Business Matters 19

BusinessMatters Quarterly Magazine of West Cheshire and North Wales Chamber of Commerce

ISSUE19 AUTUMN2014

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BusinessMatters

CONTENTS

ISSUE19 AUTUMN2014

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19 25

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12 04 05 06 08

INTERVIEW WITH DEAL HERALDS NEW ERA 11 GROWTH 20 BIG ROB EVANS FOR CHESHIRE AND WARRINGTON

JOIN US FOR A NIGHT TO REMEMBER! EXPORT TRAINING GIVES DEBBIE THE TOOLS FOR INTERNATIONAL TRADE HOW I WORK GOODBYE BUSINESS MATTERS

Contact: Daniel Shires Communications Manager West Cheshire and North Wales Chamber of Commerce Riverside Innovation Centre 1 Castle Drive, Chester CH1 1SL www.wcnwchamber.org.uk Twitter @chamberwcnw LinkedIn http://linkd.in/chamberwcnw Telephone +44 (0) 1244 669988

ECONOMY

CHANCELLOR ON HAND 25 FOR DMPR LAUNCH 12 INTERNATIONAL TRADE THE BUSINESS TRANSFORMATIONAL 35 15 POWER OF VIRTUAL DESKTOP 37 HOW TO....

INFRASTRUCTURE GETTING STARTED WITH USAMA BASTAWY

42 JUST ONE MORE THING

19 24 HOURS Production & Design Distinctive Publishing Unit 6b, Floor B, Milburn House Dean Street, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 1LE Telephone 0845 884 2384 production@distinctivegroup.co.uk

Advertising John Neilson Commercial Director Telephone 0845 884 2343 john.neilson@distinctivegroup.co.uk

www.distinctivepublishing.co.uk

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

Disclaimer

Cover Image ‘Into the Light’ by Mike Kniec,

Distinctive Publishing or West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce cannot be held responsible for any inaccuracies that may occur, individual products or services advertised or late entries. No part of this publication may be reproduced or scanned without prior written permission of the publishers and West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce.

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CHAMBER NEWS

Chamber Hosts Unforgettable Summer Cocktail Party More than 100 guests enjoyed a perfect summers evening in the stunning surrounds of the Eaton Estate thanks to West Cheshire and North Wales Chamber of Commerce.

Join us for a Night to Remember!

Prepare to charge your glasses and toast the businesses successes of 2014 at West Cheshire and North Wales Chamber of Commerce’s showpiece Annual Celebration Dinner this October 10th at 7pm.

Taking place for the very first time in the stunning surrounds of The Long Room at Chester Racecourse, this black tie event will celebrate a year of fantastic achievements by businesses and organisations across our regions, together with a lively and fun mix of food, drink, live music, dancing and entertainment.

Entertainer, actor, comedian and presenter Ted Robbins will be the special guest compere and be on hand to preside over the evening with his unique brand of humour!

He will be joined by British Chambers of Commerce President Nora Senior, as well as party band Le Funk who will provide musical entertainment.

Tickets per person cost £49.95 + VAT (Members) and £54.95 + VAT (Non Members), whilst a booking for a table of 10 will receive a 10% discount.

Join us for the event by calling 01244 669988 for more information.

Colin Brew, Executive Director of West Cheshire and North Wales Chamber of Commerce said: “There’s no doubt that the Chamber’s Annual Celebration Dinner is a major event in the business calendar across our region, so after listening to feedback from our members we decided to make this special evening even more special.

“With a new venue, new menu, new entertainments and new ticket prices we’re extremely excited for the event and to see as many people as possible from businesses and organisations across West Cheshire and North Wales coming together to celebrate and have a great time.

“As well as all our special guests, we’ll also be holding a special silent auction in support of the Hospice of the Good Shepherd, which is an excellent local charity and one we’re extremely proud to support.”

Ted Robbins said: “I’m always glad to support the hospice as they have to raise their own funding and do this through events such as this. They provide much needed support, comfort and love to families, when they need it most. I was very proud to be asked to support this worthwhile event.”

There’s no doubt that the Chamber’s Annual Celebration Dinner is a major event in the business calendar across our region, so after listening to feedback from our members we decided to make this special evening even more special.

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The business organisation held its annual Summer Cocktail Party on July 10th at the Chester home of its President, the Most Noble Duke of Westminster.

The British weather smiled on guests, made up of Chamber members and non-members alike. As well as the fantastic opportunity to meet friends new and old, they were treated to delicious canapés and drinks, as well as an operatic medley from mezzo soprano Faye Anglesea.

The Chamber supports hundreds of businesses across the distinct and diverse regions of West Cheshire and North Wales by holding events and training, providing PR and marketing streams, connecting people to opportunity and much more.

Colin Brew, Executive Director of the West Cheshire and North Wales Chamber of Commerce said: “We class our Cocktail Party as one of the Chamber’s ‘iconic’ events due to its long history and continuing popularity… last night will go down as one of the best.

“A great many of our new members attended and the atmosphere and ambience couldn’t have been better. Everyone I spoke to was having a great time personally and enjoying the networking benefits the event brought simultaneously. I’d like to thank everyone who came along and supported the event; you made it one to remember.

For more information about the Chamber’s upcoming events, visit www.wcnwchamber.org.uk

CHAMBER NEWS

Export Training Gives Debbie the Tools for International Trade A West Cheshire and North Wales Chamber of Commerce staff member is ready to help businesses go global after successfully passing her international trade training qualifications.

Debbie Hancox, who works for the Chamber’s export department, completed her British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) National Accredited International Trade Training qualification in June after three months of study.

The course is run by the Chamber on behalf of BCC and aims to give staff at organisations who are currently exporting or new to international trade the tools to manage the process successfully.

The Chamber began offering the training in 2012 and it has quickly become a highly regarded source for export knowledge for businesses across North Wales and West Cheshire. Each learning cohort features seven accredited modules covering: n Introduction to Export n Documentation and INCOTERMS n Methods of Payment and Letters of Credit n Agents and Distributors n Inward and Outward Processing n Preference Origin Rules Explained n Import and Customs Audit Procedures.

Debbie joined the Chamber team in January with a 30 year background in export shipping, after starting out as an export clerk then working at Halton Chamber of Commerce, before going on to ship from export departments for manufacturing companies in the food, medical and apparel industries. She was asked to complete the Chamber’s export training as part of her induction, she said: “I jumped at the chance to do them as I felt it was a good way to refresh my knowledge.

“My new role at the Chamber sees me certify Certificates of Origin, EURs and ATRs, so I found the ‘Preference Origin Rules Explained’ course especially relevant for this. The ‘Export Documentation and INCOTERMS’ module really got me back on track and is helps ensure your company has the right export processes in place should the company be audited, to ensure it’s HM Customs and Excise compliant. ‘Inward and Outward Processing’ proved beneficial to some of our members whose companies had grown and needed to review their export processes to make costs saving on their exports.

“There is something for everyone on these courses; our trainer Mark Rowbotham finds out about your company and tailors the course to make it more beneficial to you. The relaxed atmosphere at Llyndir Hall Hotel and the

Debbie Hancox

interaction and sharing of the export experiences creates a positive learning atmosphere. By doing the full seven courses the subjects intertwine; you find the knowledge gained in earlier courses helps you understand future subjects more fully.

“Exporting can be a minefield of rules and regulations, but the courses help fit the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle together and help give a clear understanding of the ‘export journey’ and how to understand it from all angles. It was been great to meet our members in person and especially those from Wales, who were able to access Welsh Government funding to attend them.

Colin Brew, Executive Director of the Chamber said: As a new member of the Chamber’s export team it was essential Debbie took the course from a training perspective, as well as to get a better understanding of it from a student’s point of view so she could better support people taking part in future.

“The export training has truly given her the knowledge and skills she needed to perform to the best of her abilities, which clearly indicates the value it has in helping businesses to use international trade as a tool for growth.”

My new role at the Chamber sees me certify Certificates of Origin, EURs and ATRs, so I found the ‘Preference Origin Rules Explained’ course especially relevant for this.

The ‘Export Documentation and INCOTERMS’ module really got me back on track and is helps ensure your company has the right export processes in place should the company be audited, to ensure it’s HM Customs and Excise compliant.

‘Inward and Outward Processing’ proved beneficial to some of our members whose companies had grown and needed to review their export processes to make costs saving on their exports.

The next round of courses begin in September, for more information visit www.wcnwchamber. org.uk or call 01244 669988. Each module costs £190+VAT (members) or £225+VAT (non members), with a 10% discount if you book all seven.

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HOWIWORK I’m Dale Lord, Director of Analytics and Data Science at Cherry Clever. This is…

Tell us a bit about you, your background and what brings you to this role.

Besides your phone and computer, what gadget can’t you live without?

Things started the day I was told by my maths teacher I wasn’t good enough to study A-level maths (a subject I adored); at that point I had two choices, capitulate and admit defeat or fight for what I loved… I chose the latter. Just over six years later I had a degree in applied statistics and computer science and had moved to Chester to work as a marketing analyst for a bank.

Whilst not technically a gadget, it has to be my Moleskine notepad, accompanied with a range coloured pens. I love jotting down notes and making ideas come to life on a proper pad.

What everyday thing are you better at than anyone else?

I’m told I have a very rare balance between both the right (creative) side and left (logical) side of my brain. For me, the merging of the strong creativity with the analytical is a perfect match, ideally suited for business life in the 21st century.

Since then I’ve helped countless companies, across pretty much every industry I can think of get the most out of their marketing budget.

Over the last 17 years of honing intelligent marketing techniques I’ve optimised e-mail campaigns, saved millions in telesales costs, written product recommendation engines, targeted thousands of marketing campaigns and met a first class marketer who I’m now proud to call my wife.

What’s your sleep routine like?

Most of the time I sleep well and fall into a deep, satisfying sleep pretty much anywhere.

However, there are some nights when it’s like going to bed with a head full of popping candy.

With ideas fizzing and bursting in my head I do find it difficult for me to sleep. I love those nights and it’s probably the main reason I always keep a pad by the side of the bed… you never know when a great idea will strike.

What one word best describes how you work?

Diametric: I often go through long periods of calm concentration punctuated by bouts of excessive energy and idea generation.

What’s your workspace like?

Generally, pretty anarchic; there are doodles and ideas sketched out next to statistical formulae and coding plans for potential algorithms. Like many people I live in a multiscreen world, with a dual monitor desktop, two laptops, a tablet and a smartphone. Also, it wouldn’t feel like my workspace without my whiteboard, a big, fat pair of headphones and several mugs of tea.

What apps/software/tools can’t you live without?

Adobe Creative Cloud is my rock bed for getting things to look eye-poppingly awesome. Analytically, I fall back on my favoured programming languages of SAS, R and Python… but even Excel can be made to do some fantastic tricks if you know how.

Evernote has to be my one go-to for planning and note management.

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What are your best time saving tricks?

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Say ‘no’ more often. I used to be a prolific ‘yes’ man, desperate to keep everyone happy but I soon realised that focusing on the ‘right’ thing rather than ‘every’ thing gets a much better result for everyone.

Be authentic, be true to yourself and be passionate. Or as the marvellous Judy Garland famously said: “Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.”

How do you manage your to-do list?

Finally, have you got any other ‘lifehack’ tips for getting things done better you’re able to share?

I think this is where cloud based apps have absolutely revolutionised how I tackle my to-do list. In the past I’d have scraps of paper with things I’d need to do and the moment priorities changed I’d spend far too long re-collating and re-engineering lists. List management itself became a perennial item on the lists I was managing.

Standing up and getting the blood flowing helps you get some sharpness back into your thinking. Whilst up and about you can pace and ponder at will. Personally I find it’s easier to generate ideas and remove thought blockages simply by standing and moving.

It’s surprisingly effective and doesn’t require anything magical to work, other than a good pair of feet.

RIVERSIDE INNOVATION CENTRE

GROWINGATTHERIVERSIDE Nicholas Hilton Co-founder

Snapstudies “There’s only one way to find out if you have what it takes to set up a business and be successful... take action.”

That’s the message from Nick Hilton, 21, a cofounder of Snapstudies; an online study aid which caters for students with a variety of learning styles, as well as providing tools for those with learning difficulties.

Having recently graduated from the University of Chester with an honours degree in Business and Geography, Nick has been ‘obsessed’ with running his own business ‘for as long as I can remember’, he said: “I put my heart into learning about business with the hope that when an idea came my way I could really push that level on enthusiasm into it as well.

“Apparently that showed and I had two friends come to me with concepts that sparked my curiosity.”

The first was the brainchild of Nick’s friend Joni Beech, who had the idea for a Suburban Productions; a company providing professional videography services to the music industry. The second was Snapstudies, Nick said: “Another of my best friends Jack Mcelhinney came to me with the idea and with my previous experience I felt confident with our ability to push forward with the project.

“We’re now based at Riverside Innovation Centre (RIC), Chester; this came about after I’d heard how the facility offers support to startup businesses.

We entered a competition which the centre was running which gave us the opportunity to pitch for up to £1000 and office space. We pitched for the money and not the office space, but ended up winning £1500, the office space and the title of ‘most innovative business’!

Snapstudies aims to raise the quality of learning GCSE and A-level students can access online by providing alternatives to large amounts of text, to give equal opportunities to students who may find traditional methods difficult to learn with.

The initial target audience is the GCSE Geography market, Nick said: “Our research showed that GCSE was the better market when compared to A-level at first; and as both of Jack and I’s backgrounds are in Geography we decided to focus on what we know.

“As it’s just us at the moment our responsibilities have basically been everything! The main focus however has been creating content to go on our website and developing our plan for how to reach the market when we have the product at a level we’re completely happy and proud of. There are no typical days at the moment, so whilst we may be sat writing thousands of words of text over the next few months, shortly afterwards we’ll be out spreading the word and creating more visual content.”

Nick has been extremely pleased with how everything has gone so far, from winning the completion at the RIC to the enthusiasm shown by people towards Snapstudies. In the short term Nick and Jack want to be in the market before next January and have content which covers at least one major exam board. Longer term the pair want the product to grow to become standard GCSE and A-level study aids.

‘Phenomenal’ is the word Nick uses to describe the support Snapstudies has received from the RIC, he said: “Whilst they will give you as much support as you could possibly want, they know that there is also huge benefit in letting you find your own way. Having office space with other young businesses means that a potential learning experience could be on the next table or the next room, and that there is always someone to provide a fresh view on what you’re doing. It also makes things a little bit more competitive than working alone.”

I put my heart into learning about business with the hope that when an idea came my way I could really push that level on enthusiasm into it as well.

Apparently that showed and I had two friends come to me with concepts that sparked my curiosity

“All this and the support RIC has given us following that initial competition have allowed us to create something much bigger.”

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Business Matters

BUSINESS MATTERS

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Climate change...

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Showcasing your low carbon...

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employee wins appeal

shading recessions true legacy?

expertise and solutions

Since joining the Chamber Daniel has been responsible for producing content for 11 issues of the magazine, during which time he was keen to make sure things didn’t sit still, he said: “Throughout my previous jobs I’d had responsibility for producing printed newsletters and magazines, so taking on Business Matters was a task I relished. I came into the organisation too late to be involved in issue seven, but issue eight was the first one I produced the copy for.

“From a content point of view since then our goal for the magazine has been to produce something

Innovative future for Riverside!

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The Big Interview

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The next level of growth

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Progress at the University’s County Hall site has been hotting up

Organisations are taking stock of their talent

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“For example for Q4 2012, together we rebuilt the magazine from the ground up. We wanted to give Business Matters a new look and feel, something that wouldn’t be out of place on a shelf of WH Smith; they did a superb effort and this is the style we’ve had since. The changes allowed us to better organise and categorise content in consistent areas of the magazine that helped create a familiarity and desire amongst members to feature in the publication.

Glasses Raised for the Chamber

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Employment and Skills Events

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The Big Interview...

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Sunshine finally shone as guests charged their glasses

Businesses are invited to attend employment and skills events

Taking advantage of opportunities presented

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“The rebrand was a major highlight, but having interviews with Apprentice-winner Tom Pellereau and football legend Michael Owen were also important milestones indicting just how far together Distinctive and the Chamber have been able to take Business Matters; it’s been a fantastic partnership and we thank them sincerely for all their hard work and dedication.”

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Tom Pellereau Page 06

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that informs and entertains, with interesting stories about Chamber members, how-to guides, events etc, rather than simply copying and pasting in press releases. In the time I’ve been involved we’ve worked very closely with the team at Distinctive and they’ve done an absolutely wonderful job throughout to translate our ideas and wishes on to the page.

For more information on Distinctive Publishing, visit www.distinctivepublishing.co.uk

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JULY 2011

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After nearly five years and 19 issues, the copy of Business Matters you hold in your hands marks the final edition of the magazine.

Being quarterly, each edition is on a three month production cycle; after an issue is published, Daniel spends two months collecting content and performing interviews for articles, before these pieces are handed over to Distinctive so the next magazine can be put together.

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Business Matters was originally produced by Chamber Executive Director Colin Brew and then Membership Manager Rebecca Fletcher, before the reigns were handed over to Communications Manager Daniel Shires when he joined the organisation in August 2011.

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A Distinctive Partnership

Since March 2010, the Chamber has worked with our friends and colleagues at Distinctive Publishing to produce the highest quality, free, 40 page magazine possible, mixing news, features, case studies and fun each quarter.

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A Global Network...

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Conference and Exhibitions...

Providing the personal touch

Moneypenny

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Tree of Knowledge

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Ringing the changes to the recruitment dilemma

Encouragement despite tough time in the Dragon’s Den

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Preparing for the upturn as companies come out of recession

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British Chambers of Commerce Accreditation

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Marketing and ROI

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When business and pleasure coincide

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Manufacturing leads the NW recovery

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The Big Interview

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Growth in exports must be supported

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The NW sees positive growth in domestic and export markets

Looking after clients crucial to business success

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Longer-term comparisons show satisfactory growth in exports

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West Cheshire to pioneer local services revolution

Partnership the key to fostering innovation

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GDP Revision Shows Need for a Long Term Strategy for Growth

Quietly confident despite the faltering recovery

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Barclays Cashback Finance Scheme

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DESIGN FIRM COMES OF AGE BUSINESS AWARDS ENTRIES WANTED FRAUD… A GROWTH INDUSTRY

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YOUR COMMUNITY NEEDS YOU! HAVE YOUR SAY ON ISO9001 West Cheshire & North Wales Chamber of Commerce

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CHAMBER NEWS

Chamber Launches Club to Give Startups a Helping Hand Startup businesses aiming to get ahead can access a brand new support network thanks to the Chamber.

Together with a host of member business, the Chamber’s Membership Manager Debbie Stokes launched the Startup Club at Regus Express, Broughton Shopping Park on July 18th.

The group is aimed at giving startup businesses who are Chamber members (and in their first two years of operation) a forum where they can meet with people in the same situation as themselves, learn about access to funding, PR and marketing, social media, web design, branding, accountancy and much more.

Debbie said: “We had a fantastic first meeting and it was great to have such a good turnout of enthusiastic members who wanted to come together and share their knowledge and experiences.

British Chamber of Commerce Launches in Myanmar The UK has become the first country to launch a completely new, locally registered Chamber of Commerce in Myanmar.

The role of the Chamber is to promote, foster, support, and represent UK business interests in Myanmar, directly helping British firms identify market opportunities and providing them with a first port of call when looking to trade in that particular market.

This is part of the wider Overseas Business Networks Initiative (OBNi); an ongoing partnership between the British Chambers of Commerce, UK Trade and Investment and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The aim is to transform the support available for British SMEs looking to do business in high-growth, hard-toaccess global markets. It is also a crucial part of the Prime Minister’s drive to double the UK’s annual exports to £1tr and to increase the number of UK exporters by 100,000 by 2020.

John Longworth, Director General of the British Chambers

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of Commerce, said: “Myanmar is the fastest growing economy in South East Asia, with goods exports seeing an increase of 244% in 2013. This highlights the opportunities that are available to UK firms in Myanmar, and we would urge more companies to explore this market with the help of the new Chamber.

“We are one step closer to helping the UK achieve the huge challenge set by the Prime Minister of increasing exports to one trillion by 2020. It won’t be easy, but I believe that with the right attitude and sheer determination, there is no reason why we cannot achieve this target.

“We at the BCC will continue to play our part by accrediting more overseas business networks in more countries across the world.

But we still need more companies that haven’t exported before to have a go, and start saying yes to the opportunities in new markets across the globe.”

“Meetings will take place regularly in the coming months; keep an eye on our website and events e-newsletter for details. Whilst this event is only open to Chamber member businesses, we hope non member

businesses who have begun trading in the past two years will see the real value of this group and get involved in the Chamber to access it.”

Charity Benefits from Funded Training Chester Community Interest Company (CIC), Reviive benefitted from West Cheshire College’s Skills Support for the Workforce (SSW) training after enrolling onto an equality and diversity and first aid training course.

course and college facilities were absolutely fantastic.

Reviive, which recycles furniture and household goods that people no longer need and helps young people and the long-term unemployed get valuable work experience, benefitted from the training which is funded from the European Social Fund (ESF).

Carol Bennett, ESF Project Manager at West Cheshire College, said: “We have been delighted to support Reviive with their training as they are such an influential business in the area.

Caroline Liversage, coordinator for Reviive, Chester said: “As a new business it’s beneficial to be able to access skills funding through SSW,enabling us to up-skill our staff, which as an organisation we believe is key to the progression of the company.

“Our organisation has really benefitted from the training.

It provides our staff with more knowledge and skills which has really boosted their confidence and has helped them to improve in their job.

“We were so impressed by the whole package. The tutor, content of the

“We look forward to continuing our partnership with West Cheshire College and we hope to benefit from more of the SSW courses in the future.”

“The SSW courses are a great way for SMEs, charities and CICs who may not have the budget for training to up-skill their staff.

“We are still offering a wide range of fully funded training to organisations in Cheshire, so anybody looking for training should get in touch with the College for more information.”

For more information about SSW courses delivered at the College, call the employer hotline: 01244 656499 or visit www.west-cheshire.ac.uk

CHAMBER NEWS

Growth Deal Heralds New Era for Cheshire and Warrington Economy The Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership has agreed an historic Growth Deal with the Government which will see £142.7m invested in Cheshire and Warrington.

sub-region and this allocation will provide the platform we need to put our Growth Plan into practice.

“It is now our responsibility to work with all our stakeholders to deliver our plan and transform our economy providing more jobs, more housing and a better skilled workforce for Cheshire and Warrington.”

Colin Brew, Executive Director of West Cheshire and North Wales Chamber of Commerce said: “Backing projects to improve local business environments will clear the way for more private investment to follow. Businesses will judge the effectiveness of this first tranche of Growth Deal funding on how quickly it translates into results on the ground.

£20.1m has been confirmed in the first year and as part of the Government’s ongoing commitment to the Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), it has provided an indicative award of a further £122.6m of funding from 2016/17 onwards.

“As a network rooted in local business communities, we have long called for power and money to be devolved away from Whitehall. We know that decisions on local growth are best taken when businesses and councils work closely together, agree the priorities for their areas and are empowered with the resources to deliver them.

The projects which start in 2015/16 will help to create up 9,000 jobs, allow up to 500 homes to be built, and generate up to £50m in public and private investment.

The Growth Deal is part of a £12bn long term programme to revitalise local economies. The deals are the latest example of the British economy being rebuilt from the bottom up, and sharing the benefits of the recovery around the country.

Local businesses and council leaders have been invited to open discussions immediately on the next set of projects to be funded, building on the momentum that has been established.

David Cameron, the Prime Minister said: “Growth Deals are a crucial part of our long-term plan to secure Britain’s future.

“For too long our economy has been too London-focused and too centralised. Growth Deals will help change all that. They are about firing up our great towns and cities, boosting local economies and driving growth across the country.

“This historic deal means real change for Cheshire and Warrington with big investments, including a number of new improvements to the road network that will ease traffic congestion, improve journeys and open up sites for more housing, redevelopment and employment, and new programmes to boost skills of local people wanting to start careers in the vital engineering, science, technology and manufacturing sectors.

“By trusting local people, backing business and investing in

infrastructure, skills and housing, we can create thousands of new jobs. And that means more economic security, peace of mind and a brighter future for hardworking people across the North West.”

Christine Gaskell, Chair of the Cheshire and Warrington LEP said: “We’re delighted with today’s news and welcome this multi-million pound investment into the economy of Cheshire and Warrington.

“This announcement is a first step, and much of the £12bn earmarked for Growth Deals from 2015 is yet to be allocated. We must go further to unleash the economic potential of England’s regions. Delivering more funding for local economic plans and on a longer-term basis than the current Local Growth Fund arrangement will be crucial. And greater devolution must be matched by greater local accountability to ensure businesses have the strongest possible say over growth priorities and how money is spent.”

“We have worked hard with our partners to present a strong case for this injection of funding into the Business Matters

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GETTINGSTARTED GETTING STARTED

Usama Bastawy

business brochures or by email and is satisfied that everything he aimed to achieve during the first six months have gone according to plan. His main difficulty has been living in

The Charities and Business Hub

Birmingham and having to commute to his office in North Wales, however as of July Usama has moved to the area.

Charities and businesses across North Wales and Cheshire can access support and guidance from a man with international experience.

Now in situ, he plans to spend the next six months visiting charities and businesses in the region to develop a good understanding of their businesses needs and illustrate what CBH can offer, he said: “the latest request I received was from a charities networking body to provide a number of free training activities. I prepared all relevant material and resources and planned to contact them in August to provide my support. In addition I am currently preparing workshops on performance management, strategy development/planning and project management.

Usama Bastawy, 51, is the director of the Charities and Business Hub (CBH); an organisation that aims at improving the performance of both types of organisations through proper planning and efficient management of people and activities, no matter the size through tailored services.

“My father was a photographer and a correspondent for some of the biggest media bodies in the Middle East; I learned from him to be a hard-worker, to plan well and be patient. I genuinely enjoy helping struggling charities and businesses, so I’m delighted to offer them a free business analysis with no obligation through to the end of December.”

The business was launched in February 2014 and since then Usama has been working to spread the word to local charities and businesses about the help he is able to offer.

Hailing originally from South Egypt, Usama worked for over 24 years for international humanitarian organisations. He occupied a host of positions including field officer, training coordinator and as a credit monitor in Egypt. He also fulfilled roles as a country director in Bangladesh, emergency response manager in El Salvador, a regional director in the Middle East, Africa and Eastern Europe, head of human resources (serving 30 counties) and as an executive director in Italy.

After a many years as an employee, he decided to strike out on his own and become selfemployed to utilise his experience for the benefit of charitable organisations and businesses, he said: “The idea came about when I realised that many organisations of these types were struggling financially after 2007. I felt I could benefit them in

terms of setting up long term strategies, plans and systems, in addition to training managers on how to overcome difficulties they faced since then.

“The next step was to define a beneficiary target, so I chose charities and businesses in North Wales and Cheshire. This was followed by studying my target, establishing marketing techniques, deciding on an office location, preparing materials, documents and training resources, registering with relevant bodies, networking and joining the Chamber of Commerce.”

Usama is currently working to market his business to potential clients in the region, so a typical day involves contacting them through networking,

As someone who only recently became an entrepreneur Usama has first-hand experience of the differences between working for yourself and working for an employer, he said: “My idea began in 2007, but it took me a few years to have the courage to resign from my previous permanent role to begin my own venture.

“To people who are considering doing the same, I recommend they plan very well, allocate adequate resources, study and analyse the market, decide on the target audience, make your business, understand how to face and deal with risks and of course, don’t give up! If plan ‘A’ fails, the alphabet has 25 more letters!”

The idea came about when I realised that many organisations of these types were struggling financially after 2007. I felt I could benefit them in terms of setting up long term strategies, plans and systems, in addition to training managers on how to overcome difficulties they faced since then.

Business Matters

12

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13

CBI INSURANCE

Taking the Risk out of Insurance CBI Insurance was established in Colwyn Bay 23 years ago by Peter Blundell who remains at the helm today. The company still occupies the same premises as they did then but everything else has changed with expensive technology being used to manage back office functions, interactions, accounts and quotations for over 3000 customers.

The company deals with all types of non life insurance for customers throughout the UK, but Peter is very much the front man for the company’s commercial clients who are mostly based in Wales and the Borders. Peter comments: ‘ CBI is all about people and we like to get to know our clients and foster long term relationships. Communication is not just by email or phone; I try to see as many businesses as possible when we first get asked for a quote and then at renewal. This helps us to be sure of always having the relevant risk information; businesses can change a lot in a year. The client may not think the changes are relevant to the insurance risk but the insurers require notification of any changes to business undertaken so that they can decide whether to charge an additional premium. We aim to create trust between us and also with the insurers who then know that they have a good client who is risk aware.’

He continues on the theme of people: ‘Commercial insurance is as much about people as protecting physical assets. Owners and directors can have their lives shattered by a devastating fire and their employees could well find themselves out of work if the correct insurance protection is not

Business Matters

14

in place. We can help with a company’s insurance programme but also with Risk Management which helps to keep premiums down as well as creating a culture of awareness in the workplace which helps prevent incidents that may lead to claims.’

CBI deals with a range of businesses large and small, from self employed tradesmen to companies working offshore in the renewables sector. They use a large panel of insurers each with their own niche markets and also have access to other specialist companies in Lloyds. They gain a lot of their business through recommendation which means the customer is expecting a quality service rather than a ‘cheap quote’. ‘An SME can always get a cheap quote from an online site’ says Peter,’ but different policies can offer different levels of cover and the business may not get the cover that is important to them or may not even realise the significance of having it until a claim arises.’

As the company proclaims they are ‘Taking the Risk out of Insurance’

I try to see as many businesses as possible when we first get asked for a quote and then at renewal. This helps us to be sure of always having the relevant risk information; businesses can change a lot in a year.

MWL SYSTEMS

The Business Transformational Power of Virtual Desktop Infrastructure The IT industry is constantly changing with new technologies and concepts coming to market. It’s a challenge for IT managers, let alone business owners, to keep up to date with the latest products and how they can add value to their business.

However, a little effort spent investigating new technologies and their capabilities can uncover the limitless opportunities that the latest IT systems have to offer, and reap huge rewards for your business’s profit margins.

A prime example is virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) which by design is not only effective but cost efficient and can improve the productivity of your business overnight. VDI is essentially a virtual desktop machine. The end user device is generally a diskless, power-sipping, thin client system that connects directly to the VDI server infrastructure which can be located within an organisation’s site or in a remote data centre.

Crucially, it provides all the functionality and applications users require.

The advantage of this and other server-based desktop computing solutions is that the core of the functionality (and all the precious company data) is contained within the data centre, not spread somewhat precariously among separate servers or across many miles to remote sites.

Matt Kingsley-Williams, MWL Systems’

Commercial Director, said: “By centralising desktops, you simplify administration and security and remove the need and costs involved with general desktop maintenance such as replacing failing power supplies and hard drives.

Power consumption is also reduced and even cooling costs for dense office spaces drop due to the removal of all those traditional PC client systems and their 350-watt power supplies. The advantages can certainly be substantial.”

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Who should attend?

• Business owners wanting to use IT to increase productivity and profit • IT managers developing IT strategies and putting together a compelling business case for change • Companies wanting to take virtualisation to the next level.

We pride ourselves on our expert-led, consultative approach and everything at this event including our impartial advice, is free without any obligation.

Come and join us and find out for yourself why we are the region’s leading IT services company.

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There isn’t one! With 30 years of experience in the IT industry, MWL Systems know the challenges your business faces and we want to help by giving no-nonsense answers to some of the most common questions business owners ask us:

Matt Kingsley-Williams

How can IT give me the competitive edge I need?

What IT solutions are my competitors using to gain market advantage? With so many IT solutions available, how can I decide which is the best and most cost-effective option for my business, now and in the future? Cloud or on-site? Is my business secure both internally and externally? Are my employees wasting valuable man-hours on the internet?

Sign up now by emailing events@mwlsystems.co.uk or calling 01978 858300; Dan Rose and Darren Speed await your call.

Business Matters

15

WILL BUSINESS CONFIDENCE ALLOW YOU TO FREE UP YOUR LIFE? The current increase in business confidence is giving many business owners the chance to think about their exit strategy. For many, this will be the best time to consider employee ownership.

Employee ownership offers a number of benefits to business owners looking to move on.

Specialists in:

If you transfer your business to employee ownership you may not have to leave immediately. You can plan a phased exit, allowing you to train new managers and owners. This will allow you to ensure that you leave your business in good hands after you have moved on.

+ Business succession

Employee ownership may also be a tax efficient approach to selling your business. New tax rules may mean that you don’t have to pay any Capital Gains Tax when selling to your employees.

+ Governance

Could this approach suit you? Contact us for a no-obligation discussion with one of our expert advisors.

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Mae perchnogaeth gan y gweithwyr yn cynnig nifer o fanteision i berchnogion busnes sy’n ystyried symud ymlaen.

Os ydych yn trosglwyddo’ch busnes i berchnogaeth gan y gweithwyr, efallai na fydd yn rhaid ichi adael eich busnes ar unwaith. Gallwch gynllunio i ymadael yn raddol, a fydd yn eich galluogi i hyfforddi rheolwyr a pherchnogion newydd. Bydd hyn yn eich galluogi i sicrhau eich bod yn gadael eich busnes mewn dwylo da.

Gallai perchnogaeth gan y gweithwyr fod yn ffordd treth-effeithlon o werthu eich busnes. Gallai rheolau newydd ar dreth olygu nad oes yn rhaid ichi dalu unrhyw Dreth ar Enillion Cyfalaf pan fyddwch yn gwerthu i’ch gweithwyr.

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Business Matters

18

Understand customers better

24HOURS...

Pamela Drew

if she wakes with Chris Evans things aren’t going to be as rushed. After 15 minutes of exercise, she begins her commute, she said: “No two days are alike in my working week as I have clients from Liverpool through to North Wales, so it’s impossible for me to not use a car.

Business Growth Manager Business Doctors

With daily appointments all across Wrexham, Flintshire and Chester, Chamber Member Pamela Drew may just be the busiest ‘doctor’ in the region...

“I’m not based anywhere in particular, which is right for me as moving around is in my blood.

Generally my first client will set me up for the day by offering me a coffee, then I can get down to work supporting them. I usually work through my lunch break, unless I’m with one of my colleagues, then we take time out for a catch up, which usually happens about once a week.

It’s worth pointing out that although she isn’t diagnosing colds or writing prescriptions, she does aim to provide ‘treatments’ for businesses in need of support.

Pamela works as a Business Growth Manager for Business Doctors, a network dedicated to helping small and medium sized businesses achieve their vision. Their aim is to offer hands on help to business owners to help them achieve whilst overcoming their individual challenges.

“Afternoons are the same as mornings in general; spending time with clients and making sure they are receiving the best support and advice they need for their business to grow.

If I’m not with clients, you can usually find me networking somewhere morning, noon and night!”

Business Doctors is a national organisation with advisers the length and breadth of Britain, and even South Africa. Pamela works as part of a team of 11 representatives under the Merseyside region, with specific responsibility for Wrexham, Flintshire and Chester.

Pamela cites gaining the trust of clients and then supporting them to help their businesses develop and grow as one of her best satisfactions, she said: “There’s nothing better than getting hold of a business and taking it to the next level. I believe that if you work smart in business, have the right people on board who share you vision and have the right foundations in place, then your business can grow. It’s a great feeling, but there are lots of challenges too. I love the variety and freedom the job gives me; the goal is obviously to grow my business, just like my clients. If they are achieving, I achieve... we grow together.

As someone who now works to support businesses, Pamela has extensive entrepreneurship pedigree herself; she began her career at the age of 19 as an in-house therapist for some of London’s top hotels.

Whilst there she set about creating a pre-blended aromatherapy range which went to retail in the 1980’s, she said: “this was a great success and my product found its way onto the famous shelves of Selfridges and Fenwick amongst others.

“This part of my life opened my eyes to overseas sourcing, manufacturing, bottling, packaging, branding, marketing, retail sales and all the back office work that needs doing with an SME. Next I set up a hair and

24 HOURS

beauty chain which ended up with four salons, 48 staff and 18 years of good fun, before I spent four years at sea and running a sailing holiday

company in Gibraltar.”

Pamela begins her day with Radio 2, knowing if she wakes with Vanessa Feltz it’s likely to be a busy start, but

“I think it’s very important to change and move with the times and think outside the box. Getting clients to believe in what you’re asking them to change and work differently on can be difficult, especially when they have been doing the same thing for a long time... it’s all good fun though!”

Business Matters

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BIG INTERVIEW

THEBIGINTERVIEW

Businesses thriving with a little help from their friends

Rob Evans

Business Development Manager, Conwy Business Centre

Every small business needs a little help when it is setting up and, for the past ten years, entrepreneurs in Conwy have found that support is available in abundance at their local business centre.

Established more than a decade ago, the Conwy Business Centre provides advice and practical support for a range of small businesses in the area, supporting them as they survive and thrive in all areas ranging from engineering to tourism, micro and large enterprises.

Situated just off the A55 in Llandudno Junction, the centre is in a great central location, a stone’s throw away from the historic town of Conwy and the popular seaside destination of Llandudno.

The centre, which has space for plenty of parking, has a range of

Business Matters

20

training and meeting room sizes, a friendly helpful team and a choice of catering and refreshment options, all designed to make a visit as welcoming as possible.

The centre was set up by Conwy County Borough Council with the help of European Regional Development Fund as part of the authority’s strategy to support the local economy.

In charge of the centre is council Business Development Officer Rob Evans, who came to the job less than a year ago after a previous career spent in banking and financial services.

His task is to oversee the continuing development of the centre as somewhere that offers the services businesses need all in one place.

Rob said: “The aim when the centre was established more than ten years ago by the Council was to support local small businesses by offering a wide range of advice and providing them with access to practical support.

“That aim remains one of our main focus’s today and we get a lot of small businesses coming through the door asking for help. The centre is home to a team of staff who can give them all the help and guidance they need.

“Finance remains the biggest concern for local small businesses as they look for ways to allow them to grow and become sustainable and we can help access support they need through our team of experts.”

That capacity to offer support, guidance and advice remains at the heart of the centre’s work but it has developed down the years into one that is now home to seven small businesses, who can grow in an environment of support in dedicated

business spaces.

Adding further to the appeal of the centre is its conference facilities for up to 150 people, there is a variety of meeting space and training rooms accommodating from between five and 40 delegates including video conference facilities, all training facilities have the latest Audio Visual equipment.

Rob said: “We are not sector-specific in the companies who move into the centre or with to whom we offer advice. They may be linked to the tourism sector or they may be a

small engineering business.

“The idea is that, whatever sector they work in, we can provide facilities for businesses that maybe cannot afford to own their own conference or meeting areas or need help when setting up for the first time.“ Conwy Business Centre’s development is playing its part in the economy of an area which has been battling back well from the damage caused by the global financial crash of 2008.

Latest figures for Conwy County showed that 48,100 people were in

employment in the last recorded quarter, a rise of 200 since the previous period, although the figures were still below the 2007 high of 49,200.

high proportion of local businesses (12%), higher than national trends.

in 2013, there were an estimated 3,850 business enterprises with their operational base in Conwy County Borough, most of them operating in the agricultural sector (nearly 18%), which reflects the rural nature of much of the County Borough.

He said: “What we are seeing both from our resident businesses and those that come in seeking advice is an emerging sense of confidence.

Tourism is also an important sector with accommodation and food services industries accounting for a

Rob is sensing a growing sense of optimism as the UK-wide economic recovery gathers pace.

confident. We are excited by the opportunity to continue to play our part in the growth of the local economy.” * The centre can be contacted (01492 574574) or email address Businesscentre@conwy.gov.uk

“There is certainly evidence of growing optimism. I think that reflects the mood in the area generally. Whether it is tourist attractions or other businesses, the local economy is increasingly

Business Matters

21

SANCTUARY GROUP

Sowing the Seeds of Growth Investing in the construction of new facilities and growing services not only benefits those directly involved it brings wider economic benefits, vital for growth.

training opportunities. Our increasing presence in the region also extends to procuring products and services from local suppliers.

Recognising this, Sanctuary is committed to ensuring that its significant investment in the North West stimulates and supports the regional economy.

Sanctuary intend to grow our national customer contact centre and 24/7 telecare service located in the heart of Chester, and this will continue to bring additional fiscal vitality to the city centre.

From capital expenditure on our city centre offices through to financing the construction of new homes; our outlay in the area is helping sustain existing employment and create valuable new job and

Chester will continue to be one of Sanctuary’s key strategic areas of operation and the following examples highlight some of the ways we are supporting the region’s economic prosperity.

Creating Employment and Training Opportunities Up to 11 new apprenticeships are being created at the prestigious Blacon Parade in Chester, giving young people the opportunity to earn while learning skilled trades.

The new apprentices will be able to choose from a range of construction-related trades thanks to Sanctuary’s partnership with contractor Rowlinson Construction Ltd. The £19.5 million project is funded by Cheshire West and Chester, Sanctuary, the Homes and Communities Agency and the European Regional Development Fund. It involves the construction of 62 affordable new homes for the over 55s, along with a new community and business enterprise centre and will be completed in phases between March and November 2015.

Cheshire West and Chester recently won a national Municipal Journal award for Best Community Investment in this major regeneration scheme.

Work Underway on £6m Care Home Sanctuary Group has started work on a £6m residential care home in Upton Dene, Chester.

The 74-bed home, which is being built near the Countess of Chester Hospital, will provide high quality residential, nursing and dementia care for Chester’s older residents.

Sanctuary is a leading provider of care options for older people and this development will add to its existing portfolio of over 60 homes across the UK. Construction work on the site is supporting local suppliers and tradespeople, as well as creating valuable apprenticeship opportunities. Next spring there will be an additional recruitment drive for upwards of 70 jobs which will be available once the home opens next summer.

Supporting Social Enterprise

New Homes Opened in Cheshire Village

Early next spring, Avenue Services will be opening its new serviced office accommodation for start up and existing businesses at the new Enterprise Centre in Blacon Parade, Chester.

Sanctuary is helping address the need for more affordable housing for local people following the completion of 18 new family homes in the village of Hampton Heath, near Malpas, Chester.

Jointly sponsored by Sanctuary Group and Cheshire West and Chester Council, the dedicated team at Avenue Services provide free business advice services to help new and small enterprises expand, develop and thrive.

This £1.6m scheme, part-funded by the Homes and Communities Agency and constructed by Watkin Jones Homes, comprises a mix of two, three and four bedroom houses.

The Hampton Heath scheme is part of Sanctuary Group’s wider investment in the Chester area, a £31m programme that will see the delivery of 230 new homes by March 2015.

Business Matters

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A raft of facilities will be available at the centre including ‘affordable’ office space, meeting rooms and shared hospitality areas. Fledgling and potential businesses can also receive in-house business support, training and advice from their team of advisors.

Paul Humphreys Credit Insurance Services www.paulhumphreys.co.uk

With over 25 years experience and a and hard won reputation for outstanding service Paul Humphreys Credit Insurance is very well placed to advise on export and domestic credit insurance. As the long awaited recovery gathers pace do not get caught out by unexpected bad debt. Speak to us, we are happy to discuss general terms and availability of cover on a strictly no cost or obligation basis.

We would be pleased to offer members a 5% discount for the first year on any new credit insurance policy placed though our company.

We are also happy to discuss general terms and availability of cover on a strictly no cost or obligation basis.

Please contact Paul Humphreys for further information.

01492 541882 | Fax: 0843 208 5464 | paul@phcredit.co.uk Tyn Y Celyn, Brompton Avenue, Rhos on Sea, Colwyn Bay LL28 4TF

POWELL WILLIAMS

National Expansion Drive For Chester’s Powell Williams

David Hollingsworth, Powell Williams’ new senior associate, has specialist expertise as an expert witness and with insurance reinstatement

The former Anchor Inn has been newly renovated to create a 30-bedroom boarding house for students at Ruthin School

An upsurge in activity across the commercial property market has spurred a recruitment drive by Powell Williams. The national building consultancy, founded in Chester in 1990, has taken on three new surveyors – including senior associate David Hollingsworth – and has plans to expand further in the coming year.

across Powell Williams’ offices in Chester, London and Birmingham. Both investors and tenants are looking for new opportunities and relying on their professional advisors to guide them.

The appetite for acquiring property as an investment, moving to new premises and improving buildings has meant an increase in instructions

Founding partner Andy Williams said: “Our investment fund clients are in the market to identify opportunities which will exceed current market returns by intensive management and creative upgrading of their assets, but there is also a healthy appetite from occupier clients who are looking for new, often larger premises as part of their own growth strategies. Expanding our team not only allows us to meet this existing demand but also to expand our services into new areas.”

The appointment of David Hollingswoth also provides the firm with the chance to offer new services, in line with his specialist expertise in building contract disputes, CDMc services, insurance assessment and claims assistance. A RICS chartered surveyor since 2003, David is also a member of the RICS Expert Witness Accreditation Service and can provide evidence in court for construction and property related disputes.

Williams added: “We’re including expert witness services for solicitors where there are disputes with building contracts, and diversifying our insurance work for assessing claims, implementing repairs following fires or damage, and assessment of rebuilding costs for everything from individual sites to £800m portfolios.

Eleven Brindleyplace in Birmingham where Powell Williams is undertaking a creative refurbishment of the reception and common parts for Cube Real Estate on behalf of Benson Elliot

Business Matters

24

“David’s experience of working with loss adjusters and solicitors with regard to providing insurance and expert witness services will be a vital part of the firm’s expansion and we’re looking forward to introducing him to our contacts in these professions.”

A raft of recent instructions from new and longstanding clients alike has seen the team working across national portfolios for Apollo Fund Management and Travis Perkins, in addition to existing industrial renovation projects with Standard Life investments and logistics schemes for Norbert Dentressangle.

The successful completion of a £300,000 refurbishment for Cube Real Estate at 55 Princess Street in Manchester was followed by an instruction for the landmark Eleven Brindleyplace in Birmingham after its acquisition by Cube’s client Benson Elliot in the summer.

Sensitive heritage restoration and refurbishment projects have become something of a specialism for Powell Williams. Earlier in the year the firm completed the £1.5m refurb of Crabwall Manor near Chester and has now handed over the renovated Anchor Inn at Ruthin after a £1.1m project to create a modern boarding house for sixth form pupils at Ruthin School.

And new business streams are also coming on line, adding to the workload.

Impending legislation regarding improvements in the energy efficiency of buildings (EPCs) combined with the government’s 2016 deadline for converting office space to residential use is seeing a rise in schemes from clients keen to progress projects in the next 18 months. www.powellwilliams.co.uk

CHAMBER NEWS

Chancellor on Hand for DMPR Launch Longstanding Chamber member Tracy North met the Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne as she launched her new venture DMPR. As part of a delegation of Chamber members from across Britain, Tracy attended a special private breakfast meeting hosted at 11 Downing Street on July 2nd to discuss ways to boost exports, business investment and growth.

Whilst there she took the opportunity to officially launch DMPR, an integrated online marketing and PR service that will run alongside Tracy’s established business Outwrite.

DMPR (which stands for Digital Marketing and Public Relations) sees Outwrite join forces with digital marketing agency, Sigma Web. Both organisations have more than 20 years’ experience of building and protecting reputations. The firms’ personnel have already been working together on projects for eight years.

Outwrite and Sigma Web will both continue to operate independently in their areas of specialism, with the DMPR partnership launched to offer a fully integrated service under the same roof from Belgravia House, Mold.

Tracy said: “I appreciated the opportunity to speak directly with the decision maker for financial policy in Britain, and it was the perfect occasion to announce the launch of DMPR.” Led by British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) Director General John Longworth and BCC President Nora Senior, the diverse Chamber delegation presented the Chancellor and his key advisers with a grass-roots view of the opportunities and challenges facing British companies, just as Westminster begins to gear up for the 2015 General Election.

The discussion also highlighted the key role played

by Chambers of Commerce – as Britain’s premier private-sector source of advice and support

for businesses seeking to trade the world. All participants agreed that the UK’s ambitious export targets required strong and vibrant business-tobusiness networks working hand in hand with government itself.

Rt Hon George Osborne MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer said: For decades Britain has not been exporting or investing enough, which is why I have taken continued action to reform our export regime, and provide the necessary incentives to get businesses investing.

“The British Chambers of Commerce has a key role to play in the long-term plan that is delivering economic security for hardworking people by providing the government with quality advice on the policies that will really help their members prosper.”

John Longworth, Director General of the BCC, said: “Britain’s future success depends on a closer partnership between business and government. In turn, that partnership depends on Westminster and Whitehall listening to the aspirations and concerns of Britain’s entrepreneurs and innovators, as well as the FTSE 100.

“Our frank discussion of real-world business issues with the Chancellor is the sort of exchange that should be at the heart of government engagement with business. Only by harnessing the potential of businesses across the whole economy will we see investment rise and exports grow in an increasingly cut-throat global context.

“Much of our discussion focused on international trade, where we are absolutely committed to working together with government to boost British exports. Chambers have been in existence for centuries to support international trade, and being a gateway for both new and existing exporters is still at the very heart of what we do.”

DangerPoint Helps Keeps Kids on Track DangerPoint has been consulting with Cheshire schools to identify the need for personal, community and life skills training for year 6 pupils before their transition into secondary school.

The organisation provides information on a variety of topics including: domestic abuse, anti-social behaviour and bullying, re-enforcing the message that they’re not alone, and should seek help if they’re ever in those situations.

The education packages they supply help to meet Police & Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, John Dwyer’s needs when it comes to tackling anti-social behaviour and educating youngsters, helping them realise the affect their actions have on themselves, their peers, family and community. So when the charity asked for funding to deliver these messages to the West of the county it seemed right that they received £1,740 from the Commissioner’s Crime Prevention Fund.

John Dwyer said: “I place victims at the centre of policing and hope that by teaching young people important safety messages it helps to reduce the chance of them becoming a victim in the future.

“It’s also advantageous that these lessons demonstrate the impact anti-social behaviour and other crime can have on friends, family and the local community.”

Victoria Burrows from DangerPoint said: “DangerPoint are thrilled to have received this funding to enable 40 schools from across Cheshire to visit our fantastic interactive centre. This is the first opportunity we have had to work with Cheshire and we hope this new partnership will continue to develop.”

More information about the work DangerPoint does can be found at www.dangerpoint.org.uk

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SOLVINGS LIMITED

Are you sure that your data is safe?

Contact Solvings today for a Data Security Audit – it makes sound business sense and will soon be a legal requirement We are fully qualified security consultants and can help you ensure that you have the right level of security accreditation in order to adhere to the Government sanctioned ‘Cyber Essentials’ scheme.

Solving the next stage in a business’ development As any business grows, it is necessary that its’ IT infrastructure grows with it and provides the necessary level of capability, usability and, most importantly, security.

Often a business’ IT capacity and functionality is one of the last considerations of a rapidly expanding company. There may also be very real fears about the cost and size implications of a new system which, coupled with a lack of IT knowledge, may sometimes prevent the company owner from taking the next step in business growth.

In order to assist business owners, Mold-based company Solvings, a leading IT infrastructure services, support and project consultancy, can design and install bespoke systems that will reflect the needs of the organisation. Solvings utilises the industry knowledge, professionalism and imagination of its employees to address the individual challenges of each client.

Steve Lysaght, managing director at Solvings explains: “It’s not that long ago that we were in the same predicament, where although Solvings’ original Small Business Server had been perfectly adequate, our increased business growth led to a re-evaluation of our IT systems.”

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He continued: “At this point, the business had two choices – either make our business Cloud-based, which is an excellent option for some companies – or develop an infrastructure that could be managed and monitored onsite. Due to the nature of our business, the second option suited us best.

“Despite our own knowledge and capabilities, we initially contacted some well-known firms for advice. It was staggering how rapidly the costs escalated. We ultimately bought our own highquality kit and kept licensing costs down through the use of free, top-of-the-range and open-source software. This provided us with a custom-built solution that met all our requirements, but for a fraction of the costs previously quoted to us.”

Solvings successfully used its own industry knowledge and experience to create an IT solution that met and exceeded its own needs. It is a company that understands, first-hand, the requirements of other growing businesses looking to make the next step in their evolution.

For further information on Solvings please contact Dougie Eaglesham, Practice Lead on Tel: +44 (0) 1352 700103 or dougie.eaglesham@solvings.com

10% discount for Chamber of Commerce members on all Solvings training courses We deliver Technical, Engineering and Managerial courses from our modern training suite based in Mold. Contact us to discuss your training needs.

Wi-Fi by Solvings – Leading systems providing the best service In an era when customers and staff demand instant access to quality internet and email, and where bad Wi-Fi is worse than no Wi-Fi, we can supply ‘best of breed’ solutions that will satisfy a range of requirements. For instance, our Solvings Spark user access platform allows for closer engagement with customers that will both inform marketing strategies and drive sales forward.

Talk to us today…

www.mclintocks.co.uk

A good accountant will always pay for themselves!

Good quality accounting and tax services pay for themselves very quickly. Gone are the days when seeing your accountant was a once a year torment, in today’s world your accountant and tax advisor can be one of your biggest allies and your most trusted advisor.

Although it may be tempting or seem less expensive to use online accounts and tax software to calculate and prepare your own tax computations or to seek advice from an unskilled advisor, poor tax advice can in fact end up costing a business more in the long run. Errors on tax calculations can cost up to 100% of the error made in penalties alone. Therefore seeking the correct advice at the outset from a trusted and experienced advisor has never been more important.

At McLintocks we have a highly qualified tax team with experience at giving sound tax advice to both individuals and businesses - be that sole traders, partnerships, companies or even charitable organisations. Our tax team is headed up by 2 Chartered Tax Advisors.

Offices in Birkenhead, Chester and Wrexham

In the Chester and Wrexham offices this being Aaron Philips who is supported by an experienced team in Jeanette Benoy and Colin Jones whilst in our Birkenhead office Katie Cosgrove heads our tax planning department, with Maria Day specialising in assisting our personal tax clients.

We are not only tax advisers but with 8 qualified directors, supported by 40 staff, we prepare and audit accounts, advise on systems, deal with start ups and company sales and provide payroll services. In general we guide individuals and businesses carefully through the minefield of compliance and legislation, whilst giving sound and practical business advice.

So if you need any tax or business advice at any level do not hesitate to call for a no obligation chat.

Chester office Wirral office Wrexham office

01244 680 780 0151 647 9581 01978 352 404

www.mclintocks.co.uk

OUTREACH RESCUE

Outreach Industrial Safety Training

Based in North Wales with training available all over the country, we are an accredited training centre covering all aspects and categories of Height safety, Confined Spaces, First Aid and Casualty care across all industries.

As well as our standard programmes, courses can be designed to meet your exact requirements, and provide you with realistic and practical solutions to the problems you face.

Casualty care programmes are available with accreditations appropriate to your needs. All meet current legislative requirements, and are delivered

through theoretical and highly practical sessions guaranteed to increase confidence and practical ability.

The environments Industrial workers find themselves in can be very challenging and we can give you the specific skills needed to cope with them. Our training is not the average, we are specialists in Hazardous Industrial environments and in the problems they bring.

Height Safety and Confined Spaces training is available with or without City and Guilds Accreditation as required, but always with the specific needs of the client in mind to ensure maximum benefit for all candidates.

Rescue and Safety Team Training is also available, where we provide elements of all rescue disciplines in one programme. We bring together rope, confined spaces, casualty care and, if appropriate, water safety, into a focused and practical course, almost entirely scenario based, that will hone existing skills and provide

the essential rescue element missing in standard training. Courses can also be designed to your exact requirements to ensure you get the focus you need to deal with your own, unique, situation.

We can also provide our own safety teams for any onsite works that require extra, or more specialised, cover. Many clients find this to be a very cost effective way of meeting their legislative requirements and safety records.

We have over 20 years experience in delivering rescue and safety training, all our tutors have worked for many years in Industrial, Emergency Services or Military rescue before joining us, and we hold national accreditations in all disciplines.

Our standards are high because they reflect our understanding that your environment and problems are often very difficult and we guarantee to go the extra mile to help you deal with it.

Please see www.outreachrescue.com or call 01248601546 for Information on us and what we can do for you.

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TECHNICALLY

TECHNICALLY

Could Kickstarter Help Kick-Start Your Business or Project?

What do high-tech watches, detective movies, engineering projects, video games and even potato salad have in common?

Give up? They’re all related to projects that have been delivered to market through internet ‘crowdfunding’ website Kickstarter (www.kickstarter.com).

Set up in 2009, Kickstarter aims to help bring creative projects to reality by giving people a ‘shop-window’ of sorts to showcase what their finished products could be with appropriate backing. Visitors to the website can then back projects they would like to support by pledging money at various levels during the funding phase; if the funding goal is reached, the pledged monies are released and the people behind the project can use this to complete it and get it released.

To encourage people to back their ‘Kickstarter’, backers are offered tiered tangible rewards or special experiences in return for their pledges, such as examples of the

finished product, limited edition versions or meetings with the creators.

using the platform to push projects despite having access to their own wealth.

To date, the most successful Kickstarter has been the Pebble customisable watch, which can connect with your smartphone. Of Pebble’s original $100,000 funding goal, 68,929 backers pledged more than $10,000,000 in 2012 to help bring the product to sale. Other successful projects have included the OUYA video game console, which received $8,500,000 compared to $950,000 target, the ‘Veronica Mars’ movie which was released theatrically in 2014, or the SCiO pocket molecular sensor.

Speaking to Forbes, Justin Kazmark from Kickstarter said: “A lot of people just think of it as this formula where you back a project and then you get this thing. But there is another side to it, which is the experience of backing the process.

You’re taking a chance on someone, who is themselves taking a chance on an idea.

Despite the successes, the platform hasn’t been without its teething troubles; a number of projects have been cancelled by Kickstarter and project creators themselves following claims of copyright or intellectual property infringements.

Other controversies have included pledged monies not being used for their intended goals, or celebrities

“We encourage backers to hold creators accountable and to use the project page to ask them to update.

It’s discouraging when projects don’t update, but the terms of service allow backers to hold creators accountable.

“Some people do a better job of being transparent than others.

But by virtue of using the platform Kickstarter the creator is saying they will fulfil their promises, so backers have recourse.”

Google Sets Aside $100m for Promising European Startups

Promising startup businesses from West Cheshire, North Wales and the whole of Europe could access funding from tech giants Google.

The California-based corporation wants to give a helping hand to young businesses based outside Silicon Valley by launching a $100m venture fund for organisations on this continent.

In an official blog post in July, Google Ventures managing partner Bill Maris says the company believes Europe’s startup scene has huge potential, he said: “Our goal is simple; we want to invest in the best ideas from the best European entrepreneurs, and help them bring those ideas to life.

“When we launched Google Ventures in 2009, we set out to be a very different type of venture fund. Startups need more than just capital to succeed; they also benefit from engineering support, design expertise, and guidance with recruiting, marketing and product

management. Five years later, we’re working with more than 250 portfolio companies, tackling challenges across a host of industries. For example, the team at Flatiron Health is improving the way doctors and patients approach cancer care, SynapDx is developing a blood test for the early detection of Autism in children, and Clean Power Finance is making solar energy affordable for homeowners.

“We believe Europe’s startup scene has enormous potential. We’ve seen compelling new companies emerge from places like London, Paris, Berlin, the Nordic region and beyond… SoundCloud, Spotify, Supercell and many others.

“We can’t predict the kinds of inventions the Science Museum might showcase 10+ years from now, but we do know European startups will be essential to this future, and we can’t wait to see what they create.”

We believe Europe’s startup scene has enormous potential. We’ve seen compelling new companies emerge from places like London, Paris, Berlin, the Nordic region and beyond… SoundCloud, Spotify, Supercell and many others.

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The Floral Pavilion, New Brighton, is Wirral’s premier entertainment & conference centre comprising of a large-scale theatre, Conference Centre, light and airy Plaza and Panoramic Lounge. With breathtaking views across the River Mersey, the Liverpool Waterfront and the Irish Sea, The Floral Pavilion offers a prestigious business and leisure environment with a multifunctional space, adaptable to the requirements of your event.

To complement the theatre with its spacious foyer, bars and lounge, the 21st century Conference Centre includes 765m² of multi-purpose conference space, which offers a range of room combinations created by a sliding wall system which, together with various furniture layout options, creates maximum flexibility for hosting a variety of events from small meetings and seminars to a sit-down gala dinner, and has superb facilities for exhibitions, larger conferences, receptions and trade shows.

The Theatre and Conference Centre can be used individually or as part of a combined hire of the whole complex and has level access for unloading to all areas.

Since re-opening in December 2008 the Floral Pavilion Theatre has dedicated itself to providing the very best of entertainment and customer service for Wirral and beyond. Well over three quarters of a million customers have enjoyed a show at the theatre over the last five years with as many people again attending the venue for conferences, events or indeed just to enjoy a coffee and cake! Nearly 1.5 million customers and still counting.

The Floral Pavilion is at the very heart of the community and its doors are open 7 days a week 362 days of the year. Its visitors are regularly treated to free concerts in the Floral’s Plaza and Panoramic Lounges where the theatre’s beautiful grand piano is often made available for enthusiastic musicians to give impromptu performances.

The theatre’s quality reputation has become so widespread with both customers and artists alike that it now attracts national tours to Wirral. Some highlights this year include Jason Manford, Jimmy Carr, Agatha Christie’s Black Coffee, John Godbers’s comic masterpiece April in Paris, the stage version of ITV’s highest-ranking sitcom Rising Damp plus The International Guitar Festival of Great Britain takes place thoughout November including artists such as Joan Armatrading, Joe Brown and Paul Carrack.

Contact the Conference Team Telephone 0151 606 2965 Email floralconferences@wirral.gov.uk

A FLEXIBLE, MULTI-FUNCTIONAL VENUE LOCATED ON THE STUNNING WIRRAL COASTLINE

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INTERNATIONAL TRADE

UK Must Think Global to Fulfil its Economic Potential The Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) urged more UK businesses to ‘look beyond their shores’ as part of a passionate speech supporting international trade.

transform businesses’ domestic mindset, we need to create an environment that makes it worthwhile for them to export.

“If we in Britain are serious about rebalancing our economy, we must invest even more in supporting and promoting international trade. The UK should be matching the level of resourcing dedicated to export support provided by our major international competitors. And government intervention must be more focused in areas that can really make a difference, such as providing greater access to finance to growing firms – particularly when a quarter of non-exporters say that increased funding would encourage them to export.

At the International Festival of Business in Liverpool during July, John Longworth called for increased support for both existing and potential exporters so the UK can fulfil its potential as a nation leading the way in international trade.

“We at the BCC are proud to be doing our bit, by working in partnership with UK Trade and Investment and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to develop and accredit British Chambers and business groups in 41 high-growth countries worldwide. This partnership is providing British companies entering new markets with practical advice, support and new business connections each and every day. We are also working with UK Export Finance to link more SMEs to their growing export finance offer.

Longworth was speaking following the launch of BCC’s international trade survey, which looked at the barriers facing existing and potential UK exporters. Made up of responses from more than 4,700 businesses, the results show that while the majority of firms have ambitions to grow domestically, less than half are looking to expand their business overseas.

Key Findings:

More businesses need to ‘think global’ • While 90% of businesses have ambitions to grow domestically, less than half of firms (43%) have ambitions to grow internationally • More than half of current exporters (55%) said they recorded a positive impact on their bottom line within just 12 months of expanding into new markets abroad • 75% of exporters have traded internationally for more than five years, while new exporters (0-2 years) only account for 11% of current exporters.

Current Exporters are Breaking into Fast-Growing Markets • Europe and Asia remain the most popular export regions for UK businesses • Of the additional 21 ‘high-growth markets’ identified by UK Trade and Investment (41 in total) Japan, Kuwait, Kazakhstan and Hungary are perceived as providing the greatest opportunities for growth in the next five years • 52% of current exporters are currently exporting to one of these ‘high-growth markets’.

Market Access and Size are Influential Factors for Potential Exporters • The majority of firms (79%) say the most influential factor when considering exporting is the ease of finding customers, agents and distributors

John Longworth

Director General, British Chambers of Commerce

“But we need to be even more radical. Only a concerted national campaign and sustained investment will get more UK firms to look beyond our shores for growth opportunities. Otherwise, our ability to rebalance the economy will be limited.”

• More than six out of ten (68%) non-exporters still say they do not have the right product or service for export • Increased funding (25%) and access to overseas agents and distributors (24%) are identified as key factors that would encourage nonexporting businesses to export for the first time.

More Businesses Need to be Proactive in Looking for Export Opportunities • Nearly half (48%) of businesses are ‘reactive’ exporters; only supplying overseas customers when they receive unsolicited orders • There are more than twice as many reactive exporters as there are proactive exporters (22%); businesses that adapt their product or service to specifically target overseas markets.

John Longworth, Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) said: “It’s understandable that less than half of the businesses we surveyed have ambitions to grow internationally, but it proves that we need to do more as a nation to take the fear out of exporting.

I speak to businesses that have full order books here in the UK and don’t see why they would need to take their goods and services overseas. To

If we in Britain are serious about rebalancing our economy, we must invest even more in supporting and promoting international trade. The UK should be matching the level of resourcing dedicated to export support provided by our major international competitors.

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Value We take time to make sure you get the right cover at the right price. We want you to remain a customer for many years and recommend our services to others.

Experience CBI has over 20 years of experience in arranging insurance for clients, so you can be confident that we place businesses with insurers offering the best solution for you. We are able to search the market For you as we have facilities with all leading insurers and Lloyds underwriters.

Service Customer service is important to us. We want to keep you as a happy customer for years to come. Our well trained staff will deal with your enquiry promptly and keep your policies up to-date. All quotations will be fully discussed with you so that you know exactly what cover you are getting for your money.

Special schemes One of the strengths of CBI is our ability to negotiate schemes for specialist markets. Some businesses are not suited to “off the peg” solutions and require specialist “tailor-made” cover Our knowledgeable staff have the experience of specialist markets in many different business sectors.

“Taking the Risk Out of Insurance”

Please call us for details: 01492 534 524

Email: sales@cbi-insurance.co.uk - Or visit our website www.cbi-insurance.co.uk

theLL29 Risk7AA. OutRegistered of Insurance” Registered office: 35 Conwy Road, “Taking Colwyn Bay, in Wales: Company No. 04691692 Caravan and Leisure Insurance Consultants Limited t/a CBI Insurance Consultants is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and can be found on the FCA Register, Reference Number 304354

Please call us for details: 01492 534 524

Email: sales@cbi-insurance.co.uk - Or visit our website www.cbi-insurance.co.uk

HOW TO?

HOWTO?

ProTips

How To Say What You Really Mean (and Be Heard) you want to get to solutions. Letting others know that they should feel free to communicate honestly, too, opens the pathways to more effective communication.

Navigating conversations in the work place can often leave you dealing with ‘fake talk’ and useless jargon to avoid conflicts and difficult topics, but sometimes you need to speak up and be heard, writes Gwen Moran on www.lifehacker.com Describing the work of author and dialogue expert John R. Stoker, she says people engage in ‘counterfeit conversation’ for a variety of reasons; they may wish to avoid conflict or difficult conversations, be unsure of themselves or their knowledge, or fear the ramifications of their words.

Stoker says the problem with all of that dancing around the point is that what needs to be said often isn’t.

Here are five ways to get to the heart of the matter, no matter what it is.

Manage Emotions and Responses a leader might say she or he needs to talk about general productivity challenges instead of stating that the team needs to address the actual reasons deadlines aren’t being met because the former might cause hurt feelings.

Understand Your Audience

Different people have different motivational hot points; some are motivated by money, achievement or altruism. Once you zero in on your counterparts’ motivational points, you can focus on them.

Be mindful of emotions, if someone says, ‘you’re not letting me finish my sentences!’ it could be a clue that the other person is not feeling like you’re listening.

Don’t Take it Personally

If you’re going to engage in frank discussions, you need to be prepared to hear feedback that you might not like. If you begin feeling defensive, be mindful of that and keep it in check.

Too often, our own pride or ego doesn’t let us get past what other people are saying. Ask yourself, is engaging in a conflict that doesn’t matter going to get you to the goal you wish to meet?

Six Steps to the Perfect Pitch Every Time Delivering an elevator pitch or even telling your boss about an idea can be nerve-wracking.

Entrepreneur James Altucher has crafted ‘the six U’s of persuasion’ to make sure your idea gets heard… http://bit. ly/1wDFvql

Download a Treasure Trove of 130 Free Microsoft Ebooks Microsoft’s MSDN blog has released a whole new batch of free ebooks that cover everything from Windows 8, to Office 2013, SharePoint, SQL Server, and more (there’s plenty of guides to keyboard shortcuts)… http://bit. ly/1qk8n9x

State Your Expectations and Ask for Feedback

Get Outside the Office When You Need Fresh Ideas

What Life Lessons Can Football Teach Us?

We’re all aware of the importance of achieving a healthy work-life balance, but that doesn’t mean we should be afraid to take our work outside of the office sometimes… http://bit. ly/1jWZ4tG

Be as Specific as Possible

When you have something important to say, avoid the euphemisms and corporate-speak. Instead, state upfront specifically what you want to talk about; often people project their own emotions and fears on to a conversation, instead of looking at the topic objectively. For example,

Set the ground rules at the start of your conversation by stating that

The 19 year veteran, who played for Ajax, Real Madrid, AC Milan and Flamengo founded a number of charities and non-profit organisations during his career, whilst also running his own restaurant in Italy.

As football fans settle back into another season of supporting the highs and lows of their club team following an amazing World Cup, retired Dutch midfield maestro Clarence Seedorf has been sharing his ideas of what lessons the beautiful game can teach the rest of us.

• Plan for the future • Know when to work hard and when to rest • The mind is what matters; I work with my physique but my mind keeps me going

In an interview with www.askmen. com, Seedforf shared his top tips:

• Be adaptable and able to change with your environment

• Go easy on your boss; create a professional understanding because the focus needs to be on the objectives of the company

• Don’t wait until it’s too late to take care of your body

• Practice your communications skills, communication is so important

• Be passionate about what you do, otherwise why bother?

• Go out on top • Don’t take things too seriously!

Three Email Auto Responses to Help You Manage Your Inbox We all rely on email, we all know it can get overwhelming. To get back in control, Tim Ferris suggests setting up autoresponses that make it clear you only check your emails at certain times of day. He even offers his own for you to try out yourself… http://bit.ly/1wDGcQs

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PAGE HEADER

We’re passionate about print!

Looking for a printer for your next print project? Then look no further, with Charlesworth Press you can expect …

• Competitive pricing on brochures, catalogues, magazines, corporate literature, & much more • Full colour printing from short runs up to thousands of copies • Wide range of binding options including soft bound, hard bound, wiro & spiral bound • Dedicated Account Manager to help & advise throughout the process • Accredited to ISO 9001 Quality standards • Environmentally friendly ISO 14001 & FSC production • PLUS lots of care & attention to detail!!

Working hard to support Chamber members throughout West Cheshire & North Wales

Contact us to find out how we can make a difference to your next print project Tel: 01924 204830 Email: sales@charlesworth.com

Charlesworth Press

...evolution in print

www.charlesworth.com Charlesworth Press, Flanshaw Way, Flanshaw Lane, Wakefield WF2 9LP

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CHESHIRE WEST AND CHESTER

Regional Growth Fund Round 6 Opens The latest round of Regional Growth Fund (RGF) is now open with at least £200m available to bidders.

To date the fund has allocated £2.9bn in support to businesses and intermediaries which is projected to deliver over 500,000 new jobs. Previous RGF rounds have been oversubscribed and once again government will be looking to support the strongest bids which generate sustainable growth.

International Festival for Business a Success for Cheshire West and Chester Place Expo was one of the most visited places during the recent International Festival for Business in Liverpool.

The venue in St Pauls Square in the heart of the city’s commercial district played host to developers and local authorities. Alongside Warrington Borough Council and Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester Council hosted several well-attended events.

The Council launched their Property Market Review as part of the festival and followed this with two major events focusing on regeneration.

As part of Future Cities week, Muse Developments presented their vision for Chester Business Quarter, including the station gateway, bus interchange and the City Place development.

Later in the festival a breakfast meeting addressed the development plans for Ellesmere Port Waterfront and the improved access from the town centre. Two locally based companies (Cygnet Group and Heat Trace) celebrated their

recent Queens Awards at a Place Expo breakfast.

Dan Berrisford from Heat Trace took advantage of the other opportunities offered during the IFB by meeting with UKTI to discuss overseas customers, while Matthew Kimpton-Smith from Cygnet took on the role of Northwest ambassador for business.

A fringe event at the University of Chester’s NorthWest Food Centre (NoW Food) drew visitors away from Liverpool for a tour of the new preparation facilities and testing laboratories at the centre; SMEs in the food industry are able to take advantage of NoW Food services thanks to their European funding.

During South-East Asia week, Chester Zoo presented their Islands Project; a new feature based on the tropical islands of Indonesia. This tourism focused event was also supported by the Romans (a familiar sight to Chester residents) who invaded Liverpool for the day!

Eligible projects must be for at least £1m and must create or safeguard jobs. The project must raise private investment to match funding. Support is not restricted to any particular sector and can be used to support capital investment, research and development or training for projects seeking to extend current activity or diversify. Ellesmere Port has just been awarded Assisted Area status and businesses in this area could be eligible for greater support.

The deadline for applications is September 20th. If you think your company could benefit from this type of funding, please visit www. bis.gov.uk/rgf or speak to one of Cheshire West and Chester’s Business Growth team on 01244 515572.

As well as discussing Cheshire West and Chester’s new online business portal Find It, conversation focused on West Cheshire as a destination of choice for investors. With businesses from the UK and abroad visiting Place Expo, Lord Livingston said: “The response to this International Festival for Business has been fantastic so far, with attendees from over 90 countries participating in events. I am delighted that that the festival will be supported by Government again in 2016” As a result of interactions during IFB, 80 businesses signed up to Find It, Cheshire West and Chester’s online business-to-business portal.

A high-profile visitor to the International Festival for Business was Baron Livingston of Parkhead who took a look round Place Expo on July 10th.

After visiting other exhibitors, Lord Livingston stopped off to chat with Nick Brown from Marketing Cheshire and Helen Crampton from Cheshire West and Chester Council.

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Support programme helps Cheshire company grow their business online.

Aimed at growth businesses in the Cheshire and Warrington areas, Connecting Cheshire Superfast Business is a fully funded support service dedicated to helping businesses maximise the opportunities of using digital technologies.

Individual support for eligible companies includes your own dedicated business adviser as well as access to specialists with in-depth knowledge and expertise in areas such as cloud computing, e-commerce or social media.

Change Leadership Partners provide high quality learning, coaching and mentoring for business leaders, managers and employees. Specialising in organisational change, the Chester based company had embraced social media as a communication channel to grow their business but were struggling to engage with their target markets.

Managing Director, Phil Parry, accessed the Connecting Cheshire Superfast Business support programme to improve the way they engage with their target markets online. “We needed to gain a proper understanding of how different social media platforms work for business and focus our efforts on creating a consistent and unified online presence,” said Phil. “We were also conscious that our website was not optimised or fully user friendly but were unclear on which direction to take it next.”

Phil received support from the programme in the form of two specialist workshops – Search Engine Optimisation and Social Media - and found each one very useful: “The social media workshop gave us a greater understanding of how each platform works (Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn) and from this we decided to concentrate on Linked In and Twitter in the first instance. We have built

For more information on the programme, including access to the knowledge hub, with guides and top tips from industry experts, as well as locally held events that will demystify digital technology and explore applications, visit www.ccbusiness.co.uk

this into our marketing plan and have seen much better levels of engagement. The decision was also taken to upgrade our website, as a result of the recommendations from the workshop. The programme has been very insightful and down to earth and was clearly tailored to our specific needs.”

be atles find out more at

be-everywhere.co.uk

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be everywhere

NEW MEMBERS

NEWMEMBERS AMPS Ltd The Saltings Four Crosses Llanymynech Powys SY22 6RE 01978 810898 amontgomery@amps-ltd.co.uk Mr Alan Montgomery

Daydream Designs Newlands Pen-y-Ball Hill HOLYWELL Flintshire CH8 8SZ 01352 710054 rob@daydreamdesigns.co.uk Mr Rob Saunders

Armadillo Events North Wales 07881 800744 tansy@armadilloevents.co.uk Miss Tansy Rogerson

Design 2 Print (Llandudno) Ltd Builder Street West Llandudno Conwy County Borough LL30 1HH 01492 876610 simon@d2pltd.co.uk Mr Simon Davies

Authentica HR Ltd 3 Chelford Drive Kingsmead NORTHWICH Cheshire CW9 8XP 0800 6120773/ 07932 73246 jo@authenticahr.co.uk Ms Jo Parry Capital FM - Global Radio Ltd The Studios Mold Road Gwersyllt WREXHAM Cheshire LL11 4AF 07967 052802 karen.cumming@thisisglobal.com Ms Karen Cumming Coaction International Frodsham 07708 149970 jenny@coactioninternational.com Ms Jenny Conwy Cor Coaching Ltd Herons Way Chester Business Park CHESTER Cheshire CH4 9QR 01244 893138 lyn@corcoaching.co.uk Mrs Lyn Flanagan

Elevate Cymru Bangor University Hen Goleg College Road BANGOR Gwynedd LL57 2DG 01248 383800 n.wright-morgan@bangor.ac.uk Mrs Nia Morgan Fire Service International Ltd 114 Queens Road LLANDUDNO Conwy County Borough LL30 1TY 01492 878880 at@sfiuk.co.uk Mr Andrew Thomas Lomani Luxury Travel Ltd Melverley Halcog Brymbo WREXHAM Wrexham County Borough LL11 5DQ 01978 754252 sales@lomani.co.uk Mrs Lynne Hughes

Creative Catalysts Ltd Wrexham 07947955548 shaunroberts@creativecatalysts.co.uk Mr Shaun Roberts

Mike Kennedy 102 Faulkner Street CHESTER Cheshire CH2 3BQ 07850 957482 michaelvkennedy@gmail.com Mr Michael Kennedy

David Donkin Safety Consultant Ltd Cheshire 07710370950 david.donkin1@btopenworld.com Mr David Donkin

Ocean Blu Productions Chester 07837 559326 lloyd@oceanbluproductions.co.uk Mr Lloyd Flanagan

Penny MacPherson - Travel Counsellors Chester 01244 459550 penny.macpherson@travelcounsellors.com Mrs Penny MacPherson Positive Performance Coaching Chester 07772 1252533 info@positiveperformance.org.uk Ms Susannah Couper Regus Express 1st Floor Management Suite Broughton Shopping Park Broughton CHESTER Cheshire CH4 ODE 01244 230260 Rentokil Initial Pest Control Old Boston Trading Estate Penny Lane Haydock ST. HELENS Merseyside WA11 9ST 07870 256474 david.quine@rentokil.com Mr David Quine Roberts Development Solutions Ltd The Old School House Ruthin Road Llanferres MOLD Flintshire CH7 5SN 07967 677381 info@rdslimited.com Mr Barry Roberts Solvings Ltd Linden House Mold Business Park Wrexham Road MOLD Flintshire CH7 1XP 01352 700103 dougie.eaglesham@solvings.com Mr Dougie Eaglesham Spire Murrayfield Hospital Wirral Holmwood Drive Thingwall Wirral CH61 1AU 0845 6002110 Ms Hannah Worth

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JUST ONE MORE THING…

FOLLOWME Twitter accounts worth your time ...

North Wales Tweets: @nwalestweetsuk Tweets: 21,639 Following: 2,682 Followers: 3,964 Why so good? A hub connecting all Twitter and Facebook users from North Wales together. Hosts the North Wales hour tweet session and ‘real life’ North Wales Tweetup networking event.

Victoria Burrows Charity fundraiser and freelance

Example: Thanks for your part in #nwaleshour great to see some using English and Welsh in their tweets Good night… noson dda

charity consultant, Victoria Burrows Consultancy.

What brought you to your current job?

I’ve always worked with children and young people and that’s where my passion has always been. I have worked for a fantastic childrens charity (DangerPoint) for seven years as the deputy manager and funding officer, I gained a huge amount of experience in this role and two years ago applied to be part of a pilot MSc programme in management with innovation and creativity for social enterprises. This has opened up so many new opportunities and goals for me, so in addition to my work for DangerPoint I have set up Victoria Burrows Consultancy. I’m now working with newly started and established charities and social enterprises, looking at what they need to become sustainable and how they can grow.

What inspires you?

Making a difference; whatever role I’m in or whomever I’m working with I still have a drive to ultimately improve people’s lives, particularly young people who haven’t been given the opportunity to fulfil their potential. If I can use my knowledge and experience to help support organisations on the front line, or encourage businesses to think about community investment then I know I’m still making a difference and doing a good job.

Who do you admire?

I’ve met a number of really positive female entrepreneurs in recent months and I can honestly say every one of them has contributed to my decision to set up myself. I admire all of them for what they are achieving, their approach to life and also for how they have encouraged and supported me.

What advice would you give someone aiming for a job like yours?

Go for it, if it’s your dream find a way to make it happen.

Know your end goal and make a plan to get there, take time to really understand what you want to do and how you are going to achieve it.

Tell us about your most memorable moment or greatest achievement in life.

My greatest achievement is undoubtedly completing my Masters. Anyone who has spent time with me in the last 18 months will know what a gruelling process it has been to complete! It’s been a huge task to do a

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condensed course whilst working full time; I’m sure my graduation in Dublin this November will be my most memorable moment so far, including the celebrations!

What was your childhood ambition?

Even when I was a teenager I was working with other young people teaching canoeing, I think that’s where my interest in such work has stemmed from.

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

The Social Value Act 2012 was introduced with the aim to assist social enterprise activity and to encourage local authorities to do business with community interest companies and enterprises. I’d do more to promote the act and support social enterprises enter supply chains. The tender process can be difficult and often be a barrier to smaller businesses winning contracts; I’d want to look at how the smaller businesses can compete with bigger more established businesses in this process.

What are you listening to, watching, reading or playing at the moment?

I’m currently watching a marathon of West Wing reruns, I loved this series first time round, it’s written brilliantly. I’ve only read journals and text books for 18 months and I’ve got into the Harvard business review blog, they produce great articles which I tend to scan through on my lunch break. Other that I am on the lookout for a good light read for my holiday!

What couldn’t you live without?

My family they have always been so supportive and I am blessed to have them in my life. Slightly more frivolous I’d say my iPad quite quickly became a daily essential!

Describe a perfect Sunday…

I’m always up so early in the week so a lie in is treat, I love cooking brunch and making a nice cappuccino. I really try not to drive on a Sunday, it’s a nice break from the week so I like to get outside for a walk, then a lazy afternoon which involves more cooking and relaxing with a nice glass of wine and the people I love!

Department for Business: @bisgovuk Tweets: 10,600 Following: 2,199 Followers: 100,000 Why so good? It’s the official Twitter account of the government’s business department. Information straight from the horse’s mouth!

Example: Can you help shape the #BIS #science & innovation strategy? Tell us how by answering 5 key questions http://bit.ly/1qDZ98j #scipolicy

Superfast Cymru: @superfastcymru Tweets: 2,245 Following: 2,001 Followers: 1,503 Why so good? With superfast broadband

coming to Wales, find out when your home or business can access it.

Example: Welcome to superfast speeds Bala and Chwilog! Check if you can get it at superfast-cymru.com