Business Edge 8

BUSINESSEDGE The magazine of Sussex Enterprise

Not the best we can do, but the best that can be done anywhere Olympian doing a champion job at motivating people Respecting the past and looking to the future

British Chambers of Commerce Accredited

APRIL 2012

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Financial Year End looming? Spend your Training Budget this year or lose it next year.

Get value for money with Miris Training.

Look at Training and Development in different ways: Health & Safety training – If you just want lots of dull power-point slides and a deluge of legislation and a lecture on what you must do; then I’m afraid these courses are just not right for you.

Our Classroom courses are interactive; lots of discussion about the importance of Health & Safety in YOUR business.

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Health and Safety for owners and managers

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General H & S courses

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Training for Risk Assessors...and more

Interpersonal Skills training, otherwise known as People Skills, Soft Skills or Developmental Skills.

There are various courses that can benefit everyone working in YOUR business; •

Management Development

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Customer Service

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Succession Planning

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Team Development

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Appraisals

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Train the Trainer.....and more

Q: “What is the MOST important resource my business has?”

A: Your PEOPLE. They are the life blood of your business; they can make or break a business.

Q: ”Why choose Miris Training ?”

A: It is all about Service.

Experience – 16 years as a trainer and over 6 years in management. Training qualifications with the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, the Institute for Leadership and Management and the Oxford School of Coaching and Mentoring.

Sensible prices – we charge PER course NOT per delegate. We can train in-house or at our own facility in Crawley to keep costs down. We also have agreements with various local facility providers whose charges are very reasonable.

Simple Training solutions – every course is designed around YOUR business needs. We know just how valuable your time is so every course we deliver for you will be succinct, significant, relevant and delivered in a time effective manner.

Knowledge – gained on one of our course will be suitable to use both in the workplace and outside of work.

E-learning and blended learning: Miris training are working in collaboration with “etslearn” to package some of our most popular Health & Safety awareness courses into compact, user friendly e-learning modules suitable for single point individual access or as part of a trainer led blended learning option.

These training modules are designed to provide a cost effective solution to ensuring that your workforce are familiar with the importance of Health & Safety in the workplace and can be delivered with minimum disruption to their daily schedule.

Each module is uniquely scored and certificated allowing the monitoring and review of any individuals training progress at anytime within a given period, providing both evidence of participation and content absorption.

Our core principles are applied to all the training courses that we deliver. Whether the training course is for Health & Safety training or Interpersonal Skills training it will be Professional, Focused, Structured, Interactive, Fun, Practical, Easy to use and Value for money.

E-learning and blended learning allow content relevance to be reviewed and updated at minimum cost and with the additional flexibility of branding options, can form the core of any businesses long term training requirements.

Our promise to you is that any training solution that you receive from Miris Training will be centred on your business needs.

What our customers say about us.

“Miris Training came in and delivered an amazing half-day team building event. It has made such a difference to our people” Mrs Ashman – Business Owner

We at Miris training are constantly striving to find more flexible ways to deliver training to businesses. We are now offering to run our training courses to groups of companies to share the cost. Not only is this cost effective, but you will also meet other members of the business community which means great networking opportunities.

“Miris Training has been an asset to our business. All the Health & Safety training they have given our staff has been exactly what we were looking for, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them” Mr I Barry – MD

If you are interested in any of the training modules we run; would like any more information on our new projects or would just like a chat about training requirements you have please do contact us at anytime.

Jane Brann Miris Training www.miris-training.co.uk www.miris-training.co.uk/blog BE 8.indd 2

New Projects for 2012:

Shared Cost Training:

traininginfo@miris-training.co.uk 07595 414 463 01293 618881 27/3/12 09:59:04

Contents

Welcome

04 09 22 38 04 05 07 08 09 12 13 15 16 19 21

Economic Overview Upfront Upfront World View Opinion Policy News BCC Focus Ask the Expert Spotlight on Worthing The Steam Room Start Ups

Contacts Business Edge is a Sussex Enterprise publication.

If you have any stories you would like to tell us about or any comments please drop us an email at businessedgeenquiries@sussexenterprise.co.uk

SUSSEX ENTERPRISE Greenacre Court, Station Road, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, RH15 9DS

22 24 36 38 41 43 44 48 50

With the Olympics fast approaching, this issue looks at Sport & Culture.

We talk to Olympian Sally Gunnell, to find out about her role inspiring and motivating people from all walks of life.

And don’t miss the feature on Glyndebourne, famous for producing wonderful operatic experiences which attract global audiences.

Finally, Richard Gray at Gray-Nicolls, a global business producing sports equipment, tells us how the company has survived and thrived for more than 150 years.

Thank you for all the great news stories and please keep sending them.

We are always looking for more exciting news from our Members. So, if you have anything you would like to tell us, please email businessedgeenquiries@sussexenterprise.co.uk.

Our next issue is due out at the end of May looking at the Retail Sector. We look forward to hearing from you.

The Big Interview Cover Feature Training Courses Premier Member View Events Member Benefits MP View New Members The Last Word

PRODUCTION & DESIGN

FEATURE EDITORS

Distinctive Publishing, 8th Floor, Aidan House, Sunderland Road, Gateshead NE8 3HU Tel: 0845 884 2384 www.distinctivepublishing.co.uk

John Dean & Francis Griss email:deangriss@btinternet.com

ADVERTISING John Neilson, Company Director, Distinctive Publishing, 8th Floor, Aidan House, Sunderland Road, Gateshead NE8 3HU

T: 0845 884 2343 E: john.neilson@distinctivegroup.co.uk

E-BOOK www.distinctivepublishing.co.uk/publications

British Chambers of Commerce Accredited

BUSINESSEDGE 3

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ECONOMIC OVERVIEW

UP, Down or going Round and Round?

The View of the Office of Budget Responsibility is that the UK economy will grow by 0.7% this year. Do you believe them? There are so many mixed signals and events out there that it is hard to know what to believe. There are a number of observations that I have to make.

On the positive side: 1. We have the lowest level of interest rates for a generation and it is unlikely that they will rise in the next year.

2. The level of inflation is dropping and will probably be below 2% by the middle of the year. 3. Exports are still growing as exchange rates still favour the UK.

applicants and the Coalition Government has a number of incentives available to take new people on including Apprenticeships and Work Experience schemes.

their business to see if there are new opportunities, but to focus on those that generate profit and not those that just generate turnover. We have just launched a new business advice service that provides some free advice that will help sought out any problems that you have and provide an independent view. Sometimes we all need to take a step back and see the big picture. It is often easier to do that with somebody else’s help. If you want to know more about this then visit our website at www.sussexenterprise.co.uk or ring us on 01444 221121.

Article is by Mark Froud, Chief Executive of Sussex Enterprise.

Much of our advice at the moment is for businesses to continually look up and outside of

Of concern are: 1. Consumer confidence is very low with most people seeking to pay off debt rather than take on new debt. We borrowed £315bn between 2002 and 2010 from remortgaging and have paid back £56bn in the last 3 years. Any increase in spending is on essential items. 2. The housing market is still slow with few houses on the market and few buyers looking. 3. Businesses are sitting on £300bn of cash, but despite having plans they have not reached the point of commitment. 4. Capacity utilisation is not close to maximum which means there is slack in productive capacity. Therefore, significant increases in private sector employment are unlikely. 5. During the year public sector job losses will increase.

Overall the outlook for this year is slow growth with some consistency emerging as the year progresses. The key to growth is a return of consumer confidence and the continued progress of our export trade. Neither of these are quick wins, but they will provide a more balanced and sustainable economy in the long run.

So it is a very mixed bag of indicators and messages that are out there.

In Sussex the picture is brighter. We have traditionally performed better than the national economy and continue to do so. I expect our growth to be double the national average at 1.5%. The sentiment from the 193 businesses that I have seen in the last year is one of cautious optimism and a belief that we have not completely turned the corner yet. While sales are growing they are doing so at the expense of margins, which are under considerable pressure.

On a more positive note, businesses that are recruiting are now recruiting permanently rather than taking on temporary staff. There are though a large number of people looking for work and many of these are good quality

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UPFRONT

The ACUMEN BUSINESS LAW ENTERPRISE will tackle ‘Tesco Law’ developments head on.

The firm’s founder, Penina Shepherd said: “Solicitors in any business related field will be able to replicate the success of ACUMEN BUSINESS LAW by using its tested & tried method for ensuring business growth.

Qualified solicitors joining the ACUMEN BUSINESS LAW ENTERPRISE will own their own practice from the outset. In addition they will benefit from unprecedented support to develop their businesses and will have the freedom to concentrate on their professional aspirations as part of the only dedicated business law firm brand in the country.

“The ACUMEN BUSINESS LAW ENTERPRISE is all about sharing the firm’s proven & successful business model to give other entrepreneurial lawyers the opportunity and the freedom to drive their careers forward in a way that has not been possible until now.

“While many firms see the ‘Tesco Law’ changes as a threat I see it as a fantastic opportunity.

It is a brilliant step towards the opening up of the legal market to the rest of the business world. The world we live in is all about sharing; sharing contacts, networks and information and at last the legal industry can participate too.

“What makes us different is the way we approach our clients’ business on a strategic level. We only work with business solicitors who are genuinely interested in and enthusiastic about business as well as being legal experts in their field. Passion for business and serious ambition are essential.”

Established in 2008 as the country entered the worst depression in 100 years, ACUMEN

BUSINESS LAW has defied the economic doom and gloom to become a byword for innovation in legal services.

ACUMEN BUSINESS LAW racked up a series of awards for innovation, was listed in the Financial Times’Top 50 Ground-breaking & Innovative Lawyers in the UK & Europe and was voted a UK Rising Star by the Observer Newspaper, as well as

winning recognition by the Institute of Directors and other awards in the South East.

For interview & pictures please contact Penina Shepherd, ACUMEN BUSINESS LAW: T: 01273 447066 E: penina.shepherd@acumenbusinesslaw.co.uk www.acumenbusinesslaw.co.uk

Brewery provides water for villagers Sussex Brewery WJ King has joined forces with local charity Drop4Drop to bring clean drinking water to a village in India.

The brewery has committed to building a well in the Mulla Community, which has a population of 1,032 and is in East Goddavari, Andhra Pradesh.

WJ King will provide one litre of clean drinking water to this village for every

bottle of WJ King bottle-conditioned real ale it sells this year.

50th community sponsorship undertaken since Ian became head brewer in 2010.

Ian Burgess, Head Brewer at WJ King, said: “It seemed like an obvious connection. We use approximately five pints of water for every pint of WJ King real ale we make and yet there are people in the world without a drop to drink.”

He said: “We are very proud of our efforts to improve the quality of life for those in need and with the massive growth we have enjoyed over the past 20 months since taking over at WJ King, it will not be long before the well is complete and we can look to further projects with Drop4Drop.”

The sponsorship of the well represents the

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With first class customer service, Executive Cars has grown to become the South’s leading executive chauffeur company, simply by meeting the needs of our customers.

10% discount on all fixed rate transfers (airports, docks, Eurostar) for Sussex enterprise members.

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UPFRONT

Campaign to encourage under-5’s that it’s fun to be fit Sussex-based PR consultants About Words have been doing their bit to encourage under-5’s to become actively involved in sports.

The consultancy was asked to devise a sustainable long term customer relations marketing concept for leisure giant Haven Holidays. The plan had to fit with the core family values of Haven whilst at the same time raising brand awareness with potential new customers. And Haven also hoped the campaign would be a positive means of meeting its corporate social responsibilities.

‘It was an exciting challenge,’ said Key Account Director Alexandra McCabe, ‘At the time of the brief enthusiasm for the Beijing Olympics was running high and a campaign based around sports seemed like the perfect solution. And we

wanted to help encourage even the youngest children that it’s fun to be fit.’

The Fun & Fitness Giveaway Campaign provides substantial boxes of age appropriate sports equipment free of charge to participating pre-schools. All the schools have to do to take part is register on-line and encourage parents to leave a simple message of support on the website. Easy! No money or voucher collection is required and the children benefit directly from the high quality equipment on offer.

The scheme has been hugely successful and is still going strong four years later. As the country prepares for the London Olympics

Success story highlighted as reason for exporting Exports have a crucial role to play for businesses this year, according to Nick Baird, Chief Executive, UK Trade & Investment, who cites a Sussex success story to underline the point.

That happened after CEO Richard Harris visited India’s leading media and entertainment industry event FICCI Frames with a UKTI-supported group in 2009.

He said: “No business can afford to sit still, and for some firms the choice is between being an international player or a sitting target.

He saw a huge potential market for a VoD service via the country’s rapidly expanding mobile phone network and commissioned an Overseas Market Introduction Service report on the Indian market from UKTI staff in Mumbai followed by meetings with key contacts identified in the document.

“For example, working with UKTI South East led to an agreement for MiShorts, an East Sussex based video-on-demand (VoD) service, to provide short-film content for a leading mobile carrier in India.”

Richard said: “This is where UKTI really adds value. I know my business pretty well, but what UKTI have is knowledge of the market and

even more schools and children will be involved. Already many thousands of children attending early years settings throughout the UK have taken part in physical activities inspired by the Fun & Fitness equipment and this year even more kit will be distributed in time for sports day.

Many pre-school leaders have commented that the equipment has enabled them to stage their first ever sports event for children and parents, whilst others have applauded a scheme which has helped them to meet their Ofsted targets for physical activity.

The Fun & Fitness campaign has proved a positive goodwill endeavour for Haven Holidays with many parents of young children introduced to the brand.

And for About Words, the scheme continues to be a satisfying long term project. Alexandra continues, ‘Once the ‘Fun & Fitness’ concept was approved we were involved in all aspects of making it a success – from working alongside the website designers and sourcing the equipment through to staging launch events and providing ongoing PR. To keep the scheme fresh we also launched the ‘Sports Tot of the Year’ awards in a bid to find Britain’s sportiest tots. But best of all it’s great to think that our idea has helped encourage so many under-5’s that it’s fun to be fit!’

For more information on About Words visit www.aboutwords.co.uk Contact: About Words 01444 235 154 or info@aboutwords.co.uk

expertise on the ground. The quality and relevance of the contacts and meetings they arranged for me were first rate: I met the right people, at the right level, in major telecoms companies and distribution partners.”

One of these meetings was with Vodafone Essar and last year Richard signed a distribution agreement to supply short films to its South Asian mobile network of 130 million subscribers.

He said: “That first trip to India, and everything that has followed, has been the saviour of MiShorts. On its own, the UK simply couldn’t sustain our paid-for download business model, and we would have had to close. But now, as we extend our business into VoD markets in a variety of emerging economies, we are ahead of the curve.”

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WORLD VIEW

Sussex International Trade Forum looks at trade prospects for 2012 At the latest meeting of the SITF held at the HSBC Commercial Centre in Crawley in February, the focus was trade prospects for 2012 and beyond.

Mark Froud from Sussex Enterprise who opened and chaired the meeting reminded the delegates that research had clearly demonstrated that businesses that traded internationally were more likely to survive and thrive in difficult times. He outlined to the audience that this meeting of the International Trade Forum was different from the usual meetings in that it did not have trading with a specific country or region as its theme.

first time. In collaboration with Chichester Chamber of Commerce, the meeting on May 21st (a date for your diary!) will be held at Chichester College and will focus on “Asian Tigers”, looking specifically at Japan and South East Asia. The evening will open with a traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony served by students from the college in ceremonial dress.

So book early as places will be limited.

Further dates for the forum in 2012 are: 25th June – “Turkish Delight” 17:45 HSBC Commercial Centre, Eastbourne 24th September - “To Russia with love” 17:45 HSBC Commercial Centre, Worthing 12th November – “Ask the experts” Panel Session 17:45 Mithras House, Brighton University The Sussex International Trade Forum is open to any business that is trading or wishes to trade internationally. For further information contact Lisa Childs at Sussex Enterprise (0844 371 5419 or lisa.childs@ sussexenterprise.co.uk). All events are featured on the Sussex Enterprise website.

Raul Kharbanda, Head of Research and Customer Insight for UKTI shared data on the markets where the UK exported goods and services. The main focus of trade being the USA and Europe. It was a challenge that to date on 1.5% of UK exports went to India and 2.9% to China, two of the fastest growing economies worldwide. Indeed Raul indicated that the combined exports from the UK to India, China and Russia, three of the four so called BRIC countries was less than exports to Ireland.

The following speaker Kevin Shakespeare, from Shakespeare Business Management, highlighted some of the key issues for companies trading internationally; the need for good cross cultural skills and the identification of local partners being two. He highlighted the need for a good understanding of documentation procedures for export and import, indicating the Export Documentation service from Sussex Enterprise through the Chamber of Commerce accreditation scheme as being the best available to Sussex businesses.

Closing the evening Matt Moore from sponsors HSBC, highlighted the services available from the bank to support international trade.

He made the audience aware of the recent availability of a Chinese currency account that made payments to and from China easier.

The next meeting of the SITF will be another first as the forum meets in Chichester for the

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OPINION

It’s not just Olympians that break records With eyes now turned towards a successful London Olympics, hopes of an uplift to the economy, engagement of the community through sport and volunteering and an enduring legacy to carry us forward, it’s worth taking some time to look at how a new breed of social enterprises are complementing and sometimes challenging the way that mainstream finance operates.

The corrosive impact of debt and financial instability is well understood. What is less well known are the efforts being made across Sussex and the South East to develop and sustain mutual financial co-operatives that support local people and help to keep money circulating in the local economy.

At the end of 2010 West Sussex Credit Union’s (WSCU) efforts to support local people broke a few records of their own. They decided to run a campaign to build awareness of the credit union among a wider audience within West Sussex and to encourage loan applications from clients with a higher disposable income. Just like the athletes who will be competing later this year, the credit union wanted to go beyond their usual achievements and set the bar higher. They launched a marketing campaign in partnership with Legal & General that did just that. In just one month the advertising generated a 133% increase in loan application requests and a 66% increase for ‘on line’ web loan applications – it was their busiest month since the credit union opened. Worthy of Gold in any book!

Credit unions have been in existence since the 19th century beginning in Germany, the US, Canada and the Caribbean. Based on principles of mutual co-operation, not unlike the UK’s building and friendly society models, credit unions now have 118 million members worldwide. In Ireland 50% of the population belong to a credit union. In America and Australia the figure is around 30%. Credit unions are also growing fast in Eastern Europe, parts of South America, Africa and the Far East.

In Sussex there are two main credit unions each covering East and West Sussex, offering an easy and flexible way to save money and access to affordable, responsible and safe borrowing.

Since 2008, Legal and General plc has been supporting both credit unions through its “Saving Matters” in the form of providing professional marketing expertise to design campaigns that

attract both savers and people who need loans.

The campaigns have been aimed at connecting around 400,000 hard to reach consumers in Sussex to Credit Union Services.

Legal and General’s aim is to support credit unions to become the first port of call for people when they need to borrow and to encourage the savings habit to end financial exclusion. Without important organisations like Credit Unions there will be little growth in the savings market among the lower paid in the future. By doing so they believe they are building a sound base of new customers for their products.

Frances Borrer, CSR manager for Legal & General’s Savings business says “This is fundamentally about Legal & General actively and practically supporting organisations who can get people out of debt, financially neutral and saving again. Credit Unions are the experts in this area and in our Savings business we need people to have money to save in the future”.

Credit unions are also keen to work with employers on Save as You Earn schemes.We know that as employers your employees are looking for a wider variety of benefits from you to keep them beyond the traditional financial incentives.The HR professionals call this the “New Psychological Contract”. Employees are given the opportunity to save directly from their pay packet, deducted at source and invested in a credit union account.

For many, this is the first time they will have saved

regularly and a credit union account gives them access to affordable loans if the need arises.

When employees have secure finances they are more likely to perform at their best, less likely to suffer stress, depression and ill-health and more likely to be able to engage in their work and community activities.

By setting up these schemes with the local credit union, employers can provide an additional employee benefit at little or no cost, show they care and improve the well-being of their employees. Many local authorities and NHS Trusts are leading the way – it’s time for the private sector to catch up!

So what can we learn from the Olympic athlete in the development of Credit Unions. Aim high and keep raising the bar. Challenge yourselves to help more people who are struggling to get out of debt. Don’t be afraid of new challenges and make it a team effort.

Be transparent – When you are saving your money make sure you know that it is going to help local people.

Support your local financial social enterprise. www.westsussexcreditunion.co.uk 01903 237221 East Sussex: www.credit-union.org.uk 01273 234858 www.legalandgeneralgroupcsr.com/

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

Work Place Pension Reform From October 2012 the government will be implementing workplace pension reforms; these will impose new duties on employers to make mandatory pension provision for their employees (entitled workers).

At the heart of these reforms is a new requirement for employers to include certain employees (known as Eligible Jobholders) into a pension scheme automatically (known as Auto-Enrolment) within a strict timescale.

The employer’s chosen pension scheme(s) must pass a quality test, based on a minimum level of contributions or defined benefits, to be a Qualifying Pension Scheme for auto-enrolment.

What is a Qualifying Pension Scheme?

A Qualifying pension scheme is a UK pension scheme that meets certain quality standards allowing it to be used for auto-enrolment purposes.

The quality standards vary depending on the following type of pension scheme involved: n Money purchase pension scheme - must meet a minimum level of contribution

n The date the employee first becomes an eligible job holder i.e. reaches age 22 or breaches the earnings trigger in a pay reference period n The end of a waiting period There will be a STAGING date for every employer; this is the date from which their auto-enrolment must begin within a QUALIFYING Pension scheme. The regulator will write to all employers between 6 to 12 months before their STAGING DATE. The staging date is determined by the PAYE scheme size based on April 2012 data.

Employers must register their compliance information within two months of their staging date. To find out your companies staging date email info@opusgold.com and provide us with your employee numbers. The regulator will then police compliance by requiring employers to re-register information every three years (Re-Enrolment Date) and cross reference this against records held by HMRC and pension scheme providers.

Employer Care:

These reforms are a result of concerns that particularly as average life expectancy increases many individuals aren’t saving enough to provide adequately for themselves in old age.Without these reforms there is a danger that the burden on the State could become unsustainable in the future.

n Defined benefit pension scheme - must provide a minimum level of benefits

n Know your companies staging date and then have systems in place to comply.

n Hybrid pension scheme - must broadly meet these minimum contribution and benefits standards as appropriate for the types of benefits provided.

n Have systems in place for future re-enrolment dates.

Showing evidence of this:

In essence there are a vast array of pensions from many different providers which will be a qualifying pension scheme, the level of contributions made by the employer and employee in most cases will determine whether it is qualifying or not.

n In 1983 The UK had 600,000 people aged over 85 n In 2008 there was 1.3 million. n The estimate for 2033 is 3.2 million.

(Office for National Statistics) n It is expected that 10 million UK citizens alive today will reach their 100th birthday, of these 1.5 million are currently aged between 51 and 65.

“Steve Webb Pensions Minister.”

When do employees have to be Auto-enrolled?

The Auto-enrolment date is the earliest of: n The employer’s staging date

Who will be Auto-Enrolled (Eligible Job Holder?)

In essence this is an umbrella to capture virtually all UK employees. Age and income are the determining factor as to whether staff are automatically enrolled with those outside of the parameters still having the right to opt in (and be classed as eligible job holders) or who have a right to join.

Employer Care: n Staff who reach the age of 22 must be auto-enrolled if they have not previously joined.

What are the Contribution Levels?

For Money Purchase scheme’s the level of contributions will be phased as shown below.

Contribution phasing period

Minimum employer contribution

Minimum total contribution

Phase 1

Staging date - Sept 2016

1%

2%

Phase 2

Oct 2016 – Sept 2017

2%

5%

Phase 3

Oct 2017 onwards

3%

8%

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OPUS GOLD FINACIAL PLANNING

n Staff who will start earning over £8,105 per year (12/13) must be automatically enrolled if they have not already joined. (This figure is a proposed figure for tax year 2012/13 which could be subject to change)

What are Qualifying Earnings?

(These figures are proposed figures for tax year 2012/13 which again could be subject to change) At the moment minimum contributions must be paid on all qualifying earnings between £5,564 and £39,853 per year.

Earnings from an employment include salary/ wages, overtime payments, bonus, commission, statutory sick pay, statutory maternity pay, ordinary or additional statutory paternity pay and statutory adoption pay. These figures can and are likely to change each year.

The Department of Work and Pension (DWP) have recently announced that they plan to delay the increase in minimum employer contributions as follows: n The increase of 2% due from 1st October 2016 will be put back to 1st October 2017 n The increase of 3% will be put back a year to 1st October 2018 The announcement only refers to delaying employer contributions, the impact on employee or total contributions are currently unknown.

Employers must normally auto-enrol all eligible job holders into a qualifying pension scheme within one month of their auto-enrolment date (or auto-reenrolment date) with the payment being back dated to the auto-enrolment date itself.

A ‘pay reference period’ is used as the basis for testing against these requirements. Example: For Monthly paid employees 12 pay reference periods per year will apply against that individual. Each pay reference period will establish the minimum contribution required or put another way there will be 12 contribution tests against income per year. For weekly paid employee’s there will be 52 pay reference periods per year per individual.

Employer Care: Accidental Jobholders. Care needs to be taken where an employee who is not normally an eligible job holder then becomes one with a bonus or increase in salary.

The employer must have systems in place to automatically enrol such a worker.

Employer Care: There are strict time scales as to when the contributions are applied to the pension.

National Employment Savings Trust (NEST)

NEST or National Employment Savings Trust is the government sponsored qualifying

pension scheme. It is intended to be a simple, low cost pension scheme primarily aimed at low to moderate earners. As such it has some special rules and restrictions that mean it is not as flexible as most other pension schemes. The charges that apply are currently a 1.8% initial charge together with an annual management charge of 0.3%.

Employee care

Other good quality pension schemes can be used or indeed a combination of both may be appropriate.

Your company’s Pension needs looked after:

Employer Care: To see which is the most appropriate pension scheme for your company contact us at Opus Gold, contact details below.

Compliance

Certain records need to be kept for up to six years and employers will need to register and periodically re-register information about the company. Penalties will apply to both non compliance and encouraging staff to opt-out.

Strict compliance is anticipated

Can Employees Opt-Out

Employees can opt out of being auto-enrolled by giving the employer a valid opt-out notice (one month window). Only the Pension Scheme Administrator can issue opt-out forms.The employer will however be required to automatically re-enrol any opt-outs up to three months either side of the third anniversary enrolment or re-enrolment date. Opt-outs can choose to opt back in generally after twelve months.

n Any individuals that have large pension funds or pension benefits and have registered for Fixed or Enhanced Protection would lose this valuable shelter if auto-enrolled into a work place pension.They have only a one month window to opt out.

Opus Gold Financial Consultants offer a range of solutions and on-going service requirements in order that you comply with the new rules.

For a free consultation please contact us: www.opusgold.com info@opusgold.com Brighton Office Horsham Office London Office 01273 457100 01403 333666 020 7871 5387 Opus Gold is a trading style of Best Practice IFA Group Ltd, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Company registration in England number: 04490633.

Registered Office: Sussex House, North Street, Horsham, West Sussex RH12 1RG This Article was written by Simon Hasler DipPFS Managing Director of Opus Gold Financial Consultants.

Employer care n Have systems in place for opt-outs and their re-enrolment requirements.

BUSINESSEDGE 11

BE 8.indd 11

27/3/12 09:59:29

POLICY NEWS

Sussex Enterprise joins forces with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Dieppe

collaborate and explore opportunities abroad.

To fulfil this objective, we will help you grow your business internationally through a number of FREE fantastic opportunities including: n Export training for the first 20 companies n Attend a briefing on the market opportunities available in the Dieppe region n Learn from, collaborate and network with other exporting companies n Access to our long running and highly successful Sussex International Trade Forum n Attend technical workshops helping you to build plans and understand the legal and technical issues involved n Facilitated introductions to businesses in the Dieppe region to see if there’s potential to trade n Advice on exporting every step of the way n A business review clinic with an expert advisor.

What will the process involve?

We will ask you to register your interest through a short survey and a Declaration of Interest Form.

You will be invited to meet other interested businesses collectively where you can hear more about the market opportunities available in the Dieppe region and how to access them.

We are working with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Dieppe (CCID) in partnership with the Community Agglomeration Dieppe Maritime to promote cross-border cooperation between Sussex businesses and those in the Dieppe region.

The project is called DEEDS which stands for the ‘Development of Economic Exchange DIEPPE & Sussex’. It falls under the scope of the INTERREG IV A France (Channel) – England cross-border European cooperation programme, co-financed by the ERDF. Do you want to grow your business internally but not sure where to start? Or perhaps you’re currently exporting and want to do more. Then read on to find out how our latest project can help your business grow overseas.

What will the project achieve?

Our goal is to boost the economy and foster the development of cross border trade between companies in the region of Sussex and Dieppe.

We have identified sectors that are most likely to export and where the potential collaboration appears to be among the most promising. The sectors are listed below but we’d welcome interest from businesses in any sector: n Logistics n Boat building n Food processing

You will be invited to take part in technical workshops, which aim to build a very practical action plan for your business. Throughout the process you will have access to our Sussex International Trade Forums and business review clinics, enabling you to learn from expert advisors and network with exporters. We will then introduce you to businesses in the Dieppe region in 2012, where you will meet and establish relationships with companies that you can potentially collaborate with. This will include a conference during which you will alternate between group, individual and companies meetings.

Once your business has established concrete cross border relationships, we will support you to sustain these relationships.

Fill out our online survey today to register your interest in the opportunities available at www.surveymonkey.com/s/XBTMPZV or email Liz.Cadman@sussexenterprise.co.uk

n Environmental technology n Aviation.

How will your business benefit?

Our main objective is to help companies

12 BUSINESSEDGE

BE 8.indd 12

27/3/12 09:59:33

BCC FOCUS

Business is good for Britain’s future We are living in momentous times with slow but seismic shifts in the world economy.

Europe is in danger of being left in the slow lane of the world economy. Unless it wakes up to enterprise and wealth creation, and throws off the shackles of its self indulgent political class, it will see its future potential shrink. A slowdown across the eurozone is inevitable, but Britain need not suffer a similar fate. In fact we simply cannot afford to compromise on economic performance. If we fall behind, the future could be very different for our children and grandchildren.

Britain does have the potential to recover and make its way in the world. We have the talent, the energy, and the enterprise. All we need is an environment that puts business first. Boosting growth in our businesses will

boost the economy and let Britain lead on the international stage.

In the face of economic concerns, and the debt crisis in Europe, businesses across Britain, large and small, are busting a gut to find new markets and grow their firms. That’s why we have to recognise that business is a force for good. It is at the centre of the economy, and it is only business that can create recovery and deliver all the good things we want like education, healthcare and pensions. The government must demonstrate that it has as much confidence in Britain’s ability to make its way in the world as our business owners do.

As the Chancellor rightly sticks to plans to reduce the deficit, there are still ways he can combat

the threat of stagnation, within the existing spending envelope. Measures like the reversal of the punishing 5.6% rise in business rates due in April 2012, and a reduction in employer National Insurance Contributions could make a real difference in helping our firms to grow.

But it’s more than just about the role business plays in our economy. Business is the foundation of local communities, creating the wealth that helps them thrive, providing hard working people with purpose and self respect, and employment and training for those that want to learn.

We must build an enterprise culture in Britain and help people to employ themselves so that one day they will employ others. Enterprise built Britain as a great trading nation. Many of the technological advances of the world have come from this small island and we are still great innovators.Too many people and politicians have no experience of this and are bent on dumbing down our talent and turning Britain into a living museum, rather than sharing in the excitement of progress.

Politicians have shown a level of resolve and determination to help business succeed this year.

However, they have been nowhere near radical enough and have not been able to tackle the culture that deems business and wealth creation as negative, and also the sheer inertia within the government machine. More than ever we need our leaders to be brave, have single minded vision and determination and to once and for all shake the government machine out of its rather smug torpor, aiming high for Britain and British business.

The government can restore UK business confidence. Facilitating the flow of credit to viable businesses, improving our planning system, and an overhaul of our infrastructure, and skills system, will tackle the barriers to expansion too often cited by businesses.

Business is not just good for Britain, but is essential. 2012 could provide the tipping point for our economy. Not just because the next year is the nadir of a crisis, but because it provides an opportunity for lasting change. It could be a new start to an exciting future, the beginning of a renaissance in our fortunes based on enterprise, wealth creation and a new world view.

Article is by John Longworth, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce.

BUSINESSEDGE 13

BE 8.indd 13

27/3/12 09:59:36

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14 BUSINESSEDGE

BE 8.indd 14

27/3/12 09:59:38

ASK THE EXPERT

Each edition we ask a panel of experts for the answer to issues that are challenging you. This time, it is Colin Browne, COLINISM, and Martin Henley, The Effective Marketing Company.

Q

What would you say is the most effective thing you can do to motivate your team to deliver great customer service?

A

Hire differently and then get out of their way.

I’m reminded of a story. A businessman experienced such friendly, helpful service as a hotel guest, that on checking out, he felt he had to tell the manager.

Naturally, the manager was delighted to hear it, but was perplexed when the businessman asked how he had trained his people to be so friendly.

“I don’t train people to be friendly,” the manager said. “I just hire people who are already very friendly in the first place. Since they’re helpful already, all I have to do is make it possible for them to do their jobs. ” For many companies, ‘customer service’ is a carefully documented set of policies. Its guiding principle is efficiency, and too often, the interest being protected is that of the company for which it was written rather than the customer.

Q

But here’s a secret many of us seem to have forgotten: customers are just people, and people … like you and I … love to be treated nicely.

Not processed efficiently; made to feel special.

Now admittedly, memorable acts of customer love come at a price. The right people may cost you a little more. Their actions, aimed at wowing your customers, may be hard to pin a hard cost to. And your old rule book for customer service may be useless with such individual customer needs.

But happy customers are returning customers, and those are the best sort. Are you doing enough to keep them feeling the love?

Contact Colin Browne by email: colin@colinjbrowne.com or by phone: 07572 303 309. Find more insights online at www.colinjbrowne.com Colin Browne

What is the most effective marketing?

I love this question because it recognises that all of marketing works and the work of marketeers is simply to identify the most effective, which is the absolute truth.

A

I know that when people ask this question the answer that they expect is email marketing, or telemarketing, or flyering, or PR or any one of the million marketing initiatives that are available to us all - but those are definitely not the right answers.

The right answer is that all of these marketing initiatives are effective if, and it is a crucial if, you have taken the trouble to identify your market, develop products and services that solve their problems or satiate their desires and deliver messages and offers that communicate the value and make your offering accessible.

Once you have done that work the next job is to try, and test, all of the marketing initiatives

that are available to you and identify the most efficient in terms of cost, effort and, most importantly, return.

Your most effective marketing initiatives will be those that you can sustain, measure and evolve.

If you are wondering what has been most effective for us I can tell you. The highest value customers have come through speaking, our website and referrals; the vast number of customers have come through email and telemarketing and we have increased awareness of Effective Marketing globally through social media marketing.

I hope this has answered your question and has been useful.

Martin Henley

BUSINESSEDGE 15

BE 8.indd 15

27/3/12 09:59:43

SPOTLIGHT ON WORTHING

Regeneration of W encourages confi d Recent years have seen Worthing undergo significant regeneration to help local businesses to make the best use of its many attractions.

Both the private and public sectors are involved and, last year, The Adur and Worthing Business Partnership was formed to bring together local colleges, businesses, the Chamber of Commerce, the Federation of Small Businesses and the local Council.

Worthing Borough and Adur District Councils have played a leading role in the initiative. In 2010, a joint Regeneration Team was established across their area, which provides resources to support local businesses, encourages economic development, promotes and implements regeneration schemes and supports tourism.

Within the team are two Economic Development Officers who are working on Business Action Plans for both Worthing and Adur, following up on consultation with local businesses to highlight which issues should be given priority.

The councils also monitor employment land and commercial premises to ensure it meets demand and creates opportunities for business growth and local jobs.

Among the regeneration initiatives already proving their worth have been an award-winning public realm project at Splash Point and a new sand court at the Active Beach Zone, adjacent to the Aquarena. Beach chalets were converted to artist’s studios and wayfinding monoliths were positioned at the railway station, Chapel Road, South Street and the seafront.

Indeed, October last year saw the celebration of the best of the local businesses with the Adur and Worthing Business Awards, an event strongly supported by the Councils and the Adur and Worthing Business Partnership. In the current difficult times, this type of event is vital is demonstrating the wealth of industry talent in the area.

Mike said: “There are a number of advantages for businesses to be part of, and trade on, Lancing Business Park. Through the BID, the park has become a strong and unified business community, and by joining forces we have enabled the park to strive to achieve even better trading conditions.

Lancing Business Park plays an important role in supporting the local economy and its residents have created a Business Improvement District (BID) to further that work.

“Almost 220 businesses occupy 250 different units across Lancing Business Park.With such a vast number of companies operating, strong links can be formed between us which can help lead to the use of methods such as inter-trading between within the park - meaning reduced transport costs for delivery, reduced marketing and support costs and, hopefully, increased sales volumes.”

Member firms pay a levy which is collected by the local authority but which is only used for projects designed to improve the business park.

What makes Worthing a good place to do business?

Championing Lancing Business Park

BID enables members to have control over projects that directly affect the performance of their businesses and those who pay the levy have a voice and a vote, as witnessed at the recent AGM when more than 60 people attended.

The BID Chairman Mike Punter, of Sussex Enterprise member Parafix Tapes & Conversions Ltd, said: “I am committed to motivating BID members to achieve the best possible results for the business park and often this means proposing new ideas while always being on hand to listen to other suggestions.”

Last year, the borough and county councils provided the funding to establish an Enterprise Hub at Anne Street in Worthing. Northbrook College is providing the lead in bringing together the business support linkages and developing the strategy.

His role includes highlighting issues of importance and, at times, lobbying opinion formers such as local MP Tim Loughton and Local councillor Angie Mills, on issues such as road resurfacing, improved security and energy efficiency initiatives.

The significant amount of investment in the public realm of the town generates confidence which increases the level of interest in new investment for the borough.

This approach has achieved notable success with Mike working closely with the BID committee and its coordinator Ken Green to market the group’s work to a wider audience.

One company which knows why it makes sense to do business in Worthing is Sussex Enterprise member Invensys Eurotherm, which started trading in the area in 1965 and whose process control technology is used globally.

Richard Aylwin, Business Unit General Manager, said: “It is true that we have good access to Gatwick and that we have good rail links, both of which make global business much easier, but it is our people that are our critical success factor, and having Brighton’s universities nearby has provided a fantastic pool of graduates over the years.

“Helping to make it easier to attract and retain people is the location of Worthing and the quality of life with the sea, the Downs and its proximity to Brighton, and the fact that Worthing is a great family location, with good schools and a low crime rate.

“People tend to stay and we have a higher than average number of employees who have been here more than 10, 20, 30 and even 40 years.

16 BUSINESSEDGE

BE 8.indd 16

27/3/12 09:59:43

SPOTLIGHT ON WORTHING

Worthing dence

“This forges strong links amongst our workforce which cannot be bought in or manufactured.

“Being part of a global organisation, it is a great advantage to be able to work in a place that has all the benefits that Worthing offers, whilst still maintaining a global perspective and all the opportunities that go with working for Invensys Eurotherm.

“There are few disadvantages of our location but the key one is poor road links. Traffic congestion through Worthing, and along the South Coast can be difficult at times. The impact is mainly felt by staff and visitors to the site but also impacts deliveries in and out.”

Factbox n In 2007,Worthing’s economy was worth £2.06bn, about 13% of the West Sussex Economy n Productivity levels and GVA per head in Worthing are lower than West Sussex and the South East n Financial & Business Service accounts for 28% of all business in Worthing but provides only 20% of jobs. Public Administration, Education and Health accounts for 10% of all business in Worthing and provides 37% of jobs n Distribution, hotels and restaurants account for 28% of Worthing businesses and 22%

of employment.The importance of tourism to the local economy should not be underestimated, although a significant proportion of jobs in this sector are seasonal, part time and low paid n The profile of Worthing’s businesses has changed. Previously the economy was reliant on a small number of larger companies; there is now an increasing reliance on small businesses. However, there appear to be a low number of new business start-ups n The rateable value of commercial accommodation in Worthing is slightly higher than in West Sussex and the South East.

BUSINESSEDGE 17

BE 8.indd 17

27/3/12 09:59:45

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18 BUSINESSEDGE

BE 8.indd 18

27/3/12 10:00:09

THE STEAM ROOM

Tell me the same old story!

Stop me if you have heard any of the following: n The comprehensive school system has let down a generation (or several generations)

n The trouble with the training system is that there are too many mickey mouse qualifications

Each edition we invite a visitor to ‘The Steam Room’ to let off steam on the issues that are bothering them and their business.

n I’d love to take on apprentices but it’s just too complicated n They should never have done away with grammar schools, that’s how I got where I am today

Say any and all of them loud and often enough and you get irrefutable reasons for all manner of business and life challenges that stem from the perceived skills deficit of young people.You’ll hear: n “It’s why I have to employ migrant labour “ n “It’s why I won’t have anything to do with my local schools and colleges” n “It’s why I won’t consider employing and training apprentices” n “It’s why my own children are privately and very expensively educated” And so on…and so on! Case proven, not worth a counter argument!

Well, here’s a counter argument anyway.

There did used to exist, in this country in the decades after WW2, a credible, broadly understood and accepted vocational training system, that nurtured the employability skills, generic and sector and trade specific, of future workforces. The key deficit in that system was a chronic lack of development of leadership and management skills. Therefore, whilst there was a credible and potentially valuable training ‘currency’ for individuals, those individuals entered into an increasingly dysfunctional and ill-led business ‘system’ which proved inept in the global competition that characterised the new mass markets.

The collapse, during the late 1970’s and the1980’s, of a credible vocational training

Steam Room!

n It’s not up to employers to make young people work ready – it’s up to schools and colleges

You might want to add a few of your own, about modern exams being too easy, or all school/college leavers being work-shy or about the golden age when you could beat young people into understanding the meaning of hard work of right from wrong.

The

system in this country occurred because the training route ways, including apprenticeships, were over dependent on nationalised industries and utilities (steel, coal, gas, water, electricity, car manufacture, telephony and so on). When they were broken up, no-one gave a serious thought about how to maintain the currency and credibility of the training paths into engineering and construction trades, postal and telephonic communications, light and heavier (including hi tech) manufacture and more.

The new late 80’s/90’s business elite put vocational training and skills legacy building way down their ‘to do list’. Those employers busy making their fortunes out of the newly opened up markets, using expert labour trained through expensive (to the tax payer) nationalised routes, didn’t want to be bothered thinking through how employers of the future would fare and certainly didn’t want to be paying a ‘levy’ to ensure that training systems and practices were kept up to ‘gold’ standard.

They cashed in.

So, we got and have got the vocational training system we deserve; piecemeal and subject to the changing whims of ministers; poorly communicated, for the most part, to employers, current and potential employees and to young people. Therefore, we complain and therefore it’s an issue compelling political activity. But it’s an issue lacking the ‘mass and immediate’ engagement’ of other ‘education’ issues. So it remains an ‘irritant’ and not a core issue. Plenty of steam to let off, not many volunteers to pay for the fix of the engine!

BUSINESSEDGE 19

BE 8.indd 19

27/3/12 10:00:14

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20 BUSINESSEDGE

BE 8.indd 20

27/3/12 10:00:17

START UPS

A powerful tool After working for large consultancies over the past 15 years, Ceri Sansom wanted to use her extensive experience as an environmental consultant and help organisations and local business meet their sustainability aspirations and save money.

She said “Having supported my daughter’s School through its EcoSchool Green Flag application, I realised that many organisations and businesses could save money by assessing how they use energy and manage their facilities.Through a collaborative process with the school management team, I have identified and helped implement low cost solutions to release funds which can be re-directed into other parts of the organisation”.

Ceri said “Since I started Arctium, I have found that implementing sustainable and cost effective solutions has been most successful after a review of the whole business. Organisations have come to me with a particular solution in mind, but a closer look has identified other simple but very effective methods of reducing resource consumption and therefore costs. It is gratifying when we find that there are easy wins in the first instance to contribute towards funding more substantial investments with more substantial savings. Also this tiered approach helps solutions to tie into the business as it develops. As with so many strategic plans it is a document that genuinely benefits from being revisited from time to time.”

Her time with large engineering and environmental consultants, including Mouchel, Babtie and Jacobs, has enabled Ceri to identify low cost environmental solutions for clients in a time when budgets are getting squeezed in every direction. Her success as a consultant is down to the effort that she takes to know a client’s needs and aspirations and using how they work to provide a tailored solution, which is not only achievable but can be implemented through everyday working practice.

Savings typically fall into two categories. Firstly, installation of new technology that broadly allows business as usual, but with less wastage.

This doesn’t have the benefits of the second, which is bringing your staff on board. By empowering those who deliver the service, or make the product and know the process intimately to identify their own savings greater streamlining is possible. Ceri can provide training and support to organisations who wish to harness this very powerful tool.

For Ceri, the key reason for starting her business, Arctium Ltd in 2011, was to help community organisations and local businesses make better use of their financial and physical resources through smart management of their assets.

Ceri Sansom

In taking the company further Ceri has been building connections with local sustainability and environmental organisations as well as businesses. Amongst other networking opportunities she has used Sussex Enterprise to meet with local businesses to understand their needs.

Building a business is all about skills beyond professional technical capability and Sussex Enterprise has helped with courses on motivation and organisational culture. I plan to make use of future courses on social media which is likely to be significant in the future development of the company.

Starting a new company for me has been about meeting new people and the challenge of bringing my experience to a new market.

Seeing organisations take real steps forward that will allow them to focus their finances on what matters to them has been a pleasure. If I’d known that then, I would have started earlier!

Tel: 07974198673 email – info@arctium.co.uk

BUSINESSEDGE 21

BE 8.indd 21

27/3/12 10:00:22

THE BIG INTERVIEW

Not the best we best that can be

c d

Glyndebourne is a true original; famous for producing transformative operatic experiences that attract global audiences, it remains a uniquely English organisation nestled in the heart of the Sussex countryside.

F

ounded in 1934 by John Christie, and his soprano wife Audrey Mildmay, Glyndebourne is a registered charity and receives no public subsidy. Instead it is resolute in remaining financially independent and sustains itself through box office sales and the support of its members and donors. The organisation’s annual turnover is £20million and it employs a yearly average of 287 people, rising to 800 during the summer Festival season.

Financial independence leaves Glyndebourne free to invest in projects which further its objectives to present opera of the highest quality, commission new work, develop new talent and reach new audiences. These projects include providing annual professional development opportunities for emerging singers, hosting music workshops for dementia sufferers, and broadcasting Festival operas live via cinema screenings. All projects and productions are delivered with a view to doing “not the best we can do, but the best that can be done anywhere”, a motto inherited from Glyndebourne’s founder.

Glyndebourne’s contribution to the local economy is huge; research undertaken in 2006 estimated that Glyndebourne generates £16million annually for the local economy. The visitor spend on travel and accommodation by the Glyndebourne Festival audience is a key source of income for many local hotels and shops. Glyndebourne further supports the growth of the local economy by promoting surrounding businesses on its website, employing local people and sourcing local products. The international reputation of Glyndebourne’s work has also been a significant boost to the local tourist economy in attracting visitors from all over the world to this part of Sussex.

Beyond its economic ties Glyndebourne also engages closely with the local community through its educational work. Glyndebourne’s first community opera involved over 300 people on Hastings Pier and was followed by other community focused productions in Ashford and Peterborough. The most recent community opera, Knight Crew, was the subject of the Emmy award-winning BBC documentary ‘Gareth Malone goes to Glyndebourne’. Sixty five local schoolchildren performed on stage with more taking part from the orchestra pit.

Parents, carers and other members of the local community also featured as part of the ‘Mothers’ Chorus’. The next large scale community opera, Imago, will take place in 2013.

The company has a long history of innovation which dates back to the 1950s when Glyndebourne became the first arts organisation to be awarded charitable status. In 1951 its production of Cosi fan tutte became the first opera to be shown live on British television.

More recently Glyndebourne has pioneered the use of DVD recordings to take opera out of the opera house, and last year it teamed up with the Guardian to offer live internet streamings of two of the Festival 2011 operas.

“Our digital work is a natural extension of our efforts to enrich the lives of as many people as possible with opera,” says Gus Christie, Glyndebourne’s Executive Chairman. “In any one year around 150,000 people will see our productions in a theatre, either here at Glyndebourne itself or while the company’s on tour. But the technology which is now available to us, and which Glyndebourne has been very quick to see the potential of, means that we’re able to reach more people than ever.”

2011 also saw Glyndebourne claim another sector first when it became the only arts organisation to generate its own power using a large-scale wind turbine. “We believe

everyone needs to do their bit to help tackle climate change,” says Gus. “It’s something Glyndebourne is really concerned about which is why we wanted to take a lead. We hope to see other organisations follow suit and think about what they could do to reduce their own environmental footprint.”

Glyndebourne’s first step was to consult with nearby towns and villages. “We really wanted to engage and invited everyone to come along,” Gus says. “The feedback was largely positive but there was bound to be some opposition given that our turbine would be the first of its kind in the area.”

In an effort to tackle residents’ concerns, the turbine was carefully scaled to take into account its visual impact and ensure it would provide enough energy to meet the company’s needs. Rather than being viewed as a commercial exercise, the focus was on covering Glyndebourne’s own energy requirements in order to deliver the desired environmental benefits. The power generated aims to cover 90% of Glyndebourne’s needs resulting in a 50% reduction in direct carbon emissions. Funded through Glyndebourne’s reserves, the company

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can do, but the done anywhere

estimates that the project will have paid for itself in seven years.

Plans for 2012 include the pilot year of the Glyndebourne Academy which will offer pre-professional training to talented young singers who may otherwise find it difficult to break into the industry. And, like many UK organisations, Glyndebourne is getting involved in the London 2012 celebrations.

It has chosen to mark the occasion with a major new production created and performed by learning-disabled and marginalised artists to mark the reinstatement of learning disabled athletes to the Paralympics. Having being welcomed into the Games in 1996, their participation was rocked at Sydney 2000 with the discovery that most of Spain’s basketball team did not have a learning disability. Gold Run will premiere at Glyndebourne in April and will then go on to appear at Brighton Dome, Dilston Grove Gallery, Southwark Park and Chichester Festival Theatre.

In the long term Glyndebourne will continue to keep one eye on the future, developing new talent, new works and new audiences.

“We can’t be complacent,” confirms Gus. “Glyndebourne has a strong reputation for

producing world class opera and we enjoy the passionate support of our members, but we don’t rest on our laurels and we are always looking for new opportunities. These are the secrets of our success as a business and we never forget that.”

Factbox n Glyndebourne was founded in 1934 by John Christie and his soprano wife Audrey Mildmay. n Glyndebourne has remained financially independent throughout its history. n In the 1950s Glyndebourne became the first arts organisation to be awarded charitable status. n Glyndebourne has an annual turnover of £20million. n The world-famous Glyndebourne Festival runs annually from May to August and the Glyndebourne Tour runs each year from October to November.

n In 2009, Glyndebourne marked its 75th anniversary by launching the New Generation Programme (NGP) to support and promote long-term audience and artistic development. n Glyndebourne was recently featured in the international bestseller travel book ‘1000 Places to See Before You Die.’ n The 2012 Glyndebourne Festival will be the first ever opera Festival to be run on renewable energy thanks to Glyndebourne’s recently installed wind turbine.

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COVER FEATURE

Olympian doing a c job at motivating p It’s one of the questions that dogs athletes when they retire. What are you going to do now?

I

n the case of Olympian Sally Gunnell, the answer has been to inspire many thousands of people in all walks of life, including many in the business community.

Whether it is inspirational speaking or advising on health and well-being, Sally is determined that the lessons she learned as a top-class athlete will not be wasted just because she is not competing, Sally herself began her athletic career with the Essex Ladies Club as a long jumper and pentathlete but gravitated towards the hurdles.

It was hurdling that brought her fame, Sally winning the 400m hurdles at the 1992

speeches and addressed 37,450 people and, although it makes for a hectic life, she regards keeping fit as crucial.

Olympics in Barcelona and going on to set a world record in the same event as she secured gold at the 1993 World Championships.

Sally said: “I keep fit for a number of reasons. I believe that being fit makes me a better person in everything I do. I shout less at the kids, I have more energy and I think more clearly.

Injury wrecked her chances to defend her Olympic title at Atlanta in 1996 and she eventually retired in 1997 after a reoccurence of an Achilles tendon injury.

“Of course, I have good and bad days but keeping fit does seem to help and I continue to run, go out on the bike, visit the gym and do a lot of walking.

It was a glittering career and she remains the only woman to have held the European, World, Commonwealth and Olympic titles at the same time, and was awarded an MBE in 1993 and an OBE five years later in recognition of her achievements.

“I find that if I don’t do anything active, I end up feeling groggy after four or five days.

Keeping fit is such an important part of my life.”

Now living and running her own company in West Sussex, she was appointed Deputy Lieutenant for the area last year.

In the past 15 years, she has given 465 keynote

Sally passes those ideas onto other people and she said: “A lot of my business is motivational speaking. It is so important that people feel motivated to keep fit and healthy.

“It is about people taking a hard look at themselves and it can help if they see a reason for taking regular exercise.

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a champion g people

“One of the ways to achieve this is to set themselves a challenge. Perhaps they are preparing for a charity walk or run, something that helps me stay motivated.

“Or maybe they have programme which they seek to follow. It can also help if you do your fitness with a friend.”

Sally has increasingly targeted the business community for her message and said: “I think a lot of people and a lot of businesses are seeing the sense in keeping fit.

“With people working harder, sometimes doing the work of two people, they need to be keep fit and I think companies are realising that their efforts will be re-paid.”

To help them achieve such goals, Sally tailors her talks to meet specific business needs with a strong emphasis on n Dealing with setbacks n Setting goals for success n Sustaining excellence n Creating a work/life balance

Other services include running company challenges, healthy living awaydays, office exercise sessions, special events and seminars.

Her company works with a number of partners, including global drugs company Merck Serno, whose 2012 Challenge has given employees the chance to take part in healthy activities. Sally’s task has been to engage with the UK workforce and encourage them to get involved.

Another success story has been the Partners in Sport programme run for the John Lewis Partnership, which is designed to encourage as many of the company’s people as possible to be active.

A dedicated website provides support and advice to partners and their families. Sally’s role, since the programme launch in the Summer of 2011, has been to promote some of the sporting challenges that partners can take part in.

And as Healthy Living Ambassador for American Express, Sally has become involved in a global, award-winning employee health programme.

Amex launched its UK version of the Healthy Living initiative in early 2010 and Sally has been involved from that time. She has spoken to top UK managers, attended a variety of Healthy Living awareness events and provided regular advice and support for Amex staff looking to improve their well-being.

This year could not pass by without involvement in the summer’s Olympics and Sally said: “My Olympic success was my greatest sporting moment and provided me with my best memories. It’s 20 years ago now but I know it will never be forgotten.

“For all that, I was relieved when I finally retired.

I’d had enough by then but I will be back for this summer’s Olympics, working as an Ambassador for the organisers, doing some television work and also doing some corporate work.”

She will also be Guest Speaker at the Goodwood Gala Dinner in November but asked what theme she will take, she says: “That’s a long way off.

Hopefully, things will be quieter then!“ More information can be obtained through www.sallygunnell.com

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

REEVES

What to do if your business has a Tax Enquiry?

One of the most frightening letters for most people will be a letter from HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) informing them, or their business that they are to be enquired into. The first thing is not to panic and feel that the world is against you and your business.

Whilst random enquiries are rare, they do still occur, but, in most cases the enquiry has come about because of some information that HMRC believe is inconsistent with the accounts and tax return submitted by you and your business.

So if you get the dreaded letter, what can you do to minimise the disruption and inconvenience that will arise? Firstly, call your professional adviser to check that they are aware of the enquiry, and then leave them to organise how matters will progress. The advice that I give to clients is based on the following experience acquired over many years of dealing with enquiries.

Paul Roe

Depending on the size of the business, appoint just 1 person in your firm to be the conduit with your professional advisors/ HMRC. This will keep disruption to the minimum.

Let your professional advisor try to arrange any meetings with HMRC at their office, rather than at the business premises. This prevents unnecessary worry for staff, and usually ensures the enquiry can be concluded more quickly.

If the business is in arrears with VAT/PAYE returns and payments try and bring them up to date ASAP. If prior to the enquiry meeting it is clear that an error has been made, get the professional advisor to let HMRC know before the visit, rather than hope they won’t find the error – they will!

If the enquiry results in a liability make arrangements to pay up as soon as possible – it minimises any on-going or later problems.

Two final pieces of advice:If you haven’t already taken out fee Insurance to cover enquiries from HMRC do so now, as any enquiry that is started by HMRC, before cover is in place will not be covered. Typical cover for a business with a turnover of up to £10 million will cost £300, whilst up to £25 million is £450.

HMRC are not interested in the disruption to your business, or the health or pressure put on the business owners as a result of an enquiry so...

TRUST YOUR PROFESSIONAL ADVISOR. If you have any queries or would like further information on the above, please contact Paul Roe, Partner at Reeves, on 01293 776152 or email paul.roe@reeves.co.

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH

Enhance your professional development Portsmouth Business School is one of the largest and most successful business schools on the south coast of England. Situated in the heart of the city, it has in the region of 5,000 students from all over the world and consistently achieves high ratings for its research capabilities, teaching, and the student experience it provides.

Current postgraduate student Oliver Anderson is Head of Workforce and Development for the NHS SHIP Cluster, which includes Southampton, Hampshire, Isle of Wight and Portsmouth. He chose to do a postgraduate diploma in Human Resource Management because he wanted to broaden his skills and gain another qualification.

Oliver said: “The NHS is currently undergoing a massive change and I strongly believe having a professional qualification makes you more resilient.

I had worked for many years in workforce planning at different levels but was keen to learn more about the full spectrum of Human Resources (HR).The course has really opened my eyes to how all elements of HR link together.

“I was recommended the course by Rosalyn Jack, Director of Human Resources for the NHS

SHIP Cluster, who had previously studied at Portsmouth Business School. It was also important for me that the University has a good reputation and is an Accredited Centre for the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

“Studying is already having impact on my job and I am constantly taking learning back to the workplace. I’ve formulated a strategy for HR to take into a new commissioning support organisation, ‘Commissioning Support South’, which will be emerging soon, and the knowledge I have gained has certainly helped me put this together. I’m really enjoying how I can apply knowledge more strategically now.”

Once Oliver has completed the diploma he is going to progress to the Master’s top-up which comprises an intensive four-day teaching block in May and a two-day teaching block in September followed by a dissertation.

He said: “I’m impressed with the Business School. The course is really well put together and the tutors have been fantastic. There’s a good mix of learning styles too which keeps you interested. I’m sure that completing this

Oliver Anderson

course will help me move towards Director level in future, which is my long-term goal.”

To find out more please come along to the next Portsmouth Business School open evening on Tuesday 19 June, which will feature a guest presentation from Will King, the founder and CEO of King of Shaves.

For further details please visit www.sharpenyourcompetitiveedge.com

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RED FLAG RECRUITMENT

Why Should You Use a Recruitment Agency?

With UK unemployment currently reported at 2.67 million and organisations continuously facing pressure for cost reduction, the need and desire to use a recruitment agency should be low, right?

Wrong….according to The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development 54% of employers used a recruitment agency in 2011 and the UK recruitment industry recorded a turnover of £24.5 billion...not bad for an industry facing testing times.

Of more interest is that one in five (predominantly private sector organisations) have actively formed closer working ties with recruitment agencies and feel they are “integral” to attracting top talent.

they can deal with workers contract’s and payroll issues, and ultimately they will become an extension to your Human Resources department and work as a true recruitment partner.

A recruitment agency has the same aim as their client; to find the very best talent for a given role. A good recruitment agency will also justify their fee…

Why though do organisations continue to use recruitment agencies and in some cases strengthen their relationships with them when every corporate pound has to be justified, and logic would dictate that a company should take on the responsibility for recruitment themselves?

In theory if I had to rewire my house I would call an electrician as I am not an expert in DIY or electrics. Compared to the professional my own ability is lacking, the time required to do the job greater, the tools at my disposal less and risk of error significantly higher. The cost of paying a fee to a recruitment agency should outweigh the time and effort taken to recruit for a role yourself.

In short, a good recruitment agency adds value to every aspect of the recruitment process, they reduce the risk and financial cost of a bad hire, if you require temporary staff at short notice

Most agencies work on a “no success, no fee” basis. They exist to provide a service and a good recruitment agency will ensure that the service and results generated are better than what the

Managing Director, Simon Royston

client would consistently deliver through their own efforts. In addition rebates are typically in place so that in the event a selected candidate did not work out an organisation minimises the financial risk.

A recruitment agency will have access to a larger number of candidates – some of them passive job seekers that are a better fit for a given role than someone that has happened to see a job advert and applied.

A recruitment agency will, by the very nature of the business, be able to advertise across a wider variety of job boards, newspapers and specialist websites at a more cost effective rate.

Finally, you use a recruitment agency because they should be responsive to your business needs. They have a vested interest in achieving the best outcome in a timely manner, and to do that they need to understand your brief and your company culture, they will subsequently become advocates to an organisation and will communicate key messages about a business which could be the difference in attracting the best available talent.

Recruitment agencies can play an important role in an organisation’s elusive search for talent and they will continue to give companies a competitive edge over those that do not.

Contact details If you would like to learn more about our recruitment services, please contact Simon at Red Flag Recruitment on 01273 666 890 or email simon@redflagrecruitment.com

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Data Shredding Services Ltd have been established for 15 years providing secure destruction of paperwork and all waste paper solutions.

We are fully ISO9001 Certified to UK & European standards, Full Members of Constructionline, Full Members Of Sussex Enterprize, Full Members of the Federation Of Small Business’s & Fully Vetted Members Of Check A Trade.

Our customers include: n n n n n n n n

MOD NHS Local/District Councils Schools & Colleges Solicitors & Lawyers Accountants Conference Centres Small Businesses

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If you would like more information on our services please contact us:

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Conference and Function Room Hire Whether you need to hire a room for training, conferences, meetings, group outings, lunch parties, exhibitions, kids parties, evening activities or a wedding reception - we have a choice of three rooms and The Bothy situated in the heart of the woodland walk, with well equipped facilities to meet your requirements.

Number 64 - High Street, Bognor Regis (Situated in the heart of Bognor Regis; Easy access via train and bus) Aldingbourne Country Centre - Chichester (Situated just off the A27 near Fontwell Race Course with free parking) If you hire a room, you can use a modern, easily accessible venue in a great location. What's more, your money will be going towards supporting adults with learning disabilities to train towards gaining employment as we are a non-profit making social enterprise.

We Provide A choice of 3 bookable rooms and The Bothy, that can be set up for you in a choice of layouts. Use of Data Projector, OHP, Flipchart, DVD, Whiteboard. Internet access and hearing loop. A choice of freshly made food and refreshments.

Visit the pigs, goats, alpacas, rabbits, ducks, guinea pigs, chickens and pony on our open farm or take a stroll in the woodland walk - Aldingbourne really do have a tranquil venue for all your needs.

The Aldingbourne Trust, Blackmill Lane, Norton, Chichester, West Sussex PO18 0JP Phone 01243 542075 Email conferences@aldingbournetrust.co.uk Visit www.aldingbournetrust.co.uk for more details on how to find us

H H H H

Conferences Conferences & Meetings&byMeetings the Sea

by the Sea

4 Function Rooms Accommodating up to 120 Delegates Features Personal Service Natural Daylight Free WI-FI Ample Free Parking

Sussex Enterprise Member Special

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The Hydro Hotel

Mount Road Ɠ Eastbourne Ɠ East Sussex Ɠ BN20 7HZ T: 01323 720643 W: www.hydrohotel.com E: sales@hydrohotel.com

4 Function Rooms Accommodating up to 120 Delegates Features Personal Service Natural Daylight Free WI-FI Ample Free Parking

Sussex Enterprise Member Special

£29.50

Day Delegate Rate

The Hydro Hotel

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Mount Road Ɠ Eastbourne Ɠ East Sussex Ɠ BN20 7HZ T: 01323 720643 W: www.hydrohotel.com E: sales@hydrohotel.com

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CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITIONS

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Taking advantage of opportunities In times of economic stricture, the successful businesses are the ones that take advantage of opportunities. That is certainly true of conference venues.

Whether they be hotels, business centres, sporting clubs or specialist venues, they see conference as a way of attracting extra income.

That income is not just room hire but can come in the form of meals, drinks, overnight stays if necessary and associated investments.

The potential remains despite tough times. A recent report presented to MPs by the Events Industry Forum and the Business Visits & Events Partnership showed that the UK events industry can grow from its existing £36.1 billion, to £42.2 billion in 2015 and £48.4 billion in 2020, supporting 25,000 companies involved in event provision.

The report says that as well as the economic value of the industry, the sector provides ‘invisible benefits’, supporting exports and positioning the UK as the centre of international business, intelligence and knowledge sharing.

And with the countdown to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympics Games and The Queen’s Jubilee well under way, there are even more opportunities.

The good venues are the ones that can tailor themselves to providing the exact needs of the event organisers. One approach is to bring in a specialist company to do it. The staff at these companies will have encountered just about every problem presented by the process.

Similarly, specialist help is invaluable when staging a conference. Whether it is staff at specialist venues or outside organisers, they will tell you that there is a lot to think about to make sure it runs smoothly.

The first consideration is the nature of your event. Do you need a large hall or will something a little more intimate work? Is it formal or informal?

Whatever the choice, it is vital that visitors can easily understand the layout and find their way around with the minimum of fuss. Large conferences can be bewildering events so adding to visitors’ problems with poor layout can only detract from the success of the event.

In a world where business people feel more pressured than ever, wasting time getting lost at a conference is unlikely to foster much in the way of goodwill.

One of the other things that makes an event successful is a sense that something is happening so it is useful to have staged areas for demonstrations and performances, or for companies to show their products at work. Such activities, with the interest they attract, makes an event feel like it is alive.

All good conferences have a touch of theatre about them. It’s what singles out the poor ones from the good ones.

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

GLOBAL CHARTERED FINANCIAL PLANNERS

Compulsory Pension Schemes are coming back Remember when you joined a company, you had to join their pension scheme?

Compulsion was abolished and pension scheme membership declined. The Government has now introduced legislation, which has made it compulsory for employers to enrol most of their workforce into a pension scheme.

The rules are fairly complex and a number of employers have not prepared adequately because they do not know what is involved. This article will help you formulate your plan.

Q - When do I need to be ready by?

The date that the scheme and the systems need to be in place depends on your PAYE reference(s)/ number of employees as at 1st April 2012. This is called the Staging Date.

Available on the DWP website, it can be as soon as October 2012 for larger employers. The planning and implementation is likely to take a year and additional budget will need to be assigned for contributions and implementation.

This is not something that can be put in place in a few weeks.

Q - Who needs to be involved in this process?

HR, payroll and IT will all have a part to play – start now to pinpoint weaknesses in the systems and you will have time to strengthen them.

Q - I have a scheme in place – is that OK? If it complies, but you will also need the systems in place to ensure it complies month on month as employees start, leave, become eligible, reach the end of their opt out period, etc. The Pensions Regulator are overseeing companies and making sure they provide the records to prove they are complying.

Q - What if I do not comply?

The fines for non compliance can be between £50-£1,000 per day and wilful disobedience can mean a criminal record and a custodial sentence. The Government needs these measures to work and this legislation will be enforced.

Q - What does it cost?

First you need to define ‘employee’ - an employee is someone with a contract for three months or more – this can therefore include agency workers with your company.Then assess eligibililty.

Type

Age

Salary

Option to join or auto enrolled?

Employers Contribution?

Entitled

All

Under £5,035*

Option

No

Non Eligible

All

£5,035* - £7,475*

Option

Yes

Eligible

22 - 65

Over £7,475*

Auto- Enrolled

Yes

* under review Contributions start at 1% employer contribution of salary and 1% employee contribution, rising eventually to 3% employer and 5% employee in 2017.

Q - Do I have a choice of Schemes?

The Government operate one called ‘NEST’ the National Employment Savings Trust, which is quite prescriptive, but you can choose your own tailor-made one.

Global Financial Limited is an appointed representative of Best Practice IFA Group Limited which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage

In summary, it is best to plan early, get as many people involved as possible and get yourself a great adviser!

Article by Sally Booker FPFS, an independent Chartered Financial Planner and part of the highly experienced team at Global Financial Limited, who offer local companies local professional financial advice in Sussex. They will help you assess your workforce, choose a scheme, help set up the relevant systems/meet requirements and assist in providing information to the workforce.

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Going into care?

Or have a family member or friend who is?

Global Care Specialists have a team of independent female advisers who specialise in helping you find the best route to planning for care for yourself or a family member/friend, whether it involves raising capital or investment and whether it is for care at home or in a residential setting. With you, we consider the options available to pay for care and assist you in minimising the impact of long term care fees.

We offer the complete service from assistance in selling a home, getting the right help from the local authority and benefits from the Government, helping you find a care home, helping you find a solicitor who advises on Powers of Attorney etc, to helping to manage your money and advising on the options available to you. Please see our website www.globalcareuk.com for more details.

There is no charge for the initial consultation.

Please call on (01403) 780780 or email us on info@globalcareuk.com to discuss your circumstances.

Global House, Daux Road Billingshurst, West Sussex RH14 9SJ Telephone: (01403) 780780

I would be interested in the free brochure on Care Fee Planning and would like one of your specialists to contact me. My details are: Name: Address: Telephone: I am interested for myself/for a family member/ for a friend

Global Care Specialists is a trading style of Global Financial Limited, which is an appointed representative of Best Practice IFA Group Ltd, which is authorized and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

Company registered in England 992704. Registered office: Global House, Daux Road, Billingshurst, West Sussex RH14 9SJ

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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

Compulsory Pension Schemes – our 5-step action checklist to help you assess where you are and tailor a strategy appropriate for your business

Know when you need to act

Find the staging date

Start the planning process

Assess the workforce

Brief key management personnel

Review existing pension arrangements

Mobilise an implementation team

Link to payroll, HR, IT Finance, Communications

Communicate the changes to all staff

Staff letters, emails, websites, FAQs

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Please call and ask to speak to an adviser or email david.clark@harveycurtis.co.uk www.harveycurtis.co.uk

Our policy is as individual as you.

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TRAINING COURSES

How to use your time effectively...

It seems to me that we are all trying to achieve more with less in 2012. So perhaps it is time to revisit some fundamentals of Time Management. My three key principles are to focus on:

1) Taking the right action – Because it is linked to a goal or an objective 2) At the right time - By prioritising 3) In the right way - By being organized and assertive and by delegating

Your purpose

The first step to being more effective is to clarify what your key purpose/ goals and objectives are. What would achievement and success actually look like for you? What is the core job purpose which is unique to you? I often ask delegates to try and summarise this in 2 sentences and then use this as a benchmark for all prioritisation decisions.

Prioritising

Most of us are urgency junkies and use the task deadline as the sole measure when prioritising.

Stephen Covey’s Important/ Urgency matrix from his famous “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People” helps you to review your habits and thinking on this. Can we find a way to be more proactive about the really important tasks in our role and less reactive to everyone else’s demands?

Updating your Time Management skills

The final principle is really an amalgamation of a hundred different tools and techniques which can be learned if your mindset is achievement focused.You may use Gantt charts or to do lists; a P.C. task manager or a notebook.You can choose whatever way you like to get organised, as long as you get into the habit of doing it.

The final skill to practise is managing everyone else’s expectations, firmly and positively, so you control how you spend your very precious time.

Good Luck!

If you would like some more help in this area then book on Sussex Enterprise’s “the 70 minute hour – a time refocusing programme” or bring us in house to raise the effectiveness of a group of your staff. Contact Melody McMillan, Training Manager on 08443759543.

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PREMIER MEMBER VIEW

Respecting the pa s to the future For a business to have survived and thrived for more than 150 years, it must be doing something right For Richard Gray, Sales & Marketing Manager, Gray-Nicolls, the reason for its success is a constant sense of innovation while respecting the past.

Grays was founded in Cambridge in 1855 by H J Gray, the then World Rackets Champion and great great grandfather to five of the current directors of the business.

He started making racquets and balls at St John’s College but soon expanded into other sports including cricket and hockey. During the Second World War, Grays, then a leading manufacturer of wooden racquets, acquired a number of companies including L J Nicolls, a renowned bat-maker based in Robertsbridge East Sussex, hence forming the Gray-Nicolls brand.

In 1986, the company closed its main Cambridge site as racquet manufacture had

moved to the Far East and re-located to the cricket bat factory in Robertsbridge. Since that time, the firm has expanded rapidly and now employs 100 people in the UK with sister companies in India, Pakistan and Australia; offices and factories in Cambridge and Robertsbridge and a warehouse in Hastings.

Asked what it is like being a global business based in rural East Sussex, Richard said: “ I would say it is pretty good – specialist skilled labour; proximity to the raw material, English willow, and relatively good access to London and the transport infrastructure mean Robertsbridge is a good place to be.

“We are particularly excited by the ease of access to the free market in continental Europe and more and more export business can be done directly from our Hastings warehouse.

What’s more, our visitors really enjoy coming down to Robertsbridge for a “day out” in the countryside and to experience rural craftsmen at work.”

He is hoping that this year’s London Olympics will help the firm, saying: “The company enjoyed sustained steady growth throughout the 1990s with a boost provided by the acquisition of Gilbert in 2002 and England’s subsequent Rugby World Cup victory in 2003. This continued up until 2008 when the recession resulted in a temporary lull in demand.

However, since 2010 we have seen a recovery and cautiously hope this will continue.

“Overall, I am sure that the Olympics will provide a great boost for the country generally and for sport in particular so that must be a good thing for the industry and for Grays.

“We expect to particularly benefit from the exposure for our Grays brand in hockey as we expect over 40% of players will be using Grays sticks as in the past three Games.

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PREMIER MEMBER VIEW

a st and looking

“A good performance from the Great Britain teams, many of whom use Grays, would be the icing on the cake. We are also very excited that the 2016 games in Rio will feature rugby for the first time which will have a similar boost to our Rugby business, having acquired the Gilbert brand in 2002.”

Asked for the secret to the company’s success, he says: “A long tradition of product quality and innovation has provided the bed-rock to the company’s success. This has ensured that our products have been used at the highest level for many many years. Cricketers from WG Grace to Alastair Cook have used Gray-Nicolls bats, the Rugby and Netball World Cups and majority of international matches use a Gilbert ball and more international hockey players have used Grays over the years than any other brand.

“More recently, we have been capitalising on the strength of our brands to build sales in new areas such as footwear and team-wear.

This strategy is starting to bear fruit with many leading players using our shoes and teams

at all levels choosing our clothing. From a commercial point of view, as a long-established family business, we try to take the long-term view, which has stood us in good stead on the whole, through good times and bad. In addition to the Executive Directors who are all family members, we are also very fortunate to have many long-serving employees, 50 years’ service is not uncommon, which is a great asset for any business. “ Whilst the immediate future for the world economy looks uncertain to say the least; we do feel that people will always love to play sport and so our products will be in demand.

We believe that a number of opportunities may emerge for us if – as we feel is likely - there is a shake-out in the industry. Longer term; we foresee a bright future in specialising; sticking to what we are good at and doing our best to ensure that we continue to produce the best possible products for use at the highest level.“

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UPFRONT

Microsoft Office 365 simple software solution for small businesses Colleagues might have differing versions of Microsoft software, Office 2003, 2007 or 2010. Email too may be a selection, with some people using Hotmail, others Gmail and so on. As your company grows and changes this makes business life difficult.

Managing this disparate software all costs time and money. The nightmare of lost emails or files, incompatible file formats, wrong versions of important documents or presentations, can even lose a deal.

Microsoft has addressed this problem for small businesses with its newest Cloud Computing solution – Microsoft Office 365.

Office 365 lets you access documents and emails

Helping travellers The RDF Group has launched the Train Refunds App, which allows travellers to submit train ticket refund claims through various operators whilst on the go.

It was developed at the Brighton office and Dave Wood, CEO of RDF Group, said: “The great thing about the Train Refunds App is that it enables you to deal with the refund, while you are delayed on the train.

You don’t have to worry about retaining your ticket or remembering the details of a specific journey. With this App, you can have your claim sent off by the time you step onto the platform.”

and manage them from anywhere with an internet connection. It combines file and data storage, Email and remote communications with Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint but you don’t need any local software installations. All the storage and maintenance is run by Microsoft on their servers, which is a huge advantage for businesses

month. Businesses can rent the system on a per user basis so they only pay for what they use.

This complete Office IT solution starts at the astonishingly low price of £4 per user per

Stuart Box is a Director and trainer at Burningsuit Ltd 01403 786740

Accredited IT training companies like Burningsuit can help business implement Office 365. Then everyone will use the same software, find those important files, and communicate efficiently together.

Golf club opens new coaching complex

The facility consists of two teaching bays with Flightscope Technology and four covered bays which allow practice during poor weather. In addition to these facilities, MSGC has seven Teaching Pros.

When the current owners purchased the club in January 2011, a decision was made, despite the recession, to press ahead with plans to improve

the coaching facilities, refurbish the clubhouse and almost double the size of the shop. The club has also recruited 360 new members in just 12 months.

Michael Henning, MSGC Managing Director, said: “Our ambition is to provide an environment and facilities where members and visitors can relax and enjoy their golf.”

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CHAMBER EVENTS

Sussex Enterprise events Thursday April 19th Successful Selling in a Comatose Economy When: 7:30am - 10:00am Where: The Charmandean Centre, WORTHING Free for members and those sampling events for the first time. Non members £24 inc vat.

Sales and pricing expert Myles Ford (Margin Squared) shares his insight on how your business can emerge from the down turn with better results than ever. He will explain how to create sales plans, new concepts and price positions that maximise the value from your customers.

We will also explore the challenges of creating the perfect sales team and ask the question 'are successful sales people born or made?' Sales recruitment specialist David Foster will guide us through this minefield. The seminar will be followed by a panel session with both our experts giving you the chance to have your questions answered.

Thursday May 3rd Sussex Enterprise Business Breakfast When: 07:30am – 10:00am Where: The Azure Restaurant, HASTINGS Free for members and those sampling events for the first time. Non members £24 inc vat.

Network with over 50 other businesses from Hastings and the surrounding areas. Full content to be confirmed soon.Visit www. sussexenterprise.co.uk for further details.

Thursday May 17th The Power of PR When: 7:30am - 10:00am, Where: Hilton Metropole, Brighton Free for members and those sampling events for the first time. Non members £24 inc vat.

The PR and marketing world has changed so much in the past 5 years. The relatively straightforward “media-centric” approach to

Public Relations has been turned upside down … and that’s a good thing for SME’s. Richard Smith from the Internet Consultancy discusses the benefits of PR for small businesses with PR expert Judy Sharp, and highlights the new ways that social media can supercharge any PR strategy, no matter how small.

Monday May 21st Sussex International Trade Forum 'Asian Tigers' When: 5:45pm - 8:30pm Where: Chichester College, Chichester Free for members and those sampling events for the first time. Non members £24 inc vat.

Whether you’re completely new to exporting, have some experience, or are looking to expand a well established range of global markets and services, there’s always more you can do to increase your bottom line. The combined economies of Asia are a rising powerhouse of international trade but to effectively penetrate today's Asian markets, exporters have to rely on a more sophisticated approach. Peter Brown, Director of International Operations at Chichester Collage will provide the inside track on the opportunities available in Asia including emerging markets and insights on business culture and behavior. Kindly hosted

by Chichester Collage, we will be treated to an Asian Buffet and traditional Japanese Tea ceremony delivered by the Japanese students in traditional costume.

Tuesday May 29th Sussex Enterprise Business Breakfast When: 07:30am – 10:00am Where: Fontwell Park West Sussex (tbc) Free for members and those sampling events for the first time. Non members £24 inc vat.

Network with over 50 other West Sussex businesses. Full content to be confirmed soon.

Visit www.sussexenterprise.co.uk for further details.

Contact details Book your place via the website: www.sussexenterprise.co.uk

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

SPICER INTERNATIONAL

Outsourcing – your road to recovery?

With the stagnated economic climate reluctant to recover, business owners are continuing to examine every cost, every overhead and every incoming bill.

And quite rightly too – prior to the start of the recession a lot of employers were nonchalant in their approach to costs. Business was good and plentiful and the focus was more about operational profit than examining every overhead. The recession changed all that. As business slowed the focus changed – what was going out became just as important as what was coming in. Supplier contracts were examined, rates re-negotiated and terms reassessed as the scrabble for savings escalated.

“I continually asked my customers to ask themselves what elements made up the cost of their product” explains Stuart Spicer, owner and Managing Director of Worthing based freight forwarder Spicer International. “Incredibly many had forgotten some of the fundamental costs involved between the purchase and the sale of their product. Perhaps co-incidentally many of those companies no longer exist.”

Spicer International had every reason to be

interested. Their shipping, warehousing and fulfilment service had been saving businesses money for years. “It’s simple really” Stuart Spicer explains “whilst owning a warehouse facility, equipment, and employing staff has its advantages, it does come at a price and that price is a fixed cost. By offering a pay-as-you-go storage, picking and packing facility it allowed some of our clients to relinquish those fixed costs and to concentrate on what they do best – sourcing and selling their products. Besides, at a time of recession and economic uncertainty who really wants a fixed cost?”

Well quite. And when you add the import, export and UK distribution services that Spicer International offer you really do have a one-stop-shop solution. “Business is continually evolving” reports Stuart Spicer “as a small business we are incredibly reactive, are able to adopt to change and successfully tailor our business to our individual clients requirements.”

It is an approach that has not only won contracts but business awards.

As a member of Sussex Enterprise, Spicer International has found its export documentation service to be a perfect add-on.

“To be able to offer and produce legalised export documentation online has been a refreshing change. What had been taking days now takes minutes – it’s faster, cheaper and easier than anything we’ve experienced before.”

The future for Spicer International is promising with a new division recently set up to handle the importation of cars “it’s a growing part of our business and an area in which we are particularly strong.”

For more information about what Spicer International can offer your company please visit www.spicerinternational.com Tel: 0845 659 0066 / 01903 204666 E-mail: stuart@spicerinternational.com

“What had been taking days now takes minutes – it’s faster, cheaper and easier than anything we’ve experienced before.”

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MEMBERS BENEFITS

Sussex Enterprise Launches Business Support and Advisory Service In April 2012 Sussex Enterprise launches a new and innovative service for its members in partnership with Branduin Business Support (BBS).

So what are we proposing? Quite simply the following: A series of breakfast events with general business topics aimed to provide businesses with ideas on how to solve their problems. We aim to attract 40-60 businesses to each of these events.

A series of business clinics that give businesses the opportunity to pre-book a 1 hour one-to-one consultation with expert business advisors.

An in-depth questionnaire based diagnostic will be completed by a consultant working with a business on a one-to-one basis. This will be written up into a report for the business with recommendations for future action.

An initial consultation at your premises to identify your business needs.The service – Sussex Enterprise Business Support from Branduin – provides businesses in Sussex with local access to professional business advice and support which has been quality assured – something that appears sadly lacking elsewhere.

BBS has been established for over 10 years and, in addition to having stringent quality controls, has an impressive track record in helping owners, MDs and Directors of small to medium sized companies achieve their personal and business goals.

BBS advisors all have experience of running and managing businesses - and all have a genuine desire to help other businesses achieve their potential.

Whether resolving short term issues, developing long term opportunities or simply providing a business with resources, BBS offer a full range of support and advisory services that cover Business Development, Sales & Marketing, Financial Management, Website Development & Promotion, Social Media Marketing, IT, Tender Bids, Employment Law, HR Procedures, Business Asset Protection and Business Rescue – in fact all of the services a business would ever need.

The unique Goal Mapping and Achievement Programme (GMapTM) is the cornerstone of the

new service. GMapTM identifies the aspirations that owners and MDs have for their business and leads to the production of a ‘road map’ to ensure these aspirations are met.

In addition to offering an initial GMap™ consultation, Sussex Enterprise Business Support from Branduin will also be hosting regular Business Review Clinics where business owners and MDs of Member Plus Member companies will be able to drop in to discuss any issues they face, free of charge. The first Business Review Clinic will be held on the 25th April, so book your place today on the Sussex Enterprise website (www.sussexenterprise.co.uk).

As many people will know Business Link formally closed its face-to-face advisory service in November 2011 and this will make it difficult for owners of small to medium sized companies to know where to turn for business support in future.

Initially, it was announced that 40,000 voluntary mentors would replace the Personal Business Advisers. However last year responsibility for providing mentors was ‘handed over’ to 5 banks Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, RBS and Santander.These banks have set up an online “mentor portal” -

www.mentorsme.co.uk - which simply provides lists of organisations and current / retired bank employees who offer business mentoring services.

This new approach to personal business support appears fragmented and expensive with some “SME Mentoring Packages” priced at £2,750 per month. There is also no evidence of any form of quality control being in place – something previously administered through Business Link’s approved supplier processes – making it even more difficult for business owners to access credible business advice and support.

The launch of Sussex Enterprise Business Support from Branduin ensures that businesses in Sussex and North Hampshire will be able to obtain objective business advice and support that can make a positive difference.

To book your free consultation with a BBS Adviser or for further information call now on 01444 221121 or visit www.businesssupportsussex.co.uk (or www.branduin.co.uk).

Don’t forget to book your place on the Business Review Clinic on the website www.sussexenterprise.co.uk.

Protect your business – with Sussex Enterprise HR Support You may have heard recently that Sussex Enterprise has launched a campaign to help protect businesses and maximise staff performance.

Our HR Support campaign which began in October is helping firms stay on the right side of the law. Businesses can download free HR factsheets on issues like Data Protection, Fit for Work Notes and the ACAS code for dealing with disciplinary issues or grievances.

You can fill in our one minute online questionnaire by visiting www.sussexenterprise.

co.uk/hrsupportchallenge and download our HR factsheets.You will automatically enter a prize draw to receive a year’s free membership of Sussex Enterprise worth £299.00 which will give you access to a wide range of HR documentation and support. The Challenge ends on 27th May, 2012.

The Sussex Enterprise HR Consultancy helps businesses grow and develop, through better planning, more efficient processes and improved morale and customer service. For further information, call 0844 37 595 52.

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MP PAGES

MP is optimistic For Worthing West MP Sir Peter Bottomley, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about living and working in the area.

He said: “The south coast economic area of Worthing and district is a fine flexible place to work, to start a business or to choose for relocation.

“The ability of Daewoo to build up more than 1,000 staff with high modern qualifications and skills showed how flexible the area is for businesses. Then when the parent company went bust, those people all found good posts with other employers.

“The profile of work and economic activity has always been changing. First, remember that the Arun part of the Worthing West constituency and the western wards of Worthing have a high proportion of active retired people. Their spending, though often from limited income, has helped local traders to avoid the harshness of the recession.”

He is confident that the area can adapt to meet the challenges facing it, saying: “The area has seen plenty of change. More than 100 years ago, up to two thirds of employees might have been in agricultural labouring, domestic service or the transport industry dominated by horses.

We have seen the rise and fall of town gas from coking plants, the electro-mechanical telephone exchanges and the 20th Century growth, then decline, of typewriting by specialists.

“The public sector is playing its part in new building and replacement of tired premises. It is impressive to see the energy that has lead to the proposed move of Worthing College to the former insurance offices off the A27. I admire the professional way the college had expanded the service it gives to most of our school leavers “Down the road, Northbrook College has impressively started its own rebuilding and expansion. If you need convincing of the value of modern apprenticeships, go there.

“Worthing Hospital continues to grow. Modern medicine needs first class building, wards, theatres and provision for day patients.

“The new swimming pool is in sight. The redevelopment at Teville Gate is coming.

Tourism and business gatherings will be helped by the replacement and the refurbishing of the town’s hotels.”

Mr Bottomley sees good reasons for businesses to set up in the area. He said: “Some come to Arun and Worthing first as friends. Many return as residents. The reasons for business to consider coming too are often built on the general prosperity of West Sussex.

“Despite the problems of the A27, the frustrations of the level crossings, and the fact that the good train service does not have the

fastest journey times to and from London, there are good transport links.

“Most people in employment can afford a home to buy or to rent. There is attractive provision of upmarket modern apartments and good houses.

Coming to the coast can be a better deal than being crammed in at the north of the county.

“The challenge is to continue, across the local parties and between the levels of government to keep the area responsive to new opportunities while doing all that helps to maintain the present services and business that are here.

“West Sussex County Council brings together the MPs and leading councillors of District and Borough Councils. We work together; we care and we are prepared to take decisions together. Heavy industry is not our future. Light engineering and specialist manufacturing is.

“The development I wish for is a greater concentration on research and start-up companies. I do not expect the districts of Ferring, East Preston with Kingston or Rustington or Worthing to become as large as Palo Alto in California. I do expect similar enterprise to decide that our locality is a local base of opportunity, of friendliness and of prosperity built on the talents and enthusiasm of local people.”

“Locally, we have in the past ten years had the equivalents of say six coal mines close. The number of places of employment with more than one thousand staff has fallen.

“However, there are causes to be optimistic.

Each new superstore, for example, may have up to 400 employees and existing stores can revive; one example is the trebling of staff after Morrisons replaced the Coop by Worthing station.

“Nearby, Lemo UK, the modern connectors business have built their startling modern five storey centre by the Town Hall. Also, Classic Collection Holidays have been built to an admirable medium size business at Saxon House, previously occupied by the Environment Agency. At Rustington, there are established manufacturing and service business with space for more.

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MP PAGES

about Worthing

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

BOWLES

Achievement through experience for your leaders and teams The Bowles proposition for leadership development takes a blended approach to learning, offering both indoor and outdoor solutions to develop leaders and their teams through experience.

Behavioural change is achieved through the application of a broad range of complimentary outdoor activities, along with relevant theory input, providing a rich framework for leadership development.

Bowles design and deliver a combination of indoor and outdoor learning and development programmes which effectively replicate real life workplace scenarios.Outdoor experiences at Bowles create unique challenges and demonstrate risk in a highly inspirational and safely controlled environment. Clients find that their experiential learning at Bowles is highly memorable, with a deep long lasting impact back at work.

“We add value to organisations by emotionally engaging leadership and management teams to experience, reflect, discuss and relate their learning to their role at work.” explains Katherine Parker L&D Director of Bowles.

“Our programmes have clear aims with measurable action plans to ensure that the behaviour changes achieved during the programme are carried out back in the work place in a sustainable way” adds Katherine.

Gatwick’s Engineering Department recently sent their teams to visit Bowles on a management development programme, where the team had a broad range of specific and challenging goals that they wanted to achieve.

“The Bowles facilitators were excellent, demonstrating a clear understanding of our goals and our business. We have found that we have converted the skills we learnt back into the workplace. The programme has been a springboard to other targets and broken down lots of barriers – I spoke to my colleagues more during our time at Bowles than I have over the last six months. We can’t wait to revisit” commented Ian Chalk of Gatwick Airport.

“By working with Bowles clients can deliver directly on their CSR commitment because all the profits from the Learning and Development department are donated to the Bowles Rocks Trust” added Katherine “an educational Youth Charity contributing to the developmental needs of young people and providing bursaries to children to come and experience the facilities at Bowles.”

For more information: www.bowles.ac/learning-development/ leadership-programme Tel: 01892 610600 Email: katherine@bowles.ac

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BUSINESSEDGE The magazine of Sussex Enterprise

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Breathe HR Software for Businesses Unit 18 Oakhurst Business Park, Wilberforce Way, Southwater, Horsham, West Sussex, RH13 9RT Jonathan Richards, Director +44(0)844 561 1223 www.centurion-ms.co.uk Brighter Graphics 12 Beckett Way, Herontye, East Grinstead, West Sussex, RH19 4SF Chris Wilcox, Managing Director +44(0)1342 322459 www.brightergraphics.co.uk Brock Offshore Software Ltd Software Development 3 Ellis Way, Uckfield, East Sussex, TN22 2BT Jim Brock +44(0)203 239 9642 www.brockoffshoresoftware.co.uk Business Car Contracts Vehicle Management Unit 8, Victoria Road Industrial Estate, Portslade, East Sussex, BN41 1XQ Tony Read, Managing Director +44(0)1444 471000 www.businesscarcontracts.co.uk CabAd.TV Headrest TV’s for Taxi’s PO Box 376, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, RH15 5BZ Anthony Parkins +44(0)7855 509632 www.cabad.tv Compass Worldwide Ltd Export Consultant / eBay No1 Northumberland Avenue, Trafalgar Square, London, WC2N 5BW Murtaza Bharmal, Manager +44(0)7840 286296 mbharmal@live.co.uk Digicare UK Ltd Satellite Television Unit 7 Orchard Business Park, Church Lane, Yapton, Arundel, West Sussex, BN18 0GA Marie Fletcher, Manager +44(0)845 230 3034 www.justdigital.com

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BUSINESSEDGE 49

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THE LAST WORD

THE LAST WORD… Each edition we invite one of our contributors to answer some key questions we all want to know the answers to.

This time it’s the turn of Vicky-Ann Dore PA to Sally Gunnell OBE

1

Which words or phrase do you most often overuse? These days if I’m with my 3 sons it’s usually something along the lines of ‘slow down, wait for me!

2

Karaoke song of choice?

New York, New York

3

What’s your biggest regret?

Wish I’d learnt to play the piano or could sing

4

When and where were you happiest?

Holidaying with my family

5

When was the last time you lied?

I’d like to say I don’t lie but now and again we all have to tell a little white one, so probably earlier this morning when my husband asked if he was growing old gracefully

6

What talent would you most like to have?

Being able to play the piano or sing!

7

What quality do you most admire in a person? Integrity.

8

Which virtue is the most overrated?

Someone who always tries their hardest and does their best!

9

Early mornings or late nights?

Early mornings.

10

Deal or no deal?

No Deal!

11

Tell us a secret... .....then it would be a secret, would it.....???

50 BUSINESSEDGE

BE 8.indd 50

27/3/12 10:04:18

BE 8.indd 51

27/3/12 10:04:22

BE 8.indd 52

27/3/12 10:04:24