SME Magazine-Summer 2022

THE MAGA ZINE FOR SMALL BUSINESS ENTREPRENEURS Summer 2022

SME

Cyber Security Ten top tips to beat the hackers

Time of his Life How a fire-fighting grandfather inspired a watch company

SPECIAL REPORT

Purple Shoots Helping people make lasting change

EXPERT VIEWS

E M P L OY E E E N G A G E M E N T

CASE STUDIES

DIVERSITY

Business Immigration

Omayemi Mac-Jaja Immigration solicitor

The Importance of Sponsorship Licences Organisations looking to recruit migrants to work in the UK need to be aware of the immigration procedures for doing so. Following the UK’s departure from the European Union, European nationals are now treated the same as those from other countries when it comes to working in the UK. When considering employing a migrant the following are some of the common questions asked by employers: Do I require any permission before I can employ migrants?

Employers must have obtained a Sponsorship Licence from the Home Office before they can employ migrants as Skilled Workers. Applications for a Sponsorship Licence usually take at least 8 weeks to obtain but it is possible to secure one within 10 days if the priority service is used. There is an additional cost for the priority service.

Am I required to advertise a position before I can offer a job to a migrant?

Employers do not necessarily have to advertise for positions they intend to fill with a migrant but it is advisable that they do so where possible.

Do I need to issue any documents to a migrant after offering them a job?

A digital Certificate of Sponsorship must be issued to any prospective migrant

who is to be employed. A Certificate is obtained via the Sponsorship Management System which an employer will have access to after it has been granted a Sponsorship Licence.

and applications made from within the UK in 8 weeks. There is a priority service which allows for decisions to be made within 5 working days for an additional fee.

Once an employee has been offered a position do they still need to make a further application to enter or remain in the UK? Migrants resident inside or outside the UK will need to make an immigration application to the Home Office before taking up a role with an organisation in the UK. Migrants may only take on a new role after their application has been granted.

What happens if I employ a migrant who does not have the right to work?

The Home Office requires employers to carry out right to work checks before employment commences. Failure to carry out adequate right to works checks may result in civil penalties of up to £20,000 per illegal worker. In certain circumstances, criminal liability may also arise where migrants have been unlawfully employed. Other possible penalties may include the closure of a business, disqualification as a director, the inability to sponsor migrants and even the seizure of earnings made from illegal working.

How long does it take for a potential employee’s application to be decided by the Home Office?

The Home Office deal with applications made from outside the UK in 3 weeks

Machins Solicitors is a leading law firm with offices in Luton and Berkhamsted.

It has a growing team with expert lawyers offering an extensive range of business and individual legal services. Please contact www.machins.co.uk or call 01582 514000 for further information.

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Why SMEs need to address the rising financial impact of employee retention When it comes to addressing the many challenges of recruitment and retention, SME business leaders need to have at their disposal quick, easy, yet impactful solutions that really make a difference.

cost of stress is quickly totting up for SME employers. But, with more and more organisations making the switch to remote, how can SME leaders ensure the wellbeing of their workforce?

Simon Moyle, Chief Executive Officer at Vivup, has worked alongside his team to develop a comprehensive wellbeing and benefits package for SMEs that not only helps address these recruitment challenges, but also enables organisations to overcome the impact to culture and wellbeing brought about by COVID-19.

“The costs associated with stress-related absence are staggering, and the need to support and reduce these statistics is overwhelming,” Moyle comments. “Wellbeing should be at the heart of every solution, and while it’s certainly a lot harder when you can’t offer the office environment and its water cooler moments, businesses need to understand what is really happening within the organisation and recognise when problems are forming.”

“Fundamentally, SMEs tend to be more connected to their workforce; they know exactly who’s going to be most affected by the rising living costs and global events we are seeing right now. They feel they can’t just turn a blind eye to the financial problems their staff are experiencing,” Moyle explains.

With around £90,0001 spent on sickness absence in a single year, and the average cost of replacing a worker sitting at roughly £12,0002, the

For less than the cost of 0.253 full time employees per year, Vivup’s new SME package can provide benefits for an employer’s entire workforce. When comparing this to the high cost and disruption of replacing just one employee, it becomes clear where investments should be made. Prevention, as they say, is better than cure.

The importance of implementing wellbeing policies So, how can SME employers spot these wellbeing issues in our increasingly digital, ever-more remote landscape?

in the use of anxiety or sleep aid resources, that tells you that your workforce is burning out.”

The answer, Moyle believes, lies in comprehensive mental health, recognition and wellness systems that not only support employees, but also alert employers to problems that may be difficult to identify until the impact to productivity and worker presence becomes apparent.

With 75% 4 of employees more likely to stay with their employer because of their benefits package, and the packages themselves providing the tools to build a resilient and engaged workforce while retaining great employees, the time for SMEs to take advantage of these solutions is now.

Moyle explains, “If an employee usually gets lots of recognition moments from colleagues and suddenly only gets a few, you know that something is going on. Equally, when you see a sudden spike

1. Based on an organisation of 100 employees, average sick days per employee (https://www.myhrtoolkit.com/blog/average-employee-sick-days-2020) and average UK salary (https://bit.ly/3HcMxh4) 2. Average Employee Replacement Cost is £12,000 for SMEs | Accounts and Legal 3. 0.25 Full Time Employee (FTE) cost based on average SME size https://www.merchantsavvy.co.uk/uk-sme-data-stats-charts/ 4. Willis Towers Watson

Discover more at www.vivup.co.uk/sme Contact enquiries@vivup.co.uk or call 01252 784 541

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How E-signatures Drive Business Trust in Digital Agreements

By securing and protecting not only an organisation’s agreements, but also its critical business and personal information, DocuSign has built trust into the very fabric of its digital solutions. It is no wonder that DocuSign eSignature has been used in more than one billion transactions across over 180 countries to create legally enforceable agreements – making it an essential and trusted digital asset for all.

REDUCING REMOTE WORKING IDENTITY RISKS

Pen and paper authentication is quickly becoming a thing of the past. Ronan Copeland, Group Vice President & General Manager EMEA, DocuSign, looks at how digital technologies simplify processes to enable smarter, safer, and more trustworthy ways of working.

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rust lies at the heart of any company.

Not only in the products and services it offers to its customers, but also in the very core of how it operates and does business.

This is certainly true with the advent of digital transformation, as all users need to trust and feel comfortable that the processes being used are safe and secure.

Over the last two years, leaders have faced an unprecedented amount of upheaval, and regardless of how far along their digital transformation, had to make quick and hard decisions to keep operations running. The most innovative put trust in the security and integrity of digital processes, such as e-signatures and digital agreements to underpin infrastructures and allow business to continue to operate, if not flourish.

Now, as the world of work reopens, there may be an urge to return to old ways of working.

But the world has changed, whether driven by the ‘anywhere economy’, the need to be more data compliant, or to ensure there is greater governance along the value chain. In the new ‘present’ of work we must continue to put trust in e-signatures and digital agreements.

E-signatures have been in use for over two decades but in the last two years have become the norm. This is not only because e-signatures are more efficient than so-called wet signatures, eliminating manual tasks and increasing convenience along the value chain, but organisations found them a smarter, faster, and more secure way of signing and handling legal agreements.

As a result, 88% of global respondents to a survey for DocuSign, don’t envisage their organisations going back to pen and paper agreements now they have used an e-signature solution, as information security remains their highest priority.

E-signatures have the same legal validity as traditional ‘wet’ signatures, if not more. The Electronic Communications Act 2000 and the Electronic Signatures Regulation 2002 made electronic signatures legal in England, Northern Ireland, and Wales.

THE URGENCY AROUND DATA PRIVACY

Furthermore, unlike wet signatures, e-signatures come with a digital record that serves as a digital audit trail and proof of the transaction. This includes the history of actions taken with the document, including the details of when it was opened, viewed, and signed.

This adds an additional layer of trust in the signing process.

For businesses to grow and globally excel, trust in data is paramount. To achieve this, the right digital processes, such as e-signatures, need to be put in place, so that those sharing, handling, and distributing often sensitive information, are reassured that it is safe and secure.

DocuSign has implemented rigorous policies and processes to meet the privacy, security, and compliance requirements of some of the most stringent certifications around the world. It is committed to ensuring trust is at the core of its business by providing world-class protection.

The ‘Anywhere Economy’ has accelerated at pace in the last two years, with remote working becoming an accepted part of business. As a result, knowing who has access and oversight in the remote passing of often sensitive information between teams, clients, and third parties is vital.

84% of businesses say certainty about user ID reduces risk, therefore trusting the right person is signing an agreement is a key part of reducing business risk and, in turn, building trust. This can readily be achieved with e-signatures as multiple layers of protection and authentication are built into the technology.

Should greater assurance be required, DocuSign Identify, part of the DocuSign Agreement Cloud, provides digital signer identification and authentication by accessing the world’s largest network of identity verification and trust service providers.

E-signatures not only offer a more robust audit trail than their pen and paper counterparts, but they also give peace of mind that the documents are enforceable should a dispute occur down the chain. By integrating signing and enhanced identification or authentication methods into one connected DocuSign eSignature experience, it helps organisations protect high value agreements, reduce risk, and support greater compliance. Once the signing process is complete, all documents are digitally sealed using Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), an industry-standard technology.

Combined, these technologies ensure that electronic signatures are more secure than any paper alternative.

It is this transparency that forms the bedrock of trust in digital processes. As the business world engages even more with digital transformations, remote working will become the norm and old manual processes give way to digital procedures, we must trust in the underlying technology that makes all this possible.

By engaging with tools that employ strong security mechanisms and robust operational processes to meet or exceed the highest international security standards, businesses can trust that their data is private, safe, and secure.

Inside Summer 2022

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Stand up for women

Helen Normoyle urges businesses to end silence over the menopause

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8 Time of his life Jonny Garrett tells the story of William Wood Watches – a company which began over a Christmas beer

10 Shoots of recovery Karen Davies, founder and CEO of Purple Shoots, on how this innovative company is helping people and tackling poverty

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14 Halting the hackers Paul Simmonds on confronting the cyber criminals

17 Tucking into £50,000

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The ten Brixton restaurants who are enjoying a financial boost

19 The vegetarian option How Meatless Farm is changing what’s on the menu

20 The right people

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Why a diverse workforce makes good business sense

22 Employee engagement Seven steps to hiring the best talent you can get

25 Office of the future

EDITOR’S LET TER

W

ith all the current talk about a cost-of-living crisis and companies struggling to survive, it may be hard to be optimistic but I think, within these pages, you will find some reasons to be cheerful.

The story of how Jonny Garrett’s grandfather was the inspiration for William Wood Watches, a company which has grown from a conversation in a pub to an operation with a £1m turnover in little more than five years, is as encouraging as they come. Jonny talks the kind of talk that would delight any aspiring SME owner. “I love being my own boss. It’s complete freedom. The autonomy that you have is unbelievable – to do what you want to do and enjoy it.”

Another person who is leading by example is Karen Davies.

The impact Karen and her Purple Shoots operation has had, particularly in Wales, is quite extraordinary, helping people tackle poverty, unemployment, financial exclusion and social isolation. Essentially, she is helping people written off by other lenders. In the last eight years, her operation has made 715 small loans, lending a total of over £1.68m. As Karen tells us: “We believe that everyone is valuable and has something they can contribute to enrich their local communities and often only needs an opportunity and perhaps a small loan to enable them to realise their potential.”

Two tales which can’t fail to inspire.

Enjoy the magazine and let me know what you think.

How to get people back into the workplace

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27 SMEs in action Making music, spinning yarn and creating paint

While every care has been taken in compiling this publication, and the statements contained herein are believed to be correct, the publishers and the promoters will not accept responsibility for any inaccuracies. Reproduction of any part of this publication without permission is strictly forbidden. ©Publications UK Limited 2021. The publishers make no recommendation in respect of any of the advertisers, and no recommendation may be implied by way of the presence of their advertisements.

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editor, SME magazine

Managing Director: Editor: Art Director: Designer: Production: Advertising: Enquiries:

Stewart Lee Daniel Evans David Hicks Jillian Williams Angela Brown sales@publicationsuk.co.uk +44 (0) 20 8238 5023 SME magazine

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Time for business to end this toxic silence around menopause Menopause might be in the headlines now more than ever, with famous women including

Davina McCall, Michelle Obama and Lorraine Kelly talking publicly about their experiences of the midlife change. But for us mere mortals out of the public eye and particularly in the workplace, the menopause still remains something of a taboo WORDS: BY HELEN NORMOYLE

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he continuing toxic silence around menopause is having a devastating impact not just on the lives and relationships of women suffering with symptoms, but on their careers and the wider economy too.

A staggering 1million are set to quit their jobs here in the UK because of lack of support at work with their symptoms, following the 900,000 that are estimated to have already left, none of which is

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being helped by the pandemic-fuelled Great Resignation. Yet unbelievably, 63 per cent of companies still don’t have a menopause policy in place.

All women will go through the menopause, and for two thirds, the physical and psychological symptoms - and there’s around 40 of them ranging from anxiety, depression, lack of confidence and hot flushes - will negatively affect their working life.

The average age for women to go through the menopause is 51, and the perimenopause (the first stage of the menopause transition) will start for most in their mid-40s to mid-50s. People will often not realise that the symptoms they are experiencing are menopause-related – they might think that they’re not coping with the stress of work or juggling everything at home as well as they used to, and then that in turn can feed further www.smeweb.com

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a Women’s rights campaigner suffragist Millicent Fawcett was the first statue of a woman to stand in Parliament Square. It was unveiled in 2018 to mark the centenary of women given the vote in 1918

into their anxiety. It’s a vicious circle.

We lose an estimated 14 million workdays every year due to menopause symptoms.

And with the menopause mainly affecting those in their forties and early fifties, too many women are leaving work at the peak of their careers. Those who remain at work often resign themselves to merely existing in their roles rather than hope for any career progression as they are often overlooked for promotion, or they’re reducing their hours, stepping back from promotion or going part-time.

Not because they want to, but because they feel they need to because of their symptoms. ll of this weakens gender diversity and exacerbates the gender pay gap and the pension pay gap, which isn’t really there for people in their 20s and 30s; where you really start to see it grow is when people are in their 40s and 50s - and clearly the menopause is a key contributing factor to that.

A recent UCL survey estimated that women lose between £10,000 to £20,000

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in wages and pension contributions because of the impact of menopause - and this really needs to change.

It’s no wonder that menopause has fast become one of the most important issues facing businesses today. There’s growing recognition of the impact it’s having on talent retention and talent attraction. The UK’s population is ageing, and with that, the talent pool is shrinking so more of us need to stay at work. Plus, there’s been an increase in women taking employers to tribunals because of discrimination around the menopause under the Equality Act. Every company, whatever the size, needs to take menopause seriously because it makes business sense on so many levels. Women in their midlife have, after all, accumulated so many skills and talents to get where they are at this point in their careers.

If women are supported through menopause, they will remain in the workplace, achieve their full potential and go further up the career path. Plus, work can be good for menopausal women, because as well as paying bills as the cost of living rockets, it can boost self-esteem and a sense of fulfilment - and employers will retain valuable members of their teams. It’s a win-win.

I believe all companies should have a menopause policy to ensure you signal that your business is a safe space in which to talk about the menopause. But creating the policy is the easy bit (there are lots of great resources out there to help with this) – the leadership to implement it needs to come from the top and it needs to be made clear that menopause is everyone’s business.

Different companies, indeed different areas of a company, will likely need to look at tailoring the workplace adjustments they offer. For some, it could be that you change company uniforms or work clothes to more breathable fabrics. For others, allowing flexible/hybrid working could be key to supporting menopausal women and, if you can, follow London Mayor

Sadiq Khan’s example at City Hall and allow menopause leave.

Informal menopause support groups backed by senior leaders are also a great idea, to let everyone know that open communication and engagement around menopause is part of your company culture.

It’s also an excellent idea to provide mental fitness training or coaching to address issues around confidence.

Cognitive behavioural therapy can decrease the intensity of hot flushes and help people deal with the psychological and other cognitive symptoms of the menopause, perhaps through company health insurance.

“We lose an estimated 14m workdays every year due to menopause symptoms” But if that’s not something your business can afford, even just having one person at work who’s a menopause champion or a mental health first aider could be helpful, just so people know they’re not alone and someone will listen to them if they’re not comfortable talking to their line manager or HR. It’s really not one size fits all but we’re already seeing how smaller organisations, not just blue chips, can make progress on this front whether it’s a fully-fledged menopause policy or a guidance document. Part of the challenge in the workforce is that menopause is wrapped up with ageism, so any inappropriate behaviour or derogatory remarks about menopause must also always be challenged to create an age-inclusive culture.

Best practice must be seen from leadership. It’s not good enough either to just box tick with a menopause policy - it’s about implementing it and shifting the dial day in, day out to really make a change. Keep measuring metrics on this to make sure you are.

After all, we are the generation that will kick ass in our fifties, sixties, seventies and beyond and we have many brilliant women who have gone ahead of us. We owe it to the women who are struggling at the moment to be the hands that are pulling them up. The world would then be a better place for everyone.

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COVER STORY

The best of times Jonny Garrett reveals how his grandfather was the inspiration behind his growing business WORDS: BY DANIEL EVANS

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t’s not often you head to the pub for a Christmas beer and end up creating a company with a £1m turnover but that’s exactly what happened to Jonny Garrett, founder and CEO of William Wood Watches. The 30-year-old always knew he wanted, at some stage, to run his own business, preferably in the luxury sector, but didn’t know quite how it was going to work.

Jonny takes up the story. “It was just over five years ago, and I was working for Lloyd’s Bank in London. I was back home in the north-east on Boxing Day talking to a friend in a pub and he told me about Kickstarter. I thought I would need a lot of capital to set up a luxury brand but when I heard about Kickstarter and the fact you do not need to give any equity away in the business … well, that was the start of William Wood Watches.”

From December 2016 to the following August, Jonny began to build the brand.

He knew he wanted to dedicate the business to his grandfather – William Wood, a fire fighter for 25 years in Newcastle - who was a huge role model in his life. “What’s been beautiful about how the brand has evolved is that every single one of our collections is made from genuine upcycled fire-fighting materials and we donate a percentage of our sales to fire-fighting charities,” says Jonny. “And it all started over a beer with a friend in Weatherspoons in Hexham.”

Sustainability and upcycling are key elements of the brand. The watch straps themselves are made from genuine fire hose which has been used for at least ten years by different fire services

William Wood, a fire fighter for 25 years in Newcastle

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“No matter what the idea is, you have got to have a unique selling point” across the UK. Jonny explains: “When fire hose comes to the end of its life, it normally gets thrown into landfill so, instead of that happening, fire teams around the country reach out to us. We then clean them, repurpose them and put them inside our watch straps. There are different fire hose colours that we have and different materials we will use.

Probably our most iconic one is red. 90 per cent of all fire services in the UK use red. That was donated to us by the London Fire Brigade and that is seen as our flagship strap.” t the moment, the company is turning over around £1m a year. From the outset, Jonny has wanted to grow the business without any investors, without any debt, so he has reinvested profits and is looking for slow and sustainable growth. “I have a sort of 25-year vision because I don’t plan to sell the company as I love it so dearly,” he says.

“In five years’ time, I want to have our head office in a converted old fire station on a high street where customers can come in and see watch makers in action and see our upcycling first hand. Next year, we are going to convert a vintage fire engine into our moving store so we can go around the UK and Europe promoting our watches and the fire service.”

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And Jonny has some advice for people considering starting out on their own.

“No matter what the idea is, you have got to have a unique selling point,” he says.

“You don’t have to reinvent the wheel – I mean there’s nothing new about a watch – but there needs to be something unique about your business. I also think you need to be aware that consumers are changing and they want to know that products are ethically sourced and that the company has a strong element of corporate social responsibility.”

When we talked, Jonny was planning for a trip to America. “I’m flying to New York because we have had the go-ahead to produce watches for the New York Fire Department, the biggest fire department in the world. It’s pretty awesome. The watches will be stocked in the Rockefeller Centre in the New York Fire Department shop. Hopefully, that will kick off a chain of events where we approach cities like San Francisco, LA and Chicago.”

So, back to Jonny’s grandfather, who died in 2009 but whose memory beats through the heart of this business. What would he say now if he could see the success of William Wood Watches? Jonny has no doubts. “‘Bloody hell!’ is what he’d say,” replies Jonny. “It’s an expression he used to say all the time and I’m sure he’d use it about all this. I’m sure he’d be super proud. I think he’d be blown away because he literally lives on in every single watch that we produce.”

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Helping people to help themselves and create lasting change Karen Davies, founder and chief executive of Purple Shoots, explains how the innovative company she set up 10 years ago is helping build businesses and tackle poverty WORDS: BY KAREN DAVIES

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urple Shoots was set up with a big aim of tackling poverty, unemployment, financial exclusion and social isolation, initially in Wales, through providing traditional microfinance: small ethical loans to individuals who could not raise finance from any other source to enable them to start or run a small business. Some 96 per cent of our borrowers are on benefits when they receive a loan from us. We work with people who have been left behind by our economy to help them create pathways out of poverty and into economic stability.

70 per cent of our lending is in areas with higher indices of multiple deprivation – 25 per cent is in the worst 10 per cent.

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We also create self-reliant groups – these are small collectives which encourage people to take back control of their lives, build on the skills they have, learn new ones and move towards greater financial resilience, reduced isolation, income generation and work.

We have supported people like Ruth Hancock. Ruth was in debt and struggling after a long-term illness. Today, through the business she created, she is now debtfree, employing others with a thriving artisan soap business making a huge range of amazing products which are sold locally and to some big organisations, with services for weddings, children, corporates and more ideas every day. www.smeweb.com

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a Nicky Stephenson who has created a business which is at the heart of a local community

Karen Davies, founder and chief executive of Purple Shoots

Or Nicky Stephenson who, while recovering from a childhood history of abuse and a long-term caring responsibility, has created a business which is at the heart of a local community. She contributes not just to her own wellbeing and financial resilience but also generously supports local activities.

Our loans are transformational, putting people on a sustainable pathway away from poverty and debt. In addition www.smeweb.com

to supporting individuals to create their own business and move themselves into better financial circumstances, these businesses also create wealth in their local communities – money earned is spent there, local people are employed, local suppliers are used. It could be argued that these small businesses are greener as a result.

Our aim is to enable people held back by circumstances or disadvantaged in some way to reach their potential and to be the contributors to their local economies and communities that they want to be.

During the Covid-19 crisis, these businesses have proved to be adaptable and flexible, and committed to their communities. Lisa, for example, had to close her cake shop during the lockdowns, received no government support at all but still managed to get her kitchen at home approved by the environmental health officials and traded from there, delivering cakes locally and even making and giving away hundreds of packed lunches to families who were struggling.

The economic impact of this type of lending is ten times the amount loaned. In addition, a study of this form of microfinance in 2012 (a little dated perhaps but relevant circumstances are not hugely different now) showed that there is a net gain to HMT of £3-£4 for every £1 loaned this way (in benefits saved, taxes paid, etc).

The loans are straight forward term loans over 1-3 years at an interest rate of 14.5% per annum (APR 25.7%) for new clients. We do not charge a lending fee or early repayment penalties. We lend only to the most disadvantaged clients who are struggling to find finance from any other source. To do this effectively, we use face-to-face interaction and provide mentoring and support both before and after making the loan. Our maximum loan size is £4,000 – there is no minimum but it is unusual for us to lend below £500. The average loan size is £2,700.

When making our decisions, we look at the person and the proposed business.

We want to be sure that the business is going to work and will deliver a sufficient income and that the person proposing it can make it happen – so we are looking at future potential rather than getting hung up on any mistakes in the past (which may have led to a poor credit score).

“We put people on a sustainable pathway away from poverty and debt” In the last eight years, we have made 715 small loans, lending a total of over £1.68m. Our lending has created 550 new businesses and supported 165 existing ones (some of which we have supported from the start and for onward growth), generating employment for around 760 people to date, and impacting thousands of others. We fund innovative small businesses who are responding to needs and demands around them, thus contributing to a growing network of small entrepreneurs which is changing the economic base of communities.

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We are reducing inequality in the areas where we work by supporting the most disadvantaged individuals and groups and enabling them to improve their circumstances. Everything we do is aimed at building better communities, seeking to support those who are marginalised and excluded from the economy so that they can become contributors, and doing this in a way which creates lasting change.

Our self-reliant groups are based on a proven model from the third world and are aimed at people not quite ready to start a business but who still want to make changes in their lives. Our typical self-reliant group members are very far from the workplace, often extremely isolated and for whom just leaving the house can be a major achievement, lacking in confidence and believing that they have little to offer.

Having begun in Wales, we have expanded to the West Country and to

Lisa Middle, left, and Ruth Hancock

“We look at future potential rather than getting hung up on any mistakes in the past” Yorkshire – and our aim is to expand to the rest of the UK. We want to see every individual with access to finance if they have aspirations to start and run their own business, so that they are enabled to change things for themselves in a sustainable, permanent way, and every community with access to the network of support which our self-reliant groups offer.

We trust people to be able to create and follow their own pathways, which is far more dignified than many well-meaning programmes of help which seem to assume that people who are poor or out of work are in need of training or help, some form of hand holding. Our experience is that this is usually not the case – many people are simply searching for opportunities and the wherewithal to seize them or a sensible route to enable them to make positive changes in their lives.

The people we support make us proud over and over again. People who have been written off by other lenders and other people or even themselves, who prove them wrong by creating really fantastic businesses or doing amazing things through their self-reliant groups.

Purple Shoots has helped them to help themselves and their communities and to create lasting change.

purpleshoots.org

BUSINESS RATES

Pitfalls to be Avoided when Instructing an Agent James Clarke MRICS is Head of Professional Services at Newton Perkins

3. In my opinion a fee basis of 50% of any savings achieved is not reasonable

With the increasing pressure on business costs and the Rating Revaluation of all commercial property in April 2023 I suspect many of you have been flooded with marketing calls and emails from sales people promising to achieve a reduction in your business rates liability.

BUT did you know the wrong advice/action could mean your business rates are increased?

4. Always read the contract thoroughly particularly with regard to fees, when payable and length of instruction.

Remember it’s more difficult to get out of a contract than it is to sign into one!

Business Rates are a complicated tax and when instructing an Agent to represent you consider the following; 1. Always use a firm regulated by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyor (RICS) 2. Never pay an upfront fee for a survey or administration costs

5. If you are being pressured to sign, walk away and get alternative advice.

6. An inspection should be completed.

Newton Perkins are property consultants specialising in business rates advice and are regulated by the RICS. We only charge a fee on the success of our work and typically our fees are 20-25% of the savings we achieve. No saving no fee.

For straightforward, honest advice on all business rates matters contact James Clarke on 07764 969 786 / 020 7456 0715 or email jc@newtonperkins.com

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How Asher came up with a winning breakfast Asher Flowers

Asher, can you tell us about Rogues.

So Rogue is a breakfast brand that prides itself on innovation. We’re on a mission to ban boring breakfasts and invite a new customer to the space with a range of jams, marmalades, condiments and cereals. The name came from a few things.

How has your product range developed? What are your top sellers?

I’d originally wanted to create a condiment brand. Fortunately, my mum advised me to produce jams and marmalades and the rest is history.

How do you see the company evolving?

We’d like to become a B-Corp business – balancing people, planet and profit. We’d like to build a manufacturing facility within Wales for the preserves and create jobs within Mid-Glamorgan. We also want to launch more delicious products. Our ambition is to really disrupt these traditional

categories and deliver on flavour for our customers whether that’s in independent delis, cafes or supermarkets.

You’ve recently been involved with a project with Gordon Ramsay. What was that like and what did you learn?

Intense. Gordon is an unbelievable professional – what he’s built and the people he has surrounded himself with I truly admire.

How did Purple Shoots help you along the way?

Purple Shoots provided an initial loan for us when we’d just started the business which allowed me to purchase our first company vehicle as well as build our stock levels.

What advice would you give someone thinking of starting their own business?

Always make the main thing – the main thing. enjoyrogue.com

careers cyber security

Doing the basics need not cost the earth Not all of us are lucky enough to have 100 full time staff working on Information Security, let alone a budget to match! But that’s no reason to stick your head in the sand and assume no-one will be interested in hacking you. There are many things you can do – often free or low cost - that could provide an incremental level of protection on where you are today WORDS: BY PAUL SIMMONDS

1. Patch everything and patch fast

The bad guys out there are lazy; why bother crafting a specific attack when you can simply walk in using a known exploit that has been around for years.

The fact is that the time to patch 50% of systems in a typical company is around nine months, so simply don’t be one of them.

• Switch on automated patching for every system you can, especially Windows systems.

• For all your key systems, understand the patch cycle for your software vendors (most have a monthly patch cycle), and put those dates into a diary to review and action.

2. Understand what assets you have within your business

The old saying “if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it” is truer today in a world where we use more outsourced and cloud services (Gmail, Office 365 etc.) than ever before. There are free services that allow you to gain a global insight into your assets such as Qualys Asset View (https://www.qualys.com/ apps/global-assetview/) (Full disclosure: I am on the Qualys advisory board)

3. Regularly check your systems for patch level and misconfiguration

There are many tools available that automatically scan your systems, check 14

SME magazine

for their patch level and look for misconfiguration. You should be demanding from your IT Manager (or CIO) a full report from such an automated tool, on a regular basis. Experience says that the first time you run such a tool/report, two-thirds of your systems will have a vulnerability or misconfiguration that allows exploitation by a trivial attack.

6. Invest in email security

4. Ensure all your systems, especially user devices, are running without Admin privileges.

Access to the web is probably essential for large parts of your business, so a good strategy for how you let your people have the access they need while remaining protected is essential. But, as we found during the pandemic, this should not mean everyone that is working remotely needing to connect to the company, only to go straight back out to the Internet. There are lots of “cloud-based” solutions available that allow people to work from wherever, yet still remain protected.

If you are using a standard “out of the box” Windows PC, there is a good chance they are running with full administrator privileges. Simply create a separate “admin” account and change the users account to only having “user” privileges. While you are at it, produce a simple help-sheet so people can also do this to their home PC’s.

5. Understand where your data is – and back it up

Data is the life-blood of any organisation, whatever the size. But do you have a robust strategy for backing it up? As well as a tested recovery strategy. You need to consider how the data is protected not only from loss (say, hard disk failure) but also corruption (say a ransomware attack which encrypts your data). Could you transition back to data that was two days old or even from a week ago?

Most threats will probably come into your business from people clicking on links or downloading attachments in email. Best-in-class email security will not only protect you from spam, but also eliminate rogue attachments and links.

7. Also look at your strategy for web security

8. Look at Cyber-Essentials

When you’ve done the basics, then the UK Government’s cyber essentials program is a good place to start. https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/ cyberessentials/overview There is a great resource on their website called “Cyber-Aware” for small businesses, and “10 Steps to Cyber Security” for larger SMEs, as well as loads of other (free) resources and downloads. There is also “Cyber Essentials Plus” and the opportunity to get certified; though www.smeweb.com

cyber security

many will choose to use the program to do-it-themselves, or get some external help to guide them through it, without the rigour (and cost) of a full external independent assessment.

9. Your staff are the front line of protection

Human targeted attacks, whether through email, phone, social media or web are on the rise, and the quality of them is increasing to the point that even professionals find it hard to determine whether it’s real or fake.

A good, simple, awareness campaign on what to look out for will augment the technology that is cleaning your email and web and need not cost too much.

There is some great free guidance on running such a campaign and a good place to start is https://www.cpni.gov. uk/ and search for “Embedding Security Behaviours: using the 5Es”.

10. Rinse and repeat

Good information security is about embedding it into your culture. This not only means leading from the top in your expectations, but processes and procedures that are institutionalised.

Say hello to UV light and wave goodbye to Coronavirus.

If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s the importance of hygiene. We’re all acutely aware of how crucial it is to protect ourselves, and our loved-ones, from Coronavirus – and to stop it from spreading.

But sanitising sprays and gels are toxic and can be messy. And there are many places that they’re not appropriate for, such as bags, clothes, keyboards, and phones.

But the DeACT Handheld Steriliser is different. It’s the professional steriliser you can use at home. Just wave the UVC light to wipe out Coronavirus. It has been lab-tested to kill 99.99% of Coronavirus in under three seconds.

Used indoors or out, its LED technology effectively sterilises without the risk of damage to you and your things, or the environment.

To find out more about DeACT, just say hello to OMNIMUS on 0345 548 0800, email us at info@omnimus.com or visit www.de-act.co.uk

Paul Simmonds is the CEO of the Global Identity Foundation. He was formerly global Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) of AstraZeneca, and prior to that the global CISO of ICI and global CISO with Motorola Cellular Infrastructure.

PROTECT YOUR BUSINESS AGAINST CYBER ATTACKS Regardless of the size or profession of your business, you are a target for cyber criminals. You might think “it won’t happen to me” but you cannot underestimate how clever cyber criminals can be. These cyber criminals are after your money, your bank details, your customers database, data, and your intellectual property.

Secure your business by addressing 80% most common cyber threats. Boost your business image by acquiring Cyber Security accreditation, show your customers you are taking security seriously. Test your business to ensure you are as secure as possible.

This is where Cyber Security experts like 2MG Solutions comes into play.

We help you to eliminate risk and ensure that your business can defend itself against cyber predators.

Are you ready to reduce your risk? We are.

CYBER ESSENTIALS – KEEPING YOU AND YOUR BUSINESS SAFE Cyber Essentials is a UK government backed accreditation scheme.

It ensures organisations implement basic levels of protection against cyber-attacks, within the context of the Government’s 10 Steps to Cyber Security.

Implemented correctly, those controls will help you to protect against most of modern cyber threats.

Small firms also benefit from free Cyber Liability insurance included as part of Cyber Essentials.

Our dedicated Cyber Team has huge depth of experience around the five main controls that are central to the Cyber Essentials.

We have developed a very effective set of tools and techniques to help our clients to save time and money when addressing or improving the way they handle these five aspects.

Again, this means that we won’t just tell you what’s wrong or noncompliant for you, we’ll be able to help you to improve the daytoday processes or adopt robust policies to improve your cyber compliance and readiness.

Through the accreditation organisations can demonstrate to customers, investors, insurers, and others that they that they take cyber security seriously.

How it works?

Cyber Essentials defines a focused set

controls which will provide cost effective, basic cyber security for organisations of all sizes:

On top of that, 2MG Solutions will provide you with a dedicated, personal Cyber Security Expert who will guide you through the process step-by-step until you have reached your Cyber Essentials certification.

Network devices and internet access Secure configuration Access control Malware protection Patch management

Your Cyber Security Partner

HOW CAN 2MG SOLUTIONS HELP?

We are ready. Are you?

www.2mgsolutions.com/get-certified

entrepreneurship

Tucking into £50,000 Ten independent restaurants to share business boost

Papas Cafe owner Valcie McIntosh

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en independent businesses in east London will each receive a £5,000 grant as part of the Dine Local programme, run by the International Downtown Association Foundation and Brixton BID, and supported by American Express.

The grant funding will enable the 10 Brixton-based venues to make critical improvements that drive their business forward. Among the recipients is Lounge Brixton, which is supporting local artists by expanding its live performance space; Papa’s Cafe, a park-based community cafe; and Banh Banh Cafe, a family-run restaurant that plans to install new kitchen equipment for the summer.

Restaurant owner Dung Nguyen from Banh Banh Café Photos: David Parry/PA Wire

This support comes at a critical time for independent restaurants.

According to research commissioned

by American Express, over half of people (56%) think independent hospitality businesses in their local area are struggling with staff shortages, while over two thirds (67%) believe the owners of these businesses are worried about their future. Encouragingly, 85% of respondents said they plan to support independent hospitality businesses this year by visiting more frequently or buying takeaway food and drink from them.

Dine Local is part of American Express’ global Backing International Small Restaurants grant programme, established to support culturally significant, independent restaurants owned by individuals from underrepresented groups in major cities across the globe. Gianluca Rizzo, Director, Brixton BID, said: “Brixton is all about small and independent businesses. With the hospitality industry being hit hard, Dine Local was the perfect programme for Brixton, coming at a critical time for some of our restaurants.” americanexpress.com/en-gb

www.smeweb.com

THE FULL LIST OF DINE LOCAL GRANT RECIPIENTS IS: • Banh Banh Café – A casual family-run restaurant serving Vietnamese fare in homage to their grandmother, using the grant fund to install new kitchen equipment.

• Beast of Brixton – An LGBTQIA+ friendly cafe and bar planning to renovate its indoor and outdoor dining areas, as well as introducing a wheelchair ramp.

• Black and White Cafe – A community staple for over 20 years, it plans to use the grant funding to refresh its interior and buy equipment ahead of the summer trading period.

• Etta’s Seafood Kitchen – Restaurant whose owner has lived in the area for over 40 years, with plans to introduce a new click and collect service and electric scooter for delivery, as well as contribute to community health workshops.

• Jalisco – A family-run Latin American inspired restaurant seeking to buy equipment ahead of the summer trading period.

• Kamome – A casual Japanese diner which plans to update its ventilation system and purchase a new induction hob.

• Lounge Brixton – A laid-back bar, cafe and eatery which plans to expand its support for local talent by installing a new speaker system, allowing singers and spoken word artists to perform at the venue • May Foods – Afro-Caribbean restaurant which sponsors various support programmes, with plans to refurbish its storefront and revitalise staff training, among other improvements • Papa’s CafE – A community cafe serving in a Brixton park and playground, which plans to buy tables and chairs to improve its dining area, allowing them to host more events for children • Share a Slice – Pizzeria pop up and social enterprise with plans to restart its ‘pizza at home’ delivery kits trialled during the pandemic, as well as introducing a part-time community manager to support outreach work across the borough.

SME magazine

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Statistically, 1 in 3 ratepayers are paying more than their fair share due to incorrect rates bills. Check your bill, receive your refund and never overpay again.

So how can you find out if your rates bill is correct?

Stop overpaying on your business rates today

Your rates bill needs to be checked properly by a rating specialist who will challenge the VOA if a discrepancy is found. Once successful, your rateable value (RV) will be reduced which means your rates bill will be less and you could receive a refund as far back as 2017. 98% of rates bills challenged by FCS have resulted in a reduction and refund.

All you need to do is send us your rates bill and we will tell you if something is wrong! If we do challenge the VOA and reach a successful outcome, you pay a small cut of the savings we achieve. No savings – no cost to you at all. It’s a no brainer.

What sort of results can you achieve?

We recently submitted a Check, Challenge, Appeal on behalf of Pyroguard, the leading provider of fire safety glass systems. The original RV of their property was £72,000. The case was submitted, and when it concluded 12 days later, the new RV was £65,500. Thanks to us, the saving and refund for the current rating list period is £16,500 – a dispiriting amount to be overpaying, to say the least!

Another example: In December 2020, FCS were instructed by a client to appeal the RV of a piece of land they owned.

The RV of the land had been determined at £30,000, and the client had received a back-dated bill with a rates payable of £58,030. FCS appealed the valuation, and in February 2021 made an agreement with the VOA to a reduction in the RV of the land, down to £7,100. The reduction meant the client was eligible for Small Business Rate Relief; the client had zero rates to pay and the debt was cleared.

Stop paying unnecessary business rates on your commercial properties. Start spending your money on things you really want or need.

Our rating experts specialise in challenging, appealing, splitting, and merging of properties. We can help ratepayers get a refund on their overpayments, as far back as 2017. Our specialists will provide free, expert advice and have over 30 years’ experience, so you’ll be in safe hands!

Get in touch with our Head Rating Specialist, Mark Bates, by calling 0161 883 1675 or email mark.bates@fcsnationwide.co.uk.

In the meantime, if you want to know more, visit fcsnationwide.co.uk. *According to Impact of Business Rates in Business, HC 1944

Simply send your bill to check@fcsnationwide.co.uk We’ll check your bills for free.

Business Rates Experts

entrepreneurship

Morten Toft Bech, founder of Meatless Farm

meat-free alternatives are high on the menu

Farm where

Morten Toft Bech, founder of Meatless Farm, tells the story behind one of Britain’s most successful start-ups

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he idea came to me in 2016 when my wife and I were frustrated with the lack of tasty and affordable meat-free choices that the whole family could enjoy. So I began researching meat alternatives using pea and vegetable protein, focusing on taste and texture, and after more than two years in development, the Meatless Farm plant-based mince was born. In 2018 - needing funding beyond my own - I received backing from a group of private investors, and launched the mince into Sainsbury’s.

Environment is at the heart of Meatless Farm. We’re not anti-meat or pro-vegan, we’re aiming to inspire ‘meatlessers’ to eat more plant-based not convert them to veganism. Four years on, we’re one of the UK’s fastest growing plant-based brands with a range of products from mince to chicken breast, burgers, meatballs and sausages, and available in more than 20 countries with major retail and foodservice partners.

remains our UK headquarters today, although we’ve outgrown our original office. We’re proud that Leeds has such a prominent role in our journey.

Through our growth, we’re able to give back to the area that helped make us and we continue to create new jobs.

We’re proud to employ 120 around the world (half are in the UK) as we’ve expanded into more countries and continents outside of the UK.

You started in Leeds and have grown quickly. How many people do you employ now and where are they in world?

Leeds was the perfect home for us and

How has the demand for plantbased food products increased in recent years?

The demand for plant-based food is the highest it has ever been. We carried

www.smeweb.com

You’ve recently linked up with Fridays (formerly TGI Fridays).

Tell us about that.

This is a fantastic partnership and Fridays have trusted us to take on some of their iconic dishes and create plant-based versions. The new plant-based menu is designed to offer even greater choice to vegans, vegetarians, flexitarians and those simply keen to try something different.

Fridays is a nationwide chain so makes plant-based options accessible to all.

out research at the start of the year, which showed almost half of UK respondents (43%) plan to eat more plant-based food in 2022 compared to just one in 10 (9%) in 2019 before the pandemic. Veganuary has also seen its highest number of sign-ups, which encourages people to go vegan for the month of January. We saw our mince sales increase by 21% this Veganuary compared to last year. Our quest is to democratise plant-based meat, making it accessible for all.

How sustainable are your products?

When it comes to our product range, our core principles are prioritising high-quality ingredients that are plant-based, from sustainable sources, and first-rate suppliers with food safety accreditation. On average, Meatless Farm products use 90% less land and 70-80% less water than their meat counterparts and contribute to biodiversity. Environment is at the heart of the brand and its ambition is to reduce the world’s meat consumption by 50%. meatlessfarm.com SME magazine

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careers diversity

Why a diverse workforce is good for business Liesl Leary-Perez, Vice President, Corporate Marketing at Hubilo explains the importance of diversity in the workplace Why does it make business sense to build inclusive and diverse workplaces?

The business environment of today is a challenging one to navigate. Leaders must find their way around rapidly evolving market trends and adapt to the ‘new normal’ following the pandemic. At a time when one size fits none, strengthening a leadership team with diverse skillsets and backgrounds can generate the momentum needed to implement new go-to-market teams, thereby exceeding client demands across traditional demographic and geographic boundaries.

Working as a team is vital

What are the more general benefits of a more inclusive and diverse corporate team?

Organisations led by diverse teams are able to make better, more thought-out decisions as they have access to a range of different views and insights.

With more outside-the-box thinking, it is easier to drive innovation and ultimately outperform competitors and the data shows real business results. According to the Boston Consulting Group, diverse management boosts revenue by 19per 20

SME magazine

cent. McKinsey has also been cited as showing that 43 per cent of companies with diverse boards saw higher profits.

And finally, according to a 2020 Glassdoor survey, three out of four workers prefer diverse companies, which is a huge benefit considering how challenging it is to hire workers.

How important is company culture? Why? A strong, inclusive, and diverse company culture is at the core of any successful business. When a company is built on the foundation of diversity, inclusivity, trust, and the desire to give back, external challenges are much diminished. A truly diverse company culture enables businesses to attract and retain better talent – it’s a win-win.

In a culture where everyone feels comfortable and motivated to get involved, share their ideas and contribute, businesses will have more success long term.

What is the best way for corporate teams to harness rapidly evolving market trends?

Thriving in rapidly evolving market trends requires agility, openness, and adaptability. Teams must be prepared

to modify and change the status quo at any given moment to meet everchanging demands. A successful business moves forward by staying on top of its ever-changing market and choosing the best time to shift from its existing model to a newer one.

Recruitment is proving increasingly tricky. How should a company deal with today’s technological advancements and digitalisation?

Recruitment and onboarding are becoming increasingly challenging in this new normal, however, it certainly does not have to be. In the current market, staff shortages are high, and it is harder to attract and retain labour.

The mass job exodus that has been termed ‘The Great Resignation’ has affected all industries. However, for businesses the key lies in using this as an opportunity to re-address their team structures and redefine their corporate culture. Thanks to technological advancements and digitalisation and the increased acceptance of remote working structures, organisations have access to a much larger talent pool. hubilo.com www.smeweb.com

INCENTIVE PLANS

TO PAY OR NOT TO PAY, IS THAT THE QUESTION?

ORBIT PRO BENCHMARKING SUITE

Every day we encounter questions regarding what benefits and allowances to pay in the new working world.

In today’s fast-growing marketplace, getting the salary and benefits package right means the difference between filling those vacancies, retaining staff, or losing them to competitors.

PAY FRAMEWORKS

The market is changing rapidly. Organisations are recruiting differently, no longer restricted to location due to remote or hybrid working practices.

LIVE benchmarking is a valuable tool for employers. Providing evidence for the HR department to inform salary increases, pay progression, pay frameworks, assist with successful recruitment processes, access data for new locations, and inform on the competitiveness of their offering.

TURNING POINT HR SOLUTIONS OFFER TWO MAIN BENCHMARKING SERVICES: JOB EVALUATION

EXTERNAL BENCHMARKING

1. Bespoke Benchmarking Projects

2. Orbit Pro Benchmarking Software

Using role content, not just job title.

We contact relevant comparators, consider your turnover, FTE, sector, location and much more.

The data provided, allows you to make informed decisions about your pay & reward strategy.

Providing SMEs to Global Enterprises on demand access to the most comprehensively validated salary database in Europe. Enabling you to search over 16,000,000 individual data points, by region, sector, seniority, company turnover and specialisation.

Both options provide LIVE benchmarking, using role content not title, and cater for UK & Global requirements. Our reports include 10-90th percentiles, quartiles, and narrative on the findings.

BONUS PLANS

Whether one role or hundreds, Turning Point HR have a solution that works.

To find out how we can assist visit www.turningpointhr.com/contacts or call 0203 475 2270.

7

careers employee engagement

steps to hiring, training and retaining top SME talent

There are two ways to interpret the latest employment data from the Office for National Statistics. Record job vacancies show that UK businesses are bouncing back from the impact of Covid-19. They also suggest what seems to be an acute talent shortage, highlighting how the pandemic continues to cast a long shadow over our working lives.

capabilities, but each business has different requirements, and therefore different skills gaps. For some, it’s advanced skills like computer programming and photoshop design, but for others it might be as simple as getting a website set up or even just sharpening up on Excel spreadsheets.

Conducting a skills audit will help to identify the existing strengths and weaknesses of both you and your team – which is crucial in identifying how to proceed.

2

Target growth opportunities – following an audit, take a forward-looking approach to figure out what the growth potential of any new capabilities will be for the business. If it’s social media marketing, try to establish where your potential customers are online, and which channels you can use to target them.

We know from more than 130,000 businesses who accessed Vodafone V-Hub support over the past 12 months that growing a business online and attracting new customers are popular topics – hardly a surprise given the huge potential for growth that these skills bring.

3

WORDS: BY ANDREW STEVENS, HEAD OF UK SMALL AND MEDIUM BUSINESS, VODAFONE

SME leaders need to be a lot smarter about attracting and retaining talent and building the skills that will drive their business forward. Here are seven suggestions for shoring up skills gaps and prioritising top talent this year.

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SME magazine

1

Audit your existing skills – the first step is to take stock of the skills you do have, and the ones you think you might need. Today’s digital-first business environment has introduced new demands on small businesses to develop their digital

Upskill internally… – once you’ve got a good idea of what to focus on and why, it’s then a case of identifying how best to develop those capabilities. The first option is upskilling, both yourself and your team.

But it’s clear that, whatever the requirements are, a lot of business owners don’t know where to start. The good news is that there is an abundance of courses and resources available online to kickstart the upskilling journey, both from the government and also from sites like Udemy and our very own V-Hub small business support website. Training doesn’t need to break the bank, either – we launched our business.connected programme alongside Enterprise Nation to provide free skills training to 150,000 SMEs, and there’s still plenty of time to take advantage of courses from the likes of Enterprise Nation, Samsung and Cisco. www.smeweb.com

employee engagement

4

…or go beyond your usual network – in addition to upskilling internally, sometimes it’s worth looking externally for the skills you need. The trick here is to go beyond the usual network you’d rely on and seek our new skills in new places.

It’s a big part of why workplace diversity isn’t just the right thing to do from an inclusion standpoint, but also from a business one – you need diversity of perspectives and experiences to become an agile SME that is ready for the future. Perhaps it’s also why our business.connected research found that almost two thirds of SMEs would now prefer to hire a ‘digital native’ with more limited work experience over a ‘digital novice’ with much stronger work experience credentials.

5

Build a collaborative culture – alongside hiring and training, the battle for talent is also about retaining your SME superstars. An

open and collaborative working culture is no longer a ‘nice to have’ but a necessity, particularly for small businesses where everyone relies on each other in a much more direct way.

Make sure you’re making time and space for honest conversations with your team – it’s a great way to empower them and the business to grow and succeed.

6

Get everyone connected – post-pandemic hybrid working presents a number of challenges for small businesses and teams need to feel connected, whether in a physical space or virtually. Part of the role of a business owner is ensuring everyone has the right connectivity wherever it is they’re working, so check you’ve got everything in place that you and your team needs – our Complete Connectivity solution for example offers reliable and secure broadband connectivity across sites

BUSINESS PROCESS OUTSOURCING

TinyOx offers a range of business outsourcing solutions for your business.

Customer Service

Human Resources

Virtual Assistant Services

Lead Generation & Sales

Design & Graphics

Payroll

Digital Marketing

Software Development

Finance & Accounting

Compliance

and with advanced security features to ensure SMEs have everything required to stay connected, secure and in complete control.

7

Celebrate your wins together – building the right team can be a challenge but putting in the hard work is crucial to helping your business succeed. And when you have the right group of team players in place, it’s important to reward their hard work and help them to feel connected to the achievements of the business. Be sure to celebrate your next big win together as a team – once everyone gets a taste for success, your business will thank you for it.

Andrew Stevens is Head of UK Small & Medium Business at Vodafone, and leads a team providing insight, expertise, and SME-focused tech solutions for the UK’s SME community.

01

Strengthen your business with cost-efficient solutions

02

Proactive approach to anticipate upcoming challenges

03

Effective strategies and sustainable solutions

Email: info@tinyox.co.uk

www.tinyox.co.uk

50% OF UK BUSINESSES OVERPAYING BUSINESS RATES There are 1.9 million commercial properties in the UK and historically, these businesses are paying approx. £26 billion in business rates every year.

But as many as 50% are estimated to be paying more than they should due to the perfunctory way in which properties are valued. Manchester-based independent rates specialist, RVA Surveyors, is leading the charge to dispel the fog around business rates and support businesses with their rates reduction strategies. Managing Director, Anthony Hughes, tells us more...

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very year, as much as £1.5 billion is ring fenced to account for businesses that are re-evaluated and paying too much for their business rates . That’s a colossal figure and it gives a real sense of scale to the issue of rebalancing business rates. It’s of course encouraging that businesses could benefit from been incorrectly valued but the hidden truth in this data is that there are a great many more businesses missing out on reduced rates.

The biggest challenge when it comes to business rates is the level of misunderstanding and lack of engagement can risk overpayment.

Many businesses do not engage in the business rates revaluation process and in the majority of cases, this is due to a lack of awareness. For example, the VOA recently issued a call out to the retail industry after receiving an alarmingly low response from businesses to the re-evaluation process. This lack of engagement from retailers ultimately means that they will likely end up paying inaccurate business rates for their circumstances - especially considering that most retail businesses have undergone major operational changes throughout the pandemic.

As with most tax assessments, the business rates system is full of complexities and can be somewhat overwhelming to navigate. Periodically the VOA will compile a new rating list that will stipulate the business rates for a variety of non-domestic properties and this provides a framework from which to calculate a property’s Rateable Value. That seems simple enough but the system expects business owners to know all the elements of their property

that contribute to the value , the vast differences from one property to the next and even calculate a change of use.

Add to this the potential reductions that many businesses are due in business rates relief, and you immediately have a complicated and unfamiliar system that many businesses can fall foul of.

And they do. This convoluted system means that many businesses in the UK are currently overpaying. At RVA, we have found that nearly 50% of the businesses we engage with are paying too much in their business rates.

Incorrect valuations have, and always will be an issue. Why else would the Valuation Office Agency set aside approximately over a billion every year for business rates that are re-evaluated and found to be paying too much?

Understanding Check Challenge and Appeal In 2017, the VOA introduced the Check Challenge and Appeal process, and this was intended to make the business rates calculation a far more structured and transparent process. In theory, this is a very positive move for businesses. But it relies on businesses having the time and inclination to follow a formal process of creating an account, supplying identification, claiming the property and understanding the multitude of ways in which their property may have been wrongly valued. This is why having a specialist advisor to undertake this process on a business’ behalf can be invaluable.

At RVA Surveyors we have been engaged by over 47,000 commercial properties across England and Wales and our support enables them to

navigate the complexity of the business rates system. We don’t charge them for our assistance and expert evaluation; our fee is only due if a reduction or rebate is achieved. And 85% of the time, this is the case . We’re extremely proud of that figure, but it is a sobering figure that demonstrates the sheer prevalence of overrating and overpayment in the business rates system. Only a little over a 1/3rd of all commercial properties have been re-evaluated which means companies need to start fighting back and we can help them.

Established in 2008, Manchesterbased RVA Surveyors employs over 100 people and is the fastest growing business rates reduction specialist, with industry leading success rates and offering no reduction no fee service. RVA is the number one choice for businesses looking to achieve a significant reduction in their business rates liability. Working with a variety of businesses across England and Wales, RVA Surveyors helps to reduce business rates liability for its clients.

Established in 2008, Manchesterbased RVA Surveyors employs over 100 people and is the fastest growing business rates reduction specialist, with industry leading success rates and offering no reduction no fee service. RVA is the number one choice for businesses looking to achieve a significant reduction in their business rates liability. Working with a variety of businesses across England and Wales, RVA Surveyors helps to reduce business rates liability for its clients.

RVA Surveyors is an independent rates reduction specialist. We act on behalf of business rate payers, whether commercial property owners or tenants, on a no reduction no fee basis. Our independent status means we are solely focused on achieving reductions for our clients.

RVA Surveyors have been engaged by over 47,000 UK commercial properties. Our success rate is 85% in achieving a reduction with our client’s business rates liability when we have begun the Check Challenge Appeal and Audit process.

call: 0330 055 3234

email: info@rvauk.com

visit: www.rvasurveyors.com

employee engagement

Flexibility is the key to attracting the best talent Marcus Beaver, UKI Country Leader at Alight Solutions, looks at the demands of the modern office In pre-pandemic times, offices were the beating heart of a company.

How are things different now?

Offices used to be places where staff would work, meet, and socialise.

Employees could quickly catch-up over a coffee or stick around for after-work drinks. Talent is the beating heart of a company. But with the rise of remote working, many employees have proven they can get the job done from anywhere, and it’s no longer important where employees work day-to-day. It’s about having the right skills to achieve the business goals, and employees have proven they can get the job done efficiently, from anywhere.

Working from home and hybrid work environment look certain to be around for ever. The stark fact remains that the vast majority of employees feel healthier, happier and more productive now that they have experienced a taste of working from home.

What are the business benefits to having a modern office?

A modern office can do wonders for a business to promote collaboration, innovation, and creativity. With the right spaces, employees can feel inspired.

It’s why the office of the future should be developed with the employee experience in mind.

But businesses need to revisit what their office spaces are used for. It’s clear that staff don’t need to come in to stare at their screens and remain at their desks all day and it’s about having more than just a room fit only for function with endless rows of desks and computer screens. It’s one of the reasons so many younger workers www.smeweb.com

“ Working from home and hybrid work environment look certain to be around for ever” want to work at the likes of Facebook and Google; they are cool and exciting.

What are the must-haves in a modern office?

Offices need to offer what people can get from working at home: no longer can they simply offer a computer and a desk. The focus needs to be on encouraging a space where colleagues can collaborate and work as teams. A space with comfortable sofas where people can talk to colleagues is a great alternative for quick meetings or catch-ups that would otherwise require a meeting room with a stronger sense of formality that isn’t always appealing or perhaps even as productive.

A great way to foster collaboration could be incorporating a large dining

a Marcus Beaver

table where teams can have lunch together and take a breather from work, which can do wonders to strengthen team bonds. Small things as simple as offering free snacks to staff members or free refills for fizzy drinks and water are a great way to entice people back.

It’s not that there are any specific ‘must-haves’ for offices, but making spaces feel more homely, rather than rows of endless desks, to help workers relax and feel more at ease.” alight.com SME magazine

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Don’t go nuts over energy bills!

The theory behind voltage management is simple. There is a difference between the voltage supplied to a building and the voltage appliances are designed to operate at more efficiently. On average the voltage across UK business is 242V (420V three phase) and due to electrical equipment being manufactured to work across the European Union, this means that the optimum operating voltage required by electrical equipment to work most efficiently is more around 220V and 230V. This overvoltage not only costs more, but it also shortens the life of electrical equipment. The surplus voltage produces additional heat, noise, and vibration, it also causes stress on electrical equipment (particularly motors) and can damage electronic systems like computers and LED lighting which are more vulnerable to overvoltage and fail much sooner.

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With energy prices rising at an alarming rate and showing no signs of slowing down, it is now even more important for SME’s (Small medium enterprises) to ensure that any opportunities to save are not squandered. One opportunity you may not be very familiar with is Voltage Management.

An EnergyAce voltage optimisation system ensures that a building only consumes the energy it needs rather than additional energy due to overvoltage supplied from the grid. It does this by optimising the incoming voltage, lowering electricity consumption, to reduce electricity bills, and reduce the wear and tear on electrical equipment.

Benefits of Voltage Management include Reduces Electricity bills by Up To 20%.

Works on all circuits within a building all day every day.

Simple installation – With no need to change your electricity supplier.

Increases the life of electrical equipment.

Can be installed alongside Solar PV and improves efficiency of heat pumps and renewable systems.

No maintenance required.

Guaranteed savings.

15-year warranty.

To summarise, a Voltage Optimiser acts as a control valve to only take from the grid what is required. This increased level of control prolongs equipment lifespan, lowers how much a company pay on their energy bills and reduces CO2 minimising an SME’s carbon footprint.

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But don’t just take our word for it!

Here is what the Electrical Contractors Association says about the technology.

Voltage optimisation is one of the key new business opportunities for electrical contractors. The range, types, and size of buildings that can benefit from the savings voltage optimisation can deliver, makes it a great opportunity for consumers and our members.

For more information, contact us today using the details below Web: www.energyace.co.uk Email: post@energyace.co.uk Tel: 01695 559785 LinkedIn: @energyace

”

case studies Spreading the joy of making music around the world Jody Ashfield, CEO of Percussion Play, tells the story of a family business that has won a Queen’s Award

Last year we were delighted to be named a winner of the 2021 Queen’s Award for Enterprise – one of the highest accolades and most prestigious awards a UK-based company can win. The Queen approved the Prime Minister’s recommendation that we should receive a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the International Trade categoryacknowledging our outstanding growth in overseas sales over the past three years.

To say we were pleased is an understatement - we were thrilled and honoured to have been chosen. Over the last few years, we’ve seen an everincreasing demand for high-quality crafted and harmonized instruments sales have increased by 85 per cent, and our international orders account for 72 per cent of total sales- we can really say that we’re flying the flag for Britishmade products.

Our outdoor musical instruments can benefit everyone who plays them:

Robin, left, and Jody Ashfield from Percussion Play

The story of Percussion Play goes back to the 1990s when my father Robin, an entrepreneur, set up and owned a playground company. The experience of building playgrounds and creating sensory gardens for communities led him to identify a gap in the market for outdoor musical instruments that looked beautiful, were high quality, weather-resistant, fully accessible for everyone to use, and that

“Over the last few years, we’ve seen an ever-increasing demand for high-quality crafted and harmonized instruments” were tonally precise. Sensory gardens offer gentle stimulation in a therapeutic environment, and provide outdoor music works harmoniously when combined with these spaces.

I was working with my father in the family business and, sharing in his vision, we co-founded a company together and,

www.smeweb.com

in 2011, went through a significant re-brand when we created Percussion Play. It’s a genuine family-run business, which I believe comes across in everything we do.

In the early days, people hadn’t really come across outdoor musical instruments, ones that were properly tuned at least.

However, as soon as we could show people and have them play and hear the beautiful sounds that could be created, without any musical capability, they became excited and understood the benefits for everyone in the community.

Effectively marketing and communicating all of this has probably been one of our biggest challenges but we now sell to over 60 countries worldwide, with our instruments installed in playgrounds, schools, nursing homes, hospitals, hospices, museums and family-attractions plus many other settings. We really feel that we’ve created a global outdoor musical movement to bring a sense of fun to playing percussion in the great outdoors, for everybody.

• Children get the chance of ‘free play’ where they can be creative, collaborate with peers and also learn musical tunes to practise and perform. The instruments can also help with building confidence.

• Those with physical disabilities are often unable to take part in outdoor activities, yet our musical instruments are all designed to be inclusive, no matter what your physical disability is, you’ll be able to play our instrument.

• People with sensory impairments can benefit from music therapy that aids cognitive, emotional, and social issues as well as the physical needs of people.

• Autistic children benefit from playing music because it stimulates both hemispheres of the brain which helps to open up an alternate avenue for communication. People with autism can often struggle to interact with others, by playing music together, children can make interpersonal connections in a way that works for them. percussionplay.com

SME magazine

27

The way you spend your cyber budget is more important than how much you spend It is easy to waste money on the latest cyber resilience tool because “everyone has it” but do you need it?

Unless your business has the basic foundations of cyber resilience ingrained, then you might well be buying for the sake of it. You could have the most amazing threat detection system in the world but if you are using compromised passwords then an attacker has an open door to your systems.

THE BASICS Back up your data - Identify what data you need to back up, keep them offline, test your solution Protecting your organisation from malware - Install (and turn on) antivirus software, keep all your IT equipment up to date (patching) Keeping your smartphones (and tablets) safe - Make sure lost or stolen devices can be tracked, locked or wiped, keep your apps and device up to date Using passwords to protect your data – change your default passwords, avoid reused, guessable or predictable passwords, use Two-Factor Authorisation on important accounts Avoiding phishing attacks – provide staff awareness training, report all attacks

And there are some great tools which are completely free for businesses to use.

FREE TOOLS Police CyberAlarm – Police CyberAlarm acts like a “CCTV camera” monitoring the traffic seen by a member’s connection to the internet. It detects and provides regular reports of suspected malicious activity, enabling organisations to minimise their vulnerabilities.

Incident Response Plan - To help you deal with the impact of a cyber-attack we have created a Cyber Incident Response Plan template for you to consider what steps you would take if the worst happened, so you are prepared when it does.

Exercise in a Box - An online tool which helps organisations test and practise their

response to a cyber-attack.

It is completely free, and you don’t have to be an expert to use it. It includes two exercises, a technical simulation, and a table-top exercise. If you needed some assistance in running/guiding the exercise, then local police protect officers can help you run this for free.

For more information on these tools visit www.ecrcentre.co.uk and start your resilience journey today.

Cyber Security Training for Staff - Your staff are your first line of defence against a cyberattack. The NCSC has developed an e-learning training package ‘Stay Safe Online: Top Tips for Staff’ to help educate your staff on a range of key areas including phishing, using strong passwords, securing your devices, and reporting incidents Membership of the Eastern Cyber Resilience Centre – The ECRC has been set up by policing to help business build their cyber resilience. Free membership gives businesses support, guidance, and information about the latest threats as well as practical steps to implement. We also provide affordable cyber resilience services so you can test your systems. And we are part of a network of CRCs so wherever you are in the UK, you can access free support.

case studies How Milli found an outlet for her creativity Milli Abrams runs her own yarn shop in Richmond, Surrey.

Here, she explains why she loves being her own boss Milli, can you start telling us a little about Tribe Yarns.

Sure! Tribe is a yarn shop selling a specially curated collection of ethically produced yarns from all over the world for knitters, crocheters and weavers. We also sell the tools and other stuff knitters might want. We have a bricks & mortar shop in Richmond-upon-Thames, and an online shop that ships globally. Our tagline is “Life’s too short for crappy yarn…”

out on my own, I guess my problemsolving, self-reliance and multitasking muscles had been tried and tested plenty of times. Especially when we lived on our catamaran during our circumnavigation with my husband and young son.

Milli Abrams

You’ve travelled quite a bit. Can you tell us about that and how it helped you set up on your own.

It definitely helped in terms of knowing exactly the sorts of yarns I wanted in the shop (which I thought I might open one day as a retirement project…). I’d visited so many yarn shops, I had a clear idea of what I liked and didn’t. And in terms of setting

What is your vision for Tribe?

That’s a tricky one. As an accountant, I had plans, budgets and projections for everything. With this venture, I am trying to be looser. Seeing what opportunities unfold and where we want to go. At the very least, I hope to retain our current team, and our very loyal customers. At the most, I hope to somehow get more storage space, our own yarn line and lots more time for my own designs.

What advice would you give to someone thinking of launching their own business?

It really helps to have a good business grounding. I rely heavily on my accounting skills to make sure that the business is healthy. I use spreadsheets like there’s no tomorrow. But I also spent several months learning things like coding, SEO, photography, HR practices, consumer law, etc etc. You have to wear A LOT of hats, and you have to be ready for the business to consume very part of you, especially in the beginning. tribeyarns.com

Water in the Workplace Whether SME teams are heading Back to the Office (BTO) – or adopting the new hybrid office + WFH model of working, good hydration levels are at the heart of well-being and optimum working.

Small and medium sized businesses need to take care of their teams so providing that healthiest form of hydration – calorie-free water – is a good place to start.

For many, turning on the tap is not a pleasant option and so, for great tasting water that is also safe and hygienic, make sure your water dispenser comes from a WHA accredited company.

WHA, the Water Dispenser & Hydration Association, is the trade association that helps ensure unimpeachable standards of hydration provision. Whether you need a mains-fed water cooler, a bottled water cooler, an under-thesink dispenser, or something else, by approaching a WHA member

you have the peace of mind that they will help you select the right devices for your business and install and maintain them correctly.

The WHA is the gold standard.

Water provided via a dispenser tastes good and is convenient.

Having a dispenser in the workplace nudges people to hydrate better wherever that workplace is.

There are 3 key benefits of using a WHA member.

1 2 3

Its Find a Member service matches SMEs with providers that can solve their particular hydration needs.

It ensures best practice by training member company staff.

The WHA offers the peace of mind and trust that comes from members being annually audited to ensure they meet stringent regulatory and industry standards.

SUPPORTING SMEs TO FIND & WIN PUBLIC SECTOR CONTRACTS! FIND THE OPPORTUNITY

GETTING READY TO TENDER

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Winning public sector contracts shouldn't be something that only large companies with plenty of resources can do. We know SMEs have many advantages over these organisations, but perhaps just don’t know how to show it.

If you are looking to grow your business, responding to tender opportunities could be the ideal way to go.

Complete Tenders has helped SMEs win contracts in many different industries and are on hand to help you too. To find out more visit www.completetenders.com, call 01707 244713 or email info@completetenders.com.

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case studies How a love of paint built a global community Pam Gruhn founded Frenchic Paint in 2014 and it’s now the UK’s fastest-growing chalk paint company. Here, she tells its story I loved to upcycle as a hobby but, quite honestly, I couldn’t find a paint which ticked all the boxes for me, so I decided to create one and Frenchic was born! We are an eco-friendly chalk paint brand with passion and people at our core. From 2015 onwards, we really did lead the British upcycling and home improvement movement and proudly reinvented the definition of quality and innovation within the industry.

Pam Gruhn

How has the business expanded?

Alongside our popular online shop, we champion the independent high street retailer with over 900 stockists across four continents.

Naturally we started with just a few small UK-based retailers, and we have grown organically over the years. We genuinely care for our stockists and feel passionate about reviving the high streets.

Along the way, you won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in Innovation. What was that like?

This was such a special moment for me - personally and professionally. It is unrivalled royal recognition and an accolade for everyone who has been a part of Frenchic’s journey over the years. Innovation has been right at the heart of our success and growth.

What advice would you give somebody thinking of starting their own business?

DO IT! There are high highs, and low lows, but the rewards (and I’m not just talking financial) are limitless. I am so

R&D CREDITS JUST A FEW STEPS AWAY Businesses may have misconceptions that they do not fall under the category of R&D, but that’s not true: any company aiming to seek advancement and competitiveness in their organisation is eligible for an R&D claim.

Eligible companies can claim R&D tax relief for tax reduction or the R&D credit, calculated according to your liable expenditure. The R&D tax specialist team at Valiant and Stone assists you from the very first step of the claim till you receive the maximum incentives you deserve.

CLAIM NOW Email: info@valiantandstone.com

www.valiantandstone.com +44 333-303 1408

fortunate to now have a Frenchic family, a global community for upcycling inspiration, positivity, and creativity. Literally over a million people with a combined love and passion for a common love, business, and hobby – how wonderful.

What do you like about being your own boss?

You can be as creative as you like, with no limitations. You can choose your team of talented, amazing individuals.

And you have the flexibility to decide what your vision is for your own company. frenchicpaint.co.uk

CLIMATE CHANGE LEVY INCREASES:

ARE YOU OWED A REFUND? When it comes to utilities, many manufacturers are intensive users and will be accustomed to receiving large bills from their suppliers. But many could be facing far higher bills than they should be due to simple billing inaccuracies.

In fact, around 1 in 5 energy invoices contain errors.

Unfortunately, many manufacturers don’t realise their invoices contain errors, as ensuring each bill is correct is time-consuming and requires in-depth knowledge of billing rules and regulations.

At Professional Cost Management Group (PCMG), our experts have analysed the savings we’ve recovered across our client base and believe that UK manufacturers could be owed £14bn across the energy supply chain.

Incorrect billing is a well-known issue and although many have measures in place to try to prevent inaccuracies, there are some regular issues. One of the most common for manufacturers is the Climate Change Levy (CCL) charge.

If you’re one of the many manufacturers that are eligible for a Climate Change Agreement (CCA), did you know you’re entitled to a discount of up to 92% on your CCL costs?

In fact, the discount can be as much as 100% if you’re an eligible mineralogical or metallurgical manufacturer.

CCL is an environmental charge on commercial energy invoices. It was created to incentivise organisations to improve their energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions.

But it is an increasing element of many organisations’ energy bills, as it’s risen by around 75% since 2014.

The CCL rates have recently changed for 2022, implementing the rates announced in the 2020 Budget. The changes to

the rates are in line with the government’s commitment to continue to rebalance the electricity to gas ratio.

While there are many billing issues that can leave you paying more than you should be for your utilities, this doesn’t mean that you must resign yourself to overpayments. You can make sure that you recover any refunds your organisation is owed by:

1.

2.

3.

Checking your historical bills Businesses can reclaim overpayments they made up to six years previously, so if you aren’t regularly validating your bills, it’s important to check whether you’re owed any refunds.

Knowing what you’re entitled to We’ve saved manufacturers almost £1.8m by ensuring they were receiving their full CCA discount.

It’s therefore crucial to apply for a CCA when the application window opens and check that you’re receiving any discounts you’re entitled to. Remember that even if you’re carrying out a mix of activities you could still claim discounts for eligible activities.

Monitoring your bills going forward Billing inaccuracies can occur at any time, but businesses that continuously monitor their bills should be able to identify errors and resolve them quickly.

Over the years, PCMG have recovered over £120m in costs for our manufacturing clients. By analysing organisations’ historical bills, we can uncover incorrect charges and overpayments and recover these costs for them for up to six years after they have been paid.

Are your bills higher than they should be?

Call PCMG today on 01772 675100 or email enquiries@pcmg.co.uk.

PCMG is part of the Inspired Energy plc group

R&D CLAIMS FOR YOUR INNOVATION Radkell Limited is a boutique service provider in Research and Development Tax Credits and Patent Box, with a proven track record in the engineering, construction, and manufacturing sectors. We work closely with our clients to really understand their business and their qualifying innovative projects. The quality of narrative is critical to the claims process and our reports provide HMRC with a clear understanding of the qualifying elements of projects.

CASE STUDY Safeguard Engineering Limited (SEL) is a safety and environmental engineering and management consultancy providing specialist advice for defence and commercial projects.

Their innovation was in support of their risk assessment process. SEL created a clear and simplified risk assessment tool to make it easy for clients to understand and take appropriate action to mitigate risks.

“Rob Kellaway from Radkell Ltd provided us with a fantastic R&D tax relief support service. He made our claim process clear, straightforward, speedy, and effective. We are delighted with the reimbursement we have received from HMRC as a result.”

Steve Vickery, Director SEL

Visit us at: www.radkell.co.uk or call Rob Kellaway on 07508 666906

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