Business Edge 37

Inside 05 business matters 12 the expert 13 fine print 14 business support 18 legal and finance 24 business matters 26 cover feature 28 inspirational leaders 42 events and training 52 new members 54 five minutes with 54 movers & shakers

the magazine for sussex chamber of commerce members

june/july2017

Measuring the economic wellbeing of Sussex Page 26

Sussex Chamber of Commerce

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june/july 2017 business edge

Sussex Chamber of Commerce

Sussex Chamber of Commerce currently represents over 1,000 member businesses. Membership of Sussex Chamber of Commerce offers access to invaluable business advice, money saving benefits, networking opportunities and provides a voice for businesses at a local, regional and national level. Business Edge is delivered free of charge to all Sussex Chamber of Commerce members as well as key business decision makers across the county. It has a circulation of 4,000 copies per issue.

Business Edge is a Sussex Chamber of Commerce publication.

If you have any stories you would like to tell us about or any comments please drop us an email at enquiries@

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welcome

business matters

business matters

business matters

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business matters

ask the expert

fine print

feature: business support

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feature: business support

feature: legal and finance

feature: legal and finance

business matters

sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

SUSSEX CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Unit 4, Victoria Business Centre, 43 Victoria Road, Burgess Hill RH15 9LR

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cover feature

inspirational leaders

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conferencing and events

events & training

sussex digital awards

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welcome

february/march june/july 2017 business edge

Welcome to the June/ July Issue!

Welcome to our Business Edge magazine. We have some amazing member stories to share.

We were very pleased to support the first Sussex Digital Awards which were held at Pelham House in Lewes where the online achievements of some of the most progressive organisations were honoured.

On the subject of awards, the Chamber business awards are still open until 30th June so you have ample opportunity to enter the regional and national awards and to be recognised and rewarded for excellence. The winner will get to open the London Stock Exchange in March 2018 and get to work with Rada and join a one day communication skills and impact course.

The Sussex Chamber has some very exciting news to announce, as we will shortly be offering e-learning training courses as well as funded learning courses, so keep reading our emails and updates on social media so that you don’t miss out.

We continue to provide some exciting events and conferences through inspirational speakers, business leaders and entrepreneurs who help inspire and motivate delegates. Our next conference will take place on the 29th June and we have 3 amazing speakers lined up.

Roger Black MBE is one of the country’s most successful sportsmen and represented Great Britain for 14 years in the world of athletics. Kate Bellingham is an engineer and TV presenter most widely known for her role presenting the BBC science show “Tomorrow’s World”. Anthony Stears aka “The Telephone Assassin” is a leading expert on telemarketing. Be inspired by these amazing speakers and book your place now!

Contact us on 01444 259 259 to find out more or have a look at our website:

www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

Ana Christie Chief Executive

Sussex Chamber of Commerce

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www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

Grant Thornton launches innovative new business space in Gatwick Leading business and financial adviser Grant Thornton UK LLP will move to a new - and very different - office space in May as part of a firm-wide evolution to further facilitate and support new, vibrant business growth across the UK. The dynamic new space, located in St. John’s House in the centre of Crawley, will offer a contemporary hub for business professionals to meet, connect and access expert advice and follows the launch of similar venues in Chelmsford and St Albans by Grant Thornton last year.

Moving away from the traditional concept of working, the space is designed to harness the power of collaborative working, with Grant Thornton bringing together mid-sized businesses, enabling conversations and adding meaningful value to discussions.

Ellen Walsh, Practice Leader at Grant Thornton, Gatwick said: “We are deliberately doing things differently at Grant Thornton. We want to steer away from the usual idea of an office with everyone working at desks to create an informal, relaxed space where our people and clients can make connections, have open and insightful conversations and develop relationships. We think of the office very much as a place to do business rather than a place to work.”

A celebration is being planned in September for local business leaders and clients to officially open the innovative Gatwick venue.

Robert Hannah, chief operating officer at Grant Thornton UK LLP, added: “Grant Thornton is a vibrant, forward thinking firm and we see our role at the heart of UK growth. As a trusted adviser and convener, we can bring together other dynamic organisations to share valuable thinking and ideas. Our innovative new spaces in Gatwick and in other locations build on this idea to positively change the way mid-sized firms do business.”

tel: 01444 259 259

business matters

february/march june/july 2017 business 2017 business edge edge

Pentagon welcomes back students from the University of Brighton Paul Edwards Managing Director Pentagon Plastics

Pentagon Plastics once again opened its doors to 23 product design and engineering students of the University of Brighton.

The Sussex based university has enjoyed positive relations with Pentagon for some years now, whereby Pentagon provides the opportunity to those studying design and engineering at various levels to gain enhanced knowledge of product design for injection moulding, toolmaking, injection moulding processes and the moulding issues that can arise.

The site visits commence with Managing Director Paul Edwards giving a presentation in Pentagon’s purpose built first floor training room covering all of the above in detail and giving attendees the opportunity to ask any questions surrounding the injection moulding processes and design for injection moulding. Highlighting the importance of particular design elements such as draft angles, split lines and small, intricate component detail features. This session is also complimented by the use of informative slides which are later supplied to the course tutor to be distributed to students accordingly.

Following on from this lecture style seminar the students and tutors are then able to move freely around the factory, following strict health and safety guidelines.

Enabling them to see first-hand the range of 10 moulding machines producing bespoke technical mouldings for a range of industry sectors, seeing how the mould tools are hung and exactly how they operate within the presses. Various forms of ejection

systems are also visible as well as the various ways of drawing moulded products away from the machines.

Our experienced mould setters are on hand to answer any processing or material based questions, elaborating on the types of thermoplastics that are processed on site and highlighting the potential processing issues that high engineering polymers can bring. Students are also able to handle some of the physical components that are manufactured to better understand the types of product finish that can be produced via this method of plastic manufacture.

In our busy toolroom our skilled engineers are able to walk the students through the various forms of mould tooling that we provide and deepen the understanding of how a mould tool is constructed. Looking at the interpretation of the 2D Tool Design and then moving on to Die Sets, Side movements, Collapsing Cores, Hot and Cold runner systems and outline when and why tooling features such as these may be required in the tooling of a product.

Pentagon is one of the few UK plastic injection moulders that also boasts a full on-site toolroom and it is therefore of much added value for the students to see both the mould tool manufacture and injection moulding process under one roof enabling them to fully understand the important relationship between the two processes.

The final leg of the Pentagon site visit lands with the dedicated Post Moulding department, which continues to expand as more and more customers require services beyond the injection moulding stage. Taking on tasks such as insert fitting, drilling, milling and wax filling ensures products are finished to the required customer standard.

Throughout their time here students are encouraged to ask questions that will add value and depth to their studies; we

believe that real on-site experience of the manufacturing process is key to creating skilled and knowledgeable product designers of the future.

This is the first time that we have been able to bring students from the University of Brighton over to our sister company Phoenix Engineering which was purchased in July 2016, specialising in complex mould tools for caps and closures, mould tool repairs, servicing and modifications.

This further enhances the students time onsite and witness the complex process of manufacture involved in the larger, multicavity tools that are produced.

As with Pentagon the engineers at Phoenix are also on-hand for guidance and questions where required.

Steven Smith, course tutor, says ‘‘Visits to companies like Pentagon Plastics are crucial to students’ understanding of industrial processes like injection moulding and tool making. In university lectures, we are able to describe the theory, but witnessing the operation in practice is an experience that will stay with them all of their professional lives. And the better they understand the constraints (and opportunities) of these materials and processes, the more likely it is that they, and their ideas, will succeed.

We are really grateful to Paul for his expert insights and to Gabby for setting the visit up and opening the students’ eyes to what is possible.’

All of the team at Pentagon and Phoenix support these student visits and enjoy sharing their knowledge and passion for our thriving UK industry.

The key point that we hope all attendees who are looking for a future in product design will take away with them is that ‘before you design your product you need to fully understand its manufacturing process and constraints’.

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business matters

june/july 2017 business edge

Developing a legacy Emcel Filters 60th anniversary Jason Allen Sales & Marketing Manager

Based in St. Leonards, The Park Lane Group builds around 40 homes per year, predominantly in the Hastings area. It also manages a substantial portfolio of wholly owned rental properties in Sussex, stretching from Eastbourne to the Kent border.

Emcel Filters

EMCEL Filters Limited, based in Blatchford Road, Horsham are delighted to celebrate their 60th Anniversary in July.

Having moved to Horsham from Crawley in 1963 the original company (Machine Control Limited) began to expand their product range from traditional magnetic tapes to meet the growing demand for better air quality using air filtration products. A number of innovative product designs were introduced to the air filtration market and several still play an important role today.

From their inception back in 1957, the Company have designed and produced a vast range of filter solutions in the field of air filtration and purification to meet customer requirements. The oldest independent air filtration manufacturer in the United Kingdom, EMCEL continue to serve a number of industries including Defence, Nuclear, Pharmaceutical, Museums, Landfill, Telecommunications and many others.

A few examples amongst our prestigious customers are filters for the Queens Gallery, Buckingham Palace; air cleaning filters on the Breitling Balloon that achieved fame by being the first to fly non-stop around the World and more recently, filters for the new Queen Elizabeth Royal Navy Aircraft Carriers due to arrive in Portsmouth in 2017.

The company continue to employ and support local people with a range of skills including Engineering, Design, Sales and Marketing, Accounting and QA Assurance, sponsoring employees and apprentices for a large range of schemes and qualifications.

EMCEL envisage, over both the short and long term, nurturing talent from local

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From a single property development in 1987, The Park Lane Group has become one of the best known housebuilders in the Hastings & Rother area. As the company marks 30 years, its vision for its continued development is clear.

education, apprenticeship schemes as well as training and employing qualified experienced professionals.

EMCEL’s product range continues to evolve and includes dust / particle filters and activated carbon filters for the removal of odours, vapours and gases for a wide range of critical engineering solutions. EMCEL works include facilities to fabricate stainless steel metal housings, machine various materials and process filtration materials to meet individual customer and industry specifications.

Given the specialist nature of our solutions, EMCEL have always maintained a limited amount of export works within Western Europe and the USA. However, with the upsurge of the World Wide Web and far reaching marketing tools, the percentage of overseas business has grown significantly during the past decade. EMCEL have secured contracts in South Korea, Peru, Israel, Australia and Bangladesh, while maintaining more traditional export markets in Europe including Spain, Holland, Finland, Germany and Italy.

Unusually for a developer of this size, virtually every aspect of its operations is managed in-house, from construction and land acquisition to property sales and rental. It’s a bold strategy that brings a number of benefits. For customers, it offers the advantages of dealing directly, eliminating agents and third party costs whether they’re selling land, buying a new home or renting.

Strategically, it also helps the business to keep a tight reign on its service and respond to customer needs and changing market conditions quickly.

Sue McGreevy, MD, comments: “The blend of housebuilding, land acquisition and property rental all managed internally is a little different, but it’s our local focus that really sets us apart; building for local people, by local people, and partnering with local suppliers, respectful of the legacy we’re creating. This focus also extends to helping community groups, charities and individuals around us where we can - I think we’ve become as well known for that as our homes over the past 30 years and it’s a facet of the business we’re remain firmly committed to moving forward.”

EMCEL look forward to remaining a part of the Sussex Industrial Landscape, utilising our past knowledge, along with innovative materials and production techniques to meet changing and more challenging customer requirements. Here’s to another 60 years, in the 21st Century!

www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

tel: 01444 259 259

Sue McGreevy Managing Director The Park Lane Group

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business matters

june/july 2017 business edge

Pier Recruitment are turning five this July!

Katie Gibson Director Pier Recruitment

Founded in 2012, Pier Recruitment is a bespoke recruitment agency designed to bring service back into the industry – something which is said to have been neglected in recent years.

Since their inception, the high demand for Pier’s services has enabled them to expand from two to nearly twenty, a commendable rate of growth in such a saturated market.

This impressive expansion has not only allowed their Hove office to thrive, but in the spring of 2016 they proudly opened a new branch in Crawley.

Having offices in such fantastic areas has enabled Pier to continue servicing their ever-expanding list of loyal clients (and candidates) from all across Sussex and Surrey.

The team at Pier is driven forward by Director Katie Gibson, a highly-recognised name within recruitment – renowned for her positive outlook on life and zest for helping local businesses flourish.

Katie makes sure she only employs the industry’s most friendly, motivated and dedicated individuals who are clearly just as passionate as she is. The team at Pier believe professional happiness is of the utmost importance when it comes to being an effective, efficient and accomplished

The merits of Procrastination

business - something echoed by their success.

As Pier Recruitment believe in providing nothing but 100% customer service to all, they ensure that they aren’t labelled as ‘just another recruitment agency’ but as a friendly and dedicated group of professionals who consistently deliver the service you deserve. This mantra has clearly struck a chord with everyone they work with, not only outlined by their evident success, but also by numerous testimonials and fantastic reviews from across the board - (examples of which, can be found on online). What’s more, recent statistics show that Pier Recruitment fill approximately 80% of vacancies brought to them, when the industry average is a mere 33%.

Whatever the size of your company, Pier can help. They understand the challenges you face, the candidate attributes you seek and the level of commitment required from your recruitment partner.

Covering all temporary, permanent and contract vacancies, Pier recruit across a wide variety of sectors, including; Office Support, Sales and Customer Service, Accountancy and Finance, HR and L&D, Marketing and Creative, Executive Search, Warehouse and Production / Industrial, Legal, Insurance and Financial services, Property and Estate Agency and Travel and Tourism.

Pier is growing fast and with their new branch, new website, hard-working social media platforms and fifth birthday around the corner, they are a force to be reckoned with.

I happily packed my bags for an Easter break this year in the certain knowledge that the formal Brexit process was at least initiated and a timescale set. The economy was looking reasonably stable for the year ahead, with growth forecasts at around 2% and only slight worries about the dependence on consumer led demand and the potential impact of the reduction in the value of sterling and rising inflation.

I thought about writing this column before I went, thinking that it would be broadly on the themes above or perhaps expounding the strengths of our region’s finance and legal firms, which is the core theme of this edition, but decided I would wait until I returned.

Well for once procrastination had its merits as of course whilst I was away, free of any wifi signal (you could be forgiven for thinking that I was somewhere in East Sussex), the Government called an election.

For most businesses this is yet another uncertainty heaped on top of all the others and whilst one could argue that this is a canny political move, for those of us trying to steer our businesses efficiently into the future, it is a worry that the rules of the game will once again change.

This bombshell may have taken the other political parties by surprise, but our British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) colleagues in London set to it immediately and within 48 hours had drafted a BCC manifesto outlining the needs of business and representing your views on which policies the new Government should commit to.

No new taxes, rate reform, skills and education, support for international trade, all feature prominently and will help divert the new Government from regressive policies which will harm businesses.

Supporting the four key accredited chamber of commerce themes of Voice, Trade, Membership and Place, the manifesto can be found on our website and you can be sure that we will all be doing our utmost to get business’s message heard and acted upon. Not quite what I was expecting when I returned to dry land!

David Sheppard Chairman Sussex Chamber of Commerce

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www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

tel: 01444 259 259

Tailor-made solutions We offer a high quality service to both corporate and individual customers, coupled with a flexible and innovative approach. We start from a blank canvas and build a bespoke solution, with all key decisions made locally by the branch.

Hove branch | Simon Nicholson - Branch Manager Tel: 01273 721814, email: sini07@handelsbanken.co.uk Brighton branch | Simon Howe - Branch Manager Tel: 01273 779937, email: siho03@handelsbanken.co.uk Crawley branch | Simon Briggs - Branch Manager Tel: 01293 525895, email: sibr01@handelsbanken.co.uk Haywards Heath branch | Dave Barden - Branch Manager Tel: 01444 450189, email: daba08@handelsbanken.co.uk Eastbourne branch | Neil Hooper - Branch Manager Tel: 01323 736061, email: neho02@handelsbanken.co.uk

handelsbanken.co.uk Handelsbanken is the trading name of Svenska Handelsbanken AB (publ). Registered Office: Svenska Handelsbanken AB (publ), 3 Thomas More Square, London, E1W 1WY. Registered in England and Wales No, BR 000589. Incorporated in Sweden with limited liability. Registered in Sweden No, 5020077862. Head Office in Stockholm. Authorised by the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority (Finansinspektionen) and the Prudential Regulation Authority and subject to limited regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority. Details about the extent of our authorisation and regulation by the Prudential Regulation Authority, and regulation by the Financial Conduct Authority are available from us on request.

business matters

june/july 2017 business edge

Is your business fit for the digital economy?

Jack Hiett, Managing Director of apprenticeship provider Creative Process Digital highlights valuable funding opportunities Finding the right digital skills for your business can be challenging. As employers increasingly need to attract and retain talented digital employees it can be difficult to know which route to take.

Business travel for the time-poor Matthew Savage Director Smart Aviation

“There is no denying that a private jet charter costs more than a ticket on a scheduled flight – but in many cases, the benefits to our corporate clients far outweigh the costs.” says Matthew Savage from Smart Aviation, an experienced aircraft charter broker based near London Gatwick.

Smart Aviation recently chartered an aircraft for a knighted business person with a challenging itinerary – meetings in 3 locations in Poland and Ukraine over the course of several days. The schedule would have been a logistical impossibility when travelling with an airline, but not a problem with a private jet charter.

An early morning flight from the UK to Poland and a further 4 flights across Eastern Europe, on the same aircraft, a Citation Excel, meant the businessman made all the meetings with ease. When his last meeting of the trip unexpectedly over-ran, the aircraft was able to wait for him – one of the many benefits of private jet charter. He

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arrived back in the UK at a civilised hour on the third day, having flown over 3,000 miles.

“Our role as a broker is to find the best aircraft for our client” says Matthew. “We source aircraft from our network of trusted operators across the globe and ensure our clients get the best value for their money, without compromising on quality.”

For the time-poor business traveller, yet more time can be saved at the airport, says Matthew “for any scheduled flight, you can expect to spend around two hours parking, passing through the terminal and security, boarding the aircraft and taxiing on the runway. When time is money, this could be seen as a high cost. Contrast this to flying on a private plane, where you can arrive just 15 minutes before departure and walk straight onto the aircraft.”

There are further benefits on-board too; with inflight Wi-Fi and connected technology, down-time is minimised and work or meetings with colleagues can take place in the comfort and privacy of the aircraft cabin.

One proven, tried and tested route for hundreds of Sussex employers is the Creative Process Apprenticeship.

Brighton based Creative Process launched the digital apprenticeship for Government at Apple’s UK headquarters.

Since then it has worked with employers from all sectors helping to develop their digital skills and capabilities by attracting new talent or training existing staff.

Creative Process Apprenticeships are developed for employers by employers, and are tailored to teach your employee the relevant skills your organisation needs from business support and project management to marketing and digital design.

Employer feedback is that the Creative Process Apprenticeship is highly costeffective; the recruitment and talent match service is on a no fee basis and the Government funding to pay for the cost of training is an impressive £9,000 per employee. So it’s of no surprise that 87% of Creative Process apprentices continue with their employer post apprenticeship having become invaluable team members.

“There is a view that private air travel is extravagant” says Matthew “but most of our corporate clients are saving so much in terms of their time, it becomes the most convenient travel solution”.

www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

tel: 01444 259 259

Jack Hiett Managing Director

Creative Digital Process

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Integration is everything.

Nothing exists alone.

Ballard Chalmers is one of the UK’s leading enterprise software engineering companies, specialising in custom development for the Microsoft Enterprise Application Platform. We are principally dedicated to software development and integration for the Microsoft Cloud, as well as on-premises and hybrid systems. Our expertise is in Microsoft .NET, SQL Server, BizTalk Server and SharePoint Server.

To arrange a free informal technical review and discussion with one of our experts, or for more information call 01342 410223 or visit www.ballardchalmers.com.

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ask the expert

june/july 2017 business edge

The abc of IP Intellectual Property and how to protect your Brand Capital Clive Bonny

Strategic Management Partners

Clive Bonny of Strategic Management Partners explains how to protect your intellectual property, YOUR IP, so that your inventive ideas and your distinctive work can be protected and can create sustainable brand value. We’ll look at WHAT you can protect, HOW you can protect it, and WHY it’s worth protecting. Let’s start with your

WEBSITE CONTENT. If you have paid a contractor to create new content for your website then THEY automatically own any content they have created, even if you have paid for it. If you want to own and control your website content then you should ensure the website developer ASSIGNS their copyright and designs to you with a simple written agreement.

If your contractor has given you any photos or designs from third parties or online sources, then please ensure they have copyright permissions. Photos published without owner permission can be easily traced online by their electronic ID tags. You can be charged THOUSANDS of pounds for just one photo infringement by the photo owner. Remember ABC Always Be Checking authorship and ownership.

Now let’s look at DESIGN registration.

You can register the unique VISUAL appearance of a product to prevent others copying it. Design can protect the novel 2 dimensional or 3D look of your product, packaging, texture, artwork and pattern.

Design includes games, tools, machines, clothing, furniture, logos, process diagrams and even SCREEN LAYOUTS. If your business sells services you are likely to have created unique processes and graphical flowcharts. You can register your UK design online for JUST £50, lasting 5 YEARS, and renew it for up to 25 YEARS. It’s easy for others to copy your designs and it’s AFFORDABLE for you to REGISTER yours. It’s also a criminal offence to copy designs. So keep your competitors away and register your design IP. If you create or sell designs then you should be aware of the risks of selling third party designs, and you should consider ensuring design registration to protect your customers. You can register 10 similar designs for just £70.

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Here’s an extra DESIGN TIP. If you have a mass market product please consider registering similar design derivations. This can prevent a competitor from selling products which look like yours but have just enough distinction to be considered unique in their own right. The UK designer of a small carry case called TRUNKI made this mistake, and a similar looking product called KiddeeCase are taking their market share.

TRADEMARKING is also affordable Your business brand can be represented with words, letters, numerals and a logo.

If you fail to register your trademark your competitor can buy a google ad-word with your same name, and use this to attract your online customer enquiries to them.

Google can stop this if you send them proof of your registered trademark.

Your UK trademark can be registered for just £170 online lasting 10 YEARS, and is renewable. Pre-registration searches will also identify if others are using similar trademarks in your sector. If a search identifies a competitor ALREADY registered and using a SIMILAR trademark before yours, then you should consider changing your trademark.

If you trade using someone else’s brand name, or one which is CONFUSINGLY SIMILAR, you risk a future claim from them on your profits, and losing your business reputation.

PATENTS protect for up to 20 years They protect HOW an innovative commercial product or process works.

Patents take longer to approve (over 2 years) and are more expensive due to

www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

the detail needed to describe the way it works, the inventiveness, and researching all potential commercial applications.

Application mistakes can be very expensive so it is often safer to consult with a patent attorney.

CHOOSING IP ADVISORS If you are looking to register IP then Certified IP advisors can help you choose the right protection classes and descriptions, and ensure your preregistration searches do not miss potential objectors. An IP advisor qualified in MEDIATION will also reduce litigation costs in preventing and handling IP disputes.

Some IP advisors can TRAIN you to undertake IP registrations, saving time and legal costs. Ask IP advisors for their Certifications in IP, Mediation and Training. A good advisor will also help you identify opportunities for LICENCING and FRANCHISING. This can create ongoing sustainable earnings with very low management costs.

FINAL TIP IP registration proves ownership of vital business assets and can protect those assets for 20 years or more. If you are raising finance for growth then an independent IP audit report by a certified IP advisor will give funders assurance of your invest-ability. An IP audit can improve your data protection, commercial contracting, and identify R and D tax credits. Last year thousands of small businesses received tax credits for £5k to £50K, many before they had even reported profits. The ABC of IP is Always Be Checking!

tel: 01444 259 259

fine print

june/july 2017 business edge

Events company supports first Bubble Football World Cup The Stag Company is launching the first ever Bubble Football World Cup, alongside their leading partners Xtreme Events, with the tournament due to be held in London in May 2018, with the final at Wembley.

Xtreme Events, which specialises in events ranging from sporting occasions to stag and hen nights, is working as event partners with Bubble Football World Cup founders The Stag Company to ensure that the event is a success.

The hunt is now on to find the first English national team, with applications open for the qualification tournament which will be held in London on 25 June.

The sport, which sees footballers don inflated zorb-style body suits, originated in 2011 on Norwegian television show Golden Goal. In 2013, ex-professional footballer Dan Chillingworth saw its potential for the UK market and set-up Xtreme Events to bring Bubble Football to the nation.

Neville Nania, Head of Business Development for Xtreme Events, the UK’s leading Bubble Football hosts, said: “More than 55,000 people are expected to play Bubble Football up and down the UK this year. Our team have hosted and refereed thousands of matches and can testify that there is some genuine sporting talent out there just waiting to be unearthed.”

Rob Hill, The Stag Company CEO and Founder of the Bubble Football World Cup, said: “In the past few years, Bubble football has captured the imaginations of thousands of people. It’s seriously fun to play, a great test of skill and hilarious to watch.

What everyone needs to know about tax - an introduction to the UK tax system

By James Hannam. Published by Wiley, £19.99, Paperback and e-book ISBN: 9781119375784 They do say that the only certain things in life are death and taxes – and they’re both pretty daunting.

In his new book What Everyone Needs to Know about Tax, James Hannam provides readers with an easyto-understand guide to how the tax system works.

With no accounting or legal knowledge required on behalf of the reader, it contains practical case studies to illustrate how tax functions in the real world, for example how the VAT on a plumber’s bill all adds up, why fraudsters made a movie to throw HMRC off their scent and why some big companies do not pay as much tax as people think they should.

“With the English national team being rolled out of major tournaments on a regular basis, the Bubble Football World Cup could be the thing to end all those years of hurt next May. Every five-a-side team or bunch of mates should think about entering for the chance to represent their country.”

Written in a conversational style, What Everyone Needs to Know about Tax will help you:

With 12 international teams already signed up, including Brazil, South Africa, Finland, Germany, Scotland and Republic of Ireland, organisers hope to attract even more international talent to take on the new England team come May 2018.

Discover how Brexit could change the way we pay taxes

The USA currently ranks as the biggest proponents of Bubble Football with the National Association of Bubble Soccer boasting 39 leagues, each with 8-12 teams competing.

See through the rhetoric from politicians and the media surrounding tax controversies

The Bubble Football World Cup tournament is set to take place throughout the weekend of 19 May 2018 with the final at Wembley on Sunday 20 May. The England qualification event is taking place on Sunday 25 June at Powerleague, Shoreditch. Squads of up to eight players can sign up for a registration fee of £200. Further details can be found at

https://www.thestagcompany.com/bubble-football-world-cup

Learn about the many ways that the tax system separates us from our money

Understand how changing tax policy affects people’s everyday lives

Whether readers are self-employed, have a general interest in the way the UK tax system works, are a finance or tax professional or are students wanting to understand more about taxation in a break from traditionally dry text books, What Everyone Needs to Know about Tax provides the background and foundational knowledge they need to be a well-informed taxpayer.

James Hannam has spent twenty years advising clients on every aspect of the UK tax regime while working for firms including EY, Freshfields, and KPMG.

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feature: business support

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Are you protected from Toll Fraud?

Where would we be without the technology behind our communication systems? insurance policy in place or available from the company charging you for your calls.

Most of us don’t really think about that until something goes wrong and then we realise how much we can lose, and so quickly.

‘Check whether the provider monitors for fraudulent activity on a regular basis and if they shut down the outbound calls in unusual circumstances.’

One way that businesses can lose out before they know it is through Toll Fraud… an umbrella term for any kind of activity where a telephone system is hacked for the purpose of making long distance or premium rate calls.

Track Eleven are well aware of the consequences of hacking and phishing scams as they need to keep a look out for the next ‘trick’ likely to face their customers – and be one step ahead all the time.

According to a recent NEC survey, the UK is the third most targeted country in the world for fraud, particularly relating to technology, and Toll Fraud is on the rise with reported incidents up by over 15 per cent in this year alone.

The research also indicates that a stunning 84% of businesses are not safe from hacking – despite the fact that every UK attack is thought to cost around £10,000 and often much more.

Martin Woolley, Director at the Sussex based telecommunications company Track Eleven, says there are a number of ways that local businesses can protect themselves from the

‘It should go without saying that a specialist organisation will seek to make your telecoms systems as secure as they possibly can be. But not everyone is always aware of the dangers and so we would warn local businesses to take a bit of time out just to check that everything that can be done is being done. Prevention is the key.’

increasing chances of being targeted for Toll Fraud.

‘Make sure your phone system is secure.

Speak to your current maintainer about what steps have, or can, be taken?’

For a chat with experts about how best to protect your telephone systems, contact: Martin Woolley at Track Eleven mwoolley@trackeleven.com Phone: 01444 226 023

He adds that if you are using a hosted provider, check what they do to protect you and also if there is some kind of fraud

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Consolidation is the key to improving productivity The world is changing, we are all expected to keep track of a whole lot more information than ever before.

Note that I didn’t say memorise.

Instead of remember all the information necessary to do our jobs and keep our lives on track, we leave it to apps and systems to do the remembering for us. All we have to do is remember where we put which piece of information.

As we all know from the hours we spend throughout our lives searching for our keys, this isn’t the easiest thing in the world.

To make this even more difficult for ourselves, we tend to silo information in different places, because some new tool or app or gadget is really good at storing the one type of data, but can’t store another, so then we have to get another app.

There are so many tools out there, just waiting to help us organise one aspect of our lives, that we are always in danger of becoming overwhelmed by them.

When you boil it down, we all forget to do things from time to time, but now we are forcing ourselves to have to hunt in more and more places to figure out exact what it is we’re supposed to be doing.

And then we wonder why productivity—that business buzzword—is falling.

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The solution to this, in my mind, is simple: consolidation.

Instead of having all your tasks divided up between your flashy, trendy apps, find a product that will allow you to keep the majority of your business data in one central location.

Don’t get me wrong, you’ll never find a system that will do everything, but by finding something that will store 80% of your data and 90% of your processes, you’ll end up with a much more organised and streamlined team.

For example, we use OpenCRM to manage just about every single thing that our business does: sales process, project management, technical support, HR, marketing campaigns, etc. But there are things that it doesn’t do: it’s not a phone system, it isn’t an internal chat product, and you can’t screenshare directly from it.

That’s not really a problem though, because it covers about 80% of our business processes. I then spent about six years finding a product to manage all of our communications and screensharing, bringing us to around 90% of my team’s daily activity being covered by two systems.

This means that, if one of our developers needs to find a piece of information about one of their projects, they’ve really only got two possible places to look: our CRM system and our internal messaging app. If it isn’t there, they know that it has to be in the code itself.

When you think that this information could instead be split across specialised task, project, contact, or document management tools, in addition to an internal messaging system and email, having three places sounds like a win to me.

Yes our world is more complex now and yes this means that we all have to be masters of a variety of tools, but there’s no reason to make our lives more difficult by silo-ing information into half a dozen systems.

To talk to a member of the OpenCRM team about how CRM software can benefit your brand, just call 01748 473000 or visit the website: www.opencrm.co.uk.

The other 10% of our tasks are managed in dedicated products that are individual to their job role, i.e. accounting software, programs for writing code, etc. But even so, the specificity of these systems mean that most people only have between three and four places to look for the information they need.

www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

tel: 01444 259 259

Graham Anderson, is the CEO and founder of OpenCRM, one of the UK’s leading customer relationship management systems

june/july 2017 business edge

feature: business support

Small claims, small costs As the national press has shown repeatedly, we are never too far away from the next financial scandal, from payment protection insurance mis-selling through to defective vehicles and home appliances. Paul Tilley, Consumer Credit Expert at QualitySolicitors explains how he and his team can help.

Paul Tilley Litigation Executive Howlett Clarke

Access to the Court system is a fundamental right which should be available to all consumers. Unfortunately, as a result of the Legal Aid Sentencing & Punishment of Offenders Act 2012, as well as government reforms increasing the small claims track threshold from £5,000 to £10,000, securing access to the Courts and therefore access to justice, is becoming increasingly more difficult for the average consumer.

It is clear that consumers will always need to be able to access the Courts to get the appropriate level of redress that they are entitled to. However, with the increase in the small claims track threshold, most consumer claims under £10,000 will fall into the small claims track. As a consequence of this, the general rule in the small claims track is that the successful party does not recover their legal costs so the difficulty the consumer faces is that whilst he may be able to appoint a Solicitor to represent him, there are no guarantees that the Solicitor’s fees will be paid by the other side.

Conversely, the company responsible for the mis-selling of the financial product or the defective goods and services will generally be well-resourced. Most financial institutions

wouldn’t think twice at spending a few thousand pounds on a Solicitor to represent them even in the small claims Court.

Therefore the consumer faces a difficulty whereby to obtain access to justice, in our view, they are placed on an extremely tilted playing field, one where they could spend considerable sums of money in appointing a Solicitor but one also where there are no guarantees the costs will be recovered.

The same also applies to consumers who defend claims from, for example, financial institutions, where defective products have been sold and the consumer refuses to pay.

Fundamentally the consumer is entitled to have their day in Court and to have their case heard. Unfortunately most of the consumer credit claims that we deal with in the Consumer Credit Litigation Department at QualitySolicitors Howlett Clarke are extremely complex, therefore the consumer faces a dilemma. They are already out of pocket as a result of defective goods or defective services, and are now faced with a claim from the company pursuing the outstanding sums so the options available to the consumer are very limited, especially if they are unable to recover their legal costs. There is little point in them spending £5,000 on legal fees to defend a claim for £4,000 but equally they should not have to pay if the law provides them with a right to a remedy.

we have decided to offer a fixed fee service for small claims cases.

We consider the fees that we have put forward are competitive and will allow consumers to obtain bespoke legal advice on their position, to be represented at Trial if they so require and, most importantly, will ensure that the consumer is placed on a level playing field against the bigger institutions. What is the point of having rules which offer consumers a remedy if those rules are so far out of the consumer’s reach that they simply cannot rely upon them?

We do appreciate that some cases will not be suitable for fixed fees, but we are more than happy here at QualitySolicitors Howlett Clarke to discuss the individual consumer’s needs and we are confident that we are able to put forward a funding option to meet all consumer cases.

For more information, please feel free to get in touch.

Call 01273 838594 or email info@howlettclarke.co.uk Or visit our website: www.qualitysolicitors.com/howlettclarke

How the Consumer Credit team at QualitySolicitors Howlett Clarke can help: Having faced a number of claims where funding has become increasingly difficult,

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legal / finance feature

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Do you really need a financial planner and an accountant? And if so, how do you choose the right one?

Derek Evans

Director Juno Wealth Management

Derek Evans of Financial Planners Juno Wealth Management pinpoints the key differences between Financial Planners and Accountants The chances are you have an accountant even though you may consider yourself relatively au fait with tax and HMRC requirements. But if you have an investment portfolio or pension, do you also have a financial planner?

Of course, as financial planners we’re going to say yes, you need our expertise. But we thought it would be helpful to outline what exactly the different professions bring to the table, why you probably need both and how to make sure you choose the right financial planner for you.

Specialists in their respective fields There are both accountants and financial planners who have spread their net wide and offer a one stop shop style of advice.

But the two professions have very distinct areas of expertise. Of course there is overlap but be wary of the “all under one umbrella” approach because there is a very significant risk that you won’t receive the best quality advice and service in areas that really do require specialist knowledge. And, that could end up costing you thousands of pounds.

Your accountant Your accountant’s area of expertise and focus, of course, lies in taxation and accounting. That will include tax strategies, budgeting, business structures, tax efficient depreciation, audits, financial statements, succession and personal taxation as well as a raft of other services.

Your accountant should be able to spot opportunities which even the most tax savvy individual or entrepreneur won’t spot and your accountant should know, and be able to interpret, the fine detail of all the most complicated tax regulations and how they affect you.

But your finances seen through the eyes of your accountant will, and should always, be seen through the specific lens of taxation and their area of expertise does not extend to goal planning, risk assessment and investment research and they cannot assess your investment portfolio and what it will be worth in the future. They may well have a good understanding of these things but it’s important to remember it’s not their area of expertise.

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Your financial planner Your financial planner sees your finances through a very different lens. They should be focused on your investments but also on the bigger picture. For your financial planner, it’s not just about business or personal taxation. It’s about looking at your life, your assets and your business as a whole and making sure that both now and in the future they’re going to provide you with what you want and need, long term.

That involves lifetime cash flow planning, pension planning, investment advice, education and retirement planning, insurance advice and often quite a lot more. It involves specialist understanding of investments and risk planning. It’s also about wealth accumulation and planning for future events, including anticipated events (such as retirement, decumulation, succession and estate planning) and the unexpected such as serious illness or death. More importantly, your financial planner should be able to devise and implement an investment strategy that meets your objectives, help you manage your finances and help you provide for and safeguard your family.

Choosing the right financial planner Your financial planner is someone who’s going to be in your life for a long time, possibly decades and they may well end up advising successive generations of your family. That means making sure you instruct someone who aligns with your values as a person and family and ensuring that they are going to take time to understand you and what you are all about.

You need to look for a financial planner who is ethical, open and transparent in their dealings with you and of course, one who is well qualified.

www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

Qualifications and Accreditations to look out for Accredited Financial Planning FirmTM This accreditation represents the ultimate recognition of financial planning delivery and has only been awarded to less than 80 financial planning firms in the UK. This enhanced professional recognition is awarded by The Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI).

Corporate Chartered Financial Planners Chartered status is the objective mark of professional standing among all professions.

It’s awarded to firms who can demonstrate commitment to developing knowledge, enhancing capability and maintaining ethical standards. This accreditation is granted by the Chartered Insurance Institute (CII), the professional body for insurance and financial services.

Service Before you engage, look carefully at the service they provide. Do they offer a no charge initial consultation and will they take the time to understand you and your finances? Will they be happy to work with or recommend other professionals (such as an accountant or lawyer) and how do they structure their fees?

Overall, do you feel that the financial planner you are talking to genuinely puts your interests first and is primarily concerned with planning for you to enjoy a financially successful future?

tel: 01444 259 259

june/july 2017 business edge

legal / finance feature

Are you managing road risk?

Graham Prince Managing Director Neva Consultants

As a Company Director you have a legal Duty of Care to have a Company Car Policy in place that covers all vehicles used for the business – whether they are vehicles the business itself owns or leases, or vehicles owned or leased by your employees and used for business purposes.

Let’s imagine, a member of staff has attended a networking event, they drove in their own car to the event. However, did you know that as a Company Director or Owner you are responsible for ensuring they have the correct Business Use Insurance and the Business must have a Policy in place to ensure attention is paid to roadworthiness?

That Policy may be as simple as a monthly walk round inspection – checking tyres and lights, as much as it is Law to have such a Policy in place it is as important that you have the records as evidence to support that the checks required within the Policies are actually taking place.

As a Director/ Business Owner it is not a defence to say that vehicle inspections take place or that Driving Licence checks have been done if you have no evidence to support this claim Similarly, we are all aware of the law regarding the use of mobile phones when driving and unfortunately you may well have heard about a recent high profile case where a driver using his smartphone to select music led to his truck being involved

in a fatal accident. The Company had only two weeks earlier updated its Company Car Policy to include Music and Sat Nav usage with a mobile phone so the Directors were not prosecuted under Duty of Care Legislation, but if this had happened a few weeks earlier they could have been up for Manslaughter Charges for not having any Policy in place to cover such eventualities.

We all live busy lives and sometimes it’s very tempting to call a member of staff who is out on client meetings on their mobile to quickly check something, but if you have a Company Policy forbidding the use of phones when driving – you’ve just broken it yourself! One company was recently prosecuted by the HSE on these grounds.

It’s for these reasons that when introduced to a new customer Neva always starts with the Company Car Policy, it may only require minor alteration to keep up with regulation, it may have to be completely re-written.

This Policy must be for all drivers regardless who funds the vehicle and even if it is a short term rental. Neva takes Duty of Care and their customer’s reputations as if it were their own – valuable peace of mind for any business owner.

To this end they have developed a market leading technology – the award winning “C-Fleet Management System”, backed up by a convenient driver app, this enables companies to manage their “Duty of Care” responsibilities for all vehicles used for Company Business regardless of how they are funded or owned.

This technology was recognised by the regional awards of the British Chamber of Commerce in 2015 when “C-Fleet” won the Innovation Product of the Year. Since then Neva has been winning regional and industry accolades from all quarters.

Last year Neva gained national recognition from its own industry, being awarded Best Leasing Company in the 1000-4000 Annual Sales category and also picking up the Best Leasing Broker Customer Service Award. Other awards followed in 2016 with one of Neva’s key leasing partners LeasePlan awarding them Leasing Broker of the Year. This award was judged not only on sales growth year on year, but on more prevalent factors including customer service feedback, quality of documentation, breadth of products supplied and overall standards adhered to as well as the politeness and efficiency demonstrated by staff in dealing with LeasePlan on a day to day basis.

Formed in 1992 by current directors Graham Prince and Nick Collinson, Neva is celebrating 25 years in business. They have ambitious objectives for growth, “Neva Consultants presently supplies and helps to manage 6000 vehicles, in three years time we aim to grow this to 7500 vehicles.”

In the fast moving environment in which companies now find themselves trusting a supplier is vital due to the many factors to consider before entering into a vehicle procurement such as Petrol/Diesel/Hybrid/ full Electric/whole life costs/method of funding, rather than just what is the monthly payment. Companies then have to be sure that the supplier managing the fleet is focused on the In-Life Management of Costs, such as over mileage, driver management and fuel efficiency.

Graham and Nick state “we have ‘big’ Fleet Management tools for small and medium sized fleets. We take a certain pride in being able to demonstrate how and why we can save our customers money and manage their Fleets so they are able to concentrate on their core business.”

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june/july 2017 business edge

Does your company develop products, processes or software?

David Oldland R&D Tax Specialist Oldland Consulting Ltd

When I started writing this article my first attempt at writing an opening paragraph was as follows: If your company develops products, processes or software and is not claiming R&D Tax Credits, you or a member of the management team need to be talking to an R&D Tax Specialist urgently. Why? because your company may be missing out on an extremely valuable source of additional working capital. It does not matter whether your business is making profits or losses, the UK Government via the HMRC will reward either case with a cash injection. In the 2014/2015 tax year 18,630 SME’s claimed R&D Tax Credits. Those 18,630 SME’s shared just over £1 billion, that’s over £50,000 each.

However, I quickly realised that many SME company executives would read the phrase R&D and think “our company does not have any staff in white lab coats, with brains the size of a small planet who spend their day peering into test-tubes or microscopes”, therefore this article is not relevant to me and I will move on to the next article.

If your company is developing anything, please read on.

It would have been so much easier if the scheme was simply called “the Development Tax Credit Scheme”, a benefit for any business that develops “things”. Why? because 95% plus of claimants develop product, process or software, another 4% may be undertaking some applied research and only 1% of companies will actually have staff in white lab coats.

Those 18,630 SMEs could be considered the lucky ones, at some stage over the past 16 years they listened to some good advice from; their accountant, a business consultant, a bank manager or other trusted advisor to talk to an R&D Tax Specialist, they have been claiming and benefitting annually ever since.

Many of our clients did not know that the scheme existed, or did not know that the scheme was intended for their business, or in extreme cases had been told that they did not qualify. Experience tells me and other R&D Tax specialists that for every UK company claiming R&D Tax Credits there are at least four more who qualify who are not yet enjoying the benefit that they are entitled too. I believe that there are another

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80,000 SMEs across the UK who would qualify for R&D Tax Credits. The purpose of this article is to encourage companies who are developing “things” and not claiming R&D Tax Credits to find thirty minutes or so in their busy schedule to talk to an R&D Tax Specialist. Talking only costs your time and it may prove to be the best investment you will ever make, imagine an extra £20,000, £50,000 or more dropping into your company’s reserves each year. Many R&D Tax specialists earn their living on a no win no fee approach, therefore a first-time claimant is only risking a few hours of his team’s time.

Let’s have a look at the R&D tax scheme rules for SME companies: • A claimant must be a company liable to pay Corporation Tax if it were to make a profit. Unfortunately, LLPs do not qualify.

• A claimant company should have “competent professionals” working on the development, these are people who are qualified in the particular development field by experience or by education.

These competent professionals may be employees or may be sub-contractors.

In fact the whole development may have been sub-contracted out to a separate business at the claimant’s expense.

• A claimant company’s development project should be attempting to improve on what already exists – making their product, process or software; stronger, better, cleverer, cheaper, greener, safer, etc. – why would any business spend cash developing something identical to something that already exists? I believe they would want to improve on what already exists in the market place.

www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

• A claimant company’s development project should contain uncertainties – not market research uncertainties like “will the product sell?”, but scientific or technological uncertainties. To explain: a scientific or technological uncertainty occurs when those “competent professionals” are given a development project and their reaction is something along the lines of “we are not sure how to achieve that objective, but we do have a few ideas” that is uncertainty. Those competent professionals will usually commence an iterative process of trial and error to try to get their development project to work. This may, in the case of engineers involve building one or more prototype devices or in the case of software developers they write many iterations of prototype code.

So, if your company is developing “things” and is satisfying those four points above, you may wish to talk to an R&D Tax specialist. Within their own consultancy, the R&D tax specialist will probably be known as an Analyst, a good analyst would have prepared many successful R&D claims and should be familiar with your industry sector.

Our final recommendations are: • do not sign a consultancy agreement until you have spoken directly with the analyst.

• do not pay any upfront fees.

• ensure there are no extras (example: claim filing fees).

• avoid agreements that lock your company in for years with penalties for early release.

• ensure that the success fee relates only to the cash benefit and not to other items, example: carry forward losses.

tel: 01444 259 259

legal / finance feature

june/july 2017 business edge

Pay your employees all of their annual salary in advance in one go Day 1 and that’s before the equipment is out of the box, let alone done any work. Just like employees, assets could be productive for many years. So why not pay for them monthly over the years just like you would do for people?

Paul Hartley Managing Director Creative Leasing

There’s another issue, too. Companies don’t ‘happily pay’ these sums. Often, they go to their bank for a loan so they can buy the equipment! Why? Times have changed.

These days, offers from banks can be particularly one-sided. Large deposits, short terms, guarantees, charges etc etc.

Paul Hartley from equipment finance specialists Creative Leasing Ltd, explains the significance of this odd suggestion. It sounds stupid doesn’t it? Why pay in full, in advance, for work that is yet to be done? It’s a crazy notion. And yet, in a way, businesses large and small do this all the time.

I’ll come clean. I’m not talking about work from employees; I’m talking about work from equipment. It’s very similar though. I’ll explain... employees tend to be paid at the end of every month, after the work has been done. It’s the best way and virtually every company does it. Nothing extraordinary about that.

But here’s a question; why don’t companies have a similar policy when it comes to paying for their equipment? If you think about, a piece of machinery, plant, office equipment etc, has a specific job to do. It doesn’t live and breathe of course but just

as an employee is a ‘human’ resource, an asset can be called a ‘non-human’ resource.

Essentially, they do the same thing.

When it comes to acquiring new pieces of equipment, some companies just pay for them in full, in advance, all in one go. Why? Can you see my point?

Whether it’s a computer system, some engineering equipment, catering equipment etc, they’ll spend thousands of pounds on

It’s all heavily tipped in their favour, the most dangerous condition being an option to recall a loan whenever it suits them. But the biggest misconception is that a bank will always provide them with the best possible offer, even if the answer is ‘no’. This is simply not true.

My message, particularly to SMEs, is that competitive alternative finance is very much available for them. And I do mean ‘competitive.’ Creative Leasing Ltd has finance plans for many different types of equipment throughout many industries.

Don’t pay everything in advance if you don’t have to - spread the cost.

General Election announcement ‘heralds more uncertainty’ Leading foreign exchange experts Infinity International believe that the UK faces another month of uncertainty in financial markets following Prime Minister Theresa May’s decision to call a snap General Election.

The UK-based company says that the fact that the poll will not be held until June 8 offers plenty of opportunity for jitters in the markets because scenarios will change so rapidly.

Infinity International analyst Perry Asforis said: “When the election announcement was made, the markets initially responded favourably because they like strong, stable government and they felt that the Conservatives would win and win well, which would allow for more security during Brexit negotiations.

“However, there is an old saying that a week is a long time in politics and we have we still have another month until the General Election and much can change.

“I think we will see a lot of uncertainty. The Conservatives may say one thing one day to which the markets respond but Labour or

the SNP may come out with something the next that will change opinions.

“I think there will also be uncertainty because nobody really knows what will happen on June 8.

Infinity International’s clients benefit from access to the company’s prominent position in the global foreign exchange market, which allows it to secure the most competitive rates. More information can be found at http://www.iifx.co.uk

“The polls may suggest a Conservative victory with an increased majority but, following the Referendum vote last year and the election of Donald Trump as President in the United States, we have all learned to never say never.”

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30Mbps boost for rural Sussex businesses Faster, minimum broadband speeds are on the cards for rural Sussex businesses when the Digital Economy Bill becomes law.

It originally proposed 10Mbps as the minimum download speed for everyone in the UK but now the House of Lords has voted to increase it to 30Mbps. The Bill is soon to receive Royal Assent.

Labour peer Lord Mendelsohn slipped in the eleventh-hour amendment. He suggested that adhering to the 10Mbps minimum would mean Britain would soon be living in the past and unable to cope with growing demand for bandwidth.

Companies in rural parts of East Sussex and Kent who can’t get sufficient bandwidth – owing to it not being commerciallyviable for BT or any other service provider – should welcome the new law. It entitles them to 30Mbps even if their service provider makes no money out of it.

The only drawback is, very few service providers appear willing to fund this universal service obligation (USO). Many have argued that it should be paid for from the public purse. So, until this thorny issue is resolved, the timescale for roll-out of the minimum standard remains uncertain.

Gary Jowett from Computer & Network Consultants in Brighton says: “Any company planning to move to a rural business park in the next couple of years where the broadband is slow should not depend on the new legislation to provide all the answers. They should check out all the available options by seeking advice from an independent consultant.”

Could 5G be the answer?

Wireless technology could be an interim measure for businesses in the slow lane to consider. The rollout of 4G has already convinced a lot of people that mobile connectivity can support enterprise-grade connections. The next speed boost will be 5G enabling a step change to the speed and reliability of mobile communications.

The 5G speeds achieved so far have only been under laboratory conditions but commercial rollout isn’t that far away. Many believe 5G will be with us by 2020.

So 5G may become a cost-effective way to deliver the higher minimum download

speeds established in the Digital Economy Bill especially if existing 4G and 3G radio towers can be used to locate the new technology, to minimise the need for additional engineering work and planning permissions.

The International Telecommunication Union which sets global standards has issued its draft proposals for 5G which state that a 5G cell should support a minimum peak data rate of 20Gbps for downloads and 10Gbps for uploads.

Gary adds: “With 5G not far off, wireless connectivity is a serious option for expanding companies. 5G users would share only a portion of the 20Gbps bandwidth but they would still have 100Mbps for downloads and 50Mbps for uploading files.

It makes the revised USO minimum in the Digital Economy Bill much more realistic as a goal. However, the elephant in the room is this: when will the minimum be available and how much will businesses be charged to use it?”

SAY HELLO TO YOUR NEW IT DEPARTMENT. The benefits of outsourced IT You gain access to a whole team of highly skilled people that are always available, and right up to date with all the latest technology, knowledge and trends. Alongside online monitoring and management tools, we can provide 24x7 cover with regular strategy meeetings.

We would love to talk to you and offer a complementary systems check-up with no obligations to use our services.

— 01273 386 333 — sales@cnc-ltd.co.uk — www.cnc-ltd.co.uk

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Let's Simplify Technology Computers; hardware; software; cloud; digital; they’re around us and impacting on our lives minute by minute. Technology moves very fast and can be all consuming, even for those of us well experienced in the business.

Richard Long Add to this the gobbledygook surrounding technology, it is sometimes surprising that any of us understand it at all!

Technology and IT are tools to assist you in running your business efficiently and apart from regular servicing and maintenance it should run smoothly.

Of course, getting to that stage will take time and effort but once it is fit for purpose within your business and the corresponding processes and procedures are in place, it will look after itself.

What do you need to find this technology utopia?

Well, someone who understands you, the business, IT and someone who speaks your language.

There are a few of us out there, as we have been through the pain, the design, the build and the implementation to run our businesses this way.

Of course, we also have to think of other issues which are very prominent these days – one being Security. Every company should have a business continuity procedure, backup procedure and some form of encryption on their business data. All this is relatively inexpensive and there is no excuse for not having a regular backup process in place, working and regularly checked. None of these things are expensive for the SME to implement until the day you have a security issue. So, what price peace of mind and a well managed business?

Call us for a no-obligation discussion and make the technology work for you.

where solutions are our universe Tel: 020 3318 3260 Email: info@associate-planet.com Web: www.associate-planet.com

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business matters

june/july 2017 business edge

The Business Leaders Conference returns #theblc Thursday 29th June 2017 Jury’s Inn Brighton Waterfront

Roger Black MBE Olympic Medalist Roger was part of the team that clinched gold from the Americans in the 4x400m relay at the Tokyo World Championships. He also won Olympic silver, beaten only by Michael Johnson in Atlanta. Having achieved individually and as part of a team, Roger understands what it takes to become a champion and describes his ‘Five Fundamentals’ for success.

Kate Bellingham Founder and Director of School Gate SET Kate embarked on a career in ‘show biz’, her engineering background, along with a degree in physics from Oxford University and experience as a computer programmer, came in useful during her four years as a presenter on the flagship science and technology programme ‘Tomorrow’s World’.

Anthony Stears “The Telephone Assassin” Anthony is a born entrepreneur. Already as a child he started selling his father’s belongings from their own garage and quickly became fond of the idea of making his own money. Following certain changes in jobs, the opportunity to set up his own business, with courage and creativity, gave him the opportunity to do what he is passionate about: Cultivating Business Relationships.

For more information on this event visit: www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk/events

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Need fresh ideas for your business? A Sussex placement student could be the boost you’re after Businesses in Brighton and beyond can benefit enormously by employing a placement student from the University of Sussex School of Business, Management and Economics. Many of our 160+ students looking for placements this year want to work in the local area.

Why recruit a placement student?

Taking on a placement student can be a great way to bring fresh thinking into your business and try out new roles.

A placement year benefits both student and employer, providing a chance for students to gain real world experience while helping you achieve your business goals.

Our talented placement students bring with them learning from two years of undergraduate study, which will have included handson project work. Some will also have prior work experience.

What makes a good placement role?

All students are fully briefed by the School before starting their placement and will be supported by their academic Placement Tutor throughout the year, as will employers.

Work should be of graduate level and will often benefit you most if you have a specific project that the student can be responsible for. Placements are also ideal if you have a new position you want to try out before introducing permanently.

Contact us to find out more

Students are keen to find roles in a range of sectors to begin in summer 2017 for a year (or a minimum of 40 weeks).

bmecplacements@sussex.ac.uk www.sussex.ac.uk/bmec/business-connections

Logistics company expands and moves to a larger site Sussex-based logistics company Mairon Freight Management UK has expanded to cope with increased demand for its international services.

Mairon UK offers a truly international service and is able to offer exporters and importers a flexible, competitive and personalised service which many strive to attain but few actually achieve.

The company has moved onto a new, larger site at Washington, West Sussex, complete with offices for its growing team and a 6,300 square feet warehouse.

Mairon Freight Management UK has employed two extra staff members to cope with the additional warehousing space, taking the number on the payroll to eleven.

Established in 1998, Mairon Freight Management UK offers high quality service backed by highly competitive rate structures for worldwide freight movements by air, sea and road.

The company, which has been in business for 19 years, was started by Managing Director Terry Watson, a logistics expert who was putting together the package for his new company in 1998 when he was approached by the Mairon Group. The result was the formation of Mairon Freight Management (UK) Ltd, which saw many of Terry's original clients standing by him plus the advantages of extensive backing from numerous Mairon overseas offices,

meaning that the new business had a sound foundation on which to build.

The company has grown steadily in the past two decades and today handles imports and exports all over the world, including the United States, China and Europe.

Terry says : “The move to Washington represents a massive expansion for the company. Moving to a larger site means we are able to offer in house container receiving and loading plus an application has already been lodged with HMR&C to have the facility bonded – one of the reasons for the extra staff to cover the additional work that is required in the running of a bonded warehouse “ Our new Website is still under construction but you will soon be able to see it once completed at www.mairon.co.uk

Its team handle a wide variety of freight and has a particular specialism in the transport of delicate medical equipment.

Its UK clients come from as far afield as Scotland and Cornwall as well as those in the South East of England where it has always been based.

With overseas offices established in Hong Kong, China, USA, Germany and Switzerland and an agency network second to none,

New Address Mairon Freight Management UK LTD Rock Business Park, The Hollow Washington, West Sussex RH20 3DA

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cover feature

june/july 2017 business edge

A new way to measure Is GDP really an effective way of measuring the economic well-being of Sussex? The recently launched Vibrant Economy Index produced by Grant Thornton aims to be the elusive yardstick that really measures how the whole of society is being enriched.

It’s not new to suggest that using gross domestic product (GDP) as a measure of a society’s success has run its course.

Forty-eight years ago, Robert F Kennedy declared that GDP “measures everything except that which makes life worthwhile”.

This year we have seen the political consequences of the failure of western societies to act on this.

The UK and USA have both seen overall growth in GDP over recent years, as they recover from the financial crash. However, this wealth has been unevenly distributed across regions and groups of people, creating a bigger gap between the rich and those who are “just managing”, which the campaigns for Brexit and for Donald Trump have both expressly tapped into.

Why we need a new way of measuring economic well-being A new way of measuring economic wellbeing is now an imperative. Many alternative measures have been suggested – a quick web search of “replace GDP” will throw up articles by esteemed economists, politicians and think tanks all passionately arguing that we need to do better.

What does a Vibrant Economy look like?

Prosperity

Dynamism and Opportunity

Inclusion and Equality

Health, wellbeing and happiness

Resilience and sustainability

Community, trust and belonging

We have an economy that is producing wealth and creating jobs.

Our economy is entrepreneurial and innovative, with a skill set that can drive future growth.

Everyone benefits from economic growth. The gap between richest and poorest narrows, regional disparities reduce, and there are opportunities for all.

People are healthy and active, leading fulfilling lives which provides individual prospects.

Our economy has a neutral impact on the natural enviroment and our built enviroments are resilent places we want to live in.

Vibrant communities have a lively and creative cultural life, and a clear identity that all its people are proud of. People feel safe and engage in community activities.

Why does Grant Thornton think that the Vibrant Economy Index has potential to be that elusive yardstick of how people’s lives are being enriched?

opportunity; inclusion and equality; health, wellbeing and happiness; resilience and sustainability; and community trust and belonging.

We believe that our economy should benefit society as a whole; a vibrant economy is about more than financial growth and economic return. Our index tackles this head on. It identifies six broad objectives for society: prosperity; dynamism and

For each of these we have put together a ‘basket’ of national statistics that together aim to measure these objectives. We have given each of the six objectives equal weight – on the basis that what makes

Vibrant Economy Index

Showing the top ten ranking districts nationally and five representative districts within Sussex

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a place vibrant depends on a balance between all of them.

Vibrancy is of course multi-dimensional: places are vibrant in different ways. The most vibrant place may not necessarily be the one that has the highest average score across the six baskets – a place with a lower average score but a balanced equilibrium across all areas may be considered more vibrant.

Rank

District

Region

Vibrant Economy Index

1

Cambridge

East of England

109.48

2

Oxford

South East

108.54

3

Richmond upon Thames

London

108.00

4

South Cambridgeshire

East of England

107.89

5

Guildford

South East

107.87

6

Workingham

South East

107.44

7

Windsor and Maidenhead

South East

107.27

8

Vale of White Horse

South East

107.17

9

Winchester

South East

106.78

10

Reigate and Banstead

South East

105.82

...

...

...

...

33

Horsham

South East

104.21

80

Crawley

South East

102.17

106

Brighton and Hove

South East

101.25

201

Worthing

South East

99.12

278

Hastings

South East

96.55

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e the success of Sussex How does Sussex Perform?

Vibrant Economy Index

Prosperity Index

Dynamism and opportunity index

Inclusion and Equality Index

Health, wellbeing and happiness index

Resilence and sustainability index

Community, trust and belonging index

Adur

E

D

E

B

C

E

C

Arun

C

E

C

C

C

A

D

Brighton and Hove

B

C

A

D

E

B

A

Chichester

B

D

A

B

B

A

B

Crawley

B

A

D

C

C

E

B

Eastbourne

C

C

C

D

B

E

A

Hastings

E

E

D

E

D

D

C

Horsham

A

C

B

A

A

A

B

Lewes

B

D

B

B

B

E

A

Mid Sussex

A

B

C

A

A

B

A

Rother

D

E

D

C

B

D

D

Wealden

C

D

C

A

A

E

C

Worthing

D

C

C

B

E

D

C

Rankings increase by 20%, where A is on the top 20% nationally and E the bottom 20% nationally

In this analysis, Sussex shows considerable variability, with districts such as Horsham and Mid-Sussex featuring at one end of the Index, Adur, and Hastings at the other. However, it is only when drilling down that this analysis starts to reveal further interest. Crawley for instance scores highly for economic prosperity, which means that it is producing wealth and jobs but below the national average for dynamism and opportunity, resilience and sustainability. This suggests that it is not developing an entrepreneurial and innovative culture or maintaining a sustainable environment to stimulate future growth. Whereas for instance, Brighton and Hove scores below the national average in the inclusion and equality indicator, but high on dynamism and opportunity as well as community, trust and belonging. How can Brighton and Hove ensure that the opportunities it is creating benefit a greater proportion of their residents?

Progress is personal and local – as well as national The Vibrant Economy Index acknowledges that progress is personal and local, as well as national. It can mean different things to different people in different places, which inevitably means that initiatives to increase the vibrancy of a place need to be more sophisticated than ‘increase GDP’.

The Vibrant Economy Index could help to identify those areas where new policies and action could have a real impact on shaping a vibrant economy, as well as helping place-makers (planners, local government, community groups and the like) be realistic about the limitations of the impact of their actions.

More than all of this, we need a measure that speaks authentically about what matters to people, at both a national and

how the economy is growing and carries with it the big assumption that increasing economic growth is good for us all.

Politics this year has been proof that citizens are fed up of being told what is good for them, and are taking decisive action. By having this conversation with as many people as possible we have a much better chance of being able to measure our progress in making places we think are worth living in. We welcome debate and feedback as part of that process and invite individuals, businesses and place-shapers to consider what the findings mean for Sussex and if this reflects their view of a vibrant economy.

www.vibranteconomyindex. grantthornton.co.uk

Jon Maile

The Vibrant Economy Index could help to identify those areas where new policies and action could have a real impact on shaping a vibrant economy, as well as helping place-makers (planners, local government, community groups and the like) be realistic about the limitations of the impact of their actions.

Partner Grant Thornton UK LLP

Rob Turner Associate Director Grant Thornton UK LLP

a local level. GDP tells us in headline terms

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inspirational leaders

june/july 2017 business edge

Rapid growth underpinned by a sense of caution These are boom times for Sussex law firm Mayo Wynne Baxter as it takes advantage of the South East’s strong economic performance to grow at a rapid pace.

Overseeing the process is Dean Orgill, who is a Partner within the Litigation Department and has been Chairman of Mayo Wynne Baxter and a Premier member of Sussex Chamber for the past six years.

Specialising in dispute resolution, he has been with Mayo Wynne Baxter since 1987, acting for local, national and international businesses as well as protecting their intellectual property rights and brands.

He initially became Managing Partner of Wynne Baxter Godfree in 1999 and, when a merger formed Mayo Wynne Baxter, he went on to become its Chairman in 2011.

Dean has overseen a period in which the firm continues to take on new people to cope with a growing demand for its legal services.

Underlying the desire for growth, however, is also a sense of caution and a respect for the history of the firm which can trace its beginnings back well over a century.

Dean said: “We are growing as a business through a mixture of acquisition and organic growth but it is important to us that we do it in a profitable and sustainable way.

“Parts of the business are more than one hundred years old with some dating back to the 1800s and we are very conscious of the responsibility that we have.

“That means that we make sure that we grow in a way that allows the firm to remain secure. We take a very long-term approach to growth.

“The result is that we have grown relentlessly but not spectacularly and, when it comes to acquisitions, it matters to us that the firms we acquire can add something to what we do and that we can add value to their operations. ”It also helps that we are based in the South East because the local economy has been performing well and the area has not really seen any significant impact from Brexit - yet.”

The combination of a strong local economy area and a well thought-out strategy means that the firm now has more than 220 Partners and staff, working across a range of sectors from offices in Brighton, Lewes, Eastbourne, East Grinstead, Forest

28

Row, Gatwick, Pulborough, Seaford and Storrington.

Another important factor in its success is a strong commitment to the customer, something it is keen to retain however large the firm becomes.

Indeed, the firm secured the Investors in People Award, which recognises its commitment to staff development and professional training.

Dean said: “We are experiencing growth across all sectors but as we grow bigger we need to retain a good quality of service as well.

“We work hard on customer care and place great store on the building of relationships because people buy from people.

“If you look after people, they will keep coming back to you, and we do have a lot of retained business.

“Similarly, if you do not take care of people, they will not come back to you and they will tell their friends why, so you will lose work.

“We seek out feedback, including doing mystery shopping on ourselves, and we act on what we find out because we are always seeking to improve.”

There is also a strong community ethos in the firm. In the wider business community, for example, Dean Chairs the Brighton and Hove Economic Partnership and sits on the Greater Brighton Economic Board, the European Structural Investment Fund committee of the Coast to Capital LEP and has just taken over as Chair of the Institute of Directors for Sussex.

For more than three years he was a Director of the Gatwick Diamond Initiative Limited, where he chaired the Inspire group focusing on training and skills, and he was also President of Sussex Law Society for 2011/12.

He said: “It is important that we are part of the business community. A lot of my job as Chairman of the firm is to be outwardfacing and to represent us in the wider business world.”

Dean is optimistic for the future of the firm. He said: “We have learned that you have to continually adapt to changing circumstances. No one, for example, saw the financial crash of 2008 coming, so you have to be ready to respond to what is happening but we have a strategic growth plan.

“You will never find a solicitor being too optimistic – we are by nature a cautious breed - but I would say that I am cautiously optimistic for the future of Mayo Wynne Baxter.”

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“We are experiencing growth across all sectors but as we grow bigger we need to retain a good quality of service as well. We work hard on customer care and place great store on the building of relationships because people buy from people. ” Dean Orgill | Mayo Wynne Baxter

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inspirational leaders

Dean Orgill

Mayo Wynne Baxter

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PROFESSIONAL PART-TIME COURSES OPEN EVENING

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RSM asks, are you and your business ready for the next step?

Kirsty Sandwell Corporate Finance Partner RSM

Many entrepreneurs are so focused on running their business they do not have the time to think about what the end game might be. This might be heading off in to the sunset; handing the business down through the family; world domination with

an aggressive acquisition strategy; or a desire to let management own the business in the future. These are all legitimate goals but each needs the business to be in a slightly different shape to be achieved.

Without careful planning, business owners could be disappointed that their dreams for their business simply cannot come true. Also if there is more than one shareholder then the risk that aspirations won’t be achieved is increased. The worst case scenario could be that only some of the shareholders get their desired outcome.

So where to start… simply at the beginning.

RSM’s framework below, is one they suggest that every business goes through in order to clearly set out both business and personal objectives. This enables business owners to monitor their progress and ensure they are on the right track to achieve their long term goals. Once future plans are agreed, owners should discuss these with their professional advisers to look at how close the business is to achieving them. Some of the areas could take years to put in place. Some may be a matter of weeks. The key is to have a plan.

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Chartered Accountants & Registered Auditors in the South & South East

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Just require bookkeeping training?

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Accountants, tax and business advisers to owner-managed businesses throughout Sussex

For a free initial consultation call us today on 01273 722505 www.parkerpartnership.com

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Introducing the Financial Advantage Program!

As a company director of a limited company or plc, or a partner in a Limited Liability Partnership you have most likely worked hard for a considerably amount of time on your business.

If you have been successful in generating profits, these will be reflected in the value of the investments you have made - your assets – both within your business and personally.

Your assets will be intended to fulfil many different purposes: provide income now or later, build a fund for retirement, provide security and ‘insulation’ against life’s uncertainties, and be available to your family or other beneficiaries as an inheritance. The challenge for you is to maximise the value of your assets in two ways: • Firstly, ensure that you achieve a consistently solid return on investment across your entire portfolio, year after year; and • Secondly, use tax breaks and legal asset structures to ensure that you keep as much as possible of your investment portfolio.

However, for many reasons Directors often fail to achieve anything like the full potential of their investment portfolio. That’s why the Financial Advantage Program from Avantis Wealth can deliver substantial financial benefits.

The three elements of the Financial Advantage Program: Just consider the difference to your investment portfolio if you could; 1. Consistently achieve 7%-15% return on investment, year after year, for investments made personally and with cash reserves inside your company.

The Financial Advantage Program shows you how to do this using the proprietary F.R.E.S.H. investment strategy.

2. Structure your pension to take advantage of the new pension freedoms, have maximum flexibility of investment and even provide a source of future cashflow for your business.

The program’s Advantage SSAS can show you how.

3. Deploy well established asset protection strategies to provide protection from future challenges and organise your affairs in the most tax efficient manner.

Well established Trust structures will uncover how in our Financial Advantage Program.

01273 447299

0800 6120880

Ultimately, the Financial Advantage Program from Avantis Wealth shows company directors and partners how to make more money, then keep more money, from their investment portfolio in both their personal and company arrangements.

What does it mean in practice?

The Financial Advantage Program in action Let’s take a simple example. Suppose you pay income tax at 40%. Your current portfolio is generating an annual return of 4% gross, 2.4% net, on a compounded basis. You have built a portfolio worth £100,000.

What would your portfolio look like after 10 or 20 years with this realistic set of figures: Capital now

Time span

Capital in 10 years

Growth

£100,000

20 years

£160,693

£60,693

So what’s the difference if by implementing the F.R.E.S.H. investment strategy you average 8% P.A compound growth, and you have arranged your affairs such that you benefit from tax breaks on your portfolio.

What would your capital have grown to now?

Capital now

Time span

Capital in 10 years

Growth

£100,000

20 years

£466,095

£366,095

The bottom line here is that by starting with the same £100,000, instead of achieving £60,693 growth over 20 years you could achieve £366,095 growth, some SIX times greater.

Next steps – get the F.R.E.S.H. Report!

To introduce the concept of F.R.E.S.H. investments, the keystone of the Financial Advantage Program from Avantis Wealth, claim your complimentary copy of ‘How to the F.R.E.S.H. Investment Strategy to Achieve 7%-15% Net Annual Returns’. This insightful 72-page report could be the first step you take to make more money and keep more of what you make!

Call our investment broker team on 01273 447299 or email advantage@avantiswealth.com, quoting ‘BUSINESS EDGE’ to request your complimentary copy now! invest@avantiswealth.com

www.avantiswealth.com

Disclaimer: Avantis Wealth Ltd is not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Avantis Wealth Ltd does not provide any financial or investment advice. We provide a referral to a regulated advisor who will offer appropriate advice, or to the company offering an investment who will determine your suitability for the investment prior to any offer being made. We strongly recommend that you seek appropriate professional advice before entering into any contract. The value of any investments can go down as well as up and you might not get back what you put in. You may have difficulty selling any investment at a reasonable price and in some circumstances it might be difficult to sell at any price. Do not invest unless you have carefully thought about whether you can afford it and whether it is right for you and if necessary consult with a professional adviser in accordance with the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. These products are not regulated by the FCA or covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme and you will not have access to the financial ombudsman service. Information is provided as a guide only, is subject to change without prior notice and does not constitute an offer of investment. Some investments may be restricted to persons who are high net worth, sophisticated or professional investors or who take independent advice from an authorised independent financial advisor.

finance focus

june/july 2017 business edge

When to Incorporate?

Paul Knight Managing Director Honey Barrett Chartered Accountants

The perennial question faced by unincorporated businesses and start ups is when or whether to operate through a company. For some it may be a question of weighing up the personal financial risk, but for most it will be a question of which is the least tax route.

The answer to that tax question will differ depending on exact circumstances, and is not helped by the ever-moving goalposts set by the government. However if one makes some average assumptions it is possible to provide a guide. The most variable element to the calculation is the privately used car, but if we assume the business owner has a car with at least a £20k list price and emissions of 130 g/km, and has business use of 30%, it will generally be beneficial to keep the car out of the company and avoid company car tax and Class 1A NIC. Taking account of running the car privately, the profit level at which the tax becomes less going the company route, taking into account both corporate and personal taxes, is around £40k (before deducting car running costs). However there is extra expense involved in running a company, so the trigger point is likely to be around £45k.

The trigger point will be lower if there is no car involved.

An efficient salary and dividends mix is assumed here and these figures also assume that all the post tax profits are withdrawn from a company. If some of the profits are left in, the tax savings will be enhanced. There are ways to increase the tax savings, for example by charging interest on personal funds lent to the company, in lieu of dividends.

The goalposts are moving again in 2018/19 with the dividend allowance being reduced from £5k to £2k, but on the other hand corporate tax rates are due to reduce to 17% from 2020.

Every situation is individual and so it is never the case that one size fits all. Professional advice should always be taken before acting on any of these points.

For further advice call 01323 412277 or visit www.honeybarrett.co.uk.

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Would using a limited company save you tax?

Honey Barrett can advise on when or whether to operate through a limited company and look at ways to maximise any tax saving.

Our services include: n Accountancy and Audit n BACS Payroll Bureau n Xero training n Business Planning n Company Secretarial n Management Accounts n Personal Tax

n n n n n

PRISM – KPI reports R&D Tax Relief Tax Planning Trusts and Estates 10 Steps to Success System

For a FREE consultation, contact Paul Knight on 01323 412277 Honey Barrett Chartered Accountants 53 Gildredge Road, Eastbourne, East Sussex BN21 4SF Other offices at Bexhill and Wadhurst.

www.honeybarrett.co.uk

tel: 01444 259 259

finance focus

june/july 2017 business edge

Online accounting: meeting the demands of business needs Once upon a time, online accounting was a thing of the future but, with businesses increasingly opting for software in the cloud and HMRC ‘Making Tax Digital’, online accounting is in the here and now and it offers a host of benefits…

Rob Beasley

Online Accounting Specialist Kreston Reeves

Online accounting provides greater control over costs and cash flow – far more so than Excel spreadsheets and desktop software!

For some, these alleviate the fear that data could be lost or compromised somewhere in the cloud, but the benefits of integrating online software into a business’s financial management outweigh the risks.

Software packages like Xero and QuickBooks Online, which are used by more than one million businesses worldwide, help businesses of all sizes to manage their finances, plan and make informed decisions.

Online accounting enables invoices to be sent out quicker and debts chased more

easily. Research shows that electronically produced and sent invoices are paid faster - an obvious advantage where cash flow is crucial to survival and growth.

Embracing this technology will release time for business owners to focus on business development, planning, networking or improving their product or services. Surely a good thing?! It also allows external advisers to engage fully with a business in real-time, on the move, 24/7 - not just on receipt of soon to be outdated information.

From this perspective, we can identify potential problems or even opportunities early, be more proactive with clients and also be in more regular contact in between our face to face meetings.

A fully digital future for businesses makes sense in a world driven by seamless connectivity; especially considering HM Revenue & Customs’ plans for Making

Tax Digital and the need for more regular reporting. The advances made in accounting software means that the days of taking a bag of receipts to a bookkeeper are disappearing fast, as is the idea that an accountant is just there to keep the books balanced and the filing obligations met.

Online accounting is freeing up both clients and advisers to add real value to the development and growth of a business. The more an adviser can be released from data processing tasks, the more we can offer support and strategic advice. It is a chance for businesses to be on top of their finances, and for those whom they rely on for advice to be in the same place.

For more information on online accounting and how it can work for your business, please contact Rob Beasley, Online Accounting Specialist at Kreston Reeves at robert.beasley@krestonreeves.com or on 01243 787627

Supporting you and your business every step of the way To find out more about our broad range of accountancy, business advisory and financial services that help dynamic organisations, private individuals and families make confident decisions about the future, please contact: Shirley Smith, Partner, Gatwick office T: +44 (0)1293 776 152 E: shirley.smith@krestonreeves.com Sarah Ediss, Partner, Horsham office T: +44 (0)1403 253 282 E: sarah.ediss@krestonreeves.com

www.krestonreeves.com

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mobile design studio your place + our kit & skills = great team & results

uk south coast design studio website | brand | promotional print

a creative service

with a bunch of fresh ideas For busy commercial offices who need help with their website, marketing materials and social media but don't have the workload for, or want the overheads of, a full-time member of staff.

THE BASICS 4 to 8 hours weekly serving Brighton, Chichester, Worthing and Horsham Perfect for firms who struggle to find reliable agencies to outsource promotional and marketing tasks to and don’t have staff with the right skills (or enthusiasm!).

“We needed a part-time multi-tasker who could work on several design-based office tasks, especially keeping our website up-to-date. Our Mint Mobile Studio designer is a perfect fit - a highly skilled designer who fits in wonderfully with the team and, just gets on with it!”

JP SOUTH EVENTS

full details at www.mintdesign.studio

contact the team@mintdesign.studio | 01903 695400

business matters

june/july 2017 business edge

Deloitte Gatwick celebrates moving to Manor Royal The new Deloitte office in Gatwick represents a significant investment for our firm, demonstrating our belief that ours is a fast growing region and supporting our desire to bring the highest levels of expertise and service to local businesses. Our focus is to build trusted and sustainable relationships with businesses in our area, and lead a business community network that everyone involved in will value.

Emma Bairstow, Office Senior Partner at Deloitte in Gatwick added: “The new office captures the positive impact Deloitte has on our clients, the places in which we do business and the talent we hire. It further underlines our continued support of the local economy.”

Emma Bairstow

Graham Pickett

Charles Morelli

Emma has been in the profession for more than 20 years and is the Office Senior Partner for the Gatwick office.

She is a Business Tax partner specialising in the international tax issues facing large multi-nationals investing into the UK. She also has wider industry roles with a number of medical technology and consumer businesses as clients.

Graham has been a Partner at Deloitte for 22 years and leads the Deloitte Travel, Hospitality and Leisure industry group in the UK as well as being the firm’s Global Leader for Travel and Aviation. Based in Gatwick, Graham’s main focus is serving his key clients in the travel and aviation sectors. He is also a member of the UK Aviation Club and is extensively involved with regulation of the industry, working regularly with the CAA and other organisations such as ABTA.

Charles has over 15 years’ experience of advising companies in the Kent, Sussex and Surrey region and has worked with many of the largest businesses in this area. He specialises in the Travel, Hospitality and Leisure sector and has assisted clients with accounting, due diligence and regulatory matters.

Rob Knight

Tim Matthews

Jack Stoakes

Rob has been with the firm for 19 years. He is an audit partner with considerable experience of working with private and public companies assisting them with both audit and advisory services. Rob has worked across a variety of sectors and specialises in Business Services and Technology.

Tim is an International Tax Director with over 12 years’ experience advising businesses on domestic and international tax matters.

Tim is part of Deloitte UK’s national foreign owned team that specialises in advising clients in connection with tax issues faced by foreign parented multinationals investing into the UK, and has extensive knowledge and experience in this area. Tim also operates as the European regional tax lead for a number of multinational businesses.

Jack is a Tax Director and leads Deloitte’s Gatwick VAT team. He has been with Deloitte for over 12 years and along with his team advises clients across a wide spectrum of industry sectors, including amongst others travel, real estate, consumer business, manufacturing financial services and public sector. Areas of particular focus for Jack include maximising VAT savings and efficiencies, VAT assurance and compliance, real estate transactions, managing international aspects and effective dispute resolution.

James Wright

Nipun Vinaik

Hannah Pop

Jim has been a Partner at Deloitte for 2 years and leads the Private Markets group in Gatwick. Jim’s main focus is serving his key clients across Private Equity and family owned businesses in a wide variety of sectors. In addition his industry focus lies in Real Estate; principally housebuilding, construction, investment property companies and social housing. Jim is also a member of the ICAEW social housing sub-committee.

Nipun is an audit director with over 10 years of professional experience.

Over the years Nipun has worked with both manufacturing and consumer business groups and currently leads the audit of a FTSE listed multinational group.

Hannah is an audit director and has recently transferred to Gatwick following 14 years at Deloitte in London. Her credentials cover a range of sectors including leisure and retail. While her specialism is Private Equity backed businesses, including audit and a year secondment running the Deloitte Program for Private Equity Backed CFOs, she also has experience with FTSE and smaller private clients.

Internally, Nipun supports our UK International Audit practice with a focus on our operations and financial performance.

Bill Farren Bill is a partner specialising in private market and listed audit work, as well as the role of reporting accountant for companies undergoing IPO. He has a particular interest in private equity backed businesses and others which are moving towards exit, embedding transactional experience into his audit relationships. Bill is Chief Operating Officer for our Private Equity and Equity Capital Markets audit practice nationally.

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37

food and drink focus

june/july 2017 business edge

Quality the watchword as food and drink market grows Ask the man or woman in the street to name the UK’s biggest manufacturing sector and they may come up with something around plastics or maybe automotives.

In fact, food and drink is the largest manufacturing sector in the UK with a turnover of £76 billion, according to Government figures.

There are more than 8,000 companies in the industry, which between them employ 400,000 people.

In addition, the industry invests in research and development, which results in 10,000 new products being introduced to the market every year.

For many of them, the focus on specialities is driving impressive growth driven by changes in shopping trends.

More and more customers have become increasingly conscious about what they eat due to growing awareness in health and general well-being.

As a result, companies large and small are looking to develop products which are healthier and whose provenance can be easily traced by the shopper.

Also important is the growing focus on the distance that food travels with the result that more food and drink is

sold locally, reducing the miles that it is transported.

The rapid growth in the food and drink industry, including increasing export opportunities with UK products in demand abroad, means that UK manufacturers distribute more than 6.3 billion cases of products each year.

An opportunity to drink to the success of the Sussex wine industry The wine industry is one of the fastest growing sectors in the UK and now you can take advantage of its success in Sussex by treating clients and staff alike to an excellent day out.

“They are also excellent for staff teambuilding. During the walk for example, employees really get to know colleagues in a way that is not always possible in the office when everyone is busy, and in ‘work mode’.”

Sussex-based Fizz on Foot has established itself as the South East’s premier organisers of wine and walking tours, which allow people to experience some of the county’s many vineyards.

“We also organise tours for groups of people who don’t know each other and we have seen friendships develop on the day and continue after the tour has finished.”

Created two years ago by Ian Shearer and Lucy-Ann Prideaux, the company organises tours, which are ideal for celebrations, corporate events or staff team-building, combining visits to vineyards with walks through the beautiful Sussex countryside.

Ian said: “The English wine industry is growing rapidly. The temperature in the UK is now perfect for sparkling wine production, and with temperatures rising too high in France, due to the effects of climate change, much of the attention is now switching to this country.

“Our events celebrate the success of the Sussex wine industry with its numerous vineyards and offer people an opportunity to experience the process from vine to wine.”

Tours, which range from one day to four, depending on customers’ requirements,

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involve hosting groups of as little as 4 up to 24, or more.

Walks can be anything from three miles to nine miles depending on walking ability, and the day presents plenty of opportunities to sample wines along the way! If groups want to omit the walking, Fizz on Foot organises sumptuous food and wine matching experiences, and can also host private wine tastings, bringing a fun, and educational element to a day!

Ian said: “The tours have proved popular with companies wishing to treat valued clients to a day out. They are a really good way to thank clients for their support and also, to get to know clients on a different, more social level.

www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

Fizz on Foot has been growing rapidly and hosts not just local people but tourists from all across the UK as well as those visiting the area from abroad. This year sees the launch of 2 new tours abroad, one to the Loire Valley, and the other to the Prosecco region in Italy.

Ian said: “Our tours offer an enjoyable day out and give people an opportunity to enjoy some of the best wine and food that the county can provide.”

You can contact the company at: Fizz on Foot Limited The Vinery 36 Baldwin Avenue Eastbourne BN21 1UP Tel: 01323 737271 Mobile: 07971 851777 Email: Info@fizzonfoot.com www.fizzonfoot.com

tel: 01444 259 259

food and drink focus

june/july 2017 business edge

A brief history of The Cheese Man The Cheese Man was started in August 1995 by Fred Cowling. He had 25 years experience previously in the cheese industry, before making the leap to go out alone?

It start off with one van, out of a small 500 sq ft Unit on the Sussex Coast. While Fred was out in the van busily building up business, his son Tony would help after his day job, by taking in deliveries, rotating stock ready for the next day.

After three years of building up trade, the business had grown sufficiently, to allow Tony to join as a partner in the business in 1998. And a second vehicle was added, to allow further van sales as well as collections of stock, as well taking over some of the financial roles in the business.

In July 2002 The Cheese Man was running three sales vans out of the single unit, but was fortunate enough to find the unit next door, was coming available. And this was taken on, and the wall knocked down, and so the expansion began.

With sales and staff steadily increasing, a third unit was added in 2005, and the growth continued. And by now there were four sales rounds.

By the middle of 2006 a fifth round was added, as well as more office staff, but space was becoming tight, but it wasn’t until 2009 that a further forth unit became available on the same site. And by this time there were 6 sales rounds.

After steady growth through the years, it was May 2013 when the seventh round was added, and the staff total had reached 15. But it was a further two years in 2015, before we were able to take on a fifth and final unit at the original site, given a total of 2500 sq ft of the Fridge & warehouse capacity. It was then decided that if the business was to continue to grow, as it had been so well supported by their customers, then a larger site would be needed, for the 10 vans and staff parking needed.

The search started in 2016, for a suitable site! Plenty of suitable sized units all over Sussex were considered, but none were really suitable, as parking was becoming an issue. Then in November 2016 their

landlords, The Shoreham Port, suggest a newly acquired site, just round the corner might be suitable.

And in January 2017, they had the keys of a 7000 sq ft site, with ample parking right on the Sussex Coast. Work commenced straight away, installing new refrigeration. And from Mid-March the site was operational.

The new site offers exciting prospects for future growth, as well as additional local gourmet products, keeping the same standard of service their customer have been used to through the years. www.thecheeseman.co.uk

One constant is Quench’s ethos to provide customers with the best quality products and service, all served by friendly and knowledgeable staff to provide an unmatched experience.

Located in central Burgess Hill Quench is open from 9am (10am on Sundays) to serve a variety of breakfasts alongside a range of teas and Italian espresso based coffees. At lunchtime, the menu includes freshly prepared sandwiches, light bites, homemade Gourmet Burgers finished off with some tantalizing deserts.

The bar, featured in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide for the last 4 years, has an up-to-date appearance with a mixture of urban-industrial and shabby chic interiors to create a modern, cutting edge drinking environment.

Whilst the theme takes inspiration from cities outside of the local environment, the decoration is routed firmly in the town that has made the bar a success.

Photos of Burgess Hill past and present adorn the walls, showcasing the beauty of the town throughout

its history as well as the photography skills of local artist Abigail Birch from Babi Photography.

Burgess Hill continues to be celebrated in the bar’s ‘Craft Beer Fridge’, which contains high quality craft beer from across the globe including Board Walk and Brewlin Rouge, from the town’s new nano-brewery, The Kiln Brewery. Local is certainly the buzz word in Quench. Local ales from the likes of Downlands, Bedlam and Harveys breweries. Local spirits including the fantastic Brighton gin. Local wines on the new English Wine List from Ditchling’s Ridgeview and Court Garden as well as Albourne’s wine estate.

Quench is truly an all-day venue that provides the perfect way to unwind, celebrate or just spend time with friends.

2-4 Church Road Burgess Hill West Sussex RH15 9AE

01444 253332 contactus@quenchbar.co.uk www.quenchbar.co.uk

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39

conferencing & drink focus

june/july 2017 business edge

A Unique Place for Your Event

HASTINGS

WHITE ROCK

THEATRE

Looking for a prime location to host your event? Our unique and theatrical venue has a number of adaptable spaces for weddings, meetings, conferences, exhibitions or a special celebration. With experienced hospitality and event management staff, The White Rock Theatre can help you create the perfect event.

Situated in a prime position on the sea front in Hastings, the White Rock Theatre offers traditional hospitality in breathtaking surroundings, making it the perfect venue for meetings, rehearsals, workshops, conferences, parties, celebrations and more.

Offering a range of spaces that can be adapted to suit your requirements, from one to one meetings to large seminars, birthday celebrations to community events, the White Rock Theatre has a history of staging versatile and quality events.

A dedicated team of professionals will work with you to tailor your event to suit your needs, and your budget. Offering outstanding technical support and a technician to work with you throughout your event alongside a dedicated Duty Manager, ensuring your event runs smoothly.

The Hospitality Team offer fantastic catering services from tea, coffee and biscuits to buffets and full sit-down meals, tailored to your every need.

Visit whiterocktheatre.org.uk for more details.

For further details or to arrange a tour contact Kiera Turner on 01424 462290 or email kturner@whiterocktheatre.org.uk

ENFR TREE Y

whiterocktheatre.org.uk

ents rt Pres Newhaven Fo

Farmers & Makers

Locally sourced Sussex suppliers Sunday 4th June • Sunday 9th July • Sunday 6th August 10:00am - 4:00pm at Newhaven Fort

n and market pitch enquirie For further informatio s email: info@waveleisure.co.uk or call 01323 493061

40

www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

tel: 01444 259 259

conferencing & drink focus

june/july 2017 business edge

MEETINGS AND EVENTS

AT CHICHESTER CATHEDRAL

• Corporate hospitality • Cocktail receptions • Meeting rooms • Luxury accommodation

At Chichester Cathedral we offer a blend of luxury and flexibility that makes our venues equally well suited to large corporate events and small meetings.

The prime location of all our venues offers your guests the convenience of a city centre location within the tranquil setting of the Cathedral precincts. From the medieval Vicars’ Hall to the elegant tranquillity of 4 Canon Lane, we have something to suit every occasion.

01243 813586

bookings@chichestercathedral.org.uk

Face-to-face is still the key An industry which employs more than 550,000 people, the UK events sector is estimated to contribute more than £36 billion to the UK economy each year the conferences and event sector is booming at the moment, creating jobs and bringing investment to a wide range of venues.

One of the main reasons for the sector’s success, according to industry experts, is its ability to constantly try out new things while never losing touch with the needs of its clients.

Those clients say that, amid all the innovation and clever technology, the main reason they like conferences is their ability to provide face-to-face contacts.

Anyone in business will tell you that, despite the rapid advances in communications technology, face-to-face contact remains the best way of bringing in new contracts and retaining existing ones; humans still have a fundamental need to look each other in the eye when communicating despite the rapid growth of the Internet.

www.chichestercathedral.org.uk www.cathedralenterprises.co.uk

2017 Sussex Craft and Food Festival The Bluebell Railway Horsted Keynes Station 1st and 2nd July A celebration of Sussex food, drink and crafts.

Sample local food and drinks from around the county.

Steam trains throughout the day.

Are you a local producer who would like to participate?

For more information contact 01825 720800 info@bluebell-railway.co.uk

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41

diary

june/july 2017 business edge

Events June 7th

Construction Forum - Shoreham Port

Shoreham Port

10.00 - 12.30

8th

Business Networking Lunch - June

University of Chichester

12.00 - 14.30

12th

Grow Your Connections - June

TBC - SOUTH

08.00 - 10.00

20th

Breakfast - The UK Water Market - Financial Planning & Data Amangement

Buxted Park Hotel

08.00 - 10.30

23rd

Policy and External Affairs Forum - June

The Hove Club

09.00 - 11.30

29th

Business Leaders Conference - June

Jury’s Inn Brighton Waterfront Hotel

12.00 - 18.00

Business Networking Lunch - Overview & outlook for the UK economy

Holiday Inn

12.00 - 14.30

July 11th 19th

British Gold Cup Open Polo Championship & Summer Buffet

Cowdray Park Golf Club

11.30 - 17.00

26th

Business Networking Breakfast - July

Yet to be confirmed

08.00 - 10.30

Cisswood House Hotel

08.00 - 10.30

August 16th

Business Networking Breakfast - August

Training June 12th

Using Documentary Letters of Credit, Drafts & Bills - June

The Kings Church

09.30 - 16.30

14th

Step Back & Plan Ahead - Direction & Leadership for Senior Managers - June

The Kings Church

09.30 - 16.30

28th

How to Have Great Sales Conversations - June

The Kings Church

09.30 - 16.30

29th

Revised Incoterms Rules 2010 for Import Export - June

The Kings Church

09.30 - 12.30

3rd

Time Management & Personal Effectiveness - July

The Kings Church

09.30 - 16.30

10th

Exporting - Understanding the Paperwork - July

The Kings Church

09.30 - 16.30

13th

Introduction to Supervision & Team Leadership - July

The Kings Church

09.30 - 16.30

17th

Confident & Effective Communication Skills - July

The Kings Church

09.30 - 16.30

July

August 2nd

Personal Customer Service in the Digital Age - August

The Kings Church

09.30 - 16.30

14th

Managing People for Business Success - 2 Day Course - August

The Kings Church

09.30 - 16.30

Please check the website for the full 2017 Calendar - www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

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www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

tel: 01444 259 259

june/july 2017 business edge

training and development

Catering for the future Sussex Downs College vocational students and apprentices are paving out a successful career path in the Catering and Hospitality industry Catering and Hospitality is a huge industry here in Sussex, and Sussex Downs College is serving up future chefs and front of house staff. The College collaborates with leading tourist destinations including the Grade II Listed Pelham House Hotel in the historic town of Lewes and the five-star seaside Grand Hotel in Eastbourne, providing many opportunities for students to master their craft.

An historic night Last month saw HNC Level 4 and Level 3 work experience Catering and Hospitality students from the college take over a real working restaurant at the Pelham House Hotel. Fifteen students prepared a gourmet three-course meal for around 60 guests including the Mayor of Eastbourne, Councillor Pat Hearn, and the Mayor of Lewes, Dr Graham Mayhew.

The menu, designed by the students, included vegetarian and gluten-free options and incorporated contemporary cooking methods. Dishes included a cauliflower quinoa salad; ginger beer belly pork; chicken and chorizo salad; pan fried seabass; chocolate and courgette cake and poached pear and rhubarb.

Course co-ordinator Valentine Rodriguez said: “The students were responsible for the entire event, from promoting it and choosing the courses, to a site visit and meeting with the restaurant’s Head Chef Naomi Howard.”

Level 4 Hospitality Management student Dylan Morgan, 21, guided Level 3 students during the evening and was responsible for quality control.

He said, “This was a fantastic event. It gave us the chance to apply some of the things we’ve been learning in a real working environment.”

In the Grand scheme of things Vocational courses remain a popular choice at the College, but there has been a significant increase in learners, both school leaving age and college leaving age, seeking apprenticeships. To meet the demand, Sussex Downs College has collaborated with Sussex Coast College Hastings to form Sussex Skills Solutions, a company offering apprenticeships and skills training across Sussex.

“A common misconception about apprenticeships is that they are only for young adults looking for work. Apprentices can be any age, from 16 upwards,” says Katie Parris, Employment and Recruitment Adviser at Sussex Downs College. “One of the things we do is to work with employers to upskill their existing workforce. The employer receives a high retention rate and employees feel more satisfied as they are progressing in the workplace by updating their skills and training.”

This was the case for Bar Supervisor Harry Thorpe, 20, from Eastbourne. Harry worked two part-time jobs as a student, one of which was at Eastbourne’s Grand Hotel, the UK’s only five-star seafront located resort. University was on the horizon but when a position for a full-time bartender became available alongside an apprenticeship, he chose this route into the hospitality profession. Harry became bar supervisor in March 2016 and completed his apprenticeship in February this year, earning his Food & Beverage Level 2 Diploma.

Harry says: “I never looked at myself as an apprentice, which I think is important. You’re an employee in the workplace; you look for respect and you get the work done. I treated my apprenticeship like a normal job and the qualification is a bonus on the side.”

Changes to Apprenticeships Catering and Hospitality is just one of the apprenticeship areas fulfilled by Sussex Skills Solutions. Apprenticeships are an increasingly attractive option to employees in all industries, as it enables them to gain nationally recognised qualifications in the workplace and gain that all important continued professional development.

Furthermore, new funding changes coming into effect in May will affect all employers in England and will see large employers having to contribute to a new Apprenticeship levy.

Stephen Burkes, Director of Sussex Skills Solutions, explains: “If you are a large employer with an annual payroll totalling £3million or more, then you will be required to pay into the Apprenticeship Levy. We are working closely with companies of all sizes to explain the changes and support employers, so please get in touch for more information.”

These changes will also give employers greater control over what training is being undertaken, including a wide range of qualifications to study, from GCSE level, right up to a Master’s degree.

Sussex Skills Solutions can also support businesses to undertake mandatory training including Food Hygiene, First Aid and the Personal Licence Holder course, all of which can be delivered as bespoke provision in the workplace if required.

AS A CHAMBER MEMBER YOU’RE WELL CONNECTED

43

sussex digital awards

june/july 2017 business edge

Sussex Digital Awards 2017 THE online achievements of some of the most progressive organisations across Sussex have been honoured at the first annual Digital Awards.

Accolades across 14 categories including “Website”, “Use of Video for Business”, “Mobile App” and “Use of Social Media for Business” were presented to businesses, charities and schools at Pelham House in Lewes, on April 13.

Hosting SDA17 was former BBC broadcaster Robin Bailey who handed Gold, Silver and Bronze prizes to a group of worthy winners.

Special guests included Ana Christie from Sussex Chamber of Commerce, Lee Mansfield of Sussex Business Times and Dan Wallman of Sussex Council of Training Providers, all of whom presented awards.

The Sussex Digital Awards was launched last year solely to showcase online work from across Brighton, East Sussex and West Sussex.

Walking away with the Gold award in the flagship “Website” category was Brightonbased digital agency Boz Boz, who won for their work on behalf of TV presenter Jeremy Paxman.

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The Disabilities Trust, an autism charity in Burgess Hill, scooped the top prize in the “Use of Social Media for Business” and East Grinstead agency, Magnify Creative, won “Online Retailer” on behalf of Campania Food and Wine.

Also on stage, claiming Gold in the “Use of Video for Business”, were Midnight Communications for BRITA Vivreau” and Advantage Air Systems from Horsham were victorious in “Website: Small Business”.

The top award in “Mobile App” was picked up by Carousel for Curing Perfect, an online graphic novel.

Gold in the “Blog” classification went to fulltime digital writer Tom Briggs for “Diary of the Dad” and “Responsive Website” went to 5and3: Integrated Communication Solutions from East Grinstead.

The “Website: Marketing & Creative” Gold went to Brighton branding studio Made

By Spoken and “Website: B2B” to 4D Data Centres in West Byfleet.

Also on top of the podium were The Cookshelf by Superlative Design in “Website: Lifestyle & Culture” and Rockinghorse Children’s Charity, from Brighton, in “Website: School, Education or Charity”.

Cheryl Piper, PR & Communications Manager at Rockinghorse Children’s Charity said: “We are so pleased to have won this category, it was a tough category with loads

www.sussexchamberofcommerce.co.uk

of great competition and this will take pride of place in the office and we’re so grateful to everyone who judged the award and found us worthy of winning it.”

SDA17 host, Robin Bailey, described the sellout event as a “smash-hit success”.

He added: “We are absolutely delighted with the reaction to the first Sussex Digital Awards.

“We received a very large number of high quality entries, the presentation evening was packed to the rafters and the atmosphere was electric.

“This has been a great evening of celebration for the talented people of Sussex, bravo!”

“Website: Tourism & Hospitality” Gold was landed by Brighton’s Pragmatic Agency for their project on behalf of luxury hotel business Condé Nast Johansens.

There was also a special “Spirit of Sussex” award, which is given to one organisation chosen for attracting significantly positive exposure to the county and this was presented to the Goodwood Festival of Speed, the annual motor racing event on the Goodwood Estate which attracts more than 200,000 visitors each year.

They were recognised for their use of digital platforms in promoting the county of Sussex as a destination.

tel: 01444 259 259

sussex digital awards

june/july 2017 business edge

Sussex Digital Awards 2017 – The Winners Blog Gold - Diary of the Dad Silver - Denyse Whillier Bronze - Muddy Stilettos Sussex

Mobile app Gold - Curing Perfect by Carousel Silver - MyTeamSafe by Hillingar Bronze - M-Tickets by Brighton & Hove Buses and Metrobus

Online retailer Gold - Campania Food and Wine by Magnify Creative Silver - Cowdray Estates by 247 Creative Bronze - Vinscovery by Nik Hannay Ltd & Ollie Hyde

Responsive website Gold - 5and3: Integrated Communication Solutions Silver - Focus Digital Media Bronze - Turner & Hoskins by Magnify Creative

Use of social media for business in association with Sussex business times

Website: B2B Gold - 4D Data Centres Silver - Infigo Software Bronze - Ticketmedia by Made By Spoken

Website: Lifestyle & Culture

Gold - The Disabilities Trust Silver - Barfoots by Kitch Media Bronze - Arundel Castle by Midnight Communications

Gold - The Cookshelf by Superlative Design Silver - Woman Alive by CPO Bronze - SixtySix Productions by ifour

Use of video for business

Gold - Made By Spoken Silver - Jeremy Paxman by Bozboz Bronze - 5and3: Integrated Communication Solutions

Gold - BRITA Vivreau by Midnight Communications Silver - Egg Media Bronze - IBDrelief

Website in association with Sussex Chamber of Commerce Gold - Jeremy Paxman by Bozboz Silver - Internet Matters by Pragmatic Bronze - 5and3: Integrated Communication Solutions

Website: Marketing & Creative

Website: School, Education or Charity

Website: small business in association with Sussex Council of training providers Gold - Advantage Air Systems Silver - Brighton Digital Women Bronze - Matthew Page Photography by Dan Gorham Creative Design

Website: Tourism & Hospitality Gold - Condé Nast Johansens by Pragmatic Silver - Cowdray Estate by 247 Creative Bronze - Coast B&B by Studio Polpetto

Spirit of Sussex Gold - Goodwood Festival of Speed The gallery of images can be accessed here

http://thedigitalawards.co/gallery/ sussex-2017/

Gold - Rockinghorse Children’s Charity Silver - TeamUp Bexhill by Rother Voluntary Action Bronze - Internet Matters by Pragmatic

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construction focus

june/july 2017 business edge

What do we do when a structure is no longer suitable for our requirements?

Buildings are an essential part of our lives – as homes, homes for businesses, and often as businesses themselves. They are also an extremely good investment.

Most of us understand the need to protect this investment and keep buildings well maintained, – but what do we do when a structure is no longer suitable for our requirements..? The usual answer is to move to a new location, or alter and extend our existing property. Unless you are fortunate enough to find somewhere that is exactly right for your needs, you will probably need building work done.

This can seem a daunting idea – how do you set about this process, and avoid being ripped off by unscrupulous contractors…?

How do you define what you want, and describe this to your builder…? What are the legal processes to go through, and how do you obtain the necessary permissions…?

And most importantly, what will it all cost, and who is advising you on this…?

At this point, it sounds like you will need some professional help. The best place to begin is with a Quantity Surveyor. Perhaps not so well-known as his colleague the

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Architect, the QS is the money man in the building industry - and hence, if you’re on a budget, this is the place to start. The QS can provide cost advice for your project, right from your initial idea - and keep this updated as the design progresses.

He can also steer you towards a suitable architectural practice for the type of works envisaged, or maybe recommend a “Design & Build” approach where the builder takes responsibility for the design, too. He can obtain competitive prices from reputable builders - basing these on proper written

specifications and schedules, and then guide you during the construction process itself - including recommending stage payments and checking and agreeing the final account.

This whole service can be obtained for a very small percentage of the overall cost of the project – and indeed a QS usually pays for himself in terms of the savings achieved by the competitive tendering process and astute financial management of the works.

Can you afford not to use a Quantity Surveyor…?

The QS can provide cost advice for your project, right from your initial idea - and keep this updated as the design progresses. He can also steer you towards a suitable architectural practice for the type of works envisaged, or maybe recommend a “Design & Build” approach where the builder takes responsibility for the design, too.

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construction focus

june/july 2017 business edge

Tackling the construction skills shortage and creating local employment Beard, a family-owned regional construction company which operates across the South of England, has been committed to tackling the building industry’s skills shortage for many years, offering structured training schemes for school leavers and graduates.

The £136 million turnover business which celebrates its 125th anniversary this year, has built its success on investing in and training its own workforce to ensure the long-term sustainability of the firm.

“Construction is one of the largest industries in the UK, employing around 2.9 million workers and about 10% of the country’s workforce. But the industry faces a rapidly ageing population with huge levels of retirement over the coming years and fewer new entrants,” says Gareth Phillips, contracts manager for Beard’s Guildford operations.

“Young people aren’t aware of the fantastic career opportunities in construction today because of inadequate careers information and outdated perceptions of the sector as a male-dominated, dangerous and poorly paid industry, which it is not. We want to change these old-fashioned attitudes.”

Beard regularly works with schools and education providers to promote construction careers through classroom projects, construction activities and presentations aimed at getting young people interested in the industry at an early age. This includes working with partners such as the educational charity SATRO, to provide hands-on construction activities in schools across the region.

“We believe that it’s important to inspire and get youngsters thinking about construction careers before they are exposed to the competitive environment of careers fairs,” explains Gareth. “By working with organisations like SATRO and other educators, and creating fun and challenging construction activities which bring lessons to life, we hope to attract more young people into our industry and give them a better awareness and understanding of how buildings are designed and put together, and the wide range of fantastic career opportunities on offer.”

Beard apprentice Matthew Shepherd is set to achieve a Level 3 NVQ in Carpentry and Joinery Twenty-year-old Matthew Shepherd is a good example. Matthew was first taken on by a co-contractor as an apprentice carpenter working on Beard’s £11 million refurbishment project at Eton College, which provided two years of paid employment. He is now about to achieve a Level 3 NVQ in Carpentry and Joinery and is employed directly by Beard. While he studies, Matthew is gaining practical experience working on a large construction project in Farnham, Surrey, where Beard is building a new mosque. Once he has his NVQ qualification, Matthew will join Beard on a paid technical apprenticeship where he will be in training for a site manager role.

Beard is currently working in partnership with local authorities and its supply chain, adopting the principles set out by the National Skills Academy, in respect to community engagement, employment and skills development.

Beard also provides industrial placements for undergraduates studying during their gap years and has recently set up a graduate programme through the Beard Centre of Excellence. The company provides 14-month placements for up to four undergraduate students studying for ‘sandwich degrees’. During this time, they are given real responsibilities and practical experience of working in a range of construction areas from quantity surveying to estimating.

Beard and its supply chain regularly employ and support apprentices and trainees, providing them with on-the-job work experience through placements with their construction teams where they are often working on live building projects.

“Beard has a strong ‘grow your own’ approach to making sure we have a talented workforce with the right skills-sets to ensure the long-term success of the company,” explains Gareth. As a result, talented trainees like Matthew Shepherd are taken

Trade apprenticeships and graduate training

on by the firm, starting their construction careers in roles like site management and quantity surveying once they have graduated. The company continues to invest in training and developing staff throughout their careers with the firm.

Supporting local trades and businesses Beard is also committed to creating local jobs for local people. The firm typically employs 40% of its sub-contractors and suppliers within a 40-mile radius of its construction projects. “It’s important to us that we use local trades and construction services on all our building projects,” says Gareth. “This way we are creating local employment and giving something back to the communities in which we work.”

Beard Guildford Office Stonemasons Court, Cemetery Pales, Brookwood, Surrey, GU24 0BL Tel: 01483 485180 guildford.enquiries@beardconstruction.co.uk Website: www.beardconstruction.co.uk Twitter: @Beard_Construct

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47

construction focus

june/july 2017 business edge

Success through effective leadership Innervate will help you become a more effective and confident leader bringing success and immense dividends to your business.

We provide coaching support and strategic solutions across the key areas of:

Leadership Development

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Run by Phil Sims, an experienced business leader with over 25 years working in the construction industry.

For a free consultation please contact Phil Sims on 07983 678770 philsims@innervateconsultancy.com

We will tailor our service to unlock your potential to succeed, maximise performance and achieve outstanding results.

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If you have a new build, extension, or refurbishment project in mind we can make a difference to you.

We provide architectural and project management services.

We excel at producing efficient, lasting designs‌ whilst remaining extremely cost effective.

For a free initial consultation please give us a call on 01403 785383. www.noviprojects.com Follow us on LinkedIn

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june/july 2017 business edge

construction focus

Preparing for a construction boom Industry experts are predicting that the construction industry in London and the wider South East will experience boom times over the next three years, driven by a 54% rise in infrastructure and more housebuilding in the Capital.

The latest report from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) predicts that S2, the Thames Tideway Tunnel and the £1 billion Northern Line Extension will create a knock-on effect, driving an infrastructure boom in London.

The Construction Skills Network report, the annual construction forecast from CITB with Experian, shows that private housing work is also set to grow strongly over the 2017-2021 period, averaging 5.1% each year.

Overall, the forecast reveals the Capital’s construction output is expected to grow at an annual average of 2.4% over the next five years – well above the UK annual average of 1.7%, with 19,000 jobs created, which is expected to deliver beneficial knock-on effects for the industry in the South East as well.

While employment will remain strong in traditional trades, with 2,150 civil engineers, 950 plant operatives and 550 electricians needed, white collar jobs will see the most growth with 3,440 senior executives, 2,370 project managers, and 1,760 architects required.

Specialists in health & safety products: Confined Space, Height Safety, Harnesses & Accessories, Breathing Apparatus, Gas Detection & Resuscitation Rail Approved Cable Location & PPE

Equipment Sales, Hire & Servicing

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Good Advice Can Save Lives Unit 10 Oakwood Trade Park, Gatwick Road, Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 9AZ

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49

construction focus

june/july 2017 business edge

MCA Consulting Engineers celebrating 40 years!

Established in 1977, initially as Michael Cade Associates, MCA Consulting Engineers has enjoyed a successful and long-standing history in the building services consulting engineering sector.

Rebecca Rose

Highwood Mill, Horsham

Client Relationship Manager at MCA

“Good engineering is about having an open mind for each project undertaken and coming up with the right solution for the right building.” Says Michael Cade, founder and former director of MCA. Tailored engineering and excellence in customer service are objectives and principles that the business was founded on, and forty years on, this continues to be the vision for MCA. As we enter our 40th year of consultancy, we reflect on our history and some of the key projects that have made us what we are today.

“When I started out everything was done on tracing paper; we didn’t have computers, let alone the internet, so everything was managed via post – processes took months; now schematics can be drawn up and amended in hours!”

In the mid-1980’s, Michael began to establish good, ongoing relationships with a number of regional and national housebuilders. Our first project was for George Wimpey – now Taylor Wimpey – and was a regeneration project of 168 homes just off Crawley Road in Horsham.

At the turn of the millennium, with the increasing drive towards improved energy efficiency for buildings, Michael recognised both the environmental benefits and the cost incentives for the use of biomass fuels to meet the demand for heat within buildings.

‘As a company, we were able to advise on this way of engineering from an early stage and I became a founding director of South East Wood Fuels, as well as speaking and reporting at various UK conferences.’

By 2010, MCA had undertaken over forty biomass projects, both for commercial and residential buildings.

Over the course of MCA’s history, Graham Andrews and Liam Clark - both experienced consultants with exceptional mechanical and electrical engineering experience have joined the company as Directors and employed more staff to meet the demand of our service.

Michael Cade retired in 2010 and when asked what he felt the legacy of MCA to be he said “Our service to clients – it is as important as our technical ability. We are solution orientated and will always go the extra mile in projects. Client care is a really important part of our service – this is why the majority of our new business is referrals and existing clients as they continue to use our consultancy for new projects.”

Our project portfolio boasts a diverse range of new builds and renovations; of historical importance and mass residential communities. Old barn buildings into a modern office space and Extra Care homes for the elderly.

Hound Lodge, Goodwood

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Another recent key project was Hound Lodge – the original living quarters for the sixth Duke of Richmond’s Hounds, which

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The newly renovated Haybarn which is now the Mindtools Office, Pondtail Farm later became nothing more than a glorified storage facility. The Goodwood team could see the potential for an exclusive lodge and enlisted the expertise of known historical architect Ptolemy Dean.

Jaap Roëll, then Project Manager for Hound Lodge on the Goodwood Estate says “MCA Consulting Engineers were part of the project detail from the beginning and have seen the build through to completion with pragmatism and efficiency. They made themselves available for advice all through the project and when last minute changes were made, went above and beyond to accommodate.

“As with any large scale project, there have been challenges but one constant has been the reliability and communication that MCA have shown throughout.”

tel: 01444 259 259

construction focus

june/july 2017 business edge

GCL deliver electrical and smart systems GCL deliver integrated electrical and smart systems within the construction, commercial or property management sectors. Intelligent buildings are a result of innovative advancements in smart building technology.

These buildings create a safer and more productive environment for their occupants and are more operationally efficient for their owners.

At GCL Building Technologies, sustainability is at the forefront of our agenda. GCL’s proven experience and commitment mean that your business or property will be well equipped to meet the technological advancements of today and the future.

n advice to bring all of your devices into a central, easy to use intra-structure

We have built our reputation on our innovative and client-centred expertise. We help to keep things simple for you, providing a complete solution to your smart building intra-structure needs.

n we help you meet your environmental responsibilities

Our dedication to the quality assurance of all of our products and investment in training will ensure the seamless installation of your system.

GCL can provide you with: n initial designs or migration of an existing system

Benefits to your business: n reduction in capital investment, support costs and ongoing maintenance costs

GCL have a diverse range of cabling and electrical capabilities for any given environment. From construction or refurbishments, to populated offices, our expert team is committed to a flexible and professional delivery of your cabling and electrical requirements.

thinking firm then please call our expert team today on: GCL Building Technologies PO Box 93 Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN5 7ZR Tel: London 020 3906 6070 Kent 01892 576 950 sales@gcl.uk.com www.gcl.uk.com

If you are looking for well informed, impartial advice from a modern, forward-

FRAME ARCHITECTURE

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Frame Architecture seeks to create buildings/spaces that combine the modernist ideals of light and space with a more ‘crafted’ form of architecture that puts an emphasis on detail, texture and a sense of place.

We offer the following architectural services to clients in the residential, commercial and retail sectors: • • • • •

Site and building acquisition Feasibility studies Concept design Developed design including planning applications Technical design for building regulation submissions

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CREATING A FRAMEWORK FOR LIVING AS A CHAMBER MEMBER YOU’RE WELL CONNECTED

51

new members

june/july 2017 business edge

Welcome to Sussex Chamber of Commerce Membership of Sussex Chamber of Commerce can help you increase profits, get the best from your people and find new clients. Also, it saves you money, gets your voice heard and puts you in contact with even more businesses.

Astec Computing (UK) Ltd

Dualit Ltd

IMPact Fitness Studios UK Ltd

Astec House, 10 Sedlescombe Road South, St. Leonards-on-Sea, TN38 0TA

County Oak Way, Crawley, RH11 7ST

45-49 Penhill Road, Lancing, BN15 8HB

+44(0)01424460721 www.asteccomputing.co.uk

+44(0)1293652500 www.dualit.com

07399095757

Baxter and Bailey

Ekavat

The Colour Rooms, 12 Richmond Parade, Brighton, BN2 9QD

International House, 174 Three Bridges Road Crawley, RH10 1LE

02030213830 www.baxterandbailey.co.uk

0800 002 9298 www.ekavat.co.uk

Brightshade

GB Electronics (UK) Ltd

The Garden Room, 50a Albion Hill, Brighton, BN2 9NW

Ascot House Unit 1-2, Woods Way, Worthing BN12 4QY

01273 286188 www.brightshade.co.uk

01903244500 www.gbelectronics.com

Business Stream

Give 4 B.E.T.H.

Columbia House, Columbia Drive, Worthing, BN13 3HD.

16 Wakefield Way, Aldwick, PO21 3RS

0330 123 2200 www.business-stream.co.uk

01243 267019 www.give4beth.co.uk

Canusa Systems, a division of ShawCor UK Limted

Global Herbs Ltd

n

Elskensakker 8, Bergeijk, Netherlands, 5571 SK 01293 653924 www.canusa.cps.com

10 Terminus Road, Chichester, PO19 8TX 01243773363 www.globalherbs.co.uk

Googly Fruit Tunbridge Wells

Norwood Cottage, Norwood Lane , Petworth, GU280CG

0333 0143726 www.chattyhatter.com/

07808858095 http://googlyfruit.co.uk/

David Redman (UK) Ltd

Hailsham Roadways Construction Co Ltd

Chatty Hatter

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Unit 7 Westergate Road, Fairway Business Centre, Brighton, BN2 4JZ

Woodside Depot, Polegate Road , Hailsham BN27 3PG

01273 622560 www.davidredman.com

01323848822 www.hailshamroadways.co.uk

Deloitte LLP

Home Smart Energy

London Gatwick Office, Park House, Crawley RH10 9AD

Unit G, Kings House, Burgess Hill, RH15 9LH

+44(0)01293 510112 www.deloitte.co.uk

01444 702074 www.homesmartenergy.co.uk

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tel: 01444 259 259

new members

june/july 2017 business edge

Juno Wealth Management

RSE Group Ltd

1B Stairbridge Court, Stairbridge Lane, Haywards Heath, RH17 5PA

The Studio, Battle Road, Robertsbridge, TN32 5JH

01444 237820 www.junowealth.co.uk

01424 830000 www.rsegroup.agency

01323441788 www.sussexifa.com

Mason Cycles

South West Communications

The Jamieson Consultancy

Old Stables, Applesham Farm, Lancing, BN15 0RP

Sussex Independent Financial Advisers Ltd Downford House, 16 George Street, Hailsham, BN27 1AE

Communications House, Moor Lane, Exeter, EX2 7JF

Unit 5, North Ridge Park, Hastings, TN35 4PP

01273 46 3000 www.masoncycles.cc

01392 369369 http://www.swcomms.co.uk/

01424757600 www.tjcuk.co.uk

Rainbo Supplies & Services Ltd

Stonefield Systems (Europe) Ltd

The TCM Group

Imperial House, Link 10, Crawley, RH10 9RA

Stable Cottage Brook House, Hammingden Lane. Haywards Heath, RH17 6SR

0203 301 9734 www.rainbosupplies.com

08452990096 www.stonefield.co.uk

Unit 235, Business Design Centre, London, N1 0QH 01444 401 487 http://thetcmgroup.com/

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53

movers and shakers

Gatwick chief returns from sabbatical

Rosemary French Rosemary French OBE has returned to her role as Executive Director of the Gatwick Diamond Initiative following a year’s sabbatical.

She took advantage of her leave by travelling widely to enjoy new cultural experiences and undertaking local voluntary work in Surrey.

She’s now back in post, bringing new energy and fresh ideas to her role.

Rosemary says taking time off work has had a positive effect, enabling her to spend more time with her family and friends and pursue other interests away from work. “I have really enjoyed this career break, spending more time with my husband. When one has a busy career, work often gets in the way. If the opportunity arises, I certainly would recommend a gap-year later in life for those who may have missed out when they were younger!

“As well as travelling, I spent time using my skills on a voluntary basis to support the Cranleigh Chamber of Commerce. This has included helping to increase its membership, organising networking events and lobbying (and failing) to save our village’s principal industrial estate and business park, which was lost to housing under the Government’s Permitted Development Rights scheme.”

Now back in her role with the Gatwick Diamond Initiative, Rosemary is excited to return. She says: “I feel re-energised from my time away and am now planning my priorities for the year ahead.”

There are two key projects on her radar: The Gatwick Diamond Economic Forum is taking place on 28 June, where the results of a new research study undertaken by the ‘Centre for Cities’ will be announced. The Gatwick Diamond Initiative, Gatwick Airport and Coast to Capital LEP co-funded the report, which will provide baseline data for the area and an economic analysis.

The second project is the Gatwick Diamond Meet the Buyers 2017. A programme of procurement training events for SMEs will be run in the lead-up to the main event on 14 November when it is hoped that 200 suppliers will be matched with 35 Buyers seeking to award new contracts.

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june/july 2017 business edge

5 minutes with German national, have lived in the UK since 1997. My foreign accent gives the game away. Worked for various printing machine manufacturers throughout my career and now partner-up with a German printing firm

Andreas Schillinger Managing Director Dynamic Systems ID Ltd., t/as Lotus Labels

What was your first job and what was the pay packet?

I started-off as sales engineer and sold newspaper presses in the Chinese market in the 80s and 90s

What do you always carry with you to work?

If you could do another job what would it be?

My briefcase which is my man-bag with all the essentials in one place

Very happy with what I am doing now. I put off the retirement planning which is still very far away - relatively speaking

What is the biggest Challenge facing your business?

As a business person, what are your three main qualities?

To keep up with the rapid and mindboggling technology changes that are taking place

If you were Prime Minister, what one thing would you change to help business?

Can’t praise myself often enough for my enthusiasm, kind heartedness and my incredible good looks

What was your biggest mistake in business?

Bring that Brexit thing to a soft landing

Not having established my own business earlier

What can you see from your office window?

Who do you admire most in business?

Sheep, sometimes geese, sometimes herons. But I am not birdwatching.

People who become successful without nastiness

What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs?

Take on a business that is already up and running, has a client base and has some track record. Afterwards it is about implementing your own vision and ideas which can give a lot of satisfaction.

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february/march 2017 business edge

advertorial

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ENFR TREE Y

business matters

february/march 2017 business edge

resents P t r o Newhaven F

Farmers & Makers

Locally sourced Sussex suppliers at Newhaven Fort

Sunday 4th June Sunday 9th July Sunday 6th August 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Finest food, drink, art, design and craft market, supporting emerging and established local artisans and producers.

The events will feature specially selected specialists, who source, grow, rear, bake, make and create the products they sell, which ensures their goods are unique, original and designed to inspire.

n and market pitch enquirie For further informatio s 56

email: info@waveleisure.co.uk or call 01323 493061

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