THE MIDLOTHIAN AND EAST LOTHIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BUSINESS MAGAZINE
EAE’s Electric Green Leaflet Machine takes to the road •
Scottish Chambers’ Business Survey
•
Haddington Farmers’ Market
•
Business Mentoring Scotland
ISSUE 3 • JUNE 2010
O F H A D D I N G T O N LT D
H E A LT H
&
S A F E T Y
AT
W O R K A D V I S E R S
By Appointment to Her Majesty The Queen Health & Safety Adviser Green’s of Haddington Ltd East Lothian
As an employer you have no choice about health and safety. What you can choose is expert advice that turns compliance with the law into a positive business asset.
A wor k for c e who k no w t h e ir re sp o n sibilit ies I mpr ov ed s afety r e co rd R educ ed ex pos ur e t o lit iga t io n C heaper i ns ur ance Lower mac hi ner y op e ra t in g cost s A Heal th and S afe t y Po licy t a ilo re d t o you r ne e d s What’s more, we do all the hard work, leaving you to manage. Turn a negative into a positive with expert advice from Green’s of Haddington Ltd and make Health and Safety work for you and your staff. 37a Sidegate, Haddington, EH41 4BU
☎ 01620 829666
www.greensofhaddington.co.uk
contents
WELCOME
Welcome...........................................3 Editor’s Introduction........................4 New Members..................................5 Member News..................................6 Westfield Health...............................8 Chambers’ Business Survey.......... 10 HWL adviceline.............................. 13 Better Email................................... 14 EAE’s Electric Green Van............... 16 Ask The Expert............................... 18 Midlothian Council......................... 19 Farmers Market............................. 26
As you read this the election will be history and there will be a new government in power.
IP Specialists................................. 27 Nutritox.......................................... 28 Lister McDonald............................. 29 So what is coaching?..................... 30 Membership Benefits.................... 36 Getting the Most from Sales ......... 38 Upcoming Chamber Events........... 42
Whoever is prime minister, the economy will be their paramount concern and the agenda for business will be a critical part of it. The national Chamber network will continue to lobby politicians on your behalf about issues like business rates, taxation, and national insurance, and on other business priorities like transport, skills development and red tape. The new government will have a huge challenge ahead to steer us successfully out of recession and this will to a large extent depend on business growth.
For advertising contact D-Tech: T: 01436 821438 E: sales@incommerce.biz For editorial contact editor: Laura Socha T: 0131 654 1234 E: laura.socha@met.org.uk Publisher: InCommerce Ltd Distribution: D-Tech Distribution
The recent travel chaos caused by the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud has highlighted that our members are often taking their skills and experience far from home. The fact that many of our members have been stranded in distant lands is more evidence that we operate in a global village. Healthy local business growth is essential but we must not lose sight of the bigger picture and opportunities of trading with other countries around the world.
Gregor Murray Executive Director
INCOMMERCE is published by InCommerce Ltd. Royal Northern & Clyde Yacht Club, Rhu, Helensburgh G84 8NG. Telephone 01436 821501. Fax 01436 820028. E-mail: info@dtechuk.com. Edited by Laura Socha, Chamber Manager, Midlothian & East Lothian Chamber of Commerce, 42/3 Hardengreen Business Park, Dalhousie Road, Dalkeith, Midlothian EH22 3NU Tel : 0131 654 1234. Email: laura.socha@met.org.uk
Our Corporate Partners
INCOMMERCE is fully protected by copyright and nothing may be printed nor copied wholly or in part without the written permission of the publishers. The proprietors of this magazine are publishers and not agents, or sub-agents of those who advertise therein. They cannot be held liable for any loss suffered as a result of information contained within this publication. The views expressed by authors of articles published in this magazine are solely those of the author and are not necessarily the views of or shared by the editor, the publisher or the directors, shareholders and/or employees of InCommerce Ltd or Midlothian & East Lothian Chamber of Commerce.
MIDLOthian & East lothian chamber of commerce Magazine • JUNE 10
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editors Intro
Business mentoring scotland Welcome to our spring edition of InCommerce. In this quarter we have the latest results from the Chambers of Commerce Business Survey, discuss how to manage your email better and focus on how to get the most from your sales activity. We also hear from green pioneers EAE, a local distribution company that has embraced using an electric fleet for local deliveries. As well as our popular ‘Ask the Expert’ series – where we ask what are fit notes and why we can’t just hand over Word documents to printers? All in all it we hope this edition will provide you with a quality coffee time read and please remember to send me any articles you would like included in the next edition.
How to benefit from Free Business Mentoring Business Mentoring is a partnership between Scottish Chambers of Commerce and Scottish Enterprise with European Funding. Whether you are a new business, or have ambitious plans to grow your existing business, working with a mentor can kick-start the process, giving you immediate access to impartial advice, relevant experience, and a great network of contacts. We will talk you through your business development ambitions, and then carefully match you to a mentor who has the perfect skills and experience to meet your needs. With a pool of 600 mentors who are willing and able to share their experiences, we’ll find the right one to help you accelerate up the business learning curve in a way that suits you best.
Client Testimonials Donald Anderson says the benefits of having a mentor are invaluable. Not only is it important to have a critical eye outside of the business, but support in understanding business processes has been instrumental in the growth of his business – The Breadmaker. Donald says: “Personally, knowledge and clarity has been the biggest support, increasing confidence and reassurance.” Ross Paton, of I & R Paton, has tangible proof of the benefits of the mentoring programme. Ross has quadrupled the size of his professional plumbing, heating and gas services business from 5 to 25 employees and from £250,000 to a million turnover.? With an astonishing 33% net profit he has been able to fund all of this growth from trading and without dipping into his overdraft.
Laura Socha Chamber Manager
He says of his mentor Sandy McCurdy: “I particularly like the way my mentor never tells me what to do. My mentor is a great sounding board. He can see the other side of the coin, and often puts himself in the shoes of the customer. Then I have to work out how they see it. Watching that process I’ve learned to think very differently – that’s the major change.” Tony Ianniello’s Premier Mobile Distribution is just into his third year trading, but over the past 12 months he has moved into 500 retail outlets, including Tesco and O2, and is well on his way to achieving his goal of 1 million in the next few months. This rapid progress has been kick-started by Tony’s relationship with his mentor Stephen and he believes the support has been invaluable. “We would not have been able to achieve so much in a short time had it not been for Stephen and his belief in our business,” says Tony.
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MIDLOthian & East lothian chamber of commerce Magazine • JUNE 10
Welcome to our New Chamber Members 1st Class Media
1st Class specialise in 3 services, audio transcription, database solutions and web development. We provide solutions for many diverse businesses in Midlothian and beyond
Mark Lawson
0131 510 5105
mark@1stclassmedia.co.uk www.1stclassmedia.co.uk
ActionCOACH
Help small business owners spend less time working in your business and more time working on your business. In the end, you’ll be spending less total time working and will be making more money. Also help you put the FUN back in your business and your life.
Tony Hoskins
01968 682 688
tonyhoskins@actioncoach. com www.actioncoach.com/ tonyhoskins
Agrada Ltd
Kay Smith Agrada is a design consultancy with two design directors that have run large design companies, worked with major brands, have proven track records of success and have helped small businesses to get established.
0131 557 0554
kay@agrada.co.uk
Anna Devine Commercial
Marketing, PR, Sales, Advertising consultancy
Anna Devine
07837 871 322
annadevinepr@googlemail. com
Bob Marshall Media
Freelance interactive multimedia developer and digital artist based near Edinburgh in Scotland, specialising in the creation of interactive programs and presentations for kiosks, CD ROMs, DVDs and websites. also produce graphics, 3D models, animations and high-quality illustrations.
Bob Marshall
0131 663 2700
info@bmmedia.co.uk www.bmmedia.co.uk
Cloud Logic
Loudlogic™ install and maintain Google Apps™ for UK businesses and organisations of all sizes. With offices in London and Edinburgh, we offer guaranteed success for your Google Apps deployment. We are Scotland’s first Google Apps Authorized Reseller and one of just a few in the UK.
Scott McKenzie
0845 225 5004
scott.mckenzie@ cloudlogic.co.uk www.cloudlogic.com
Fairway Financial Solutions
Fairway Financial Solutions is an Appointed Representative of Personal Touch Financial Services Limited which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority
Mike Yeoman
01875 616620
mikeyeoman@btinternet. com www.fairwaysfinance.com
Fly Evidence
Fly Evidence is a professional Insect Identification Service. Our speciality is crime scene recovery and forensic response, primarily focussed on insect identification and provision of associated biological information. The major markets are the medico-legal and the research and development sectors, dealing mainly with identification for legal, environmental, ecological, industrial or archaeological matters
Andrew Whittingon
0773 400 6866
flyevidence@btconnect.com www.flyevidence.com
Hawthorn Business Group
At Hawthorn Business Group we know what’s required to drive your vision consistently and create the business and the culture that you’re seeking. We’d love to talk to you about it.
Brendan Walsh
07766 505619
brendanwalsh@ hawthornbusinessgroup. co.uk
Hilltop Events
Hilltop Events is a dynamic corporate event management company specialising in motivational events and reward programmes.
Joanne Hill
07988 499 332
jo@hilltopevents.co.uk www.hilltopevents.co.uk
Hipwell Consulting
Hipwell Consulting can review the way your operations run, propose improvements and efficiencies and then assist you and your staff to implement the changes.
07795 098469
archie@hipwell-consulting. co.uk www.hipwell-consulting. co.uk
HSBC
Business Banking
Debbie Kuczara
08457 606 060
debbiekuczara@hsbc.com www.hsbc.co.uk
JBM Business Services
Financial Business Services
Scott Murray
01721 540170
scott.murray@jbmbs.co.uk www.jbmbs.co.uk
Jinja Ninja Productions
Multimedia production service providing video production for web, pod casting, dvd training videos, music, photography
Vince Johnston
07949 377475
sales@jinja-ninja.com www.jinja-ninja.com
Kinnarps (UK) Ltd
Furniture & Fixtures. Simple, functional Swedish workplace furniture – everything you need for the interiors of offices and businesses.
Jonathan Dodsworth
01506 415 885
Jonathan.dodsworth@ kinnarps www.kinnarps.co.uk
Larosco Ltd
Next generation email and mobile recommendation and referral software.
Laura Sullivan
01383 410096
laura@larosco.com www.larosco.com
Network IT Solutions Network IT Solutions provide IT support in Edinburgh for the soletrader, home-office and smaller office based business. We can help you with hardware, software, networking, broadband, websites.
Gary Wishart
0845 463 3649
gwishart@ networkitsolutions www.networkitsolutions. co.uk
Nutri-Tox
Diet, nutrition and lifestyle specialists working with the personal, business, corporate and public sectors. Also speaker, broadcaster and writer
Colin McKeand
01324 823664
colin@nutri-tox.com www.diet-nutrition.co.uk
PHPR Ltd
PHPR is a UK-based results-driven on and offline PR agency. Our wealth Penny Haywoodof B2B and ecommerce experience is behind the results we get for Calder businesses like yours. Our MD, Penny-Haywood Calder, launched the world’s first online bank in the mid 1980s
0131 669 5190
penny@phpr.co.uk www.phpr.co.uk
Piotr Ukleja Services Professional carpentry business since 1989, creating beautifully handcrafted furniture from their Midlothian workshop.
Mariola
0131 478 2088
marukl@poczta.onet.pl
Ria Mapp Accountancy Services
Full range of Accountancy and Bookkeeping services
Ria Mapp
07775 711951
riamapp@hotmail.com
The Co-operative Bank
Personal and Business banking.
Ken MacRae
0131 228 9973
www.co-operativebank. co.uk
Twist Training
With years of hands on experience in management roles, TWIST provides an energetic and refreshing approach to the on going needs of the licensed trade.
Joanne Worrall
07811 214038
jo@twist-training.com www.twist-training.com
MIDLOthian & East lothian chamber of commerce Magazine • JUNE 10
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member round up
Get down, dirty and green It was the ultimate ‘get dirty’ summer job – weighing animal dung at Edinburgh Zoo. But it was all part of a big clean up at one of Scotland’s most successful visitor attractions and an example of how university students are helping improve companies’ environmental management. Hermione Taylor was one of the 650 students on the Environmental Placement Programme (EPP) who have undertaken 8 week summer projects which private companies and public sector organisations might not have had the time or in-house expertise to complete. EPP is backed by the Scottish Government and run by the Midlothian based Green Business Partnership. The annual awards are presented to students whose projects are judged the most effective yet enterprising. Collectively, they have achieved savings for host organisations
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MIDLOthian & East lothian chamber of commerce Magazine • JUNE 10
of almost £9 million, helped 37 companies achieve environmental accreditations, diverted more than 58,000 tonnes of waste from landfill and slashed carbon dioxide emissions by more than 11,400 tonnes. Described by First Minister Alex Salmond, who presented the 2009 Awards, as ‘a unique initiative which benefits students, companies and the environment’, the EPP is highlighting the rapidly increased demand for graduates who can demonstrate green credentials.
During her placement, Hermione helped Edinburgh Zoo achieve ISO14001:2004 accreditation – the International Environmental Standard. Her work led to a huge increase in recycling at the Zoo, second only to Edinburgh Castle in terms of the number of visitors it attracts. One of the main waste streams she identified and calculated was animal dung from hoof stock such as zebras, camels, warthogs, kudu, bongo and rhinoceros.
‘The environmental sector and in particular areas such as sustainability, renewable energy and carbon management are expanding fast throughout the UK’ said the EPP Project Manager Barbara SchweitzerThompson.
Almost a tonne a week was being sent to landfill, but is now turned into compost and spread on the Zoo’s gardens.
‘There is, consequently, a significant demand for graduates with these skills’.
Companies or public sector organisations wishing to take part in the 2010 Environmental Placement Programme should contact Barbara Schweitzer-Thompson on 0131 561 6262 or Louise Evison on 0131 654 1234 or email Barbara@met.org.uk or Louise@met.org.uk
Since the EPP was set up 9 years ago, some of the 70% of students who have taken part have ended up in an environmental job.
Placements starts in July and run for 8 weeks.
member round up Knockhill intend to develop their relationship with colleges and universities in the future, and we are investigating a range of knowledge transfer opportunities over the coming months.
Company:
Knockhill Racing Circuit - Employer Engagement Knockhill Racing Circuit are actively engaged with Jewel & Esk College and Queen Margaret University. They are very interested in hearing from and interacting with students who they regard as the managers and directors of the future. Currently they are involved in a project with staff and students studying Event Management in our Creative Industries & Arts Faculty.
Knockhill Racing Circuit Ltd has been operated by current owner, Derek Butcher, since 1983. A fast moving and dynamic business, Knockhill prides itself with the reputation as the friendly circuit with an open and inclusive attitude towards motorsport. Knockhill is famous for hosting top motorsport events in the UK; British Touring Cars, British Superbikes and The Scottish Motorshow. As well as amazing racing action, Knockhill is a busy place 7 days a week operating Driving Experiences, Corporate Entertainment and Team Building Events, Driver Training, Karting and Trackdays.
In November 2009, a group of students from Jewel & Esk visited the company to be briefed on a new product aimed at the Under 30s market. The company are planning to launch this in May 2010.
This work is supported by the Business Development Executive and 2KT Programme.
The student’s task was to put together a marketing plan for this product, considering all the implications for event management around such an endeavour.
*2kt+ is a partnership between eight of east of Scotland’s leading education establishments including Edinburgh Napier and Queen Margaret Universities and Carnegie, Edinburgh’s Telford, Jewel & Esk, Elmwood, Stevenson and Oatridge colleges.
At the end of January 4 members of Knockhill Racing Circuit’s team will visit the College at our Edinburgh Campus, to hear back from 5 teams of students, who will present their recommendations and deliver a report to the company. A prize will be awarded to the best pitch on the day, which will be some time on the track at Knockhill!
W: www.2kt.org.uk
See Kevin Scally, Lecturer Business Management for further information: kscally@jec.ac.uk
No client too far away for ScotPR Chamber member Scott Thornton is helping business organisations improve their public relations — in Nigeria. This year Scott has already made two 6,000 mile round trips to Africa’s most populous country for short sessions to train PR professionals who will in turn hold courses for business organisations. “Nigeria’s business development is at a relatively early stage since it’s only just over 10 years since the country moved from military to civilian rule,” said Scott who is Director of Scot PR and has worked in well over 40 countries. “Organisations like chambers of commerce there need help from outside experts to improve their PR skills, especially in using the media to lobby Government.” The project is being financed by the UK Government’s Department for International Development. For more details contact Scott on 0131 473 2388 or email him at action@scotpr.com
MIDLOthian & East lothian chamber of commerce Magazine • JUNE 10
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The Government is committed to improving access to counselling therapists and reducing the use of the often powerful drugs which are used to treat the symptoms but not the causes of depression. The programme is called Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) and therapists will specifically use Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to treat sufferers. But what is CBT and how effective is it? Here, Melody Patterson, 29, from Sheffield, talks about her experience of having a debilitating phobia and how CBT helped her to get her life back on track. Most people who know me don’t know I have a phobia – I tend to just keep it to myself and not talk about it, because it’s in the past and something I’ve learned to deal with. I developed a phobia of being sick (emetophobia) in my second year at university, about six years ago. I don’t know what triggered it or how it started, just one day I felt really nauseous. Then the next day I felt the same. I put it down to a bug or something I’d eaten, but the intense sick feeling never went away. I went to the doctors, who prescribed an anti nausea drug. They worked, but only for about half an hour. Before I knew it I was caught in a vicious circle I couldn’t get out of. Everything started to be a big effort. Even standing in a queue in a shop to buy a pint of milk was horrible. I used to panic, thinking I was going to be sick, and have to run out. Every five minutes I’d get that awful wave of nausea just before you’re sick — on the bus, in a lecture, at the cinema, shopping, everywhere. It started to dominate my thoughts and I stopped doing everyday things. Being a student are supposed to be the best social years of your life, but I stayed locked up in my room. I wouldn’t go to the pub, clubbing was a big no no, I found the things that I loved to do were replaced by watching TV in my ‘safe place’.
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MIDLOthian & East lothian chamber of commerce Magazine • JUNE 10
A new NHS 10-year mental health strategy has been launched to focus on the way it treats people suffering from depression and anxiety disorders I had a boyfriend at the time, and he was very supportive, but it started to put a real strain on things. I’d been with him about a year when it started, and his once bubbly and outgoing girlfriend was replaced by a quiet, withdrawn person who had lost her lust for life. I started to get really depressed and I would cry a lot. No matter what I did, the thoughts of ‘I’m going to be sick’, never left my mind, the only time it did was if I was asleep. So I started sleeping too much. My university attendance went way down and I started to ring in sick a lot at my part time job in a pizza restaurant. I was preoccupied by feeling sick and constantly felt nauseous. I started to get obsessed with food. I’d only cook it myself and would never eat out. Anything that could possibly cause food poisoning was off the menu. Then I started to mainly just eat apples – they were my ‘safe’ food. I’ve always been very slim, so my weight plummeted rapidly, at my lightest I was around six stone. I also got addicted to the anti nausea pills. At first I was prescribed 40 a month, but by the end I was taking 40 a week. A concerned friend made me go back to the doctors again, who recommended I have some counselling sessions. After the first one, she said that I had emetophobia. I didn’t even know that it was a phobia until that point, but I just wanted to feel better again so was willing to try anything. She suggested I had some Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), which is a way of talking about how you think about yourself, the world and other people and how what you do affects your thoughts and feelings. CBT can help you to change how you
think (‘Cognitive’) and what you do (‘Behaviour’). These changes can help you to feel better. Unlike some of the other talking treatments, it focuses on the ‘here and now’ problems and difficulties. Instead of focussing on the causes of your distress or symptoms in the past, it looks for ways to improve your state of mind now. There are different forms of CBT, but mine was designed to help me to start doing things again. Phobias tend to manifest themselves into other phobias. I’d developed agoraphobia too, as my worst nightmare was being out and having to be sick in front of someone. So because I avoided it at all costs, a lot of my therapy involved distraction techniques which were really useful. For example if I was stood in a queue, I was taught to open and close my hands slowly, which took my mind off negative thoughts by focussing on something else. CBT can help you to make sense of overwhelming problems by breaking them down into smaller parts. I was told to put together a 15 step ladder which needed to include the things I wanted to do, but felt I couldn’t. The bottom of my ladder was a walk round the block, the next was a visit to the shop, and so on. The last step on my ladder was clubbing. I had to complete each step over a week, before my next therapy session. It took time, effort and a lot of tears, but I got there in the end. There were times I really had to force myself and was petrified, but the sense of achievement when I’d done it was incredible. I learned that it was ok to feel sick and gradually, over time, the sense of nausea eased.
get praised for my empathy towards people who are feeling down about things. It’s because I got through something which was so hard and although the therapy was the main reason for getting better, it’s the people around you who get you through it. I’d recommend CBT to anybody who needs it – it got me back to ‘normal’ again and it’s nothing to be embarrassed about. It’s by no means a magic wand treatment, and you have to put the effort in. But by helping control your feelings and thoughts, it leaves you with a manageable solution and it makes you feel better without even realising it. I remember I woke up one day and didn’t think about sick for a whole hour! And as time went on it was for a day, then a few days, then a week. I still have my phobia, but it’s controlled now. I’ll always keep my distance if someone has a sickness bug, and have a carrier bag and bottle of water in my handbag. I’ll never eat seafood or get steaming drunk, but it’s ok because it’s my way of dealing with things. And I made a promise to myself that I’d never go back there again and I haven’t yet. If I feel myself being negative and thinking about being sick too often I go back to my therapy. CBT really sticks with you and you’ll never lose the ability to make yourself think positively – after all, who wants to go through life feeling miserable! Contact Sandra Watt, at Westfield Health on 07918 903679 or at swatt@westfieldhealth.com for more information.
There’s no doubt that it was the most difficult time of my life, and I often
MIDLOthian & East lothian chamber of commerce Magazine • JUNE 10
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Scottish Chambers’ Business Survey THE SCOTTISH ECONOMY IN 2010 – A TIME OF OPPORTUNITY Scottish Chambers of Commerce have released their Business Survey results for the first quarter of 2010. The survey, conducted in conjunction with the University of Strathclyde’s Fraser of Allander Institute, suggests that the Scottish economy had a hesitant start to the year, perhaps contributed to by the extreme weather.
BUSINESS PERFORMANCE MANUFACTURING
Optimism Business confidence continued to increase through the first quarter, although still at more modest levels than in Q3 2009. Orders and Sales Once again the outturn in total new orders and export orders was weaker than expected. Trends in total orders rose due to improving export trends; however, respondents remain more optimistic as to an improvement in the second quarter. A declining trend in the level of work in progress was again reported, but at more modest levels. Average capacity used rose marginally by 3.4 percentage points to 75.1%, although 46% (61% in Q4, 57% in Q3 and 71% in Q2) reported capacity used was below preferred levels. Pressures to raise prices due to transport costs and raw material costs were evident. Investment Trends in investment and leasing of equipment eased marginally. Cash flow trends remained stable and better than those reported earlier in 2009 and through 2008. Respondents are again more confident as to rising turnover over 2010, and the net trends are the most positive for nine quarters, but again expectations as to rising profitability eased.
Expectations as to turnover trends over the next year remain depressed and show few signs of improvement. For a further quarter a net of -48% anticipate declining turnover trends. A net of -64% (-60%, -44%, -59% -78% in the previous four quarters) anticipate declining profitability over the next twelve months. A net of 75% of construction firms anticipate declining tender margins over the next twelve months. Average capacity declined by one percentage point to 66%, four percentage points lower than a year ago. However, whilst the actual and expected trends in work in progress remain weak they are less depressed than a year ago. Employment Almost half of firms reduced total employment levels and no respondent reported an increase in employment, and recruitment again remained at very low levels. Only 8% of respondents reported increasing pay in the first quarter by an average of 4%.
WHOLESALE DISTRIBUTION
Optimism Business optimism amongst Scottish wholesale respondents continued to decline during quarter one although the rate of decline eased from -24% to -8%. Sales The declining trend in sales ended during quarter one with a net balance of firms reporting (8%) and expecting (12%) an increase in sales. Almost half of responding firms expect price increases in the three months to the end of June 2010, mainly under pressures from transport costs (77%) and raw material prices (62%). Over the next twelve months wholesale firms, on balance, expect turnover to remain unchanged. A net balance of wholesale respondents continue to expect profitability to decline although the rate of decline is set to ease.
Employment Recruitment was at a lower level in Q4 with only 26% attempting to recruit mainly to replace staffs – as overall employment levels, although not hours worked, eased.
Finance Changes to investment plans were widespread and the declining trend in investment intentions continued with more than half of firms reporting a decline.
CONSTRUCTION
Employment Changes in employment levels were reported by a quarter of firms with a net of 9% reporting a downward trend in employment compared to -35% in the previous quarter. A net of 9% anticipate a further decline in quarter two. 18% of firms increased pay during quarter one by an average of 3.5%.
Optimism As with other sectors the results for construction reflect the adverse weather conditions during much of the first quarter, and business confidence remained weak with only 8% reporting being more confident compared to a year ago. Nevertheless, the net balance of optimism at -31% was less depressed compared to Q1 2009 at -72%. Contracts The net trend in new contracts remained weak, but the rate of decline was almost half that of a year ago. The trends in orders from all sectors continued to decline although the rate of decline in private commercial and domestic/house building orders is significantly less than a year ago.
MIDLOthian & East lothian
10 chamber of commerce Magazine
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JUNE 10
RETAIL DISTRIBUTION
Optimism Many retail respondents reported being adversely affected by the severe weather conditions during quarter one 2010. The trend in business confidence declined during the first quarter falling from -35% to -54%. Despite the decline the overall trend was less depressed than Q1 2009 (-59%) and the same as Q1 2008 (-54%).
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Demand The net trend in total demand declined markedly during the three months to the end of March; the decline was more than had been expected by hotels in the fourth quarter survey. The trends in demand from all sources declined and all are expected to continue to decline in quarter two. Average occupancy declined from 62% to 47% (the lowest level for a decade). Hotels continued to reduce room rates and the discounting of prices is more marked than during the same quarter a year ago and is set to continue, though ease, in the three months to the end of June.
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• FlExIblE SPaCE, whICh CaN bE DESIgNEDVIEwINg tO SuIt SPECIFIC & FuRthER INFORMatION Lockerbie you wish to view the property or require any further REquIREMENtS (SubjECt tO COSt/uSualshould PERMISSIONS) information, please contact the sole disposal agents:
Dumfries • hIgh qualIty SPECIFICatION Knight Frank llp 1 edinburgh Quay 133 Fountainbridge Weurman Stewart Marcus • ExCEllENt CaR Newton PaRkINg PROVISION ON SItE edinburgh, eH3 9QG 0131 • DuE FOR COMPlEtION IN q2 222 20099600 nadir.khan-juhoor@knightfrank.com 0777 615 7977 marcus.weurman@knightfrank.com Stranraer Wigtown marcus.weurman@knightfrank.com Important Notice
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A development by Newhailes Carlisle Commercial Ltd
1. Particulars: These particulars are not an offer or contract, nor part of one. You should not rely on statements by Knight Frank LLP in the particulars o as being factually accurate about the property, its condition or its value. Neither Knight Frank LLP nor any joint agent has any authority to make accordingly any information given is entirely without responsibility on the part of the agents, seller(s) or lessor(s). 2. Photos etc: The photographs s appeared at the time they were taken. Areas, measurements and distances given are approximate only. 3. Regulations etc: Any reference to alteration mean that any necessary planning, building regulations or other consent has been obtained. A buyer or lessee must find out by inspection or in oth dealt with and that all information is correct. 4. VAT: The VAT position relating to the property may change without notice. Knight Frank LLP is a limited registered number OC305934. Our registered office is 55 Baker Street, London W1U 8AN, where you may look at a list of members’ names.
Conference Facilities including lecture theatre, fully equipped meeting rooms, lunches and refreshments.
Business constraints An overall lack of demand remained the primary business constraint for more than four fifths of hotels although there were also concerns with competition and exchange rates. A third of hotels felt that their area had suffered due to poor marketing. Employment Changes in employment levels were reported by around half of firms. Net declining trends in full time (-15%),part time (-32%), seasonal (-49%) and overtime working (-50%) were reported.
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Employment Most firms reported and expect no change to overall employment levels although almost a third of retailers anticipated reducing total employment levels. During the three months to the end of March the percentage of firms actively recruiting fell from 33% to 23%. Nine percent of firms increased wages by 2.5%.
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Finance Both turnover and profitability are expected to decline further for a net of retailers over 2010. Almost three quarters of retail respondents expect price increases during Q2 2010.
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The value of total new sales continued to decline and is expected to decline further for more than half of firms.
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Sales More than half of retailers reported and expect declining sales in the first and second quarters. The rate of decline in actual and expected sales accelerated during quarter one although remained less depressed compared to Q1 2009.
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A Beautiful Location to Inspire Ideas Pentlands Science Park provides a professional conferencing service in a beautiful location with ample free parking. Contact: Helen Shiels on 0131 445 5111
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Conferences at the Marine Hotel & Spa Set on Scotland’s stunning East Coast, within easy driving distance of Edinburgh, the Macdonald Marine Hotel & Spa provides a unique and peaceful location for any conference. Our self-contained Conference Centre features several wellappointed meeting rooms, perfect for training sessions or presentations for up to 80 guests. The Bass Rock Suite, which features a private balcony and sea views, is ideal for larger events for up to 300 delegates. Our 4-star accommodation, extensive leisure facilities and award-winning cuisine make this North Berwick hotel the natural choice for your next conference. Through our friendly service and close attention to detail we will ensure your next business event is successful and professional.
Facilities •Conference suites •Adjacent 18-hole golf course •Private grounds for teambuilding •Broadband internet access. Wireless also available (fees apply)
•Extensive leisure facilities •Free onsite car parking We offer discounted rates to all InCommerce members. Contact: events.marine@macdonald-hotels.co.uk for further information. Cromwell Road, North Berwick, East Lothian, EH39 4LZ DL - 01620 897319 M - 07943162957 Fax - 01620 894480 www.macdonald-hotels.co.uk/marine www.macdonald-hotels.co.uk/rusacks
Healthy Working Lives / Chambers of Commerce partnership Small and medium businesses across Scotland are to be supported to deal with mental health issues such as stress and anxiety in the workplace. Evidence shows that this area is a major concern for employers. To help small businesses address any concerns around mental health and other workplace health issues, the Scottish Chambers of Commerce has joined forces with the Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives (part of the NHS) to promote an Adviceline which gives advice and support in this area. Liz Cameron, Chief Executive of Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said: “We are passionate advocates of the benefits that the Healthy Working Lives Adviceline can bring to businesses. We all want to ensure the health and welfare of our staff and provide the right conditions for a happy and productive workforce. The Adviceline has a proven track record of delivering real benefits to business in this regard, and accessing this high standard of support has helped to improve bottom lines, reduce staff absence and grow businesses.” The 18-month partnership will involve a package of information and a series of events for chambers members, focusing on the business benefits of a healthy work force and offering advice on how to achieve this. The events will communicate the value of contacting a specialised small business Adviceline, 0800 019 2211 which can give support and guidance on how to manage workplace stress as well as provide support on other issues impacting on health at work. Or visit www.smallbusinessadvicescotland.com A healthier workforce is good for business. Evidence shows that healthier staff are more productive, calmer under pressure and less likely to be absent from work. In fact, work health promotion programmes can lead to a 34% drop in absenteeism and research suggests that every pound spent on health promotion could save businesses £2.50. The partnership between the Scottish Chambers of Commerce and the Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives is targeting businesses of up to 250 employees, focusing specifically on those with 50 or less employees, who are less likely to have the resources to dedicate to occupational health.
A landmark day for estate agency in East Lothian Through our new office in East Lothian and 24 other offices strategically located throughout the UK, we provide a truly local service with national coverage. Whatever its size or value, quality best describes the type of property we deal with and the level of service we offer. Call us now for a free market appraisal of your property. Free professional photography worth in excess of £300 per property for all instructions received before July 2010.
Haddington office t 01620 828 962 haddington@smithsgore.co.uk smithsgore.co.uk
Email – overworked and un
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an you imagine business today without email? It has become so much a part of what we do in business you might wonder how we managed before its invention. Some people love it – some hate it, some regard it as distraction, but whatever your view, email needs to be managed properly to make the most of it. This two-part article will show you how your emails can contribute positively to your business. It offers a couple of ways to help you better manage your in-coming mail and show you how to use your everyday out-going mail as a free marketing tool. With a little work you can turn email into a real advantage.
Go on – clear out! Ask yourself this question – “Is my email software slow to open and use?” If the answer is yes, this could be due to all the old emails and attachments your system is trying to cope with – time for a clear out! Take a look at your in-box. Count how many emails are there (do a select all and look in the status bar) – does it number in the thousands? Around 5,000 upwards, is not uncommon – unless it’s a relatively new account. Check your ‘emails sent’ box too. Imagine if this were paper in your office, how would you ever find anything? That’s what filing and waste bins are for and email is no different. First you need to address the quantity of old emails. Delete where possible, any you absolutely must keep can be filed in appropriately named email folders (one for each client, supplier or project). First, view all emails by name, date or one of the other identifiers, then select as individual groups and transfer to the relevant email folder. It can take a bit of time at first but if done regularly, it will be easier to manage. Alternatively, I offer here, an approach that worked for me when my email threatened to take over but I take no responsibility if you lose any valuable emails whilst using this. You have been warned! MIDLOthian & East lothian
14 chamber of commerce Magazine
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Start by viewing your email in-box by order of date. Go back exactly a year and without looking at them individually, select and delete all emails older than this, Then, look at what’s left and choose to remove old attachments – especially photos. Repeat the process with your ‘emails sent’ box and any other directories or folders you use to store emails. Then, empty the ‘Deleted’ folder to finally remove them from your system. Immediately you will be surprised at the difference this will make. Go further still if you can and try it with anything older than six months. The more you can get rid of, the better. At the end you should have a much trimmer and more responsive system with fewer emails to file. I’m willing to bet you will not miss anything you’ve ditched. If there is an odd phone number or email address you need you can probably find it again by other means.
Spam, spam , spam (without the Monty Python) Sooner or later, we all receive it. Each day, valuable time is wasted sorting out the wheat from the chaff as we try to find the mail we really want to read. Did you know though, that much of it can be avoided and that most of it is of our own making? One of the best ways to avoid spam in your business email in-box is to only use your main business email address with people and other businesses you have confidence in. Websites that ask you to register before allowing access usually ask you to submit your name and email address. Whatever you do, DON’T use your regular email address! Even if the website states in it’s privacy policy that they do not sell addresses on to third parties – DON’T – they could be lying! For transactions on the internet, set up a secondary email address. When it starts to attract spam, simply ditch it
Ten top tips Make a difference now – here are my top ten email marketing tips you can employ straight away and better still, they won’t cost you a penny to implement!
DO DO
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nder-utilised and set up a new one. Try using your name plus a number which can be easily changed, e.g. dave001@whatever.com becomes dave002@whatever.com and so on. Most email software can be set to automatically detect much of the spam for you. With some, it’s just a matter of dragging a piece of email spam to your ‘Junk Email’ folder (that the email system sets up during installation). Thereafter, any mail coming from that sender will automatically be transferred to the Junk Email folder too. The Junk Email contents can also be set to self-delete at the end of a predetermined period. Warning: Sometimes mail you do want can end up in this folder. If you find this happening you will need to add these senders to your safe list which is a list of trusted senders that most email software will allow you to create.
Email – a tone of its own Everyone seems to be in a rush these days and sending emails is no different. We quickly dash off a new message or a response to one sent to us, often without regard to how we could make it more effective for our business. How much thought do you give to how it will be received and viewed at the recipients end (something I’ll cover Part 2 of this article)? Every email sent to a client is an opportunity. Try to view it as such. To our suppliers, we are clients, but you might not think it if you could see what passes for business correspondence in the form of emails. I don’t wish to seem uptight about this but if you choose to speak to clients via email, you must treat it with the same diligence you would apply to your other marketing communications. Would you allow your staff to send your marketing messages hand scribbled on a bit of paper without any forethought? No – so why allow staff to do the equivalent by email?
DO
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ist your services, offers etc. somewhere in each email. Simply list a few of your services at the foot of your email? E.g. “Thanks you for taking our ‘xyz’ service, however, did you know we also do …”
et up your ‘From’ line to start with your company name. We all want to keep our company name in front of our existing clients whenever possible? By placing it at the start of every ‘From’ line when your client looks at their email in-box your name will constantly be in front of them every day – rather than your competitors. (Great ‘persistence marketing’ and it doesn’t cost you a penny.)
U
se the power of the ‘p.s.’ at the foot of your emails. This is an excellent way to draw attention to an important point particularly if you use it as a marketing tool. E.g. “p.s. Oh, by the way, did you know we’re having an open day on….”
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nclude your details somewhere within your emails. Name, address, phone number, company email address and most importantly – your website address set up as a link. To make sure people can click on your web address as an actual clickable link, always remember to include ‘http://’ before the ‘www’ part. Set all of this as an ‘Email Signature’ so you don’t have to do it for every new email.
S A
tart your emails on a friendly note. Don’t just launch in with the details. Keep this in mind especially when sending an email to a client.
void fancy HTML formatting in your everyday emails. You never know what software the recipient will use to receive them – boring I know, but plain text survives best. Reserve HTML formatted emails for your email marketing campaigns where you can set them up to cope with the vagaries of other people’s email systems. If you do insist on using it, then switch it off after having composed your email to see what it looks like as plain text – the way you client may see it.
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void waffle. If it looks too long then it probably is! Edit it down or pick up the phone instead.
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void using email as a way around speaking to clients you consider difficult. Also, do avoid becoming an email coward! Only cowards deliver bad or awkward news this way.
DO
ick up the phone if you’ve got something that’s technically difficult to explain in an email – you’ll experience fewer misunderstandings.
DO
e aware of your email tone or rather, the lack of it in messages. It may sound okay in your head but without your nuance of voice behind it, it could be misunderstood so always re-read it before sending. Finally, if you’ve got the time, its much more pleasant to talk to clients in person so why not pick up the phone instead? In part 2 of this article, we’ll talk about making sure your email looks okay at the recipient’s end and how to avoid a few of those email annoyances and bad habits. Jon Dalrymple, Studio 9 (Scotland) Ltd, (0131) 553 1000, http://www.studio9scotland.com MIDLOthian & East lothian chamber of commerce Magazine • JUNE 10
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EAE’s Electric Green Leaflet Machine takes to the road EAE Ltd, Scotland’s premier leaflet marketing specialist, has added a state of the art electric van to its fleet of delivery vehicles. The ‘Electric Green Leaflet Machine’, will be used to deliver leaflets to some of Scotland’s most prestigious visitor attractions and venues over the coming months. The purchase of the van is the latest sign of EAE’s commitment to becoming a carbon neutral company and further demonstrates its desire to develop eco-related solutions to the sustainability issues faced by leaflet distribution organisations.
Power for the van is provided by ‘Windy Boy’, EAE’s 15-metre high wind turbine which has been providing much of the company’s electricity requirements since it was installed in 2007.
The ‘Electric Green Leaflet Machine’ took to the streets of the capital for the first time on Tuesday, when EAE staff fittingly made a delivery to the John Hope Gateway at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, one of Scotland’s newest and ‘greenest’ visitor attractions. The van, which epitomises the modern version of milk float technology, has a top speed of 40mph and a range of 28 miles, and will be used to make deliveries to venues within the City of Edinburgh. Power for the van is provided by ‘Windy Boy’, EAE’s 15-metre high wind turbine which has been providing much of the company’s electricity requirements since it was installed in 2007. MIDLOthian & East lothian
16 chamber of commerce Magazine
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JUNE 10
Glen Bennett, Managing Director of EAE said: “The electric van, along with our electric forklift, is recharged each night using power supplied by ‘Windy Boy’ – thus creating a virtuous circle. In fact ‘Windy Boy’ is so successful that we are actually able to sell the surplus he generates at night and weekends back to the National Grid! If the Electric Green Leaflet Machine operates satisfactorily, we have plans to replace another of our fleet of 22 vans with an electric version” A life-long passion for all things ‘green’ has fed Glen’s desire to make EAE Scotland’s greenest leaflet distribution company. The launch of the van is just the latest in a series of initiatives undertaken by the company to improve its already impressive environmental credentials which, in 2009, saw it achieve a prestigious Gold Award in the Green Tourism Business Scheme at the first attempt. In addition to installing ‘Windy Boy’, a Biodiversity Garden has been created on the site of the company’s Loanhead offices. Staff have introduced 47 varieties of plants to the garden and undertaken tree planting and wildflower seeding
to attract butterflies and other insects, as well as building bird and bat boxes and creating bird feeding areas and log habitats for insects. A range of energy-saving measures have been introduced across the company’s operations, including switching to low energy lighting, introducing tap flow restrictions and even setting printer defaults to double-sided. This year, Glen intends to forge ahead with plans to install rainwater-harvesting equipment to flush all the toilets. Alan Bennell, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh’s Head of Visitor Services, was on hand at the John Hope Gateway to take delivery of the first leaflet-drop using the electric van, and said: “We are absolutely delighted that EAE has taken delivery of this new van. As an extremely environmentally conscious visitor attraction ourselves, we are naturally keen that as many of our suppliers as possible share our green ethics. Glen and his team at EAE are shining lights and are to be commended for setting such a high standard of sustainability for others to follow”.
EAE Leaflet Marketing Specialist Loanhead-based EAE Ltd, established in 1987, employs 40 full-time staff and has an annual turnover of £1.5m. It is Scotland’s premier leaflet marketing specialist, providing tailored services to 800 clients through over 5,000 ‘what’s on’ leaflet displays across Scotland in airports, supermarkets, hotels, culture and arts venues, service stations, ferry terminals, train stations, pubs, restaurants and libraries – offering a wide variety of high demand, high profile locations to reach both residents and visitors.
EAE’s Carbon reduction strategy The electric van is the latest sign of EAE’s commitment to reducing its carbon footprint. Other activities over the past five years include: installing ‘Windy Boy’, a 15m high wind turbine which supplies up to 50% of EAE’s electricity needs and has reduced the company’s carbon output by 6-8 tonnes per annum; energy saving and recycling such as switching to low energy lighting, ambient gas warehouse heating, tap flow restrictions, ‘hippos’ in the toilet cisterns, urinal water regulator, setting printer defaults to double-sided, recycling all office paper and all unused print, wooden pallets, shrink wrap and cardboard etc. To encourage and support local biodiversity, EAE staff have also carried out tree planting and wildflower seeding to attract butterflies and other insects, built bat and bird boxes, and created bird feeding areas and log habitats for insects. EAE Ltd was the first supplier to be awarded a coveted Gold Award in the Green Tourism Business Scheme, and one of the only companies in the UK to enter straight into the scheme at Gold level. Having already reduced its carbon footprint by some 40%, the company has an ambition to become carbon neutral by 2015.
MIDLOthian & East lothian chamber of commerce Magazine • JANUARY 10
17
Ask The Expert
Frequently asked questions answered by our Member experts.
Q: What are ‘Fit Notes’ and what do they mean to my business?
Q: Why can’t I design my report, brochure, leaflet in Word and give that to my printer?
A: Fit notes will replace a variety of medical certificates from 6 April. They will replace the hospital and GP sick note as well as the ’fit for work’ option. A GP will evaluate a patient with the aim of highlighting what they can do although the doctor may still say the employee is unfit to do anything.
A: You can - but beware!
Replacing colleagues is costly and disruptive; a phased return to work, light duties or adaptations to the working environment is a compassionate, commercial and highly effective strategy. The advice given by the GP is not binding unless the conclusion is that the employee is not fit for work. If no accommodation is possible the employee will be entitled to statutory and contractual sick pay. - Alistair Williams, Simple HR Q: What is cloud computing? A: Cloud computing is the equivalent of buying your electricity from Scottish Power rather than generating your own! For a fixed monthly cost, you get the same functionality as you would running your own server but without the maintenance, patching and fixing headaches since there is no server to run. This model makes enormous sense for small and medium businesses who want enterprise-grade email, sharing and collaboration but without the price-tag and hassles associated with doing it themselves. Cloud computing means things “just work”. However, you’re trusting your precious data to someone else so make sure they’re doing back-ups and keeping your data secure. You also need to look at how easy or difficult the provider makes moving your data to an alternate provider. - Scott McKenzie, Cloudlogic
Design considerations apart, Word documents cause real headaches for printers. Many simply refuse to accept them. Word is a great business tool but was never intended for producing professionally printed end output – no matter how good your Word skills. It uses an RGB (red, green & blue) colour model whereas professional printers work with a CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow & black (Keyline)) model. Because these are two very different systems, a conversion needs to be done before printing can take place. Colours can change considerably when converted from RGB to CMYK, usually dulling right down Designers know how to design and prepare files for professional printing. You can save a lot of time and money by letting them do it for you. - Jon Dalrymple, Studio 9 (Scotland) Ltd Q: I am buying multiple properties from the same seller. The price for each property is below the nil rate band for Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) purposes. The seller has issued one sale contract for all properties. Can I avoid paying SDLT on the aggregate value of the properties by splitting the sale contract into individual contracts for each property? A: SDLT falls to be paid by a purchaser on the total value of all ‘linked’ transactions with the same seller (or parties connected to each). This was formerly the ‘series of transactions’ rule for Stamp Duty. Stamp Duty was a tax on documents whereas SDLT is a tax on transactions. The intention of the parties here is therefore relevant. Where the reality of the transaction is that it is one whole transaction (i.e. that the agreement between the parties is that the purchase is one ‘job lot’), then the way the transaction is documented is irrelevant. So splitting the numerous purchasers into separate contracts will not result in lower or no SDLT being paid where the reality is that the purchaser would not proceed with one property without the others. - Deborah Lovell, Anderson Strathern
MIDLOthian & East lothian
18 chamber of commerce Magazine
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JUNE 10
midlothian council
Investment Fund boost for Midlothian BUSINESSES in Midlothian will soon be able to access loans of up to £50,000 from a new £5 million fund announced by First Minister Alex Salmond. The East of Scotland Investment Fund will be based on a similar scheme which has been running successfully in Glasgow and the west for several years.
Councillor Russell Imrie, Midlothian Council’s Cabinet Member for Strategic Services, sees the new fund as a positive development. “Times have been exceedingly hard for many of our local business,” he said, “so we must welcome any opportunity to boost sales and hopefully create new jobs.”
The fund has the potential to generate increased turnover of £34.56m in small and medium sized enterprises and could create as many as 1,300 new jobs.
For more information about this fund, contact Jane Crawford on 0131 271 3427 or by e-mail to jane.crawford@midlothian.gov.uk for an application form.
Paul Scoops Midlothian Apprentice of the Year – 10th Anniversary Awards The 2010 Midlothian Apprentice of the year competition has been won by Paul Rice, an apprentice electrician from Penicuik. Paul works in local government and is also attending Stevenson College. He was presented with his prizes (a £500 cash award and the Winner’s Rose Bowl) by Provost Adam Montgomery.
Jamie Murphy, apprentice Electrician working for G.L Electrical Services; Oliver Pemberton, apprentice Joiner working for John Dennis & Company (Scotland) Ltd and Andrew McGowan, apprentice Joiner working for Midlothian Council.
In addition, there were five joint-equal runners-up (see details below) working in the fields of manufacturing, travel agency, electrical and joinery. Open to apprentices in all trades, entrants must live in Midlothian or work for a Midlothian-based business. This year’s event marked the 10th anniversary of the Midlothian Apprentice of the Year, a competition which aims to recognise the commitment of both employers and apprentices over the training period, to highlight apprenticeship as a viable career route for anyone; and to show that apprentices are a rich source of skilled and well trained staff. The awards ceremony at Midlothian House in Dalkeith was hosted by Councillor Adam Montgomery, Provost of Midlothian Council. He said; “It is a pleasure to welcome this group of goahead and hardworking young people and to recognize the high caliber of their work. I am sure that they will be a credit to their employers.” Councillor Russell Imrie, Midlothian Council cabinet member for Strategic Services, added; “It is very encouraging to see that, despite the much heralded difficult economic situation, the quality of applications has remained high. In these times, the value of apprenticeships and good results cannot be overstated and the Council will continue to do its utmost to ensure that our young people have as much support as possible on their route to and in employment.” The five equal runners-up are Jamie Collins, apprentice manufacturer working for MacTaggart Scott & Co Ltd; Emma Burton, apprentice Travel Agent working for Thomas Cook;
MIDLOthian & East lothian chamber of commerce Magazine • JUNE 10
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Do you need to move? Did you know you can carry out your own search for commercial property? All you have to do is log on to www.midlothian.gov.uk, select “Business” from the menu on the left hand side, then click onto “Midlothian Property Register” from the green buttons on the right. You then have the chance to set your criteria and refine your choices to what you’re really looking for. The more flexible your criteria, the wider your choice of property. You can ask for someone from Midlothian Council to contact you to assist with the enquiry. The data is provided by the Scottish Property database which is maintained by the CoStar Group UK. You will be asked to register or if you have already registered to log in using your e-mail address and password. You will not be contacted unless you specifically ask. If you would like to discuss your property needs or would like further information about the Property Search service, please contact: Jane Crawford on 0131 271 3427 or by e-mail to: jane.crawford@midlothian.gov.uk
Midlothian Training Services (MTS) offer a range of training programmes and support that respond to local market needs. These programmes provide opportunities for clients to gain qualifications and valuable work experience. The scope ranges from S4 students to adult support and includes:
MTS – Youth Programmes School Work Experience Programme – Week-long placement to give students experience of the workplace My-Jet – One day per week placement and training over the academic year to enhance the employability skills of S4 students Programme for Alternative Vocational Education (PAVE) – Developing the personal, social, vocational and employability skills of S4/5 students making the transition from school to work Get Ready for Work – A vocational training course designed for clients aged 16–18 Skillseekers/ Modern Apprenticeships – Funding assistance for Level 2 qualifications and Modern Apprenticeships Contact – Kay Sterricks 0131 561 5384
If you require any further information or you are in a position to offer work ex
midlothian council Business Directory The aim of Midlothian Council’s business directory is to raise awareness of local business activity and to encourage businesses to source goods and services locally. Log on to www.midlothian.gov.uk, select “Business” from the menu on the left hand side then “Midlothian Business Directory” from the green buttons on the right. Have a look! See who is there already. Entry is free. Is your business included in the directory? If not, contact Jane Crawford on 0131 271 3427 or by e-mail to jane.crawford@ midlothian.gov.uk for an entry form.
Skills solutions on tap Upskilling – although it’s what every small or medium sized business wants to do for its workforce, it can often seem like an uphill struggle. This is precisely why the Skills for Midlothian Business project was set up, to help employers identify training options to suit their business and their budget. Most employers know where they need to make improvements: on basic skill levels; literacy and numeracy; on enterprise skills among staff and potential managers; and on support for newly promoted managers. Training costs and the need for human resources support are also high on the agenda. These are just some of the issues that Skills for Midlothian Business can help you overcome.
SMB has the resources to: •
help you identify the most appropriate training at the time and date that best suits your business
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book the training and make the necessary arrangements
•
refund 40% of the costs once the training is completed
•
provide advice and assistance on any aspect of HR, from standard draft contracts that you can issue to staff to explanation and guidance on the latest changes to employment law
All of these services are completely free of charge to SMEs in Midlothian. Please contact: Aileen Scobie 0131-271-3350 aileen.scobie@midlothian.gov.uk or John Anzani 0131-271-3451 john.anzani@midlothian.gov.uk to find out how they can help you.
MTS – Adult Programmes MITech – ICT and Personal Development training for Women seeking to return to work Training for Work – ICT and Personal Development training for JSA customers who have been unemployed for more than 13 weeks Flexible New Deal – Focus is on finding and sustaining employment for customers who have been unemployed for 12 months Future Jobs Fund – Job opportunities for clients aged 16-24 Community Task Force – Work experience and employability training for clients who have been unemployed for 12 months Working for Families – Support and advice for parents and carers of children under 16 years of age living in the Midlothian area Contact – Marina Miller 0131 270 5720
xperience opportunities please contact Kay or Marina on the numbers above.
midlothian council
Midlothian Tourism Action Plan Refresh - Opportunities for all in the Midlothian Tourism Sector
Because tourism plays such a crucial role in Midlothian’s economy, a partnership of interested parties is working hard to promote and develop the industry at the local level. Midlothian Council has joined forces with Midlothian Tourism Forum and VisitScotland to drive forward new ideas and initiatives. Key areas included the publication of more Midlothian based tourism statistics; a fresh look at www.visitmidlothian.org.uk and local leaflets; and organisation of a Familiarisation trip for those employed in the tourism sector (see photo above) to raise awareness of tourism services available in Midlothian. Building on the success of the 2009 Programme, the Midlothian Homecoming Event Legacy Fund 2010 provides funding support for a range of events www.midlothian.gov. uk/tourism. Event organisers are encouraged to apply to the scheme for support if their event highlights Midlothian heritage and culture or creative artistic activity in music, song or dance. Midlothian Council commissioned VisitScotland to include Midlothian in the Spring 2010 Edinburgh and Lothians “Perfect Day” marketing campaign and the Midlothian Tourism Forum joined up with the City of Edinburgh, West Lothian and East Lothian Councils to present a united “Lothians” front at the major VisitScotland EXPO 2010, Scotland’s flagship travel trade event. The Perfect Day concept was the main theme at the EXPO which launched on 14 and 15 April 2010 at the SECC in Glasgow. The Midlothian Tourism Forum prepared Perfect Day itineraries that can be downloaded from www.visitmidlothian.org.uk. The business tourism partnership Meet in Midlothian has been awarded funding from the VisitScotland Growth Fund to help raise the area’s profile as a unique - and cost effective meeting and conference destination www.meetinmidlothian.com. MIDLOthian & East lothian
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Other new projects include: Midlothian Tourism Forum is examining the potential to develop a Food and Drink initiative during the Year of Food and Drink 2010/11. VisitScotland and the Council will be holding a workshop for those involved in the sector to come together to find out about existing EatScotland initiatives. Details will be posted on www.visitmidlothian.org.uk. Newbattle Abbey College aims to establish a series of events during 2010 and 2011 to promote and celebrate Celtic culture and heritage including a Newbattle Celtic Festival which took place on 29 May 2010 www.newbattleabbeycollege.ac.uk. Midlothian Tourism Forum gave a fond farewell to Fergus Waters at its meeting on 4 May at the Scottish Mining Museum and wished him all the best for the future. The new Chair of the Midlothian Tourism Forum is Quintin Young who organised the first SEStran Megacycle on 2 May from Penicuik to Prestongrange. SEStran Chair Councillor Russell Imrie said: “The ride built on the success of the first Homecoming 2009 bike event with the numbers participating doubling to 300. The event has been adopted by SEStran to encourage family cycling as part of a healthy lifestyle and transportation choice and will feature again next year.” The new Vice Chair is Andrew McDonald, Manager of Edinburgh Butterfly and Insect World. If you are interested in joining the Midlothian Tourism Forum membership is £30 per annum including entry on the website now receiving 1,400 hits per month. Interested parties should contact the treasurer Colin Macfarlane on 0131 663 8038 or email colin@melvillegolf.co.uk. For any other information about tourism services in Midlothian, please contact Sandy Macmillan on 0131 271 3437 or sandy.macmillan@midlothian.gov.uk
Rosslyn Alternatives In Roslin and Livingston Holistic massage therapy Remedial and deep tissue massage embracing holistic principles as well as advanced techniques such as trigger point therapy, myofascial release and stretching Hot Stones Massage Workshops for therapists and beginners in holistic massage, hot stones and others Stress management group facilitation Corporate on site massage
HSE approved Emergency First Aid at Work 1 day course Allows small businesses to comply with current H and S legislation. Course location Livingston. Please enquire about our three day HSE First Aid at Work course and the possibility of bringing our courses to your workplace.
w w w.rosslynalt e r nat ive s. co . u k Tel: 0131 448 0698 Mob:07990747013 info@rosslynalternatives.co.uk
graphicimpressions Colour Printers Ltd
From traditional commercial printing services to state-of-the-art colour digital, Graphic Impressions are your “one stop shop”for all your printing needs.
Midlothians most equipped printing company, providing discounted print to the people of the lothians
Tel. 0131 654 0521
Email. info@giprinting.co.uk Bringing Imagination to reality
Lothian and Borders
Who We Are: Local recruitment professionals who combine over thirty years experience in helping companies recruit and retain the best people to grow their business. What We Do: We offer highly effective recruitment, training and HR Solutions for all types of business from sole traders and SME’s to larger corporations.
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Recruitment – We can: Advise on the best way to recruit • Help write job specifications • Write and place adverts • Manage ad responses • Pre-screen candidates • Conduct interviews with you • Advise on shortlists • Supply temp staff to cover holiday and sickness Training – We offer courses on: Customer care • Sales skills • Supervisory skills • Time management • Presentation skills • Dealing with stress HR Solutions – Access a CIPD qualified HR expert for help with: Employee contracts and handbook • Advice on absence management and disciplinaries • Employee surveys • Outplacement and redundancy counselling Why Choose Us? We are passionate about helping local people into local jobs. We provide an honest, high quality service backed by top guarantees. Our rates are really cost-effective! Call: 0800 228 9597 Email: info@gopeople.co.uk www.gopeople.co.uk
ADVERVTISING FEATURE
a lasting impression Graphic Impressions were established nearly 20 years ago by two skilled workers, John Wahlberg and Douglas Brown, having both served as apprentices with Letts, a local diary manufacturer in Dalkeith. In 1992 John and Dougie combined their skills to form Graphic Impressions, and are still at the helm of this dynamic printing company. Graphic Impressions have grown over the years to become Midlothian’s most modern and equipped printing company with all work being carried out to the very highest standard on their premises in Eskbank, Dalkeith. They look back over the last several years and remark how the industry has changed, due to the recession and technology and how Graphic impressions have changed to meet print on demand and fierce competition from online companies. John remarks, “Our customers are important to us, we will go that extra yard to make sure their work is checked, double checked and completed to their deadlines, any issues being highlighted well before printing, breathing an air of confidence in us.” Graphic Impressions are at the forefront of technology. By investing in modern high production equipment, such as laminating, die cutting, booklet making and print they are able to offer a fast turn round on your work to include, brochures, books, presentation folders, newsletters, flyers etc. They also provide a confidential trade service to other printers for the more demanding jobs. Why not let them make a lasting impression on your business. www.giprinting.co.uk.
ADVERVTISING FEATURE
THE IMPORTANCE OF NETWORKS
Interactive networks for the exchange of information and ideas are not a new phenomenon, and in many ways have operated since the beginning of time. Nowadays, it’s recognized that local, specialised, network groups have an increasingly important role to play in providing tailored support to organisations in their regions. Acting as brokers for the many interactions that the organisations could take advantage of, they’re ideally placed to provide information and help spot valuable opportunities which might otherwise have been missed. Nexxus (www.nexxusscotland. com) — the networking organisation for life scientists in Scotland — is one such network, operating from two network hubs, one in Roslin near Edinburgh, the other in Glasgow. Graeme Boyle, Director said, “Nexxus was set up 6 years ago, largely in recognition of the fact that although people had contact with fellow experts in their own particular fields from around the globe, they were frequently unaware of complementary expertise on their own doorstep. There was a need therefore to increase their knowledge of local expertise, in order to encourage collaborations between different academic groups and local companies. What’s become more apparent since our early days, is the increasing recognition of the strategic importance of networks like ours to both academic and industrial partners. Our specialised knowledge can help our members in both the Edinburgh and
Q: How do you engage with a life science industry that’s dynamic and innovative; that thrives on collaborations across academia, industry and the NHS; that attracts and retains world class individuals; has state-of-the-art research facilities; is strongly supported by government and industry investment; and where exciting translational research and technology convergence is taking place? A: Talk to Nexxus!
Whatever your interest in life science may be, Nexxus can help you make connections with world leading Universities and Institutes, potential partner companies, and other life science networks, to take that interest forward.
Nexxus – connecting and communicating life sciences in Scotland To find out more about this vibrant life science community,
visit our website now and sign up for regular free communications and networking events. W: www.nexxusscotland.com, E: info@nexxusscotland.com T: 0131 200 6411 (Roslin), T: 0141 330 5381 (Glasgow) Nexxus is currently funded by the European Regional Development Fund and a number of Scottish organisations – see website for full details.
Glasgow areas to make high quality connections with the right people, via both our ‘traditional’ and web based networking activities.” Amongst other things, local networks can provide connections that allow direct contact to the highly skilled staff needed to feed the talent pool for the network’s companies and institutions. The cross fertilization from academic to industrial sectors that can be gained via networks can provide distinct advantages in terms of company growth and succession. Networks also have the capacity to provide substantial advantages to organisations and individuals that may be struggling to improve performance or to find a new role for themselves in today’s complex, fast changing environment. The importance of networks for creation of ideas and knowledge transfer has been well demonstrated, and connecting with other network participants enables innovative firms and individuals to gain access to all kinds of knowledge from a wide range of sources. The variety of dynamic and unique interactions that can be developed in this way is evidence enough that effective networking, both face to face and virtual, produces results.
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Green Business Network is delighted to announce a new full training programme for the year ahead, kicking off with the New Environmental Manager 2 day workshop. On this course you will learn how to fulfill the role of the environmental manager with professionalism and impact, including understanding current legislation, EMS internal audits, carbon foot printing and ISO 14001. Visit www.greenbusinesspartnership.org.uk events page for more details and if you are a current Chamber member or Green Business Network member you get a 20% discount! Alternatively call 0131 561 6262.
Haddington Farmers’ Market It’s our birthday – and we want to celebrate, so come and join us. Celebrating ten years of good food and excellent produce in a variety of weather conditions. Haddington Farmers’ first market commenced on a sunny Saturday morning in April 2000 with a great variety of stalls, quality produce and friendly, cheerful stallholders. Ten years on Haddington Farmers’ Market has grown, not only with its reputation for excellent produce and variety of stalls, but in its standing within the community of East Lothian and Scotland. East Lothian has a rich history of local produce. Luckily many of us are now starting to appreciate the delicacies provided by our farmers. As well as being fresher for not having travelled miles from field to fork, many of these foods are firmly rooted in their locality, telling a story about the landscape and the farmers who produce them. Produce from Haddington Farmers’ Market comes from artisan farms that concentrate on quality, tradition and flavour. The best of cheeses, honey, ice cream, tomatoes and vegetables, combined with farmhouse baking, jams and preserves. Not forgetting cider, liqueurs, apple juice, raspberry and blaeberry bouvrage, cream, butter and handmade crafts from soaps to floral planters. It’s all there at Haddington Farmers’ Market just waiting to be discovered by you. MIDLOthian & East lothian
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A gift of food and beverage from Haddington Farmers’ Market is special, not only because of its widely recognised reputation, but also for the rare quality of its produce. Friendly advice, recipes and memorable tastes are all part and parcel of Haddington Farmers’ Market. Situated in a pedestrian area on Court Street, Haddington, with good parking close by, Haddington Farmers’ Market can truly be said to be one of the best small markets in Scotland operating from 9am – 1pm. Described as one of the most atmospheric markets in Scotland. Cooking demonstrations, free tastings and live music by Haddington Pipe Band all add to the enjoyment of this busy market with up to twenty-five stallholders. Haddington Farmers’ Market has qualified to become a member of a new quality assurance scheme for similar events across Scotland. The new accreditation scheme, launched by VisitScotland and Eat Scotland, underlines the importance of farmers markets to tourism and it’s hoped Haddington’s inclusion will draw more tourists to the county. Haddington Farmers’ Market is a great community attraction, an excellent showcase for local produce where you can obtain a wide range of first-class produce and first hand tips and guidance. It is also a great social occasion where customers can interact with farmers and meet friends. As time has gone on producers have been encouraged to add value to many of their products and in so doing creating a diverse range of new products. Recipes and first hand cooking knowledge is freely given, as are tasters.
Bon Accord warn against Copenhagen assault on green technology intellectual property (IP) rights. Edinburgh-based international intellectual property (IP) specialists, Bonaccord, warn of a concerted effort to undermine the IP rights for green technologies by developing countries with significant manufacturing capability. Patricia Barclay, founder of Bonaccord, says, “Companies developing new “green” technologies should keep a close eye on any mention of IP in their sector in international talks and make any concerns known to their local Chamber of Commerce or trade association. “The attacks were at their most intense at the recent climate talks in Copenhagen. The principal proposals from the developing countries called for compulsory licensing, similar to the arrangements to help essential medicines reach poorer nations. The EU, Japan and the United States have opposed these proposals, but do support technology transfer the development of measures to allow less technologically advanced countries to participate in these new technologies.“ “The poorest countries don’t have the manufacturing ability to use compulsory licences, so the proposals only benefit developing countries with significant manufacturing capability, such as India and China. Low pricing or subsidised purchase would achieve the same ends without damaging the markets for innovative companies in both the developed world and developing countries. Haddington on market days is a busy place with visiting buyers and local inhabitants swelling the local economy and enjoying the many delights of East Lothian. Go on! Experience Haddington Farmers’ Market in Court Street, Haddington, the last Saturday of every month from 9am to 1pm. You won’t be disappointed and there is ample car parking.
“A US Chamber of Commerce report from Garten Rothkopf on the these proposals concluded they would have a major impact on the economy and jobs. One can assume there would be a similar impact in Europe. The report noted the imprecise definition of “climatefriendly” technologies could cover many processes and products, well beyond accepted “green” technologies. It also suggests that compulsory licensing would deter US companies from engaging in technology transfer. “This issue is clearly not going to go away. Several articles in the final Copenhagen Accord refer to technology building and associated support. Article 11 also mentions the establishment of a “Technology Mechanism” to accelerate technology development and transfer although how this will operate is not fleshed out. There is also to be the Copenhagen Green Climate Fund which will among other tasks, support technology transfer development and transfer to address the needs developing countries.” “As usual, the devil will be in the detail.“ If Scotland is to achieve its goal as a leader in renewables and alternative technologies, the companies involved need to ensure their returns are not eroded along with their intellectual property rights.” For further information contact: Patricia Barclay patricia@bonaccord.eu 0131 202 6527
MIDLOthian & East lothian chamber of commerce Magazine • JUNE 10
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Spring in to action! For many it has been a long, cold and challenging winter, but take heart, because Spring is just around the corner. The days are getting longer and hopefully warmer, and for most people the health resolutions they set in January are a distant memory. It is a great time to do a whole reevaluation of your health and lifestyle goals. Changes in your everyday habits can be critical, especially if a balanced lifestyle is not part of your weekly routine. There is no better time to step up your commitment to your health than now, because just as Spring is a time of rebirth and blossoming in nature, your body is also naturally attuned to rebirth and regeneration. Spring is a time of purification, healing and rejuvenation and is the most creative and fertile time in nature. That is why it is the best time of the year to be thinking of starting a sensible detox, health or weight management programme, to help you blossom physically and emotionally. Detoxing has become a bit of a buzz word, and created an industry that produces a variety of detox diets and kits for consumers. Many make exaggerated, gimmicky one size fits all claims, when a more personalised approach based on each individual is needed.
MIDLOthian & East lothian
28 chamber of commerce Magazine
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Our bodies are constantly detoxifying, but because we are dealing with more toxins in our food and environment than ever before, sometimes they need a little help to get the job done. Certain people should avoid some detox programmes because of their restrictive nature, so always seek expert advice.
As spring progresses and the weather warms you should be increasing your intake of fresh vegetables, particularly the chlorophyll-rich greens, plus fresh fruit, whole grains and legumes. The heavier protein and fat foods, at their peak in winter, should now be eaten less often and remember to stay well hydrated. Eating seasonally and where ever possible choosing locally grown foods is important for providing the right type of fuel to protect you from the climate. Our environment provides the best foods to support your health and keep you in balance. Being aware of locally grown high nutrient foods and eating them when they are available helps re-attune us to nature, and most important to our own body cycles. This is an essential step in attaining and maintaining good health and wellbeing. To discuss this further contact Colin McKeand at NUTRI-TOX on 01324 823664Â e: colin@nutri-tox.com w: www.diet-nutrition.co.uk
Lister McDonald: Creating the future with Fablevision Lister McDonald specialise in optimising executive teams’ ability to translate vision into reality. They use the Executive Team Alignment Process (ExecuTAP™), a leading edge approach with a well-proven international track record. “We create teams that can’t wait to see their vision through to execution,” says Mark Lister, MD of Lister McDonald. “After going through our program, they’re united in their ownership of a vision they all share. They all pull in one direction, and are fully committed to the executive process.” Clearly, this program could be extremely beneficial in many different situations, from improving performance to driving radical change. Team and leadership development, changing organisational culture, improving communication, implementing strategies and clarifying vision are a few. A recent Lister McDonald client, award-winning arts organisation Fablevision, found they benefitted in all these ways. “Fablevision came to us last October wanting to create a clear vision,” says Mark Lister. “In the current economic climate they faced daunting challenges. Funding was scarce, morale very low. They recognised the need for change and had ideas, but lacked direction.” Mark and colleague Lesley McDonald took Fablevision’s executive team through their ExecuTAP™ program. The team created a powerful new vision, bringing their aspirations properly into focus. They also reinvented themselves as a
cohesive, focussed motivated team — one that could really make the vision a reality. They emerged from the process committed both to their vision and to each other. They had raised their goals dramatically, together with their confidence in their ability as a team to achieve them. And it shows. Within a month, Fablevision were already seeing dramatic results. They brought in new tranches of investment which turned around their financial situation. Their new studio wing, previously in danger of closing, now had five contracts. Three organisations had approached Fablevision seeking to become partners. Morale had soared. Happy with the results, they have asked Lister McDonald to return later this year. “The capability to fulfil vision and implement strategy is vital without it, nothing happens,” says Mark Lister. “It’s important to acknowledge that Fablevision did a great job of developing that in themselves. Our role is to create a situation in which our clients can do this, but ultimately it’s about their passion and talent.” Lister McDonald work with organisations of all shapes and sizes. Further information: mark.lister@listermcdonald.com www.listermcdonald.com
Reduce the burden on family and friends with a Funeral Pre-Payment Plan • Choice of plans for burial and cremation. • Personalised plans according to your wishes. • Inflation proof prices on all funeral plans. • Flexible payment options. • Security – funds are held securely with CIS. For a brochure, call into or telephone your local Co-operative Funeralcare home at: 40 - 42 High Street, Musselburgh Tel: 0131 665 0243
So what is coaching? So what is coaching is it for me and do I need it? Before you decide look at it from a coach’s point of view. Coaching, counselling, mentoring and psychotherapy all involve people. My ability to listen to each of those people’s views and thoughts and the trust between them is vital. Without these primary qualities the support given to the recipients is useless and there can be little or no feedback to me as the provider of the support. But how is each of these types of support defined. Let us look at each in turn. Counselling – this is usually associated with a client feeling uncomfortable or dissatisfied with their life. Possible causes are low selfesteem or confidence, relationship problems, death of a parent or partner/spouse or over dominant peers. The list is not exclusive. All counsellors are highly trained and regulated by professional bodies with their own code of ethics. Coaching often borders on these things and it up to the coach to refer the client to a specialist. Mentoring – usually carried out by a senior colleague or outside consultant who acts as a role model and gives advice on a wide range of subjects within the client’s own business. It differs from coaching as it is not as goal focused and generally does not consider the
client’s interpersonal skills or self-confidence. It also relies on the client taking the advice and acting on it to boost business success rather than personal success. Psychotherapy – Lewis Wolberg has defined this as a ‘form of treatment for emotional problems in which a trained professional establishes a relationship with a patient with the objective of relieving or removing symptoms, changing disturbed behaviour and promoting healthy personality development. The symptoms addressed are assumed to be psychological in nature’. Again, this is normally outside a coach’s expertise and should be left to a professional psychologist. Coaching – is not about giving advice or telling a client what to do but ‘coaxing them to grow out of themselves, to set goals and achieve their dreams. Goals which stretch the imagination to what is possible and not what they currently think in their current, limited belief system. These goals would enhance their self-confidence and interpersonal skills and reduce the stress of ‘not believing in oneself’ because of what may have happened in their past life. Everyone has had good and bad experiences in life. The only way forward from the bad ones is not to apportion blame to anyone, even to oneself, but to learn from
them and move on. Goal-setting tests their concerns and sets challenges to overcome any lack of self-confidence in the client. Even after the main work has been done a coach should be on hand to be a ‘sounding board’ for ideas or just ‘being there’ for the client. There are many similarities between coaching and mentoring. Mentoring, particularly in its traditional sense, enables an individual to follow in the path of an older and wiser colleague who can pass on knowledge, experience and open doors to otherwise outof-reach opportunities. Coaching on the other hand is not generally performed on the basis that the coach has direct experience of their client’s formal occupational role unless the coaching is specific and skills focused. Having said this, there are professionals offering their services under the name of mentoring who have no direct experience of their clients’ roles and others offering services under the name of coaching who do. If you feel this was helpful please feel free to contact me, Ron Thomas, at Blue Lotus Coaching Ltd, Tel 01620 894137
ADVERVTISING FEATURE
COUNTY PHYSIO WILL BE READY Now that Summer is with us, we at County Physio are expecting to keep busy with the usual crop of aches, pains and backs that have ‘gone out’! Why are we particularly busy at this particular time? The warmer weather and lighter evenings are tempting lots of us into the garden, the golf course, cycle tracks and off our comfy sofas. This is all good news for our social lives and cardio-vascular systems, but few of us prepare our muscles and joints for the rigours we plan for them! If we aim to take up marathon running, we generally make sensible preparations to avoid injury; planning a training schedule to include warming up and down, stretches and gradual pacing up of distances with rest days included until the day dawns and hopefully the planning has worked — the goal being achieved successfully with no more than stiff muscles and a resolve not to put our body through it all again...until the next time! If we made similar preparations prior to rushing into the garden or jogging or cycling, with a resolve to pace up the activity levels sensibly with a good physiological warm-up of the muscle groups and sensible increase in demand of the cardio-vascular system, then there would be much less injury with subsequent enjoyment and fulfilment in the chosen hobby or sport. Because, even with this advice, we realise that it won’t necessarily be followed; at County Physio we will be ready, waiting and delighted to see anyone who requires help to resolve any potential problem areas, enabling a speedy and pain-free return to activity. For further advice on keeping healthy and for assessment and treatment if needed, please feel free to call us for professional and expert help.
County Physio provides an immediate, expert, effective and professional service delivered by a highly qualified and experienced team of Chartered Physiotherapists based in East Lothian but within easy access to and from Edinburgh, the Lothians and Borders. We can help resolve:
• Neck and back pain • Sciatica • Soft tissue sprains, strains and injuries • Joint pain and arthritic conditions • Posture related and over-use injuries • Sports injuries • Work related injuries
We have enormous expertise in treating back problems and sacro-iliac dysfunction and in provision of: Acupuncture, biomechanical assessment and orthotic provision, chronic pain management programmes, rehabilitation and strengthening, home visits, manual handling training and computer work station assessments (VDU/DSE). A ‘Drop-in’ clinic is now available on the last Saturday of each month (coinciding with Haddington Farmers’ Market) from 10am until noon for assessment and advice at highly competitive rates - ideal for reassurance and guidance for any niggling concerns. No appointment necessary. We are Chartered and Registered with the Health Professions Council (HPC) and all major private health insurers including Bupa, AXA PPP and Aviva. For further details and to make an appointment telephone: 01620 825380/07507 829920
14 Church Street Haddington East Lothian EH41 3EX Tel: 01620 825380 Mob: 07507 829920 Fax: 0871 714 6067 office@countyphysio.co.uk
We offer a £5 discount to all Chamber members for an initial assessment and treatment session. www.countyphysio.co.uk
Give your company or organisation the ‘Competitive Edge’. Our aim is to produce promotional publications such as Yearbooks and Journals at essentially nil-cost to our clients – no catch! We can tailor our services to fit your business or organisation.
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Blue Lotus Coaching Ltd Unleashing the Potential to Fulfil your Dreams
Our coaching philosophy is not about giving advice or telling a client what to do but coaxing them to grow out of themselves, to set goals and achieve their dreams. 15B Melbourne Road, North Berwick, EH39 4JX Telephone: 01620 894 137 E-mail: ron@bluelotuscoaching.co.uk Website: www.bluelotuscoaching.co.uk
STUART & STUART MORTGAGES LTD As fully qualified mortgage advisers with access to the whole of the market we can help with the following; Purchasers – First Time Buyers or Home Movers Re-Mortgage Mortgage Protection Insurance Building and Contents Insurance We guarantee a personal service throughout
YOUR HOME MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON YOUR MORTGAGE. There will be a broker fee for mortgage advice, the precise amount will depend on your circumstances but we estimate it will be £295 payable on completion. For more information please contact Melanie or Irene on 0131 561 5093/5094. Stuart & Stuart Mortgages Ltd is an Appointed Representative of First Complete Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.
• MAY 2010
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ADVERVTISING FEATURE
sorting the wheat from the chaff Apparently, in the brand creation and development business, they used to say that you are only as good as your worst idea. John Slater and Kay Smith of Agrada, admit that they have listened to some really terrible ideas in their 25 years in the business. Some of the worst ideas have been at meetings with national and international companies. Some of the best have come from the owners or managers of much younger companies.
mechanics of offering competent design related skills are a ‘given’ in this day and age but the ability and experience to identify good ideas and develop them into hard working brands, is not. Agrada is an Edinburgh based company, with a refreshing attitude to creative accountability. If they sit back and watch a bad idea being developed, they see it as their fault. They do seem to make good ideas work.
“Our own internal brainstorming meetings have produced some ‘howlers’ over the years” confesses Slater, who has been in charge of some fairly big design companies in the past, with offices in Edinburgh, York, London and even Barcelona. “ The secret is knowing a good idea when you see or come up with one and having the skills and experience to develop it,” John added. Kay Smith and John Slater established Agrada so that they could return to a hands-on approach to helping their clients to build their businesses. Kay was quick to point out, that the
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Bush House
Standing in the spectacular shadows of the Pentland Hills, Bush House is one of Midlothian’s most striking, yet least known, country houses. The 18th century home was part–designed by the Adam Brothers and forms the stunning centre-piece for the 126-acre Edinburgh Technopole - a world-class business and technology park in an outstanding natural environment. Bush House offers quality serviced office accommodation on flexible leases, as well as a range of meeting, conference and function facilities to suit corporate or private events. Its grounds are also available for hire. For further information, please contact: Judith Sanderson / Lorraine Herring, Bush House, Edinburgh Technopole EH26 OBB Tel: 0131 445 8600 E-mail: judith.sanderson@dtzms.com
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Benefits of Chamber Membership ■■ Business Awards & Enterprise Exhibition – providing more opportunities to trade with over 300 local companies ■■ Monthly e-newsletters which promote member businesses to nearly 3000 companies The Chamber is a not-for-profit business organisation dedicated to the furtherance of members’ interests. It is the largest private sector business support organisation in Britain.
■■ Subsidised knowledge sharing seminars
The Midlothian & East Lothian Chamber of Commerce is directed by a voluntary Board elected from among the membership. Day to day operations are managed by the Chamber Business Manager Laura Socha based at the Chamber’s office at the Hardengreen Business Park in Dalkeith.
■■ Free access to Business Mentoring Scotland; where successful business people share their knowledge with other businesses
The Chamber is also represented on a variety of organisations and committees. It has regular meetings with Scottish Chambers of Commerce, Midlothian and East Lothian Council, local MPs, MSPs and MEPs and with Scottish Enterprise at which it promotes members’ views. The Chamber is in a stronger negotiating position than individual members can be and uses its bargaining power for the benefit of members. A graduated scale of membership fees makes the chamber accessible to everyone, from new starts to multinationals.And you do not have to be based in Mid or East Lothian to join – only to be interested in business in the area.
Benefits include: ■■ Free monthly Chamber Gatherings, where members host an informal networking event with the opportunity to promote their business ■■ Cost-effective networking lunches which 91% of attendees in 2008 found helped towards meeting their business goals
■■ Free training workshops run by Business Gateway
■■ Cost-effective HR solutions including downloadable contracts ■■ Competitively-priced private medical cover or cash-back health plans ■■ Member-to-member offers available through our website and e-newsletter ■■ Discounted products for members including business insurance ■■ Listing in the national British Chambers Directory ■■ Business support and advice ■■ Free copies of our quarterly magazine ‘InCommerce’ and a discounted rate for advertising ■■ An on-line presence via the Chamber website business listing For more information on joining visit www.melcc.org.uk, alternatively call 0131 654 1234 or email laura.socha@met. org. uk.You can also follow the chamber on twitter at http:// twitter.com/LauraSocha
Member to member discount offers 2010 Business/Company
Offer/Discount/Service
Contact
AKD Systems
Free survey and 25% off cost of Electrical Periodic Inspection Report for Chamber Members Quote Ref: CM2010DG
Keith Groom, 0131 654 7080, www.akd.net
Alba Water
Up to 50% off products!
Ben McCosh, 0800 089 11 88, www.albawater.co.uk
Aeona
Free initial consultation with no obligation and six 1:1 coaching sessions for the price of five.
Sue Mitchell. 0845 6436 084 or 07738 290384 www.aeona.co.uk
Arniston House
2 for the price of one on entry tickets
Henrietta Dundas, 01875 830 515, www.arniston-house.co.uk
Anna Devine Commercial FREE one to one marketing consultation for Chamber Members
Anna Devine, 07837 871 322
Anderson Strathern
15% off our standard rates for employers in relation to Alan Masson, 01620 828495 employment advice (not employees). We can consult in www.andersonstrathern.co.uk Haddington or in Edinburgh as required. We can also speak re employment topics if that is of interest to members
Bell & Co Ltd
Discounts –5% -20% (dependent upon which insurer is competitive)
Stephen Stormonth, 0131 442 2493 www.bellbrokers.co.uk
Business Environment Partnership
Free environmental reviews, 20% off BEP Membership, Environmental Placement Programme, 20% Environmental Events
Jo Paulson, 0131 561 6257, www.thebep.org.uk
Bonaccord
20% off Training – Discipline and Grievance procedures from Patricia Barclay, 0131 202 6527 6th April to 31st May www.bonaccord.eu Calum Macinnes, 0131 557 4747, Free Print/Document Audit to help you ensure you take www.capital-solutions.co.uk control of your document output and costs.
Capital Solutions Chalmers & Co
Free Services & 10% off other services – please visit www.melcc.org.uk for more detail. These offers are only valid for Chamber members and are valid until 31 Dec 2010 only.
MIDLOthian & East lothian
36 chamber of commerce Magazine
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JUNE 10
Christopher Lamotter, 01620 824000, c.lamotte@chalmers-surveyors.com
Cloud Logic
10% discount for set up of Google Apps for Chamber members
Scott McKenzie, 0845 225 5004 www.cloudlogic.com
Costco
Complimentary bottle of wine when you sign up for trade membership
Dawn MacIver, 0131 440 4518, www.costco.co.uk
County Physio
£5 discount off an initial physiotherapy assessment/ treatment.
Maureen Blake, 01620 825380 www.countyphysio.co.uk
Distinctive Assistants
10% off first job when you mention you are a member of Chamber of Commerce
Andrea Webb, 01875 870959, www.distinctiveassistants.co.uk
Dunedin Associates
Special rates for chamber members across the range of our Ali Hogg, 0845 299 0894, www.dunedinassociates.co.uk services.
eBusiness UK
Free ‘Marketing Effectiveness Assessment’ of member’s site including a keyword effectiveness analysis. The report includes a number of tips on how to improve a web profile.
Neil Fraser, 01620 829529, www.ebusinessuk.com/internet-marketing.htm
Greentrax Recordings Ltd We offer other members a discount of 15% on retail price. 10% off IT & Management Training GTG Training
Ian Green, 01875 814155, www.greentrax.com
Hamill Decorating Services Huntress Personnel Ltd
10% discount for chamber members
Jeanette Hamill, 0131 665 8294 www.hamilldecorating.com
20% discount on all recruitment and training services throughout 2010.
Jean Fenwick, 07946 417930 www.huntresspersonnel.com
Jeffery Associates
Free initial consultation to assess/review insurance & risk management needs
Mike Jeffery, 0131 554 1510
Kinnarps (UK) Ltd
Free consultation, space planning and installation on all orders placed by members of the Midlothian & East Lothian Chambers of Commerce
Jonathan Dodsworth, 07525 100077 http://www.kinnarps.com/en/uk/
Macdonald Marine Hotel
15% reduction to all members on meetings/events, 10% off accommodation, dinner & spa - incentive for any referrals for conference or banqueting to the Marine for those who have passed business to the hotel
Marc Millar, 0844 879 9130, www.MacdonaldHotels.co.uk/Marine
NetworkROI Nigel Duncan Media
20% off selected services
Sean Elliot, 0131 510 2210, www.networkroi.co.uk
Free initial consultation
Nigel Duncan, 0131 449 6682, www.nigelduncanmedia.co.uk
Optimise Solutions
Massive £700 discount on the Fully Integrated Stock Control, Sid Vel, 0131 448 0483 Invoicing, and Accounts Software System. Typical single www.oltd.co.uk user software cost, consultancy, and training for £1,500 to MELCC Members (normally £2,200).
Optimise Web
£250 off on all Website Packages. Starter website from FREE (setup and one day’s design) plus £15/month for domain, hosting, email, and support. Product Catalogue / Portfolio Websites from £500 plus £25/month. eCommerce Websites from £1,000 plus £45/month
Sid Vel, 0131 448 0483 www.optimiseweb.co.uk
Pendrich Heights Ltd
20% off all surveys of your building/structure, 25% off all Lightning Protection Test Inspections and 10% off all Rope Access Services.
Paul Campbell, 0131 440 1991, www.pendrich.com
Picodeliq
Free initial consultation on our graphic and web design services and 15% off any of our web design services for MELCC members.
Anna Publico-Ong, 0131 667 3643
PJB Fire Safety
Free initial consultation and quotation and a 10% discount on any Fire Risk Assessment and Fire Training
Peter Butcher, 0845 680 8705 www.pjbfiresafety.co.uk
Premier Inn – Edinburgh Inveresk Queste Leadership Coaching and Training Scot PR
Free continental breakfast when booking a room
Elaine Cowan, 0870 197 7092, www.PremierInn.com
6 x 1:1 coaching sessions for the price of 5
Lynn McLeod, 07738 433 485, www.queste-qld.com
10% discount to members throughout 2010
Scott Thornton, 0131 473 2388, www.scotpr.com
Sine Design & Print Springfords Studio 9 Design Tax Assist Accountants Web Man Walking
10% off any order taken
Lesley Doctor, 01620 824410
Free business financial health check report
Carol Wright, 0131 440 5000, www.springfords.com
Free Website & Design assessment for Chamber Members
Jon Dalrymple, 0131 553 1000, www.studio9scotland.com
10% off Fixed Accountancy Fees
Alasdair Maclean, 0131 654 1771, www.taxassist.co.uk
10% discount on any Wee Web Page for a MELCC Member
Ed Henderson, 07590 849 790 www.weewebpage.com
White Testing
50% off PAT Testing & 10% off fixed wire testing
Anna or Fiona, 0800 652 8077, www.whitetesting.com
Will Services Scotland
10% Discount on Wills, Powers of Attorney,Living Wills to Chamber Members/Family/Friends
David Doig, 0131 555 6266
Your Doorstep Directory
50% discount off all colour adverts in Your Doorstep Directory to all Chamber of Commerce Members
Scott Morgan, 0131 660 3554 www.yourdoorstepdirectory.co.uk
Paul Lloyd, 0131 453 6666 www.gtg.co.uk
MIDLOthian & East lothian chamber of commerce Magazine • JUNE 10
37
Getting the most from your Sales Activity
We talk a lot about activity being vital to success in sales. But is it as simple as that? We’d say yes…and no! Let’s look at activity. It’s all very well to focus on results (Results! Results! Results!) but what’s more important are the activities that we’re completing to achieve results. Consider this: Everything you do is QDQ!
Quantity Are we doing enough activity?
Direction Are we doing it with the right people?
Quality Are we doing it with skill, knowledge and enthusiasm? Are we doing all of this with a positive and winning attitude? The 3 components if QDQ are non-compensating – if you don’t have high levels of all 3 you won’t have high performance. For example, you can be doing lots of activity but if you’re not seeing the right people or if you’re approaching your prospects with an indifferent attitude then you won’t be successful. In this article we’re going to focus on the middle component of QDQ – Direction – to consider how we can all apply it for highest leverage.
Direction Are we focusing our sales activity in the right areas, with the right customers, prospects, associations, groups, networkers, deal (rain!) makers and so on? Consider these further questions: What does the ideal customer look like for your business? How will you meet this ideal customer? When you read these 2 questions what initial thoughts went through your mind? Did you think of: A kind of general nice to have type of customer who is pleasant to deal with, or Specific types of businesses, particular industries or even specific companies.
MIDLOthian & East lothian
38 chamber of commerce Magazine
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JUNE 10
Human nature being what it is will drive us towards the prospecting activities that we really like. We will be drawn to calling people that we know will be up for a chat or attending networking functions where we know we will know other people attending or that we have found to be pleasant in the past. But is this activity the best for our business? Businesses have limited time and budget for most activities, including sales. This includes managing your existing customers. It is vital that you focus your limited time and budget in meeting and building relationships with the type of businesses that will deliver peak results for you. If I gave you a magic wand and asked you to build your ideal customer, what would that customer look like? Your description should include some or all of the following: Size Turnover £ p.a. Pro Number of staff Industry Location Growth potential Other issues relevant to your business, such as: Specific product offerings Commonality of customer base Their potential needs Degree of certainty that they have a need for your product offering You should identify your key prospects in this manner and establish a list of ideal customers that you can prospect. You could call these your gold prospects. You should then create specific plans for commencing and building relationships with these prospects. You might then do another list that takes the above criteria and relaxes it a bit, say 25% either way. These could be your silver prospects. You might then do the same thing again and come up with a list of bronze prospects. When you’ve segmented your lists in this manner you should establish the activity levels that you’re prepared to commit to each class of prospect, with the greater effort obviously going into your gold prospects.
So, we now know who we want to talk to, but how do we go about meeting these prospects, particularly those that we’ve rated gold? In any business we’d say it’s best to source new business in a wide variety of ways. Gaining warm referrals will generally reduce the sales cycle, but will leave you dependent upon the referrer for the types of prospects that you’re referred to. Conversely Direct Prospecting, or cold calling, will probably have a longer sales cycle but does have the advantage of strategically targeting specific prospects. The most successful businesses gain new customers from a multitude of sources. We view this as fishing in your Business Development pond!
The Business Development Pond: Introducers Asking for Referrals emarketing Existing Strategic Customers Alliances Direct Prospecting
Networking
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We don’t think there’s any ‘best way to prospect’. What we would say is that you should devise a prospecting plan for each gold prospect and the best approach to take will depend on the individual prospect. You might know someone who can refer you into a particular prospect, or there may be certain networking groups or associations where it is likely you could meet specific prospects. It could be best to meet them through Social Media or you may have to call them direct! The point is that you have a specific, planned approach to finding new customers, particular to those that you have rated as your ideal or ‘gold’ prospects.
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Duck’s at Kilspindie House
The alternative is shooting in the dark and hoping that you get lucky! Brendan Walsh, Managing Director Tel. + 44 (0) 7766505619 brendanwalsh@hawthornbusinessgroup.co.uk
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Cairn Property Consultants Ltd. Where Knowledge and Quality Counts
CHARTERED SURVEYORS
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Building Regulations • Fire Engineering Disabled Access Building Consultants • Health & Safety • CDM Co-ordinators
We undertake Fire Risk Assessments, Disabled Access Audits, CDM Regulations and Building Regulation Consultancy. We also provide advice on Fire and Building Legislation.
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DistinctiveAssistants Virtual Personal Assistants
Distinctive Assistants provide Virtual Personal Assistant services remotely to support businesses and independent professionals and Lifestyle Management services for people who don’t have time to sort out their personal errands & administration.
We offer services that are typically, provided by a Personal Assistant in the traditional office but without the additional staffing, equipment or location costs. Distinctive Assistants provide support but do so remotely, from our own office and using our own equipment. We can work on ad hoc projects as well as on a more regular basis, so we provide a degree of flexibility that is particularly suited to small businesses, independent professionals and personal clients. Our rates start from as little as £18 per hour.
Andrea Webb t: 01875 870959 m: 07785 508477 e: andrea@distinctiveassistants.co.uk
Forrest Consulting Estimating Solutions
•Estimating Services for the Construction Industry. •All sizes of projects professionally priced on an All-trades basis.
Tom Forrest Estimating Consultant 42/3 Hardengreen Business Park, Dalhousie Road, Dalkeith, Midlothian, EH22 3NU. T. 0333 990 0103 M. 07949273456 Email: tomforrest@forrestconsulting.biz website: www.forrestconsulting.biz
•“Esti-mate” Estimating Software Agent. •New Build Houses and Extension Budget Costs. •General Surveys and Advice on Repairs.
Hunter Holiday Cottages
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Carrick and Kyle Cottages Two “home from home” self catering cottages situated on our working farm in the rural heart of Midlothian, only 10 miles south of Edinburgh City Centre.Visitors can enjoy the best of all worlds with a holiday that offers the peace and quiet of country living, with the convenience of a historic capital city only 25 minutes drive away.
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Upcoming Chamber Events JUNE Networking Skills Event Date: Venue: Time:
Thursday, 17th June 2010 Maitlandfield House Hotel, 24 Sidegate, Haddington EH41 4BZ 09:00 - 12:00
Breakfast Briefing Event date: Venue: Time:
Thursday, 17th June Newbattle Abbey College, Dalkeith 0800 – 10.00
Joint Networking Lunch Event Date: Venue: Time:
Thursday, 24th June 2010 EH15 Restaurant, The Club, 3rd Floor, Jewel & Esk College, 24 Milton Road East, Edinburgh EH15 2PP 12:00 - 14:00
Customer Care 1 Event Date: Venue: Time:
Thursday, 24th June 2010 Business Gateway, 42/3 Hardengreen Bus Pk, Dalhousie Rd, DALKEITH EH22 3NU 13:00 - 16:00
JULY Basic Bookkeeping Workshop Event Date: Venue: Time:
Thursday, 8th July 2010 Business Gateway, 42/3 Hardengreen Bus Pk, Dalhousie Rd, DALKEITH EH22 3NU 13:00 - 16:00
reen Business Networking: The Melting Pot Event Date: Venue: Time:
Thursday, 15th July 2010 The Melting Pot, 5 Rose Street, Edinburgh, EH2 2PR 16:00 - 18:00
July Chamber Gathering Event Date: Venue: Time:
Thursday, 15th July 2010 Melting Pot, 5 Rose Street, Edinburgh, EH2 2PR 16:00 - 18:00
Marketing and Market Research - Start Up Workshop Event Date: Venue: Time:
Tuesday, 20th July 2010 Business Gateway, 42/3 Hardengreen Bus Pk, Dalhousie Rd, DALKEITH EH22 3NU 18:00 - 21:00
For more information or to book - visit our events page at www.melcc.org.uk
MIDLOthian & East lothian
42 chamber of commerce Magazine
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JUNE 10
Networking at the East Lothian e-business Coffee Morning in Haddington
Let’s make this year, your year Let’s make this year, your year
This year I’m going to be my own boss
If you’re thinking of developing or growing your business, we If you’re thinking of developing can help you gain the skills or growing your business, we and knowledge you need to can help you gain the skills succeed with our online tools and knowledge you need to and free local workshops. succeed with our online tools and free local workshops. In addition, our advisers can help you identify your In addition, our advisers can strengths and weaknesses and help you identify your potential options for growth, strengths and weaknesses and helping you feel more potential options for growth, confident about your business helping you feel more in the currentabout economic confident your business climate. in the current economic climate.
Phone or call in to our local offices: Phone or call in to our local offices: Business Gateway 42/3 Hardengreen Business Business Gateway Park 42/3 Hardengreen Business Dalhousie Park Road Dalkeith, EH22 3NU Dalhousie Road Dalkeith, EH22 3NU Call Direct: 0131 654 1234 Call Direct: 0131 654 1234
0845 609 6611 0845 609 6611 www.bgateway.com or www.bgateway.com visit your local office or visit your local office
Business Gateway services are delivered by Local Authorities, Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Government, with the support of associated partner organisations. Maximum call charge from BT landline is 3p per minute. Call costs from other networks may vary. Business Gateway services aremobile delivered by Local Authorities, Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Government, with the support of Text costs vary depending on your operator. associated partner organisations. Maximum call charge from BT landline is 3p per minute. Call costs from other networks may vary. Text costs vary depending on your mobile operator.