirement gender gap.”

• Network with like-minded people – it is unlikely that your work colleagues will be the ones to encourage you to leave. People who have embarked on a similar path will be only too willing to share their experiences. The Kingston Chamber of Commerce should take some of the credit for where I am today as every time I attended a networking event I was even more determined to make the transition • Be able to communicate what you are offering – it does not have to be unique, but you certainly need to know what differentiates you from the competition Setting up my own consultancy to help letting agents navigate today’s new landscape has shown me there is nothing to fear, only business to be done!

Karen Williamson karen@aehta.co.uk 07703498859

“The Women in Business Group is a positive and exciting initiative. It gives a number of women the ability to be able to engage in a more targeted networking approach that differs from the main chambers group.

The group offers a welcoming forum which women can often share and understand not only their respective business issues but the difficulties and strains of family life.

Many of the events are inspiring to women and the group can only go from strength to strength.”

Rachel Stewart Partner, Russell Cooke Solicitors The Royal Borough of

Kingston Chamber of Commerce

BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

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women in business Women in Entrepreneurship Week October 15th – 19th 2018 Festival of Women Entrepreneurs Kingston Business School’s Strategy, Marketing and Innovation department is running an event in October for the Women Entrepreneurship Week (WEW).

Run in conjunction with Montclair State University, WEW is a global movement to celebrate and inspire female business founders: Badged as a Festival of Women Entrepreneurs, the event will comprise of many activities, including woman entrepreneurs taking part in panel discussions, a workshop hosted by the London Mayor’s entrepreneurship team, keynote speaking, a round table, networking opportunities with existing entrepreneurs, mentoring budding entrepreneurs, a business breakfast, a hackathon and an evening reception.

The entrepreneurs taking part are from many business types, size

and maturity. Some have been established for less than two years and will help students understand the early stages of business development. Start-ups taking part include firms such as Bizgive and Farmfit.

Other participating companies are more established and will be able to pass on valuable insights in to business growth and sustainability. These include firms such as the recruitment site www.therecruitment-site.com and Customer Essential.

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given the best opportunity to acquire key skills required to help frame the way they are going to live and work.

The British Council agrees that it is important that we equip future generations with the skills and mindsets they need to navigate a world of work we can’t yet envisage.

• The Government’s latest Higher Education Business and Community Interaction Survey (2016/17) reported that Kingston was the top university in the UK for the number of graduates starting up their own businesses – helping 283 entrepreneurial graduates get their companies off the ground last year. For the past nine years it has been one of the top two institutions for graduate start-ups (Higher Education Business and Community Interaction Survey 2008/9 to 2016/17).

Kingston offers Entrepreneurship education in undergraduate and postgraduate programs.

She said: “Very few people dream of becoming an Insolvency Practitioner; I in fact, only came across the role when I started working at an accountancy firm at the age of 19 that undertook insolvency work, too.

Insolvency Practitioner and Chamber member Lauren Cullen is an example of a woman who has succeeded in business despite occasional prejudice.

The contributing business entrepreneurs comprise a mix of Kingston University alumni, a Kingston entrepreneurial network and companies interested in working with Kingston University students.

Running the festival of women entrepreneurs is a great way to focus on the practicalities of business learning and its application to entrepreneurship and enterprise (intrapreneurship).

Kingston University works very hard to ensure that students are

“I was given the opportunity to work in both fields and I was drawn to insolvency as I loved the fact that every case was unique, and I could make a difference to people’s lives.

“I worked there for 16 years, climbing the ladder from the bottom to the top, qualifying first as a Chartered Accountant and then as a Licensed Insolvency Practitioner.

The firm was run by three male

directors but I never saw being a woman held me back, they were extremely supportive.

“I have seen a change since qualifying as an Insolvency Practitioner 12 years ago. I remember vividly attending my first insolvency conference and the room was full of men. They have certainly dominated the profession.

Although I am now seeing more women working in the industry, there are few that take a licence and even fewer that set up their own insolvency practice as I have done.

“There have been times when people underestimate me.

BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

I remember a male insolvency practitioner at a meeting handed his business cards to my male colleagues but bypassed me thinking I was only there for taking minutes.

Funnily enough, when I see him now he still looks sheepish!

“I have found being a woman in my profession a good thing and is one of my USPs; rightly or wrongly clients sometimes feel that a woman is more sympathetic and supportive to their financial concerns. Once they have spoken with me, they also discover I am approachable, professional and knowledgeable in my field.”

Can you walk the talk around mental health at work?

September seems to bring that ‘back to school’ feeling: new stationery, feeling a year more grown up and experienced. No? Ok, just me then. suddenly I wasn’t coping anymore.

My organisation was one of the good ones. Frequent absences due to increasingly violent migraines were tolerated without comment.

Maybe that was silent support or maybe it was part of the problem.

Not once did I feel able to openly talk about how I felt. I carried on as best I could until I reached breaking point. Which was painful.

And took me out of the workplace for many months. And could have been avoided.

As a mid (ok, late) 40 something, I’m amazed how enduring this feeling is.

The freedom and fun associated with the summer holidays disappears in a puff of smoke with the last barbeque. The endless blue skies, sunshine and balmy evenings (and wow, weren’t they amazing this year?) that allowed us to live as if permanently on holiday – gone.

And with them the opportunity to avoid the reality of everyday life for a while. Sigh.

Everyday pressures that seem to increase exponentially come back with a bang. Deal or no deal?

(Brexit obviously not a plug for the similarly-enduring Noel Edmonds).

Bank of England chief warns that ‘UK needs a skills revolution to avoid "large swathes" of people becoming "technologically unemployed" by artificial intelligence’. Countless organisations undertake restructures to improve efficiencies, asking employees to do more with less.

The nights draw in. Rain makes an appearance, which is great for gardens but often puts a literal and figurative dampner on everything (and let’s not mention the spiders).

I could go on, but I’m bringing my own mood down so I’ll stop!

employees are likely to be impacted by depression, anxiety or stress-related issues at work.

The associated cost at roughly £1,300 per employee per annum is staggering. Take a moment to mentally calculate what that costs your business…

The good news is that taking simple steps to support employee’s mental health at work is likely to save at least 30% of these costs. Yet many aren’t taking such steps. I don’t know about you but that seems like an own goal to me.

Having worked for a large professional services firm for over 24 years, I experienced first-hand how challenging it is to bear the weight of continual pressure to meet client and project demands.

For over 15 of those years, my role coaching senior leadership teams meant I was better placed than many to understand and influence the source of these pressures and, for the most part, I coped.

One day, however, the stress I was experiencing outside of work became overwhelming and

My point? Life is increasingly complex and ever-changing.

Much as we’d love to exist in a sunny bubble, we have to manage these pressures as they come, responding and adapting as things change so that we can not only survive but thrive. We spend around a third of our lives at work and many of the pressures we face are generated there.

I hope this article has at the very least given you food for thought. Ideally, it’s convinced you to take proactive steps to better support your employees manage stress and sustain their mental wellbeing.

Add the personal, family and financial pressures of life and it’s no surprise that many of us feel stressed. And stress, unmanaged, is often followed by a raft of mental health issues. Indeed, 1 in 6

Contact details:

Roll forward 2 years (and a whole recovery journey I won’t bore you with), I am now running my own business and ‘Workplace resilience and wellbeing’ makes up a significant part of my offering.

As a qualified Mental Health First Aid Instructor I can see all the ways in which I could have been better supported, if only people had known how. And as an experienced Organisation Development consultant and Team Effectiveness & Leadership coach, I can see how organisations can work to shift their culture to ensure all employees feel able to talk about Mental Health and be met with support not stigma.

I provide a range of services including short interactive ‘stress awareness’ sessions, the full range of Adult Mental Health First Aid skills training accreditations and bespoke ‘Be on Alert to Mental Health at Work’ workshops for leaders and/or teams.

• Email: tara@walksthetalk.co.uk • www.walksthetalk.co.uk

• Phone: 07917 408690 • Linked-In: www.linkedin.com/in/tara-kent

Fellow Chamber members qualify for a discount for all bookings made in 2018 – quote KCCAutumn *Statistics relate to 2017 and are taken from mhfaengland.org

The Royal Borough of

Kingston Chamber of Commerce

BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

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With over 30 years of experience in lettings, if you think your future profitability is worth a conversation please call and arrange a ‘no obligation’ meeting.

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Taste the splendour from the Georgia Vineyards to your table Georgia is one of the most ancient countries in the world with an uninterrupted tradition of viticulture and winemaking. In fact, cultivated grape pips have been discovered that indicate Georgia has been making wine for some 8000 years, leading experts to believe that Georgia is the birthplace of wine.

There are 525 indigenous grape varieties to be found in Georgia, although nowadays, about 25 varieties are used.

Georgian viticulture has passed through millennia and has preserved its unique and ancient winemaking methods to this day using a Qvevri, a clay vessel used in the fermentation of the wine. The features of this phenomenal vessel has a unique and positive impact on the wine produced and is listed as part of a UNESCO Intangible Heritage.

Georgian wine is now available through 8000 Vintages Limited

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www.8000vintages.co.uk 20

BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

NEW PATRON MEMBER

L to R, Jennifer Edwards, Stakeholder Engagement Manager, Jerry Irving Kingston Chamber Centre, Martha Mador, Head of Enterprise Education

Kingston University have joined our prestigious Patron membership scheme. The news was announced at the Kingston EXPO networking breakfast in July by Jennifer Edwards, Acting Director of Public Affairs at Kingston University.

PATRON MEMBERS EVENT Mayor Cllr Thay Thayalan hosted an event exclusively for Patron members at Guildhall in September. Patrons were invited to a private breakfast to discuss the growth and economic development strategy for the

Borough over breakfast in the community room. Patron Members, including Kingston College, Kingston University and Forbes Design joined key RBK stakeholders including Deputy Leader Malcolm Self and Kirsten Henly of Kingston First. Patrons were treated to a private tour of the Mayor’s parlour afterwards.

Colin LawrenceWaterhouse, Aviva Investors, Mayor Cllr Thay Thayalan, Forbes Low

MCDONALDS NEWS

FORBES DESIGN NEWS

McDonalds restaurants have won a regional environmental competition, beating over 100 other entries, putting them in the final 4 in the UK wide competition organised by McDonald UK head office.

McDonalds franchise owner and Patron Mike Smith joined more than 40 of his staff from local restaurants to roll up their sleeves for some litter picking at different sites around Kingston as part of their “Love where you live” campaign recently.

MD Forbes Low says: "It has been a busy and enjoyable few months. We have worked with the Royal Academy of Engineering on their Annual Awards branding, produced the annual review for Caritas Anchor House, a homeless charity in Newham, created a new logo and branding for a major Global Grand Challenges Summit event in 2019, and currently working on a branding project for a new Chamber member. Variety is the spice of life!"

The campaign to clean up the local area was supported by Mayor Cllr Thay Thayalan and Chamber CEO Jerry Irving who joined Mike and his team on the Kingston Riverside. Nearly 50 bags of litter were collected as part of McDonalds ongoing commitment to the local environment.

The Royal Borough of

Kingston Chamber of Commerce

COLLEGE NEWS Kingston College has had an amazing year, going from strength to strength and recent results show some of the highest achievement rates for 16-18 year olds in London.

80% of learners at Kingston College study vocational qualifications and 72% of them achieved a Triple Distinction*, equivalent to 3 A*s at A Levels, with nearly 1200 students progressing to university each year.

Mike Tweedale, Principal of Kingston College says: “We are extremely proud of our staff who have worked relentlessly to ensure our students achieve their best results but also become the best versions of themselves in the process. With added challenges of compulsory GCSE English and Maths retakes, our students not only achieve above national average in these subjects but also get great results in their main qualification.”

BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

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ask the expert Could Nutritional Therapy be Right for You? 2500 years ago, Hippocrates said it best: “All disease begins in the gut.”

Turns out, he may have been on to something. Indeed, it’s estimated that around 40% of people have at least one digestive issue at any one time*. There’s also a growing body of evidence that suggests that the food we eat contributes to our emotional health as well as our physical wellbeing.

How it works

Carmen Martinez-Vidal Nutritional Therapist and Member of the British Association for Applied Nutrition and Nutritional Therapy (BANT) and the Complementary and Natural Health Care Council (CNHC) At Irrefutable Health, we’re proud to offer Nutritional Therapy to support a holistic, personalised and natural approach to health optimisation for our clients.

Nutritional Therapy is a sciencebased approach that supports the whole person rather than separate parts of the body. It aims to identify and address the underlying causes of health issues and disease, as opposed to just treating the symptoms. This is not a “one-sizefits-all” approach - your medical history, lifestyle factors such as sleep and stress, as well as your dietary intake and patterns are all taken into consideration to provide you with personalised recommendations to improve your health.

Nutritional Therapy is safe for all ages, from children to adults, and can be beneficial for a wide range of health conditions and chronic illnesses. It’s also ideal for people who want to maintain and optimise their health.

As Nutritional Therapy is complementary to conventional medical care, practitioners will often work alongside your GP or other health professionals involved in your care.

Benefits of Nutritional Therapy It’s not just digestive issues such as IBS that Nutritional Therapy can be beneficial for; practitioners work with clients with a range of health concerns including autoimmune disease, thyroid and other hormone imbalances such as PMS and menopause, ME/CFS, fibromyalgia and eating disorders. They can also advise on testing (including genetic testing) for suspected food sensitivities, undiagnosed infections and other issues that may be contributing to your symptoms.

After following personalised recommendations, clients have reported: ● Improved digestion ● Better sleep ● Weight loss ● Improved mental and emotional health ● Reduced stress ● Better skin ● Boosted immune system ● Improved joint pain ● Increased energy levels Many of the clients we see at Irrefutable Health come to us because they know they aren’t as healthy as they could be, even though they may have been told there’s nothing wrong with them, or that medication is the only answer. If this sounds familiar, we’d love to speak with you to help you understand how you can regain your health and vitality with Nutritional Therapy.

More info about Nutritional Therapy - www.bant.org.uk *Source https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/common-digestive-problems-and-how-to-treat-them/ The Royal Borough of

Kingston Chamber of Commerce

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inspirational leader “2018 will bring substantial physical, environmental change and improvements; our emphasis however, has been centred on our team, providing training and development, equipping team members to excel across the diverse roles required to effectively manage a retail destination such as The Bentall Centre.”

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BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

inspirational leader Navigating through a new era of retailing Having worked in the retail industry for more than 20 years, Sam Eastwood joined the Bentall Centre team in 2015 as Centre Director.

With a track record for delivering strategic initiatives and leading major developments, which have centered on strategies to enhance the guest experience and develop the centre’s appeal, Sam took on the role of preparing the centre for its 25th anniversary redevelopment.

Sam said: “The retail marketplace has clearly changed immensely over the last 25 years, with changes in consumer shopping habits and, of course, technology having a major part to play. The Bentall Centre was built before online retail, in fact, we were only just about able to send texts back then, someway off the many digital and social media channels our customers engage with today!”

With this in mind, Sam’s arrival at the centre saw the implementation of extensive research into customer habits and demands.

Sam said: “Our customer insight is invaluable, it plays a central role in informing our business strategy. Kingston remains strong as a retail destination, with performance more akin to some major cities.

That said, we see significant opportunities to amplify this performance and diversify our offering incorporating more catering and leisure.

“Our true strength as a shopping destination today has been our ability to evolve with ever changing consumer habits and expectations, embracing the The Royal Borough of

Kingston Chamber of Commerce

transition from straigntforward customer service to engaging and delighting our customers.”

The research showed the increased demand for food service, an enhanced leisure offering within centres and a desire for increased services.

The redevelopment project, informed by the research conducted, will focus heavily on enhancing the customer experience and will include the introduction of new stores and restaurants, a £2.5m refurbishment of the Car Parks and a significant service training programme and the launch of a concierge desk.

Earlier this year The Bentall Centre announced that The Curzon Cinemas will open next Autumn, adding to the rapidly increasing leisure and dining offer at the Centre.

The four-screen boutique cinema will seat over 200 filmgoers, with a rooftop terrace bar, restaurant and views across the town and beyond.

The new cinema, for which construction is due to commence this Autumn, is expected to open in Autumn 2019. In addition, over the past 18 months the centre has welcomed a number of new food and beverage outlets and has seen a number of big brands open stores in the town including West Elm, Mango, Hugo Boss and the extension of Zara.

Sam Eastwood also points out another key contributing factor to the centre’s success; identifying “The central role we have played within the local community and how we remain committed to engaging and collaborating with

the 13m visitors we welcome to the centre each year.”

As an active member of the community and Chairmain of Kinston First, Sam Eastwood said “It’s an important time for Kingston, with significant upcoming investment and development there is a real opportunity for the town to articulate and orchestrate its vision. Kingston First’s role is as vital as ever in continuing to ensure we have the representation, ideas and projects to help continue to keep Kingston a strong and vibrant town centre.

“This is an exciting time for The Bentall Centre, this £20m development demonstrates our confidence in Kingston and the opportunity to support the future growth of the town. We are delighted to welcome Curzon Cinemas to the Centre, as they will bring an unrivalled cinema experience for our customers and add a new dimension to our combined offering which already consists of a strong retail and food and beverage mix.”

Sam also credits his team in delivering such initiatives and developing the Centre, and has grown the operations team with the addition of roles such

as Digital Marketing and Environmental Managers in recent years.

Reflecting on his days on the shop floor to his extensive roles in centre management, he said: “Much of the action happens back stage and it’s vital we have a strong team in place all working to the same objecitves.

We are one of the largest employment destinations in Kingston so it’s crucial that we stay one step ahead and focus on delighting our customers and aligning our retail mix to our customers’ needs.

“2018 will bring substantial physical, environmental change and improvements; our emphasis however, has been centred on our team, providing training and development, equipping team members to excel across the diverse roles required to effectively manage a retail destination such as The Bentall Centre.

“As an ex-retailer, I also have a real obsession about customer service and we are introducing major scale improvements to all our customer touch points and equipping our teams with comprehensive training so we can meet the next generation’s customer needs.”

“The central role we have played within the local community and how we remain committed to engaging and collaborating with the 13m visitors we welcome to the centre each year.”

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hr dept Does your business need a People Strategy?

It can sound very grand and corporate but the start of the academic year might be the perfect time to consider whether your business needs a People Strategy.

Consider the following questions:

• Can you attract and hire the talent you need for your business?

• Are your pay and benefits attractive and competitive?

• Do you have a training plan in place to develop the skills that your business needs?

• Do your team know exactly what you expect of them?

• Do you actively communicate the business challenges and successes?

• Are your team productive and highly motivated?

• Are your managers confident and capable of managing employees?

• Do you know how to retain your key players?

If the answer to any of these questions is ‘no’, then you need to spend time on developing a People Strategy for your business.

I went to see a Client recently and we were talking about their team. Employees were sometimes turning up late, taking too many breaks, not really focusing on the most important areas, were lacking pace and motivation and were generally not engaged with the business. Did they need a People Strategy – definitely!!

said that I thought that it was about 35% of their potential productivity. After 10 months of implementing the people strategy we now agree that they are about 85-90% productive. This was achieved through a change in recruitment practices, a new approach to managing performance, line management training, skills training and a new bonus plan. The investment was minimal and the workplace and results have been transformed.

I asked him how productive he thought his team was.

He suggested that they were working at about 70% capacity. I challenged that and

A People Strategy should consider all of the people levers available to you so that you can create a plan to engage with potential

We work with many local businesses to design, deliver and assess their People Strategy to create a productive workplace environment for a more profitable business.

Working on your People Strategy could be the best ROI for your business this year.

Call Sandra Porter, Managing Director at The HR Dept on 07387 101637 for a chat about your business and your people challenges.

We are offering 10% off any potential investment if you quote BBMAG.

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BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

candidates, current employees and managers to want to engage with the business goals. Any business owner that just thinks that the ‘people don’t get it’ or that ‘shouting louder’ or ‘exerting more pressure’ will help, will continue to be disappointed.

The key levers that can be pulled make a significant difference to the discretionary effort that employees are willing to put in to their role at work. These do not need to be overly complicated or even require any investment.

Just spending time on some of the basics can make a huge difference.

health and wellbeing Coping with an older workforce One of the advantages of increasing health in the community is the fact that many people work until they are at, or beyond, retirement age.

A new survey shows that employers value the differing skillsets and knowledge that a multigenerational workforce can bring, but many worry that with this comes the increased potential for conflict in the workplace, a new survey has found.

The YouGov survey of middle market businesses commissioned by leading audit, tax and consulting firm RSM found that seven in ten (72%) of firms in the Midlands and East Anglia said that an age diverse workforce helped

the company to have a more comprehensive skillset and knowledge base. Almost eight in ten (77%) felt that a multi-generational workforce brought contrasting views to their organisation.

However, four in ten companies (38%) said that a multi-generational workforce also increased the risk of conflict in the workplace.

The survey also found that managers tend to find managing their own generations easier than managing others.

The results are likely to be replicated in other parts of the UK and Emily Robinson, a senior consultant from RSM HR, said: “Having five

Practical steps include: Work out your age profile Carry out a workforce audit to get a clear picture of the age profile of employees to ensure that those at the top can understand why the company’s approach to people management may need to change.

Create an inclusive culture Those at the top of the organisation need to lead by example to create an inclusive and dynamic culture.

The Royal Borough of

Kingston Chamber of Commerce

generations under one roof doesn’t have to create friction or management headaches.

“As our survey found, many organisations value the diversity of opinions, experience and knowledge that a multi-generational workforce can bring. But taking advantage of those benefits will depend on the ability of organisations to create a culture where everyone feels heard, valued and understood.”

RSM has published a new report called New Forces at Work which advises employers to consider new approaches to people management and incentivisation.

Go beyond stereotypes Don’t rely on stereotypes about baby boomers and millennials to inform your strategy. The only way you'll find out what your workforce wants is to ask them.

Find similarities, celebrate differences Stagnant wage growth and rising living costs have toppled the long-held belief that each generation should have a better life than the one that came before.

Organisations need to run regular employee engagement surveys to understand what people think about your organisation and what will motivate them to do a good job.

As a result, cross generational tensions have begun to rise.

Consider ways to strengthen intergenerational relationships, for example, by setting up reverse mentoring to

allow younger generations to share their ideas and perspectives with older employees.

Watch out for age discrimination – With an ageing workforce, the potential for age discrimination claims can increase.

To protect your organisation, you must make sure your policies, procedures and practices don't help one generation while alienating others.

The connection between personal self-confidence and the bottom line

By Sue Plumtree When it comes to promoting health in the workplace, the common and not unreasonable assumption is that healthy employees are happier and more productive.

Poor health is, obviously, linked to high levels of sickness absence which accounts for several million working days lost a year in Great Britain as a whole.

But here’s the thing: Although poor health and sickness absence as well as the consequences are all measurable there is a condition that is far more damaging because the harm cannot be so easily evaluated.

It is a condition which affects not only the individual but also the organisation as a whole: Low personal self-confidence The problem is that low personal self-confidence is not easy to connect with poor organisational performance.

This means that, left unaddressed, low personal self-confidence can cause real damage to the organisation.

Let’s turn it around. How do confident employees benefit the organisation?

Confident employees are • more effective communicators, • more willing to step out of their comfort zone, • more open to receiving feedback, • more willing to speak out when a member of their team has made a mistake, • more willing to accept change, • more willing to ask when they don’t know something and • more willing to ask for help.

All this makes a significant difference not only to the bottom line but also to the general wellbeing of the organisation as a whole.

If you want to know more about how you can foster your employees’ self-confidence, get in touch with me via my website www.sueplumtree.com

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festive

Why Christmas can prove a boost for your team These are turbulent times for business with so much global uncertainty.

Brexit, trade wars, armed conflict, they all impact on business and sometimes you could be forgiven for despairing.

But one thing is certain. It will soon be Christmas and, even though Summer may only just have come to an end, it is not too early to think about the festive season.

In fact, now is the time to select the venue for your party before it gets booked up.

But why have a party anyway?

Surely, in turbulent times it’s an unnecessary expense? Something to set aside this year?

Well, no, exactly the opposite, in fact. A good Christmas Party can do wonders for staff morale and getting the festivities right is not difficult in an area like Kingston which is blessed with excellent restaurants such as The French Table and No. 97 in Surbiton or the variety along Kingston Riverside.

The Royal Borough of

Kingston Chamber of Commerce

Hotels like The DoubleTree by Hilton and The Holiday Inn also offer fun themed party nights.

Selecting the best venue is crucial but how do you get it right? Well, much of it is down to first impressions when you visit the venue - do you like the décor, does it look like it can generate a good atmosphere, are the staff friendly?

Also ask yourself is the ambience right for your people? Some staff members might not appreciate a busy pub, whilst others might not want a restaurant.

Choosing the right menu is important as well. People like choice so even though most guests will go for the traditional Christmas meal, it’s a good idea to make sure your selected venue can cater for vegetarians and special diets.

Remember, there is also the option of treating staff and clients to a festive lunch, for something special why not take a look at the beautiful Warren House.

If you want to try something a little different this year why not join the Moulin Masquerade Ball at Chessington World of Adventures or make a splash on Ravens Ait Island!

If you do decide to experiment, it makes sense to bring in specialist companies to help you plan and work with the venue to get the décor right. Everything from Thirties America to space-age celebrations is possible but to pull it off successfully you may need expert help.

Also, remember that people like to be appreciated. Maybe your staff

and suppliers have gone over and beyond what was expected of them to help the business. Maybe they have played a key role in helping you survive and thrive this year.

A good boss knows that it makes sense to acknowledge their contribution at the Christmas party. Maybe a tribute in a short speech would go down well or a thank you note on place settings would be a good idea.

But be warned. Yes, times have been tough for some, yes, budgets have been tight,but a cheap party still looks cheap and reflects poorly on the business so if you are a boss who is determined to hold an event, loosen the pursestrings a little - your staff will appreciate the gesture.

BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

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We specialise in Residential Sales & Lettings, Land and New Homes

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Email: info@latimerandco.co.uk Web: www.latimerandco.com

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BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

the person behind the business Dramatic changes that are re-shaping the property market History, so they say, goes in circles and that is certainly true of the property market, which is rolling the clock back decades to a time when most people rented their homes.

The difference all those years ago was that the rents were very low and you had a home for life.

This was known as a ‘sitting tenant’ or a controlled tenancy.

That means that in the view of the seasoned professionals like Carla Lester, property remains a good investment but not to sell on and make money, rather to rent out as a long-term investment to provide a steady income that is healthier than pensions and savings.

Whatever is happening with the sales market there will always be tenants needing a home, she says.

Carla, who purchased Latimer in 2006, has forty years of experience in estate agency and remembers a very different world in areas like Kingston when she started out.

She said: When I started as a secretary in the mid-Seventies, buying your own home was the done thing. As soon as you had a job you saved up to buy a property.

After three years of saving at 21 I was able to buy my own flat.

“However, things have changed dramatically. Nowadays, first time buyers are aged between 35 and 40 years of age, some already with a family and only able to purchase a flat rather than a house.

“The reason that the significant majority of people now opt to rent is because property prices are so high, The Royal Borough of

Kingston Chamber of Commerce

you need a hefty deposit and the cost of Stamp Duty is so high, plus all the extra costs to move make the whole process out of reach for the average first time buyer.

“The property market tends to go in cycles. In 1990 we had a serious financial crash which affected the property market in a big way and many first time buyers could not afford their mortgage and ended up giving their property back to the mortgage lender.

“For ten years the property market was at an all time low.

However, in 1999 mortgages were cheap and the property market was on a high. There were properties selling way above their genuine market value and there was a lot of gazumping. In that year property prices increased by 30%, which was amazing.

“Today the big change is that more young people are opting to rent, not out of choice but because that is the only way they can leave home. There are some mortgage schemes which are helping first time buyers and co-ownership schemes as well but still they do not help everyone to get on the property ladder.

“In the past we have seen many new landlords being created from older people cashing in their pensions and savings and buying properties to let out as a long term

Carla Lester investment because the monthly income is far greater than their savings could ever be.

“At the moment, the landlords are holding back from purchasing more investment properties because of the extra 3% that the Government have added to Stamp Duty. It has become clear to the Government that this was not a good move as the selling market has completely slowed down.

It will be interesting to see what they will decide to do next to bring life back into the market.”

Overall, even with the lack of new investors Latimer has found itself focusing more and more on the lettings market as most of their landlords have been landlords for many years and have built up healthy portfolios.

The company lets both furnished and unfurnished properties and offers a full management service for landlords should they require it.

They also take on many refurbishment projects on behalf of the landlords so as to keep their properties in good modern condition enabling the maximum yield. The better the condition the easier it is to let and you also have a tenant that will look after the property.

Carla said: “Although the property market has a tendency to move in circles, I think the rental market is here to stay. We are seeing the years rolled back by maybe fifty or a hundred years to a time when most people rented their homes and that is not going to change in the near future.

“The perfect world would be two rates of interest. A low interest rate for first time buyers to get on the housing ladder and a higher rate of interest for those who are retired so that their savings are able to provide them with a quality life.

It is never going to happen but it is a nice idea!”

“Today the big change is that more young people are opting to rent, not out of choice but because that is the only way they can leave home. There are some mortgage schemes which are helping first time buyers and co-ownership schemes as well but still they do not help everyone to get on the property ladder.

BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

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top tips Do you need Pain Relief for your growing business?

Auxilium Admin’s Top Tips Your Bespoke Business Support Partner based in Kingston.

Alex Hughes – Founder of Auxilium Admin According to Accounting experts Sage, UK SMEs lose 120 days a year on administration, so it’s time to get outsourcing.

If your business is going through a period of growth, it can feel like you’re drowning in administration. All you want to do is focus on sales or new business, but onboarding your clients, carrying out HRM, Health & Safety, CRM, sales & research tasks and general processes are taking up your time.

1. Set-up a meeting.

As you wouldn’t make a permanent staff hire without an interview, it’s really important to meet your business support partner and see them as an extension of your in-house team.

You need someone who ‘gets’ your business and that you’re happy to work with. You’re giving them access to potentially private or sensitive company information, so it’s crucial you feel safe and comfortable.

2. Identify the cause, not the symptoms.

This is where a bespoke business support partner can prove invaluable. They are specialists who can help streamline and identify administrative ‘pain points’ and make the running of your business effective again. But how do they help transform your administrative processes, and how do you go about finding the right help for your business?

It’s so often the case that businesses approach someone with what they think is their key problem, however, this is usually the symptom and not the cause or core issue. A good business support partner will audit, assess and understand your administration challenges. This is one of the ways that they can really add value, not to mention save you time and money.

Alex Hughes of ‘Auxilium Admin’ gives her top tips on getting the best from a bespoke business support partner.

With an audit in place and the cause of the problem identified, it’s time to get down to some serious planning. This is where recommendations can be

3. Formulate a plan.

made to simplify processes or identify whether your business needs more specialist help, such as Human Resources, Health & Safety, CRM or Finance. Business support partners are also specialists but always have a good network of consultants and will be able to advise on the best people to support your business knowing how you like to work.

what you know and love best, growing your company.

Sometimes the business of administration can make you feel like you’ve lost sight of why you started out in the first place, but bespoke business support is designed to help you get your passion back and put a spring in your step!

4. Communication Clarity and communication are key, which is why it’s so important to meet before you hire your administration partner. Regular updates or calls are crucial to ensure all parties are happy and comfortable with progress, not only that, but whether it’s a project or ongoing contract all parties need to agree terms and really nail down the scope of the work.

5. Get Growing Whilst the bespoke business support partner solves your administration problems, you can get on with doing

Happy 1st Birthday To celebrate our first birthday, we’re offering new customers 10% off our hourly rate during September and October.

Simply contact us with the quote: AASep/Oct18

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Seamless integration with you and your business, saving you time and money.

Don’t Delay contact Auxilium Admin today!

T: 07966 456734 www.auxiliumadmin.co.uk 32

BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

a day in the life of ...

A day in the life of…

a young carer

Kingston Carers’ Network is a charity that provides a range of services to over 4,000 carers in Kingston.

A carer is anyone who cares, unpaid, for a friend or family member who due to illness, disability, a mental health problem or an addiction cannot cope without their support.

Young Carers are children aged between 5 and 18 who provide care to a parent, sibling, other relative or friend. Occasionally, we find even younger children taking on some kind of caring role. At Kingston Carers’ Network we are supporting around 700 young carers.

Facts about Young Carers How many young carers are there in Kingston?

• Based on figures published by the BBC, there are up to 2,000 young carers in the borough.

• Approximately one in 12 secondary aged pupils will be caring.

• There are likely to be young carers in every school and college.

What might a young carer do?

• Practical tasks, such as cooking, housework and shopping.

• Physical care, such as helping someone out of bed.

• Emotional support, such as talking to someone who is distressed.

• Personal care, such as helping someone dress.

• Managing the family budget and collecting prescriptions.

• Helping to give medicine.

• Helping someone communicate.

• Looking after brothers and sisters.

Being a young carer can have a big impact on the things that are important to growing up • It can affect a young person’s health, social life and selfconfidence.

• Many young carers struggle to juggle their education and caring which can cause pressure and stress.

• In a survey, 39% said that nobody in their school was aware of their caring role.

• 26% have been bullied at school because of their caring role.

• 1 in 20 miss school because of their caring role.

But young people can learn lots of useful skills by being a young carer.

A typical day in the life of …

A young carer 6am Wake up and get ready for school 7am Get my two brothers washed, dressed and fed 8am Walk dogs, get mums things together, make boys packed lunches 9am Should be at school, late as boys won’t get in car 12:00pm Don’t have lunch so have time to do homework 3:30pm Go to Tesco on the way home from school 5:00pm Bath the boys and cook dinner 7:00pm Read to the boys and put them to bed 8:00pm Go to sleep

The Royal Borough of

Kingston Chamber of Commerce

A child 6am 7am 7:30am

of the same age who is not a carer Still asleep Still asleep Get woken by mum. Go downstairs for breakfast made by mum 8.15am Leave for school with lunch made by mum 8:45am Start school 10:30am Break. Eat some food and hang out with friends 12:45pm Have lunch, eat the rest of my food and hang out with friends 3:30pm End of school, walk home slowly whilst chatting with friends 5:30pm Have dinner made by mum, friends go home 6:00pm Play on Xbox and do my homework until bed

How we support young carers in Kingston Very often young carers do not have anyone to share their worries and frustrations with. We can help them to find the right support and we offer fun, friends and advice at no cost to the family.

• Regular drop-ins - weekly drop in for young carers providing peer support, advice and opportunities to learn new skills.

• One to one support - provides a safe and confidential space to speak freely and seek help and advice.

• Outings and activities - time to have fun, learn new skills and gain some new friends along the way.

• Focus Groups - this is an opportunity to share their views about their services and be listened to.

• Mentoring Project - an opportunity to meet up with a mentor who can provide support and a listening ear.

• Targeted Support - support for the young carer and their whole family where there is a risk of the young carer having too much of a caring role in the home.

If you would like to support our work please go to www.localgiving.org/charity/ kingstoncarers

www.kingstoncarers.org.uk or @KingstonCarers

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starting up Making a positve change Julia Trollip JT Biokinetics – orthopaedic and sports injury rehabilitation, chronic conditions and lifestyle intervention programs 07496068206 julia@jtbiokinetics.com www.jtbiokinetics.com Q1: Tell us a bit about your

business?

I run a private practice in Tolworth, offering specific treatment for orthopaedic and sports injuries, ranging from frozen shoulder, runners knee to carpal tunnel syndrome. I often treat people with chronic conditions like fibromyalgia, Parkinson’s or cardiac conditions.

As a Biokineticist I focus on the biomechanical aspects of the body and how the joints and soft tissues integrate with and function in relation to each other.

This, when coupled with specifically tailored exercises to improve my clients condition, mostly negates their need for medications.

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

Firstly, I am passionate about what I do and how I do it. Coupled with this, feedback from my patients is that the sessions I offer are unique and unlike any other form of treatment they have previously had.

I pride myself in my approachability, in treating everyone as though they are my only client and I truly wish to see them improve their situation.

I work one on one with individuals and treat all injuries and complaints uniquely. There is not a “one size fits all” treatment when it comes to the human body. I always treat each individual and provide them with exercise and remediation unique to themselves, their injuries, capabilities and personal situation.

Q3: What motivated you to set up the business?

After graduating, I worked in a private practice with other Biokineticists, some with decades of experience. This allowed me to develop and grow in my field, but it also restricted my individuality.

As an independent practitioner, I can give free rein to my determination, attentiveness, and conscientiousness and can now also treat clients in their own homes if need be as well at practice in Tolworth.

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

I am individual, hard working, compassionate and committed to my career! I love the fact that I am now able to put my own ideas into practice and to be creative in order to raise awareness of Biokinetics, my practise and myself as an independent Biokineticist.

Q5: What has been your greatest business success to date?

That’s a difficult question to answer as each of my success stories are my favourites. I have many, so it’s hard to choose a particular one.

I love to help people and to make positive changes. All the people I have treated to date have enjoyed definite improvements.

Q6: What has been your lowest moment?

When I realised I could have chosen a better time of the year to go independent.

It was towards the end of July and everyone was getting ready to go away for the summer holidays! It was so quiet that I began to doubt myself and my decision to set up my own practice.

Q7: In terms of business

achievements, where do you want to be within the next 5 years?

My vision is to have a busy multidisciplinary practice and be able to employ other Biokineticists with the same energy and passion for the profession.

Q8: What would be your top

tip to someone thinking of starting up their own business?

Top tips! There is too much for only one tip!

Do your market research. Who? What?

Where? When?

Ask others in the same field for advice and also learn from their successes and disappointments. Be prepared to be flexible – if it doesn’t work for you, change it.

Be determined to succeed. My motto here is: “Decide, commit, succeed”!

Stick to this, even on the toughest days, and there WILL be tough days, and things will work out.

Treatment and rehabilitation of frozen shoulder, back and neck pain, repetitive strain injuries, sports injuries, fibromyalgia, cardiac conditions, pre and post operative rehab, and many more conditions.

10% off

initial consulta tions for the month of October with the code KBBOct 18

Contact Julia Trollip on 07496 068206 or email Julia@jtbiokinetics.com for an initial consultation.

jtbiokinetics.com

34

BOROUGH BUSINESS - The voice of Kingston’s business community

JAGUAR F-PACE

NOT ALL SUVS ARE TAME.

NEW F-PACE FROM £399 A MONTH PLUS DEPOSIT AND OPTIONAL FINAL PAYMENT

F-PACE 2.0D 180PS R-SPORT RWD AUTO PCP REPRESENTATIVE EXAMPLE† On the Road Price††

As Jaguar’s first performance SUV, the F-PACE blends power with technology and practicality, delivering efficiency and true sporting performance.

Technologically advanced to the core, F-PACE helps to keep you safe, connected and entertained. It has the capability for every road and the capacity for every day.

Call or visit to book your test drive today.

Guy Salmon Jaguar Thames Ditton 47 Portsmouth Road, Thames Ditton, Surrey KT7 0TA 020 8398 4222

£41,400.00

Finance Deposit Allowance (FDA)

£2,500.00

Customer Deposit

£8,475.00

Total Amount of Credit Purchase Fee (included in optional final payment) 36 Monthly Payments

£30,425.00 £10.00 £399.00

Optional Final Payment

£20,597.00

Total Amount Payable (Including FDA)

£45,936.00

Duration of Agreement

37 months

Representative APR

5.9% APR

guysalmon.thamesditton.jaguar.co.uk

Interest Rate (Fixed)

5.75%

Guy Salmon Jaguar Thames Ditton is a trading style of Guy Salmon Limited which is acting as a credit broker and not a lender.

††Model shown is an F-PACE 19MY 2.0D 180PS R-SPORT RWD Auto with optional Firenze Red metallic paint (£705), Adaptive LED Headlights with signature DRL (£600) and 22” 9 Spoke ‘Style 9006’ alloy wheels with Chrome fi nish (£2,095) at an On the Road price of £44,800.

Official fuel consumption figures for the Jaguar F-PACE range in mpg (l/100km): Urban 23.2-49.1 (12.2-5.8); Extra Urban 39.8-67.2 (7.1-4.2); Combined 31.7-59.2 (8.9-4.8). CO 2 Emissions 209-126 g/km. Official EU Test Figures.

For comparison purposes only. Real world figures may differ. †Important Information. Representative Example relates to a new Jaguar F-PACE 19MY 2.0D 180PS R-SPORT RWD Auto. 5.9% APR Representative available on new F-PACE models registered between 1st July to 30th September 2018 at participating Retailers only. With Jaguar Personal Contract Purchase you have the option at the end of the agreement to: (1) return the vehicle and not pay the Optional Final Payment. If the vehicle has exceeded the maximum agreed mileage a charge per excess mile will apply. In this example, 14p plus VAT per excess mile up to 4,999, or for excess mileage of 5,000 or more, a charge of 28p plus VAT will apply to each excess mile above the maximum agreed mileage. If the vehicle is in good condition (fair wear and tear accepted) and has not exceeded the maximum agreed mileage you will have nothing further to pay; (2) pay the Optional Final Payment to own the vehicle or (3) part exchange the vehicle subject to settlement of your existing credit agreement; new credit agreements are subject to status. Representative Example is based upon an annual mileage of 10,000 miles. Credit is subject to status and is only available to UK residents aged 18 and over. This credit offer is only available through Black Horse Limited trading as Jaguar Financial Services, St William House, Tresillian Terrace, Cardiff CF10 5BH. We can introduce you to Jaguar Financial Services to provide funding for your vehicle. We may receive commission or other benefits for introducing you to the lender.