Best of worthing september 2013

September 2013

Update

Tirelessly working to make your business the best it can be...

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Confidence

trick I caught the tail end of a discussion programme on the radio. It was just after the semi-finals of The Apprentice and they were talking about the 3rd candidate that had been fired. What was interesting was that the panellists all agreed that it was self belief that had carried these finalists through each task, even the candidate that didn’t actually own any part of the business he was putting forward for investment.

Self belief is an extremely powerful thing. When I asked a friend of mine, who has built a highly successful business over the last decade, what had carried him through the numerous trials and tribulations of starting and running an independent business he replied, ‘Well nobody told me I couldn’t do it so I just assumed I could.’ Whatever problem was thrown at him he always believed he could find a solution. The very fact that he believed he could solve any problem opened up so many opportunities for him. If his first solution didn’t work,

Take a look at your Business The people behind the business New members this month Tip of the month

an d M ore...

www.thebestof.co.uk/worthing

he simply found another one. Someone with less self belief may well have given up.

There are many examples of this in the sporting world. Usain Bolt does not start a race believing he will come second. When interviewed before the 2012 Olympics he said “You’re not going to catch me. It doesn’t matter who you are. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing.” It is that inner confidence that frees him from fear and allows him to focus on the things he needs to do to win the race.

Now I don’t for one moment believe that an unshakable inner confidence will win through every time. After all, Usain has come second on a couple of occasions. However, it is that freedom from fear

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of failure that allows certain businesses to grasp opportunities that others may shy away from.

“It really is all about believing in yourself: 80 per cent mental, 20 per cent physical.” - Victoria Pendleton Strangely enough it’s the little things that help us maintain our inner confidence.

Celebrate the Good Stuff We’ve become so busy in our working lives we often forget to take a moment to celebrate the good things that happen; the happy customer, the new client, the perfect solution to a seemingly unsolvable problem. The simple act of writing down the good stuff that happened in our day will remind us how successful we actually are. It also allows us to review these successes at a later date.

Focus on What You Can Do For Others

Take a Moment to be Grateful When I was a child my grandmother constantly told me to count my blessings. I found this infuriating as it was invariably said just after I’d been told that I couldn’t do or have something.

I now realise how important it is. It’s so easy to forget that as business owners we are masters of our own destiny and free to make our own choices. Just that freedom is a blessing in itself, before we even start on our home, our families, our friends, bbqs in the sun (ok so that’s only this year), the list goes on.

Walk Like You Mean It Now this is a strange one, but none the less fact.

It’s difficult to experience self doubt when your head is held high and your shoulders are back.

Seriously…. try it!

Self belief on its own won’t turn your business into an overnight, worldwide success, but what it will do is allow you to grasp opportunities as they appear.

Self doubt tends to make us turn our focus inwards and we are always harder on ourselves than we are on others. If we shift our attention to what we can do for the people around us we start to concentrate on positives rather than negatives, successful outcomes rather than failures.

M e l a n ie

Offer of the Month Don’t get bored, get creative with our special offer When you mention ‘The Best of Worthing’ you will receive a free ‘one day studio fee’ for two, this is a saving of £3.95.

This will enable two people to paint pottery, do Decopatch or AdoptA-Bear or all three crafts and only pay the price of the chosen item; there will be no other studio fee payable. We will also include in this offer when you mention ‘The Best of Worthing’ a buy one get one free on any hot drink. (Maximum 2 free drinks per free studio fee).

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The People Behind The Business Jeremy Taylor & Fiona Vincent - The Kingsley Group From an early age Jeremy Taylor knew he wanted to be in business. At the early age of 17 he had the opportunity to join a growing roofing contractor, and he didn’t hesitate to become part of their team. Starting at the bottom, Jeremy spent the next 13 years working up to director level in the company. Jeremy then decided it was time for a new challenge, so in 2003 Jeremy started Kingsley Roofing, based in Worthing.

The business has now grown in to the Kingsley group, based in Ferring, which employs over 60 people. The roofing business has since gone from strength to strength, picking up prestigious work such as the new copper roof on Splash Point Swimming Pool in Worthing. The group now supplies and installs Eco energy products such as Solar Panels and wood burners.

Jeremy also believes training young people is vital to the future of both the industry and Kingsley, and has invested heavily in the launch of a pioneering Hard Metals apprenticeship programme, working closely with Northbrook College and the CITB. Jeremy’s key to success is having a clear vision for Kingsley, hard work and treating others with respect.

Born to Missionary parents in Brazil, Jeremy has lived in Worthing since 1981 and is married to Helen. They have two children, Jessica and Murray.

Jeremy Taylor bought Broadwater Flowers in 2003 along with Fiona Vincent.

After training to be a florist and working in a local shop in Hove for many years, in 1990 Fiona decided it was time for a change and she moved to Hong Kong to work the Drug Addicts. Fiona loved this work so much that a 2 year contract turned into 10 year, and she returned in 2000.

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On her return, Fiona moved to London and began working for Moyses Stevens in London. She quickly made her mark and was asked to manage their concession within Harrods, which she ran successfully for over 2 years, having a wonderful time as a floral designer for the rich and famous. In 2003 she also decided it was time to do something for herself and she bought Broadwater Flowers along with Jeremy.

Once they established the Broadwater Shop, Fiona added a Pottery Painting Studio to the site. Following the success of the combined business they moved to the current larger premises on the Kingsley Group Ferring Site on 2010. This site then also became home for the Kingsley Coffee Shop, Craft Studio and Kingsley Gift Shop.

Fiona’s key to success is to be passionate about your vision and enjoy the journey.

Born in Zimbabwe, Fiona moved to the UK when she was 5 years old and now lives in Worthing with her husband Adam and daughter Grace.

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Working Well...

The Best of... Apprenticeships • The National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) tell us that apprenticeships will improve your business profit margins.

• Our Politicians believe that apprenticeships are a certain way of curing youth unemployment and fixing “Broken Britain”.

• Whilst the Media are still unsure and they’re sitting on the fence.

So what is the reality...?

our y e r a “Sh d let n a s e ss succe know what ie f Melan thebesto f bits o orking are w u.” for yo

Well, The Best of... Worthing took the plunge two months ago, employing 18 year old Ellie on a Business Admin Apprenticeship through local learning provider, asphaleia training. And the result has been outstanding.

“Ellie has settled straight in”, says Mel Peters enthusiastically. “It was a big decision for me; this is my business and ‘anyone not getting it’ was going to struggle. But Ellie’s excellent communication skills and her ability to relate well to people on all levels has been astounding. She’s been out of the office networking, on the phone developing new leads, and writing copy for the website. She’s exactly what The Best Of... needs!”

And Mel’s not surprised! She knew Ellie was the right candidate from the moment she saw her glowing CV. The only decision was as to whether Ellie wanted the role: “The job was definitely something that interested me” explains Ellie. “And Mel’s fantastic, so helpful and friendly. But I did have a decision to make – the learning is offered by asphaleia – a training provider that I was unfamiliar with. They are only at the beginning of their apprenticeship scheme and I wanted to know more about them and their plans for ME...” asphaleia satisfied any of Ellie’s uncertainty: introducing her to their diverse education programmes & their excellent 13 year track record. asphaleia explained that their recent diversification into apprenticeships is in partnership with Northbrook College and displays their commitment to giving At thebestof Worthing we young people the best start to their adult lives. Currently, are on the lookout for asphaleia are specialising in Business Admin apprenticeships other great members. for 16-18 years olds.

This month we are looking for....

So why would did Mel Peters choose asphaleia when they’re new to the apprenticeship game? It was because of asphaleia’s • Office Stationers close relationship with boost. boost are a renown business consultancy in Worthing, known to most through their • Cleaning Companies acclaimed event: “The breakfast boost”. They are managing • Health & Safety asphaleia’s employer engagement programme, utilising the • Pubs best of their connections and reputation.

• Restaurants “One thing that shone through boosts’ recruitment process is that they were doing the best thing for me AND the young If you know a business that fits the person involved... asphaleia have got it right: their focus bill please contact the team... is the young person’s development and happiness. Whilst boost work their magic with the employer, making sure they fully understand the business’ needs first... I was genuinely impressed with how much work boost had put in to support me and find me the ideal candidate”.

This month boost are recruiting two new apprentices for Kinsley Roofing Ltd and one for young person’s charity Esteem. And they are looking for more local organisations who are looking to grow. If this is you, please get in touch today and explore what an apprentice could bring to your business: Email craig@boostconsultancy.co.uk or Call 01903 228094

01903 203673

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We’re consistently uncovering hidden gems. Say a big hello to this months stars.

Meet some of our

members IPS Fire & Security Protect your home or business premises by contacting IPS Fire & Security in Worthing, West Sussex.

As a reputable, accredited security company, they provide security solutions tailored to meet your needs.

Whether you require fire alarms, CCTV, Access Control or Burglar Alarms, they will carry out a full assessment of your premises in order to identify the best products for you!

Give t hem a call and say He llo

Carpenter Box LLP in Worthing, West Sussex has an exceptional team of Chartered Accountants and Tax Advisers who offer a wide range of services to help your business develop and grow. Helping you to be the best at what you do, the team at Carpenter Box LLP knows how to improve your profitability through accountancy, taxation and business services. For respected accountants Worthing, call Carpenter Box LLP today.

01903 234094

01903 868007

Please support...... local business women, Melanie Peters, and Chelsea Harman, as they prepare to carry out a trip of a life time to raise money for two local charities in Worthing.

01903 203673

The Mayor of Worthing, Councillor Robert Smytherman works hard to support the local community of Worthing as well as three charitable organisations - Worthing MIND, Guild Care and Worthing Alzheimers.

01903 221018

Willow Private Finance in Worthing provides expert financial advice and solutions relating to mortgages, protection, commercial finance, bridging finance and more.

01903 890529

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There’s Always

ONE

We all have them; the difficult customer that we never seem to satisfy. If we have it blue, they want green. If it comes in small or medium they want large. Even exceeding their expectations seems to annoy them. It seems that whatever we try to do is just not good enough.

So what do we do with them?

Fix It or Fire Them

Adversary to Advocate

Now don’t get me wrong. There are some

The thing with the difficult customer is conversations are often fraught with emotion. We start to dread the call or the visit

unreasonable customers out there that nothing and no-one can please. Often their complaints seem ingenuous. However, until we can truly understand the problems these customers experience there is no way to tell whether they are unreasonable, misinformed or struggling with problems they don’t have solutions for. Often the advice is to pass them to a competitor; let the difficult customer stretch their resources and try their patience instead. In some cases that is the right thing to do, but are we missing a trick here?

from them and often we have assumed the worst before they’ve even said a word. These assumptions then colour the conversation we have. It becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. Breaking that cycle however, can start a very loyal and long standing, working relationship. They can become your biggest advocate purely because you have tackled the issues in a different way. A friend of mine used to say ‘Kill ‘em with kindness’ and ask yourself ‘Is this how I would want to be treated if I was a customer.’

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So next time you’re struggling with a difficult customer; Listen. Let them say everything they need to say before you offer solutions. In the first instance, irate people want to be heard, they don’t want a solution.

Tell them you hear what they’re saying. It’s almost impossible to argue with, which reduces the emotion in the call. If they keep shouting, keep telling them.

Once they are calmer, ask them what they what they want or need to achieve, it is often not what they originally called for so solutions you offer before you have asked will probably be wrong.

Don’t take it personally. You are unlikely to be the cause of all this customers problems.

Remembering it’s the situation not the person ensures you can remain calm and objective. Once the emotion is removed, it’s easier to tell if the customer has a genuine issue Focus on what you both agree on first. This gives you an insight into where they are coming from and starts to build empathy on both sides.

You never know, that could just be the start of an amazing relationship.

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thebestof Worthing is run by Melanie Peters

Our aim is to provide the best businesses in Worthing with a

world class marketing service.

We’ll raise your profile, connect you to new contacts and customers - and maximise your business potential.

We really do care about every one of our Business Members and we are there every step of the way to ensure that thebestof works for you.

1. Testimonials 2. Dual-branded postcards 3. Mix and match 4. Commercial photos 5. Certificates 6. Brand Awareness 7. Campaigns 8. Call Tracking 9. An Evening with 10. Social Media 11. Blog 12. Events 13. Video 14. Special offers for members 15. Quote me

Our 17 marketing tools

16. Mobile Website and App 17. Website feature

Here at thebestof, word of mouth just got louder!

Every business we feature has been checked out by us AND recommended by other local people, so you can use them with confidence knowing they truly are one of the best at what they do...

Call Us: 01903 203673 Email: melanie.peters@thebestof.co.uk

Coming Soon

Love Your Hospital Charity Networking Tuesday 10th September for more info Lesley-Anne.Lloyd@wsht.nhs.uk

An evening with the bestof - Ham Manor Golf Club Tuesday 24th September sponsored by Nineteenth Catering & Worthing Business Circle - ÂŁ12 booking is essential admin.worthing@thebestof.co.uk

These Boots Were Made 4 Walking On 24th April 2014, Melanie Peters (owner of thebestofworthing) and Chelsea Harman (co-founder of Babybuddy) will embark on a challenge of a lifetime in order to raise awareness and money for two Sussex Charities Love Your Hospital and Babybuddy.

Lacing up their walking boots, the two ladies will trek across parts of the Great Wall of China - voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

To find out more contact 01903 203673 www.thebestof.co.uk/worthing Update September 2013 Bestof-Worthing-September 2013.indd 8

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