May 2018 business observer

Business Observer

Promoting your business in North Hampshire May 2018 issue

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Backing small businesses with £67m gigabit boost £3,000 grants to improve full fibre coverage and connectivity speeds SMALL and medium-sized businesses can enjoy a broadband boost by applying for a grant of up to £3,000.

The government cash can help with the installation of a connection capable of delivering gigabit speeds.

Full fibre broadband connections offer the fastest and most reliable speeds available and the government is committed to providing this as part of its vision of a full fibre Britain.

In March, the Department for Digital Culture Media & Sport announced a £67million Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme.

Small businesses can claim up to £3,000 against the cost of connection either individually or as part of a group project.

Secretary of State for Digital Culture Media & Sport, Matt Hancock believes the scheme will offer a huge boost.

He said: “Small businesses are the backbone of the British economy and now they can turbo-charge their connectivity with gigabit speeds.

“By building a full fibre future for Britain we are laying the foundations for a digital infrastructure capable of delivering today what the next generation will need tomorrow.”

The scheme is part of the Local Full Fibre Networks programme which aims to increase full fibre coverage across the UK. The country has 95 per cent coverage for superfast broadband with speeds of 24 megabits per second or higher but most superfast connections depend on copper telephone wires, limited by the speeds they can support.

For the fastest and most reliable broadband, a full fibre connection is needed which can then deliver gigabit speeds.

A gigabit is 1,000 megabits and of-

The cash from the Department for Digital Culture Media & Sport will help develop a full fibre future for Britain and boost small businesses through an increase in speeds

fers a huge increase in speeds which would provide a massive boost to businesses, meaning upload and download speeds can be the same.

Greater digital connectivity will be key for businesses in the years ahead

and full fibre connections will support that demand.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond said: “We’re backing Britain’s small businesses by investing £67million to bring full fi-

bre broadband to more businesses upand down the country.

“This means faster, more reliable broadband access as we build the digital infrastructure we need to make our economy fit for the future.”

Businesses eligible for gigabit vouchers can access the scheme through a supplier.

Go to gigabitvoucher.culture.gov. uk for more information and to find details of suppliers in your area.

IN NEXT MONTH’S ISSUE... ● UPCOMING EVENTS ● Q&As ● NEWS FROM SMEs ● FINANCE ● MARKETING ● PROPERTY ● BUSINESS OFFERS ● BUSINESS SERVICES

2 Thursday, May 17 - Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Business Observer

A great place to do business

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the idylic location of Worting Park.

Set in extensive parkland in North Hampshire, Worting House is an exceptional location offering fully serviced office space to rent with plenty of free parking. With offices available for immediate occupation, your business can be up and running within the hour! r -JDFOTFT GSPN NPOUIT r 0Ä‹DFT SBOHJOH GSPN TR Ä• r IPVS BDDFTT r /P TFU VQ DPTUT r &YUFOTJWF '3&& DBS QBSLJOH r .FFUJOH 5SBJOJOH 3PPNT r 3FDFQUJPO BOE TFDSFUBSJBM TFSWJDFT r .BJMJOH DPVSJFS TFSWJDF r 'VMMZ NBOBHFE QIPOF TZTUFN r #SPBECBOE JOUFSOFU BDDFTT r &BTZ BDDFTT UP . BOE SBJMXBZ MJOLT r 4IPXFS DIBOHJOH GBDJMJUJFT r 1SFGFSFOUJBM SBUFT GPS HZN OFYU EPPS

Why not come and have a look around?

Call us on 01256 817640 for more information.

Worting House, Church Lane, Basingstoke, RG23 8PX

www.wortinghouse.co.uk

THANKS to a considerable upgrade of its premises over the last three years, clients are now able to benefit from Worting House’s new 1GB leased line and reliable Firewall security.

As one of north Hampshire’s premier business locations, the new services give clients access to much faster and more secure internet - an essential for all businesses and business people today.

There are also secure air conditioned server rooms with enhanced power supplies to suit most modern IT requirements.

Worting House gives an opportunity for a wide variety of local, national and international businesses to benefit from quality serviced office solutions.

With dedicated offices and hot desks, plus a variety of informal break out space – it is a great place to do business.

Businesses based here have free use of the hot desks at all times giving space for visitors, clients and advisers.

Non-resident businesses also have the opportunity to hold meetings and events at Worting House’s inspirational location. Through its combination of friendly professional staff, historic setting and state of the art business facilities, the venue has built a strong reputation for supporting the local business community.

With meeting rooms designed to cater for four to 32 people, Worting House’s range of layouts

“I have been resident at Worting House for over five years and use most of the facilities including the training rooms, lunch and buffet services and can advise that the overall service received and accommodation that’s available is at a high level. Julie and the team always seek to find ways to make the experience trouble-free.

Added value at its best!�

Geoff Kontzle - Managing Director K3 Consulting & Training Services Ltd

can accommodate a multitude of business purposes and budgets.

From board meetings to supplier presentations, interviews to company training days, all meeting rooms make great use of natural daylight and are designed with space and free-thinking in mind.

Visitors to Worting House’s meeting and training rooms are also able to make use of a variety of other equipment including an interactive training screen with full TV and computer capabilities, in addition to a range of audio and video equipment, plus the more usual facilities such as the traditional flip charts.

There’s also free inclusive refreshments, together with executive catering available on

request – all adding up to making every visit extra special.

Worting House has long enjoyed a reputation for offering businesses first-class facilities. Its serviced office solutions are recognised as representing exceptional value for money, with no long-term financial commitments making Worting House a very attractive base for many small and medium-sized businesses, not to mention an ideal step up from working from home.

Worting House manager, Julie Kehoe-Smith, said: “Our latest investments to improve our internet and IT capability for all residents of Worting House builds on the professional and friendly services our staff and facilities already provide for so many businesses. “With easy access by train or car and plenty of free parking, Worting House has further enhanced its reputation as one of Basingstoke and north Hampshire’s most attractive, professional and convenient places to do business.�

Businesses interested in having a look around or arranging their next meeting or event at Worting House are invited to visit www.wortinghouse.co.uk or call Julie on 01256 817640.

Seven top tips to consider when negotiating a commercial lease As your business expands, you are likely to need more space to accommodate your staff and customers, but what issues should you think about when negotiating with a landlord?

Commercial Property Solicitor Kathryn Johns, pictured, highlights seven points to consider for a commercial lease.

1 Rent payments Does your landlord require monthly or quarterly payments? It is still very common for payments to be paid four times a year on 25 March (Lady Day), 24 June (Midsummer Day), 29 September (Michaelmas) and 25 December (Christmas), reflecting significant medieval religious festivals.

This can adversely affect the cash flow of a business if there is no provision in the budget.

2 VAT Is the property subject to VAT? The usual position is that VAT is not due on rent under a commercial lease, but a landlord can choose to apply VAT if they advise HMRC of their decision. This automatically adds 20% to the initial annual rent and some businesses may not be able to reclaim the VAT. The exact circumstances of how this might apply should be checked with your accountant.

3 Rent review A landlord may request a rent review during the term of the lease, to ensure the annual rent reflects the local open market rent. Rent reviews are usually decided to be the higher of the

current rent or the open market rent, making them generally upward only.

4 The property It is best to confirm with your landlord during initial negotiations the exact extent of the space to be let. If you take on the entirety of a building, you will likely be responsible for the whole property from the foundations to the roof. A lease of part of a building will still include service charge provisions, obliging you to contribute towards the repair of the common parts.

5 Term How long do you intend to stay in the property? A short-term lease may be acceptable if you are planning to expand rapidly, but a long-term commitment (perhaps 10 years) means ensuring that the property meets your future needs as well as your current requirements with sufficient space to expand.

6 Security of Tenure (Right to renew) Any commercial lease automatically

benefits from the right to renew on similar terms on expiry, if certain criteria are met (such as occupation by the tenant). The parties can agree to exclude this right, perhaps if the landlord has long-term development plans for the building but it is best to take independent legal advice before giving this concession as a tenant.

7 Security A landlord may request security to ensure that their rent is paid and the tenant’s covenants are performed.

While some landlords may ask for a personal guarantee, this is rarely the best option as an individual stands liable not only for the rent if the tenant cannot pay, but all repairing obligations and other covenants in the lease which can become a significant uncapped cost. A simpler and more practical option is for the tenant to offer a rent deposit, a fixed sum which can be forfeited if the business fails but no personal liability for an individual involved in the business.

This list is by no means exhaustive and should not be taken as legal advice with regard to any particular transaction or circumstances. It is advisable to work with a commercial property solicitor like Kathryn Johns who has a wealth of knowledge and experience in these matters.

Call Kathryn on 01256 854674 or email Kathryn.johns@phillips-law.co.uk To find out more about Phillips Solicitors and their services visit www. phillips-law.co.uk

Thursday, May 17 - Wednesday, May 23, 2018 3

01256 952180

Financial Services Made With Your Business In Mind Personal. Transparent. Experienced

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FINANCIAL PLANNING ADVICE hello@hlandw.co.uk www.hlandw.co.uk Devonshire House, Aviary Court, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG24 8PE

4 Thursday, May 17 - Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Business Observer

Searching for the best way to grow business

Phillips raise £7k for Ark A YEAR of fundraising at Phillips Solicitors has paid off as the fi rm was able to present the Ark Cancer Centre Charity with a cheque for £7,098.

The giant-sized cheque was an accumulation of various fundraising activities for the charity, which for the second year running has been the fi rm’s chosen charity of the year.

Among the activities were homemade cake sales and a Christmas hamper raffle, while two colleagues signed-up as Ark Riders, taking part in last summer’s Ark to Arc Challenge, cycling from the Ark Conference Centre in Basingstoke to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

A major fundraising opportunity came through the Phillips Basingstoke Half Marathon, held in October.

During the fourth year as headline sponsor, Team Phillips raised £2,085 through sponsorship match-funded by Greenham Common Trust through a

scheme called The Good Exchange.

Phillips director Jonathan Pender said: “I feel our colleagues have really got behind the Ark Cancer Centre Charity because we all know of someone who has battled against cancer.

“The charity is aiming to raise £5million towards a cancer treatment centre that will help and support people in the Basingstoke and north Hampshire area fight against this awful disease.

“Once the centre is open it will without doubt make a huge difference to help local people.”

Impressed with the amount of money raised over the past year, fellow director Hayley Eachus said: “As usual our colleagues have proved to be very generous.

“As a company it’s important to us to support a local charity as one of the ways in which we give something back into the community.”

WHILE it may seem on the surface to be an awfully technical subject, SEO (search engine optimisation) is at its heart quite straightforward and is something we all use daily, whether we realise it or not.

All of us have searched for things on Google before, but how does it work?

If I’ve just searched for bus times in Hampshire, for instance, how does Google choose which results to show? A rather complicated set of rules and algorithms, as you might imagine.

The factors Google investigates when making these decisions include metrics such as a website’s age, overall traffic and how ‘legitimate’ it appears to be.

Are you clearly telling Google what you want to be found for, or maybe muddling too many messages on one page?

Let’s say we need to travel somewhere. Google’s smart; I could search for ‘buses near me’ and not only would I see links to local travel websites, I’d also be shown a map with dots for the nearest bus stops. The same goes for businesses

A Digital House workshop can help you make the most of SEO for your business – ‘companies near me’ will provide a similar list with the same map and dots – salespeople love this.

This means local SEO isn’t just for techies. Studies are showing that we are increasingly searching locally, instead of just generally. This is doubly true in 2018, as

57% of searches are done on mobile devices. Convenience is king, and that’s good for business.

At Digital House, we really do have a house full of digital marketing experts. We also love helping local business owners get more new business from the internet.

Our free workshops are extremely popular, so if would like to understand more about how to get new customers by attending a free workshop, please see our website at www.digitalhousemd.co.uk

REGIST

ER TOD AY!

NEW £3,000 GIGABIT INTERNET GRANT ANNOUNCED! Find out how to claim a voucher for up to £3,000 for your business.

The Government’s Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme has been rolled out nationally for SMEs and local communities. Register your interest today and get to the front of the queue:

www.m12solutions.co.uk/ basingstoke-gigabit-voucher The voucher can be used towards either: A free standard installation of a brand new gigabit circuit.

Upgrading from a 100Mb/s bearer to a 1Gb/s bearer.

Excess construction charges for complex installations.

The team at Giganet are waiting to help improve you business’s connection speed

The last voucher scheme closed early due to high demand. Make sure your business doesn’t miss out!

0800 107 8888 www.m12solutions.co.uk/ basingstoke-gigabit-voucher sales@giga.net.uk Registering your interest with us does not guarantee that you will be eligible to recieve a voucher.

Please refer to www.m12solutions.co.uk/gigabit-voucher for the full terms and conditions associated with the Gigabit Voucher Scheme.

Boosting connectivity for SMEs GIGANET’S investment in the Basingstoke telephone exchange means it is capable of offering pure fibre connectivity to businesses in the surrounding area with the expectation this investment will help increase take up of services capable of up to a gigabit in speed (1000Mb/s).

The government has recently launched a nationwide Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme providing vouchers worth up to £3,000.

The grant, targeting SMEs and local communities, is to support the capital costs of installing new gigabit capable connections. Having helped more than 700 customers claim similar grants, the Hampshire business is confident its previous experience will significantly aid take up in the Basingstoke area.

Andrew Skipsey, Giganet managing director, said: “Unlike almost all other local providers, being in the local exchange provides us a genuine competitive advantage in delivering next generation Gigabit services. This £3,000 government grant means even smaller firms can benefit from a fibre to the premises product with a sensible broadband tag.”

With up to £3,000 against the cost of installing a new line, Basingstoke businesses can receive Giganet’s Ultrafast Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) on demand product from £99 per month.

Good news for those who have no access to superfast broadband such as business parks who have not been upgraded, those in rural areas too far away from the upgraded cabinet, or

even those who find leased lines just too expensive but need extra bandwidth.

Andrew added: “It was found the average business experienced two major internet outages last year causing a tremendous amount of downtime and lack of productivity.

We would like to encourage as many local businesses as we can to make the most of this grant whilst it is available.

It is a great way to not only future proof your operations, but also significantly improve the reliability of your connection.”

Register your interest to ensure your voucher is processed before the allocated funds run out. Visit www. m12solutions.co.uk/basingstokegigabit-voucher or call 0800 107 8888.

Thursday, May 17 - Wednesday, May 23, 2018 5

01256 952180

GDPR support agency provides the perfect solution for small and medium businesses SO just how will the UK’s 1.3 million SMEs address the need to become and stay GDPR compliant?

After all, it effects every business.

This was the dilemma facing Nicola Hartland, CEO and co-founder of The Data Support Agency, based in the heart of Chineham Park, Basingstoke.

Nicola said: “It was frankly a lightbulb moment. Like most businesses, I knew that the GDPR was coming, and I knew that I’d need to ensure that my SME, like all businesses, had to achieve compliance. But there was the dilemma – I couldn’t afford to hire consultants and I couldn’t afford to hire in a specialist employee. Nor could I expect one of my overstretched team to be responsible for the data compliance processes across the business.

“I was typical of every SME – balancing cashflow with delighting the customer. GDPR presented a huge pain for me, and every other UK SME.” Nicola’s solution resulted in frantic calls and meetings with her chairman, Kevin Gaskell, entrepreneur, motivational speaker and former UK MD of Porsche, Lamborghini and BMW. The seed of an idea was born, nurtured and brought to market – Nicola launched The Data Support Agency.

Nicola explained: “I wanted us to be the SMEs’ best friend for data compliance, and that starts with GDPR. I brought in a team to develop a portfolio of services that I knew that, as an SME owner, I’d buy – monthly low subscrip-

tion to help ease cashflow, accessible UK-based support desk where I could speak with certified GDPR specialists, an online portal, open 24/7, where I could complete an assessment to see where I needed to focus, access tools, templates, model processes and project plans to guide me through the GPDR maze and offer what I think is the UK’s largest GDPR frequentlyasked-questions database.

“It’s as simple as that – cost, support, tools.”

She added: “Now, I really can have my non-GDPR-specialist employees bring the company to be compliant, and more than that, remain compliant, because of an infrastructure of specialists behind me.”

Already, the Data Support Agency has taken the SME market by storm.

Businesses from industries as diverse as farriers to IT resellers, marketing agencies to telecom providers, estate agents to recruitment agencies have joined and are busily preparing their businesses.

You don’t need a GDPR genius inside your company. It costs as little as £100 per month. A small price to pay when you consider the alternatives – consultants, training up or recruiting an employee, or the reputational risks and potential punitive fines of noncompliance.

For more information, visit www. datasupportagency.com or call 0345 646 0066.

Nicola Hartland, right, and the Data Support Agency can help your SME navigate through the GDPR storm

Are you ready for GDPR? THE EU’s new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) coming into place will have a huge impact on organisations and their marketing activities.

The current UK Data Protection Act 1998, states companies are allowed to use a ‘soft’ opt-in approach when it comes to data collection – any data collected on customers, in particular, email addresses, can be used to form the basis of marketing communications for an organisation.

GDPR gives consumers more say in how companies use their data. The rules will apply to all businesses based in the EU and/or doing business in the EU. They will have to comply with the new regulations if they collect any personal data from EU citizens. The new regulations will be much tougher, introducing fi nes for companies not complying. It has been created to help improve trust in the emerging digital economy.

■ GDPR will begin from May 25.

Businesses have until then to prepare their data until the law actually applies to them.

■ If your company suffers a data breach that goes against the new regulations, you must notify the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) within 72 hours of the breach.

This short deadline gives you the chance to report the nature of the breach and the approximate amount of people affected by it.

The people affected should also be notified, even if this takes place before reporting it.

■ Not complying could result in a penalty. If a breach is not reported within the 72-hour deadline, there is a risk of being fi ned up to €10 million or 2% of your global annual turnover – whichever is greater.

The ICO can also infl ict a total ban on all data processing within an organisation, if found to be in breach of the regulations.

■ Personal data now covers a huge range of information including bank details, medical information social media names and posts, photographs and IP addresses.

■ Pre-ticked boxes or users having to actively opt out of communications will no longer comply with the new regulations. Instead, a double opt-in process will become essential, a box will have to ticked to sign up for marketing communications and then confi rm by a further email.

■ Full records of all data processed by an organisation including the type of data and its purpose, will all have to be kept on record. Much more detailed descriptions of the purpose of data collection will have to be given to all participants.

■ Consumers whose data you have collected now have the ‘right to be forgotten’. If requested, their data must be completed erased. The controller of the data is responsible for telling other organisations linked to them e.g. Google, to delete all this data.

■ If a consumer does request access to their data, you will no longer be able to charge them a fee for complying with this request. As an organisation, you have 30 days to complete the request and disclose the information.

■ It will be another two years before the UK officially leaves the EU. Therefore the GDPR will apply to the UK over the next two years.

■ Organisations that come under public authorities, organisations that engage in large-scale systematic monitoring and organisations that process lots of sensitive personal data will all need to appoint a Data Protection Officer.

These changes may seem to inhibit the amount marketers can communicate with their audience, but will make data processing much more straight forward for both businesses and consumers.

The constant change in marketing will allow for businesses to adapt to new environments.

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is the most important change in data privacy in 20 years, with punitive fines for non-compliance.

6 Thursday, May 17 - Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Business Observer

Giving employees the skills to make their money work for them AS more and more businesses look to provide different support for their valued staff, one area of help that employers are continually looking to provide is helping staff become better at understanding fi nance and money.

This will give staff the skills to look after their money and in turn take away from the stress of ‘making ends meet’.

The subject of fi nancial education and fi nancial literacy is one often highlighted as a subject that needs to be taught throughout the schooling system but, even though it was added to the National Curriculum in 2014 for 11-16 year olds, there is still a shortage of knowledge and experience in this area – this is where Fortem Financial Education aims to fi ll the gap.

Set up by directors Kevin White and Alex Macintyre, Fortem Financial Education works primarily with businesses and education facilities to provide important sessions on fi nancial education, fi nancial literacy and personal fi nance issues.

The company covers basic subjects such as ‘understanding your payslip’ and ‘what does your credit score mean?’ to more complex areas such as

inheritance tax and pensions, it provides fi nancial education seminars, blogs and video content to ensure that people can educate themselves in anyway they wish.

Fortem Financial Education, based in Worting House, Basingstoke, provides bespoke and structured training under its Four Cornerstones programme designed to take different ages and knowledges through a programme of fi nancial education to help people better manage their money.

Kevin said: “One of the most important things to understand when speaking with a company or business is, who is in the business.

“For example, a group of apprentices or graduates will have different fi nancial education needs to that of the middle or higher management so putting together something that is interesting, topical and easily learnable for each level of employee is crucial.”

Kevin and Alex explained that the appetite for businesses to embrace their corporate and social responsibility to their staff is increasing and this is down to want-

ing to keep their employees and offer a point of difference to other competitors.

Offering their staff a way to learn about managing money, understand borrowing and savings and simply being able to ask simple questions is one way that companies are seeing the benefit of keeping good staff members.

A nother

Financial advice: Fortem Financial Education directors Kevin White and Alex Macintyre help employees to understand their money and how it can work for them through seminars benefit for companies is the fact that Fortem offer free education to under 18s as Alex explains: “We offer free education to under 18s because we believe they should have already had explained the things we will go through in one of our sessions. This also makes it more cost effective for

a business that likes to invest in their future and have a higher concentration of apprentices making it a win-win for everyone.”

To fi nd out more about how Fortem Financial Education can help your staff, contact them on 01256 345630 or visit www.fortemfi nancialeducation.co.uk

Take Control of your Financial Future with our 4 Cornerstones Programme The Fortem Financial Education 4 Cornerstones Programme is a comprehensive Financial Education programme that will help you take control of your financial future and enhance your knowledge on personal finance matters. We believe the 4 Cornerstones to everyone’s financial well being are understanding Personal Money Management, Saving & Investing, Borrowing & Protecting and Taxation. Our financial education training is flexible enough for you to be able to pick and choose the areas that you believe will best suit you and we can develop a bespoke package to fit your particular needs. Alternatively, you can benefit from the full 4 Cornerstones programme and ensure that you have covered and been taught everything you could possibly need to know.

Personal Money Management

Saving & Investing

Learn about;

Builds on Cornerstone 1 with;

Managing Your Money Monthly Improving Your Credit Score Debit/Credit Cards & Loans Mortgage Borrowing Different Savings Types

Ways to Save Investment Types Pensions & Tax Relief Your Personal Investment Profile Risks & Rewards

And Much More....

And Much More....

Borrowing & Protecting

Taxation

Learn about;

Learn about;

Unsecured & Secure Borrowing Interest Rate Types Mortgage Types Getting a Mortgage Why Protect?

How your Income Tax works What is National Insurance What other tax should you consider Getting Tax back

And Much More....

And Much More....

Being Financially Fit Boot Camp Taster Day This is a taster day that combines seminar type presentations with individual or group money ‘boot camp’ sessions.

An overview of each component of the 4 Cornerstones programme, this is an ideal introduction into Financial Education and Personal Finance and will give direct training and support throughout the day, all in the comfort of your own workplace.

Contact us now for more information.

Worting House Church Lane Basingstoke Hants RG23 8PX Telephone : +44 (0) 1256 345630

FortemEducation

Email : info@fortemfinancialeducation.co.uk

50sfinance

Supporting staff financial health ONE of the local businesses that has recently engaged with Fortem Financial Education to give support to their staff is commercial insurance firm, Finch Group.

Their Basingstoke branch, in Rankine Road, have had Fortem Financial Education present to their staff on subjects such as Being the bank of mum and dad and Understanding your tax allowances as they see it vitally important to help their staff in as many ways as possible.

Ryan Houston, commercial manager of Basingstoke, explained why it is important to him. He said: “We have a small, experienced team in Basingstoke and I feel that it is crucial to support them in any way we can. The subject of money and personal finance is something that always comes up so I thought some teaching around this subject would be great for the staff and the

feedback has been really positive.

Kevin White, director of Fortem Financial Education explained why they like working with companies such as Finch Group.

He said: “It’s because they genuinely want to support their staff. They do not want us to merely turn up to tick a HR box, they want us to help their staff understand their money and what can be done with it so they genuinely get the lessons they may not have got otherwise.”

Fortem Financial Education have helped companies with less than 10 employees and given Financial Education seminars to up to 200 people at once, so it doesn’t matter the size of the business they can help.

For more information about how Fortem Financial Education can help your employees contact them on 01256 345630 or visit www.fortemfinancialeducation.co.uk

Thursday, May 17 - Wednesday, May 23, 2018 7

01256 952180

Looking for a new recruit?

Make this your First Option Building good relationships with clients and candidates are key to the success of recruitment company First Option.

Tina Morgan opened the business in Basingstoke 21 years ago and during this time has seen many changes in the way companies recruit for staff.

She said: “Not only do I have to make sure I have the edge over other agencies, I need to compete with online recruiters and job boards but do find that clients do still like to receive a personal service from an agency that knows them well.

“Building good relationships with your clients and candidates is key to success in recruiting. You have to listen to people and treat them with honesty and respect.

“I always try to meet candidates in person to find out what drives them and when I’m matching a candidate to a brief I’ll look at their skillset but I’ll also have the client’s culture in mind.”

She explained that some companies need someone with a particular skills set while for other companies the right personality is crucial.

Tina added: “My search strategy will depend on the position I’m recruiting for. If the job requires a narrow skill set then I’ll usually headhunt. I’ll use my network of contacts and search jobs boards and professional networking sites. I also have a big database of potential candidates. I always call and have a conversation with potential

1

st

Recruiting in Basingstoke for the past 21 years!

FIRST OPTION

RECRUITMENT LTD

Working with local businesses in varied sectors to recruit staff in: • • • • •

Finding the right employee is essential for business success and that’s where Tina Morgan at First Option can help candidates – email can be easily be overlooked.

“If a candidate is interested then I’ll arrange a meeting with them. It’s the best way to really get to know candidates and find out what drives them.

“It’s really important to get a full brief and to clearly understand a client’s needs from the outset. I’d never put a candidate forward if they weren’t a good fit. I believe in quality over quantity”.

Administration Finance Sales Marketing Telesales

• • • • •

Engineering Technical Management IT Design

• Customer Services • Warehouse • Logistics • Graduates

“We don’t sell Recruitment, we offer sound solutions to encourage business growth!”

“We don’t sell Jobs, we offer career opportunities!”

Tina Morgan, Director

01256 336000 tina@firstoptionrecruitment.com

Getting you moving worldwide

Your single point of contact for shipping worldwide

DESPATCH Point Limited is a family run business, now in it’s 23rd year, offering international freight forwarding and courier services to local, national and worldwide businesses.

The company offers a full range of services by air, road, ocean and courier to and from all parts of the world in conjunction with a network of trusted overseas partners. Our aim is to become an integral part of your business by providing a single point of contact for all of the shipping services you need to import or export worldwide.

Our range of services continue to grow and some of the biggest

growth has been in our ability to supply dedicated vehicles within the UK and all EU countries within a few hours.

These vehicles range from small vans to 40ft trailers, available 24/7, and can operate between any two points within the UK and EU. We regularly move urgent breakdown parts, delicate machinery and fragile goods, where our services offer speed and minimum handling as the same vehicle collects and delivers.

International courier services form a major part of our portfolio and are available to more than 200 countries worldwide, with

next day delivery to major cities in the EU and USA. We are also able to arrange imports from many countries.

The company continues to offer airfreight, air charter and seafreight options for larger or more specialised shipments such as hazardous goods. Other ancillary services include assistance with Letters of Credit, Customs clearance and advice on import procedures, export packing, warehousing and all risks cargo insurance.

Visit our website www. despatchpoint.com or call Mike Barnes or Chris Barnes to discuss your requirements.

air road ocean courier www.despatchpoint.com

01256 840884 email@despatchpoint.com

8 Thursday, May 17 - Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Business Observer

NO1 FOR BUSINESS

FROM BASINGSTOKE BASINGSTOKE BASINGSTOKE BASINGSTOKE BASINGSTOKE BASINGSTOKE BASINGSTOKE

TO HEATHROW GATWICK LUTON STANSTED SOUTHAMPTON SOUTHAMPTON DOCKS LONDON CITY

CAR £45 £65 £65 £100 £40 £45 £100

EXECUTIVE £55 £75 £75 £110 £50 £55 £110

BUS £67 £90 £95 £150 £60 £65 £150